The Bass Reeves Trilogy: Follow the Angels Follow the Doves (2020), Hell on the Border (2021), and The Forsaken and the Dead (2023) – Sidney Thompson

After watching Paramount’s Lawmen: Bass Reeves and seeing in the opening credits that it was based on two books in a historical fiction trilogy written by Sidney Thompson, I had to hunt them down and dig into this historical personage that no one seems to know about. Over the course of three novels, Thompson documents…

Battle Royale II (2003) – Kenta Fukasaku and Kinji Fukasaku

Battle Royale II is very much a different creation from its predecessor. Set three years after the events of the first movie this film moves the film mythology forward. Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and Noriko (Aki Maeda) have made their escape, and Shuya has now started what the rest of the world calls a terrorist organization,…

Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) – Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid

As I explore the final pages of DK Canada’s immensely informative The Movie Book, I’ve moved into the last section of this catalogue of films. Herein lies another title from The Directory, a selection of titles that are exceptional but didn’t make the cut for the main body of the text. Meshes of the Afternoon…

V – The Miniseries (1983) – Part Two

Part two of the iconic science fiction mini-series V, written and directed by Kenneth Johnson, aired on 2 May, 1983.  It aired the following night after part one, no week’s wait, not even a couple of days. This was an event, and for two nights it ruled television. Continuing it’s sci-fi retelling of Nazi Germany…

The Battle of Algiers (1966) – Gillo Pontecorvo

The next big title in DK Canada’s The Movie Book is a film that, perhaps, resonates with even more importance now than it did when it was first released. Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers is a fascinating, brutal, and dark watch that shows us the true face of war and it’s effect on all sides…

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) – The Siege, and Invasive Procedures

Station log: stardate unknown Michael Piller writes the concluding part to the season opening trilogy of episodes. It first debuted on 10 October, 1993. Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) and his Starfleet crew are dealing with the request that they evacuate the station, while The Circle, the Bajoran xenophobic activist party is revealed to be receiving…

Cabaret (1972) – Bob Fosse

The next title on the What Else to Watch list in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, following their recommendation of Blue Angel (previously reviewed) is Bob Fosse’s 1972 Oscar winning classic. Starring Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles, the film is set in Berlin. Sally, an entertainer in a local club, is the film’s centre but…