Hard working director, Richard Fleischer delivers a fairly standard action-drama that puts Charles Bronson in the spotlight. He’s surrounded by a score by Charles Bernstein and a script written by Elmore Leonard. Bronson is the titular Mr. Majesytk. He’s got himself a melon farm, and is looking to recruit some migrant workers to help him…
Tag: freedom
TIFF 25: Orwell – 2+2=5 dir. Raoul Peck
Damian Lewis narrates text by George Orwell, as director Raoul Peck profoundly demonstrates that we as a society, and a planet, are living smack dab in the middle of Orwell’s 1984. Intercutting with the various adaptations of 1984 and Animal Farm, Peck includes documentary and news footage charting the new rise of fascism, authoritarianism, and…
Stargate SG-1 (2001) – Beast of Burden, and The Tomb
Daniel (Micheal Shanks) has been watching his Unas friend, Chaka (Dion Johnstone) only to discover that he’s been captured and made a slave. Beast of Burden was written by Peter DeLuise, and first aired on 10 August, 2001. Daniel and the rest of SG-1 go to investigate, and discover that Burrock (Larry Drake) and the…
TIFF24: The Seed of the Sacred Fig dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
Rasoulof examines the patriarchy and religious law in the microcosm of the family in The Seed of the Sacred Fig. For some it can be a tough watch, as it incorporates actual footage from the 2022 protests in Iran following the death Masha Amini who died while in police custody, charged with improperly wearing her…
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…
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2009) – Mystery of a Thousand Moons, Storm Over Ryloth, Innocents of Ryloth, and Liberty on Ryloth
“A single chance is a galaxy of hope.” The blue shadow virus threatens the Republic in this episode written by Drew Z. Greenberg that first aired on 13 February, 2009. Ahsoka (Ashley Eckstein), Padme (Catherine Taber) and countless clones (Dee Bradley Baker) are infected with the virus, and it’s up to Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter)…
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2009) – Dooku Captured, The Gungan General, and Jedi Crash
“The winding path to peace is always a worthy one, regardless of how many turns it takes.” Julie Siege, Scott Murphy and Henry Gilroy pen this episode, Dooku Captured, that first aired on 2 January, 2009. Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) go after Count Dooku (Corey Burton), with an elaborate…
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008/2010) – Clone Cadets, Supply Lines, and Ambush
“Brothers in arms are brothers for life” After the introduction of the series in the previous cluster of episodes, we get a look at the training and the lessons clones (Dee Bradley Baker) have to go through before they can join their brothers on the battlefield. The training is overseen by the Jedi Shaak Ti…
The Mind Reels 