Releasing the same year as Michael Bay’s big budget, small story, extravaganza, Armageddon, Deep Impact got a little lost in the rubble. But with Steven Spielberg’s name attached to it as executive producer, it’s my next stop on the Sci-Fi Chronicles. Eschewing the flash-bang, style over substance, popcorn nature of Bay’s film, Deep Impact, ably…
Tag: hope
Midnight Special (2016) – Jeff Nichols
Owing its pedigree to films of the 80s like John Carpenter’s Starman and Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Nichols writes and directs this science fiction road movie that is best viewed with little to no plot knowledge. So suffice to say, I won’t be saying much about story points in my review….
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) – Zack Snyder
The Hero’s Code. It apparently means nothing to Batman (Ben Affleck). It apparently means nothing to Superman (Henry Cavill). And that’s troubling, because as a child, they were two of the characters I grew up with that taught me what it was. But even worse, the creative forces behind the scenes of the latest…
Issues Vol. 19
It was a quiet week last week, which was good, as Sue and I were busy with the con, but Kirk had quite a pull for me this week when I strolled into West End Comics, check out this list… Providence (Avatar comics) issue 5, written by Alan Moore, art by Jacen Burrows, colors by…
TIFF 2015: P.S. Jerusalem (2015) – Danae Elon
Having its World Premiere today at Scotiabank, and screening again on the 16th and the 19th is this poignant and powerful documentary from filmmaker Danae Elon. Elon invites us into the life of her and her family, as she documents a journey of the heart, and the search and discovery of home. Born in Jerusalem,…
Ant-Man (2015) – Peyton Reed
The next big Marvel film, and the first following Age of Ultron sees Paul Rudd stepping into the Marvel Universe as Scott Lang, a small time thief, who wants to go straight, and see his daughter. He’s joined by Michael Douglas as Hank Pym the creator of the Ant-Man tech and suit, Evangeline Lilly…
Tomorrowland (2015) – Brad Bird
Hope. It’s something in short supply in today’s films, television and books. We as a culture of become cynically and intellectually lazy (not all of us mind, but that can-do spirit seems to have been diminished, flickering like a guttering candle), gone are the heady days of Mercury and Apollo when creativity, dreams and…
Hot Docs 2015: Planetary – Guy Reid
Yesterday morning, I sat down and watched perhaps the singularly most important film that is screening at Hot Docs this year, and if you’re not in Toronto, you can track down this film online, as it was released internationally on Earth Day. Over the past century, man has advanced and for the first time,…
The Road (2009) – John Hillcoat
We jump genres now in the Great Movies – 100 Years of film book, and I dive into Sci-Fi-Fantasy-Horror (though I would argue they could all be separate categories. The first title, Metropolis (such a gorgeous film), and almost all of its recommendations, I have reviewed previously for the blog, so the one recommendation left…
The Missing (2014) – Season 1
Releasing today from Anchor Bay, on both DVD and Blu-Ray is the Starz/BBC co-pro miniseries, The Missing, starring James Nesbitt, Frances O’Connor, and Tcheky Karyo. Over eight episodes, beautifully presented in HD on blu-ray, with an incredibly sharp and clear image, the viewer is put through a taut, brutal, honest and emotional journey that…
The Mind Reels 