TIFF 25: The President’s Cake dir. Hasan Hadi

Set in the 1990s, young Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef) lives under Saddam Hussein’s regime with her grandmother, Bibi (Waheeda Thabet) and her pet rooster. Hussein’s 50th birthday is two days away, and every year, one child from each class is selected to make a birthday cake, no matter their circumstances. Lamia, Bibi and the rooster…

Star Wars: Last Shot (2018) – Daniel Jose Older

I’ve read a slew of Star Wars books, though not so many since the blog started as I used to. They are fun, entertaining, enjoyable, and now that they are considered canon, usually that much more detail-oriented in tying in with the rest of the universe. Last Shot, a Han and Lando novel is all…

The Searchers (1956) – John Ford

John Ford and John Wayne. When it comes to westerns there are few names better, and they are my next stop in the Action section of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. Confederate soldier, Ethan (Wayne) returns to his family’s homestead in Texas after the end of the Civil War, where he…