A story of greed wiping out any trace of humanity, and the dark side of the immigrant story, Brian De Palma’s update of the classic gangster 1932 film remains a staple of the genre as I return to the Thriller & Crime section of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film. Al Pacino plays…
Tag: friendship
Gods and Monsters (1998) – Bill Condon
The bio-pic, Gods and Monsters, is the next film on the What Else to Watch list, for Bride of Frankenstein, from DK Canada’s The Movie Book. The film chronicles the last days, as well as life and career of director James Whale, played brilliantly by Ian McKellen. The legendary film maker, perhaps best known for…
Toronto After Dark 2017: Impossible Horror – Justin Decloux
Having its world premiere tonight at Scotiabank Theatre as part of the Toronto After Dark film festival is this odd and strange film shot here in Toronto. With a runtime of just over an hour, there isn’t a lot to it, and at times it seems experimental, while at others, to paraphrase one of the…
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) – Norman Jewison
It’s time to dig into some of the previously un-reviewed (for me) recommendations in the Musical section of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, and I was rather surprised with how much I enjoyed Norman Jewison’s anachronistic adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic rock opera. Christian theology has never really been my…
People On Sunday (1930) – Robert Slodmak & Edgar G. Ulmar
People On Sunday is the next big stop in DK Canada’s The Movie Book. Called a film without actors, the film is fluid and natural, following five people on a Sunday. Erwin, a taxi driver, Brigitte, a retail, clerk, Wolfgang, a wine trader, Christl, a film extra, Annie, a model, are the film’s subjects, as…
My Best Friend’s Exorcism (2016) – Grady Hendrix
Where do I even start with this book? I enjoyed this one so much. We were in the local Chapters, and I was immediately caught by the cover. It’s designed to look like a 1980s horror movie on VHS. And the story embraces everything you loved about the 80s – the shows, the music, the…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) – The Last Outpost, and Where No One Has Gone Before
Captain’s log: stardate 41386.4 The introduction of the Ferengi. Well that could have gone better. The script was penned by Herbert Wright from a story by Richard Krezmien and the episode first aired on 19 October, 1987. The Enterprsie is in pursuit of a Ferengi Marauder accused of theft, when both ships find themselves losing…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1969) – Whom Gods Destroy and Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
Captain’s log: stardate 5718.3 Whom Gods Destroy was penned by Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl and had it’s first broadcast on 3 January, 1969. The Enterprise arrives in orbit around Elba II, which serves as an asylum for the criminally insane. They have arrived on a mission of mercy, they are carrying a serum that…
Star Trek: Dwellers in the Crucible (1985) – Margaret Wander Bonanno
Before Star Trek V: The Final Frontier came along four years later with the concept of the Planet of Galactic Peace, Margaret Wander Bonanno presented a similar idea in her non-canon Star Trek novel, Dwellers in the Crucible, which finds its way onto the Book Shelf this week. Set before the events of Star Trek…
The Sand Pebbles (1966) – Robert Wise
Robert Wise directs Steve McQueen, Mako, Candice Bergen, Richard Attenborough, James Hong, and Richard Crenna in this adaptation of Richard McKenna’s novel, and my next port of call in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Lawrence of Arabia. McQueen is Jake Holman who has just been assigned to…
The Mind Reels 