I remember being completely enchanted when I realized the movie, Hugo, was not only about a boy who lived in a train station, but about Georges Melies, the famed French director, and his wonderful collection of films. It absolutely swept me up in it’s narrative. But I had never read Brian Selznick’s original book, which…
Tag: french
Northern Exposure (1991) – The Body in Question, and Roots
Chris (John Corbett) finds a body in a block of ice during one of his fishing trips, and the entire town gets swept up into who it may be. He looks like a French soldier from the Revolutionary War, and his accouterments, and journal seem to support that belief. The Body in Question was written…
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) – Christopher Gans
I hadn’t seen this film since it had DVD back in the day. It seemed everyone I knew was talking about it in the video store, in fact, for a brief moment, it seemed to be everywhere. And now it doesn’t seem to be anywhere. So I was more than willing and, in fact, delighted…
Family Ties (1983) – Margin of Error, French Lessons, and I Gotta Be Ming
Alex (Michael J. Fox) gets in all manner of trouble in Margin of Error. Written by Michael Russnow it was first broadcast on 9 February, 1983. Alex is playing the stocks on paper every day for a school project, and he’s been making a theoretical killing. When he asks Steven (Michael Gross) and Elyse (Meredith…
TAD 2022: International Shorts Program
Festival directors and Scotiabank Theatre invites After Dark fans to attend the International Shorts Progam this afternoon. Take in an offering of strange and unusual entries from around the world that will bemuse, beguile and befuddle. Bug Bites, directed by Daniel DelPurgatori is a bizarre little short about what we are led to believe, initially…
TAD 2022: Canadian Shorts Program
This afternoon, Toronto After DarkWE is showcasing its Canadian Shorts Program at Scotiabank Theatre. Shorts can be a lot of fun because even if you don’t like one, there will be another one along in a few minutes. And whether you like them or not, you can always recognize the quality of work and talent…
Robin Hood (2010) – Ridley Scott
Director Ridley Scott does away with the romp and romantic adventure that has permeated the Robin Hood myth down through the ages, and through a number of onscreen iterations to tell a more historical-based version of the tale. He packs it with stars, but the lack of derring-do may have kept audiences away, who knew…
M*A*S*H (1982) – Trick or Treatment, Foreign Affairs, and The Joker is Wild
Dennis Koenig pens Trick or Treatment which first aired on 1 November, 1982. While the 4077th attempts to get in on local Halloween parties, a slew of wounded ruin their evening, but doesn’t stop them from sharing ghost stories, and dressing up in costumes. Amongst the wounded are Richard Lineback, George Wendt, and Andrew Clay….
TAD 2021: Super Z dir. Julien de Volte, and Arnaud Tabarly
Zombie features at Toronto After Dark are never your run of the mill selections. With so many entries in this horror sub-genre, and so many ways to adapt the subject matter to social commentary, it’s unusual to find a unique offering in the field. France’s Super Z is definitely unique. Having its World Premiere virtually…
TAD 2021: Canadian Shorts
Canada delivers its own Shorts programme for Toronto After Dark, with 9 selections, that like the International Shorts features a variety of styles, sensibilities, and genre mashing. There’s some great work in here, and despite the fact that none of the films were as laugh out loud as the highly enjoyable Shiny New World, there…
The Mind Reels 