TIFF ’22: Moonage Daydream

Moonage Daydream, a film by Brett Morgen, is a frenetic, fever dream glimpse into the life, music, and art of David Bowie. Clocking in at just over two hours, the archival collage of performances and interviews combine in a colourful, kaleidoscopic form that becomes an experiential event. Morgen takes the viewer on a trippy exploration…

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) – 4K Review

I had never seen John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance before Paramount Canada offered me a copy of the new 4K version of the classic western. I had no idea it was such a political film and while I have always enjoyed performances by Jimmy Stewart, I’ve never really been a John Wayne…

Murder on the Orient Express (1934) – Agatha Christie

This week I dug into one of Agatha Christie’s most iconic novels, Murder on the Orient Express which features that Belgian detective and his little grey cells, Hercule Poirot. Summoned back to London, Poirot must forgo a layover and board the Orient Express to make it to his next assignment. Unfortunately, the train car is…

M*A*S*H (1978) – Peace On Us, Lil, and Our Finest Hour Part 1

Bad news on the peace talks front leads Hawkeye (Alan Alda) to drastic action in Peace On Us. Written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs, this episode first aired on 25 September, 1978. Along with that news, is the reveal that they’ve upped the number of rotation points that need to be earned before surgeons,…

Fletch and the Widow Bradley (1980) – Gregory McDonald

Though written after the original Fletch novel, this novel takes place before the events of that story, and finds investigative reporter I.M. Fletcher in sunny California, filing his stories, and romancing (again) a lovely young actress, Moxie. Fletch has just filed a story for the business section, not his usual beat, but taking an assignment…

TIFF 2021: Hold Your Fire dir. Stefan Forbes

New York. 1973. While it looks like a different time on film, not everything has changed, and consequently, Forbes documentary, which looks at a hostage situation that featured around the clock coverage at the time is just as relevant today as it was then. There’s errors on both sides, accusations, instituionalised racism, redemption for some,…

TIFF 2021: Becoming Cousteau dir. Liz Garbus

Like a lot of people my age grew up in the 70s tuning into The Undersea World of Jacques Costeau, in our house, it would be paired Sunday evenings with The Wonderful World of Disney. I had one of his books as a child, and would pore over the pictures and text for hours, losing…

TIFF 2021: Attica dir. Stanley Nelson

Taking a look at the five day rebellion, and hostage taking in September of 1971 at Attica prison, Nelson’s documentary is a stark, unflinching look at the prison system, the industry of it, the culture and race clash that is inherent in it, and the larger world as a whole. Filled with interviews from those…

Beverly Hills 90210 – The Ultimate Collection

Teen drama. The words are synonomous whether you watch television or not, because every teen is drama, whether they admit or not. And Darren Star knew he had struck gold when he took typical teen stories, filled with angst, love, heartbreak and social issues and placed them in what, thanks to the show, has become…