Somehow, with all the wackiness that was happening last year, I missed the House of Anansi Press’ release of the next Ava Lee novel by Ian Hamilton. Of course, that just meant I could catch up on it now, and I won’t have quite as long a wait (theoretically) for the next one. This time…
Tag: film
Eat Wheaties! (2021) – Scott Abramovitch
Sid Straw is a loser. At least, that’s how he’s introduced to us at the start of Eat Wheaties!, a simple yet funny film directed by Scott Abramovitch. Brought to hapless life by actor Tony Hale, Sid lives alone, and hangs out in his drab corner office, occasionally chatting up co-workers who can barely stand…
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) – 4K Review
Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins bring their version of DC’s Wonder Woman back to the screen, and now 4K disc this week with Warner Brothers’ home video release of Wonder Woman 1984. Gadot reprises her role as the titular Amazon hero in this follow-up to the 2017 blockbuster that proved DC comic movies could…
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) – Don Hall, Carlos Lopez Estrada, Paul Briggs, and John Ripa
Trust, hope, faith in ourselves and in one another. Walt Disney’s latest hero’s journey seems to be the right film at the right time, and has the perfect message for getting through the pandemic that like the druun in the film seems intent on ravaging our world, and keeping all of us apart. A beautifully…
Licence to Kill (1989) – John Gardner
James Bond returns this week in John Gardner’s adaptation of the 1989 film, Licence to Kill. This is probably the most disjointed of his novels as he tries to marry his version of the literary 007 to the big screen version, and it doesn’t always work. In fact, throughout the book Bond thinks he must…
M*A*S*H (1973) – Divided We Stand, 5 O’Clock Charlie, and Radar’s Report
Season two of M*A*S*H launched on 15 September, 1973 with Divided We Stand. Written by Larry Gelbart, who developed the series for television, the episode serves as a bit of a second pilot to introduce new viewers to the characters and bring every one up to speed. In Seoul, General Clayton (Herb Voland) is worried…
M*A*S*H (1972) – Pilot, To Market, to Market, and Requiem for a Lightweight
On 17 April, 1972, the television landscape changed with the premiere of a show that would run for eleven seasons, and ably walk the line between comedy and drama as it explored life on a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. Developed for television by Larry Gelbart from the Academy Award winning film…
In Conversation with John Landis
Today is my birthday, so it seems like the perfect moment to share this wonderful gift DK Canada gave me. Director John Landis has overseen the compilation of a new anthology, Haunted Houses, and it is perfect reading for the Halloween season. It’s a fantastic collection, and DK Canada arranged for me to speak with…
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963) – Ian Fleming
The eleventh 007 book, and tenth novel, by Ian Fleming is this week’s entry on the Book Shelf, and you could see how the film series would begin to influence the continuing novels as we get a mention of Bond’s parentage, with his father being a Scot, and there is an increasing sense of Connery…
Goldfinger (1959) – Ian Fleming
This week’s 007 is the seventh novel in the series, and while it bears some similarities to the film that would eventually spring from it, it is also very much it’s own thing. Secret Agent James Bond finishes up a mission in Mexico, like a pre-credits adventure, which does get alluded to in the film…
Dr. No (1958) – Ian Fleming
I dig into another classic James Bond novel by Ian Fleming this week. Up this time is the sixth novel in the series, and one that served as the basis for the first film. The story stays fairly close to what has been explored in the film, with a subplot involving bird guano and conservation,…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 2
The epic mini-series adaptation of James Clavell’s novel (he also served as one of the show’s producers), Shogun continues this week, as I dive into disc two, which includes episode two and parts of episode three which originally aired on the 16th and 17th September, 1980, following the airing of the three hour premiere on…
