Doctor Who (Peter Capaldi) – Before the Flood, and The Girl Who Died

Before the Flood is the conclusion of the cliffhanger to last week’s underwater base/ghost episode from last week. Penned by Toby Whithouse, and first airing on 10 October, 2015, it finds the Doctor (Capaldi) travelling back in time to before the underwater base was flooded, and the deserted sunken village they were investigating is alive…

Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – Cold War, and Hide

The Doctor (Smith) and Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) get a Cold War adventure in this tale written by Mark Gatiss. The episode aired on 13 April, 2013. The Time Lord and his Companion find themselves on a Soviet submarine commanded by Captain Zukhov (Liam Cunningham), his lieutenant, Stepashin (Tobias Menzies) and an Ultravox loving scientist, Grisenko…

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – Henry Selick

  The final recommendation from The Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of It’s A Wonderful Life is this modern day cult classic, that has found its way into the mainstream consciousness and has been stuck there since the film’s initial release, celebrating Christmas and Halloween in that macabre and…

Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) – Day of the Daleks

    The Daleks return in this, the first story of Jon Pertwee’s third season as the Doctor, and the ninth for the series as a whole. This four-parter was scripted by Louis Marks and ran from 1 January to 22 January, 1972. This one is a fan favorite and it’s easy to see why,…

The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) – Erle C. Kenton

  Lon Chaney, jr. takes over the mantle of the Monster from Karloff in this next sequel in the Universal series. Ygor (Bela Lugosi), yet lives and is still causing problems for the hamlet of Frankenstein. The locals want to destroy the castle completely and the horrible creature still seeks revenge against the superstitious villagers….

Guidance (2014) – Pat Mills

  Having its premiere at TIFF today, is this delightful Canadian film that definitely enjoys itself. Pat Mills is a triple threat in the film, writing, directing and starring as David Gold, a former child star, with a drinking problem, a rent problem, an employment problem, and a little denial about his sexuality. With no…

Toronto After Dark 2013: Odd Thomas – Stephen Sommers

  Before I get into last night’s early feature at Toronto After Dark, I want to say a quick blurb about the short film that screened before it.  Every year, a Canadian short will screen before each feature film of the festival, and last night’s film was paired with a wicked little short by Adam…

Ghost In The Shell (1995) – Mamoru Oshii

  The 101 Sci-Fi Movies brings us another anime classic, based on the manga of the same name, this one dealing with the idea of what it means to be living and how we define life. Set in the oh-so-distant year 2029, corporations and city-states have taken over the world, nations have collapsed, and the…