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…

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990) – The Hunted, and The High Ground

Captain’s log: stardate 43489.2 Airing on 8 January, 1990, this episode featured the first appearance of James Cromwell in the Trek universe. Here he plays Prime Minister Nayrok in an episode written by Robin Bernheim. An escaped prisoner,  Danar (Jeff McCarthy) gives Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the Enterprise a run for its money after he…

Zero de Conduite (1933) – Jean Vigo

The next stop in DK Canada’s brilliant, and highly enjoyable, The Movie Book is a collection of films by French auteur Jean Vigo. The first one highlighted and serving as gateway to the rest of his work is the short, Zero de Conduite, or Zero for Conduct. Running at a brisk forty-one minutes the film…

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – John Frankenheimer

The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Dr. Strangelove is Frankenheimer’s incredible thriller that still has the power to chill to this very day. In fact, it seems even more relevant today than when it was released. It’s 1952, during the Korean War. An American…

JFK (1991) – Oliver Stone

The final film in the What Else to Watch list of DK Canada’s The Movie Book, following my viewing of Battleship Potemkin is Oliver Stone’s three hour historical, and dramatic exploration of the Kennedy assassination in 1963. The film follows Jim Garrison’s (Kevin Costner) real-life investigation into the case, perhaps compiling the most comprehensive look…

Star Trek: Crisis On Centaurus (1986) – Brad Ferguson

Well, except for the product placement, the implication that the Earth isn’t under a one government rule, and that the economics of the future are a little different (according to Picard) which is not followed here, most of this tale is fairly enjoyable. In fact, of it had been rewritten and edited a little more…

Dune Messiah (1969) – Frank Herbert

A substantially shorter novel than the first book in the series, Dune Messiah is on the Book Shelf this week. Published four years after Dune, Messiah is set twelve years after the events that saw Paul Atreides become Emperor, marry a princess in name only, and his Fremen launched their jihad on the galaxy. Paul…