DK Canada’s The Movie Book continues to expand my cinematic knowledge, and today helps me fill in a glaring error in my viewing history, as I settle in for the Peter Sellers classic dramedy Being There. Featuring a screenplay by Jerzy Kosinski, who also penned the original novel, the story follows Sellers (in an Oscar…
Tag: government
Persepolis Rising (2017) – James S.A. Corey
The seventh volume in the brilliant, and highly enjoyable science fiction series, The Expanse, finally finds its way to the Book Shelf this week, and it was so worth the wait. I love this series so much, and this book, Persepolis Rising does two things that haven’t really happened in the series before: there’s a…
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) – Frank Capra
DK Canada brings me this Frank Capra classic from its What Else to Watch list following its recommendation of It’s A Wonderful Life. THIS movie makes me regret the fact that schools, as a rule, no longer have civics classes. It needs to be seen, as it shows the good and the bad of democracy,…
The Running Man (1982) – Stephen King as Richard Bachman
Despite being a fan of the 87 Schwarzenegger flick, I’d never read the original source material, so being long past due, I dug into it and was delighted to find that the novel was a completely different experience, and worthy of a cinematic adaptation in its own right. Ben Richards lives in the slums, a…
Seven Fallen Feathers (2017) – Tanya Talaga
Seven Fallen Feathers is a defining book. It is a haunting, distressing and angering discourse on racism and loss in Northern Ontario, and across Canada. Talaga, a dedicated and insightful journalist turns her investigative eye, shining it like a spotlight onto a piece of Canadian life that many of us are loathe to discuss, accept,…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1992) – The Outcast, and Cause and Effect
Captain’s log: stardate 45614.6 I love that The Next Generation did this episode. I just wish it had been better written. Penned by Jeri Taylor, this episode debuted on 16 March, 1992. Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) finds himself involved with an androgynous life form, Soren (Melinda Culea), during their visit to the planet J’Nai. The…
The Shape of Water (2017) – Guillermo del Toro
del Toro’s latest film, The Shape of Water is very much a fairy tale for adults, as well as sharing a kinship with the horror films of the 1950s, specifically, 1954’s The Creature From the Black Lagoon (as well as to Abe Sapien as seen in del Toro’s own Hellboy series). But in this film,…
The Twilight Zone (1963) – The Old Man in the Cave, Uncle Simon, and Probe 7, Over and Out
My journey through the iconic television series, The Twilight Zone, continues this week as I delve into another three episodes of The Complete Series on blu-ray, available now from Paramount Pictures. First up is The Old Man in the Cave. This episode had a broadcast date of 8 November, 1963, and was written by series…
Authority (2014) – Jeff VanderMeer
The second book in the Southern Reach Trilogy finds its way to the Book Shelf this week as I dive further into the strange realm of Area X first introduced in the book Annihilation, which also serves as the title of the upcoming film adaptation. This sequel, released within months of the first book takes…
Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – The Impossible Astronaut, and Day of the Moon
Astronauts, the Silence, the Doctor’s (Smith) death, and some tons of temporal shenanigans launch the sixth series of Doctor Who with The Impossible Astronaut. The episode was written by Steven Moffat and first aired on 23 April, 2011. The Doctor after showing off in history to attract the attention of The Ponds, invites Amy (Karen…
The Mind Reels 