All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) – Edward Berger

I missed All Quiet on the Western Front when it screened at TIFF. I just couldn’t make it work with my schedule, so when it dropped on Netflix, you can be assured it went to the front of my viewing queue. Berger’s film, based on the iconic novel by Erich Maria Remarque, is a stunning…

Greyhound (2020) – Aaron Schneider

Tom Hanks not only stars in this World War II naval thriller, but he also wrote the script, using the novel The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester to tell the tale of Captain Krause (Hanks) guiding a multi-national convoy of supplies and men across the Atlantic to England. There are fifty hours when the convoy…

The Color Out of Space (2010) – Huan Vu

H.P. Lovecraft, despite his racist tendencies that pop up in his writings, was a master of unnerving cosmic horror, and in 2010, Huan Vu adapted the classic novella, The Color Out of Space into a moody and ominous thriller. A German made film whose only problem lays in some of its special effects, but more…

The X-Files (1996) – Unruhe, and The Field Where I Died

Vince Gilligan who would go on to create Breaking Bad, penned this episode, that gets Scully (Gillian Anderson) abducted (again, number five!) and was the first episode to be broadcast on a Sunday night after the series had it’s move there from Friday nights, where it had been a staple for three years. It was…

No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987) – John Gardner

James Bond is back in this week’s book shelf, as I continue my adventures with 007, and John Gardner’s sixth novel chronicling the missions of the British secret agent. This time, Bond’s adventure takes him from England into Ireland and then to the Far East with a tension-filled ending set in China. M assigns 007…

Murderers Among Us (1946) – Wolfgang Staudte

The Directory of DK Canada’s The Movie Book continues to provide exemplary titles, despite the fact that they didn’t make the cut for the main body of the text. And Murderers Among Us is a moody, brilliant watch that reminds us of the horrors of war, humanity, and the cost of terrible events. A German…

Above Us the Waves (1955) -Ralph Thomas

The next title on the What Else to Watch list in DK Canada’s exemplary The Movie Book following its recommendation of the submarine classic Das Boot takes us below the surface again as we join British sailors during World War II as they attempt to destroy a German battleship, Tirpitz, in a Norwegian fjord. Commander…

Das Boot (1981) – Wolfgang Petersen

The next big title in DK Canada’s highly enjoyable The Movie Book is the Oscar winning German film Das Boot from prolific director Wolfgang Petersen. This has always been a great film, and I love that I got to settle in and watch this film play out on my screen (again). Set during World War…

The African Queen (1951) – John Huston

The thing I am truly loving about DK Canada’s The Movie Book is that as I work my way through the titles and recommendations, I get to revisit films that I may have seen before, but never had a chance to cover for the blog. And that gives me a great opportunity to catch up…