The work of producer Gale Anne Hurd is my next port of call in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book, I’ve previously covered her work with James Cameron, so that left some of her other films to take a look at, and I loved that I got to start with Tremors. This fun, creature feature that hearkens…
Tag: joy
The Twilight Zone (1959) – The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine, Walking Distance, and Escape Clause
My exploration of the dark corners of the universe captured in The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series, available from Paramount, continues this week with three spooky episodes. Up first is The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine which aired on 23 October, 1959, and was penned by Rod Serling. The tale follows Barbara Jean Trenton (Ida Lupino) an ageing…
A Matter of Life and Death (1946) – Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
David Niven and Kim Hunter star in this wonderful piece of fantasy that is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film. Also known as Stairway to Heaven, this is a film I had never heard of. Niven is Peter Carter, a RAF pilot. He and his crew are returning to…
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005) -Garth Jennings
Grab your towel and Don’t Panic! Douglas Adam’s classic tale gets a big screen adaptation, of his book/screenplay, which had previously been so well used by the BBC as a miniseries, and before that a radio programme. There are things that work in this version, and things that don’t, but the effort is there to…
Singin’ in the Rain (1952) -Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly
For me, screen musicals don’t get any better than Singin’ in the Rain. It’s my favourite. It combines great music, with a fun look at Hollywood on the cusp of transitioning to talkies, and features some wonderful sequences and a completely charming cast in the form of Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds….
Lego Star Wars: Small Scenes From a Big Galaxy (2015) – Vesa Lethimaki
DK Canada and Lego Star Wars combined forces to publish a fun and beautiful book of Vesa Lethimaki’s minifigures and the creative environs he puts them in. I remember first coming across Lethimaki’s Flickr stream a few years ago, and was completely wowed by his art. I quickly bookmarked it, and visited on a regular…
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – Frank Capra
It’s the middle of summer, so what better time to take a look at a holiday classic as I dive into the Family genre of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. Holiday film or not this one is undeniably a classic, and James Stewart is simply perfection as George Bailey, a…
Hot Docs 2016: Cheer Up – Christy Garland
Having its World Premiere this evening at Scotiabank at 7pm is this charming, emotional, little gem, that takes us to northern reaches of Finland’s Arctic Circle, and into the lives of some wonderful young women, cheerleaders, who have big hearts, and bigger dreams. Led by their coach Miia, this cheerleading team tries to win…
Sing Street (2016) – John Carney
Sheer joy. There were no other words to express my experience with John Carney’s latest film. Sometimes a film comes along at just the right time in your life, and serves to reminds you of something you’ve always known but you kind of need that obvious callback. And music does that. It doesn’t matter…
Toronto Fringe: High Tea
So my first Fringe Festival came to a close yesterday, and I have to say, I want more. And after seeing some amazing pieces of work over the past week and a half, a few of which walked away with awards, I don’t think I could have chosen anything better to end my first Fringe experience…
The Mind Reels 