Dev Patel directs and stars in Monkey Man, an action revenge film that makes sure to add in emotion, trauma, as well as some commentary on religion and politics. It’s all done without losing the driving, pulse-pounding action sequences that make this film incredibly enjoyable and watchable. As the nameless hero of the film, known…
Tag: kid
Family Ties (1985) – My Tutor, Mr. Right, and Just One Look
River Phoenix guest stars in My Tutor. Written by Jace Richdale, it first debuted on 14 November, 1985. Alex (Micheal J. Fox) is having trouble with advanced geometry (he’s gone from 90% to 89%) and he’s hired a tutor to help him out. Enter thirteen-year-old Eugene (Phoneix), a mathematical genius, who works to help Alex…
Rocky IV (1985) – Sylvester Stallone
There are some flaws in the fourth entry in the Rocky series (I’m looking at that ridiculous robot) and I’m not sure the themes of East vs. West, hubris, and capitalism carry through all the way, because, despite all of the things Rocky (Sylvester Stallone who also wrote and directed) gives up during the course…
The Quick and The Dead (1995) – Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi brings his frenetic style of zooming cameras and powerful camera angles to the western genre with a tale of revenge riding across the plains into an unforgiving town. Sharon Stone who looks absolutely stunning in western getup stars as Ellen, a woman bent on vengeance. She rides into a frontier town to take…
The Last Action Hero (1993) – John McTiernan
When it was first released The Last Action Hero, which saw Arnold Schwarzenegger reteamed with Predator director John McTiernan, and featuring a script that Shane Black was involved in, the film flopped, failed to find an audience, and marked Arnold’s first failure at the box office. Time has been kind to the film, and rewatching…
The Grudge (2004) – Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu who wrote and directed the original J-horror version of The Grudge, Ju-On, delivers the North American adaptation that isn’t quite as creepy and unnerving as the source material, as it tries to find a blending of Western and Eastern film styles that doesn’t always work. I remember Ju-On freaked me out the first…
Gorgo (1961) – Eugene Lourie
What would happen if England got in on the Godzilla craze? Well, I found out as I explored DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book and came across Gorgo as I continue to explore the chapters on dragons and dinosaurs. When a group of sailors capture a strange beast off the coast of Ireland and…
Le Notti Del Terrore (1981) – Andrea Bianchi
Somehow, we’re still in the so bad, we’re not quite sure they’ve come around to good again section of the zombie oeuvre in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. I’m definitely getting a fresh perspective on this sub-genre as it seems I’ve been very fortunate in my selection of zombie movies up to this time….
Proxima Command – An Evening’s Sci-Fi Adventure
Ever since I was a kid and first discovered Star Wars, Star Trek, and science fiction in general, I had dreams of stepping onto the bridge of a starship, or spaceship, and exploring, seeking out new life forms, engaging in intergalactic battles, or watching the stunning starscape slip past my windows. I remember sitting at…
Fan Expo 2018: An Exploration of Fandom, Age,and Being a Geek
There are few things that portend the end of summer for me more than Toronto’s Fan Expo, falling around the Labor Day Weekend it is one last big sendup and celebration of countless fandoms. And this year Expo made sure to pull out all the stops, there were celebrities and panels, parties and purchases that…
The Mind Reels 