Along Came a Spider (1993) – James Patterson

So the idea of digging into the Alex Cross series has been nagging at me for awhile. But it seemed like there were so many, thirty-two at last count. Then I reminded myself I’ve been reading Star Trek books in order for awhile, and there’s a lot more than those. So… I’d seen the film…

The Return of Ellie Black (2024) – Emiko Jean

To call The Return of Ellie Black a jaw-dropping page-turner doesn’t do the book, the story, or the author, Emiko Jean, justice. It was nothing short of a compulsive read, one that I stayed up late to finish, something that doesn’t happen often for me. I had to know how the story played out, I…

TAD 2023: Restore Point dir. Robert Hloz

Restore Point fro the Czech Republic has a lot of things going for it, and I ended up having lots of nit-picky questions that suggest to me that I really liked the film and wanted to understand all the things behind it, the logistics of the scenario. But most of all, I loved all the…

TIFF ’23: Reptile

I love a good film noir, and Reptile, having its World Premiere at TIFF, definitely falls into that category. Being released by Netflix (which means if you can’t see it on the silver screen you;ll be able to see it on your big screen at home in October) the film is a tightly wound spring…

The Equalizer (1988) – Day of the Covenant, and Splinters

McCall (Edward Woodward) and Mickey (Keith Szarabajka) find themselves caught up in a human rights struggle when Scott’s (William Zabka) new girlfriend, Zandili (Kasi Lemmons) may be a political terrorist from South Africa being hunted in New York by mercenaries and South African law enforcement. Day of the Covenant was written by Robert Eisele and…

The Post (2017) – Steven Spielberg

Spielberg shows us the (much-needed) power of the free press with The Post. Documenting The Washington Post’s involvement in publishing the Pentagon Papers, the film is a captivating newspaper thriller with a top-notch cast. Tom Hanks takes on the role of Ben Bradlee, chief editor of the Post, and Meryl Streep is Kay Graham, the…

The Expanse (2015) – Remember the Cant, and CQB

Things are escalating on Ceres, even as Mars and Earth seem to be working to avoid a conflict. Remember the Cant was written by Robin Veith and first aired on 16 December, 2015. Holden (Steven Strait), Naomi (Dominque Tipper), Alex (Cas Anvar), Amos (Wes Chatham) and Shed (Paulo Costanzo) are being held aboard the Mars…

TIFF ’22: Glass Onion – A Knives Out Mystery

Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig return in a second Knives Out film, and Craig, along with everyone else involved in the production seems to be having the time of their life. Craig’s detective, Benoit Blanc, finds himself caught up in a whole new mystery this time around, and while there is a tonal shift from…

Red 2 (2013) – Dean Parisot

Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, Brian Cox, and John Malkovich are back in Red 2, a sequel that came hot on the heels of the previous film, and added some more star power to its roster with Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lee Byung-Hun, Steven Berkoff, and David Thewlis. Frank (Willis) gets the band back…

The Hardy Boys: The House On The Cliff (1927/1959) – Franklin W. Dixon

The second adventure of Frank and Joe Hardy, sons of the Bayport detective Fenton Hardy, sees the boys taking on smugglers on the edges of their hometown, just outside the local police’s jurisdiction. Once again, the fast-moving story is more of an adventure than a mystery, and it also seems like most of the adults…