James Rollins second novel in his Sigma Force series continues the highly enjoyable combination of science, mythology, history and high adventure. This time, Sigma Force’s Grey Pierce is assigned with his team to investigate a massacre at a church in Germany, and the subsequent theft of ancient Catholic relics. Relics that have some strange properties,…
Tag: France
Mission: Impossible (1967) – The Widow, and Trek
Season two of Mission: Impossible launched on 10 September, 1967, with The Widow written by Barney Slater. Viewers knew right away that something had changed, Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) was replaced without explanation by Peter Graves, taking command of the IMF team as Jim Phelps, and Martin Landau finds himself in the opening credits, right…
Never Send Flowers (1993) – John Gardner
James Bond is back, and while I’ve enjoyed Gardner’s efforts with Ian Fleming’s 007, with the minor exception of The Man From Barbarossa, this entry, his thirteenth (of sixteen) feels like a real stumble. It seems to want to be more in line with the cinematic 007, but without a solid story, or set pieces…
Chuck (2010) – Versus the Balcony, and Versus the Gobbler
Chuck (Zachary Levi) is on the verge of (elaborately) proposing to Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) when she relates a story of her parents’ nightmare proposal, just as a mission is delivered their way that sees them on a trip to France to recover a microchip, using a wine-tasting as their cover, with Casey (Adam Baldwin) as…
The French Connection (1971) – William Friedkin
William Friedkin’s 1971 classic has deserved a rewatch for awhile, and I was quite happy to settle in for it. I like Gene Hackman, who won himself an Academy Award for his turn as NYPD officer Popeye Doyle, and I’m a huge fan of Roy Scheider who plays his partner, Cloudy, and received a nomination…
Saving Private Ryan (1998) – Steven Spielberg
I was stunned when I first saw Saving Private Ryan on opening day, 24 July, 1998. I had never seen war depicted so realistically, so heart-breaking, graphic, and impactful. I held onto the names of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks like a mantra through the film, to guide me through it, to make everything be…
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (1995) – Attack of the Hawkmen
Indiana (Sean Patrick Flanery) takes to the air, and fights behind the lines in the next adventure he finds himself on. This television movie first aired on 8 October, 1995, and follows Indy’s time in Africa. 1917 The script, written by Matthew Jacobs, Rosemary Anne Sisson, and Ben Burtt sees our young hero serving now…
Charade (1963) – Stanley Donen
The next title on the What Else to Watch list following the recommendation of Casablanca from The Movie Book, released by DK Canada, is this delightful romp starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Also featuring turns by Walter Matthau and James Coburn, this romance mystery, with a healthy dose of comedy has a score by…
The Trial (1962) – Orson Welles
I return now to DK Canada’s The Movie Book, where their next big title recommendation is Orson Welle’s opus, Citizen Kane. Having previously reviewed it, I moved right along to the What Else to Watch section, and discovered a Welles film that I hadn’t watched or reviewed before. Based on Kafka’s novel, The Trial features…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990) – The Best of Both Worlds Part II, and Family
Captain’s log: stardate 44001.4 How do you follow up a cliffhanger like the one that closed the third season of The Next Generation? Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is firing on the Borg, intent on destroying them, even if it costs the life of the abducted, and ‘enhanced’ Picard (Patrick Stewart) now known as Locutus. Michael Piller…
Home Alone (1990 ) – Chris Columbus
I return to the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book and venture back into the family genre. And despite the fact that it’s May, it’s apparently time for a Christmas movie. I’m a little bit divided on this one. It has so much working for it. It’s written and produced by John Hughes,…
The Dining and Social Club for Time Travellers: Book One – Divine Intervention (2016) – Elyse Kishimoto
Word On The Street, here in Toronto is a wonderful book festival that highlights authors, publishing companies, and smaller book stores, and when it took over the Harbour Front for its event last weekend, I was eager to see what they had in store for me this year. Amongst the young adult readers I found a…
