The X-Files (2002) – Sunshine Days, and The Truth

The penultimate episode of the ninth season is all about family, in a roundabout way. Written by Vince Gilligan, who also directed it, it first aired on 12 May, 2002. When a body is recovered from a location that sometimes appears to be the Brady house from The Brady Bunch television show, Doggett (Robert Patrick),…

The X-Files (2000) – Within, and Without

Series creator Chris Carter launched the eighth season of The X-Files with Within, which first aired on 5 November, 2000. Scully (Gillian Anderson), while still learning to deal with the news that she may be pregnant, is suffering from nightmares about what may be happening to the abducted Mulder (David Duchnovy). She and Skinner get…

Iron Eagle (1986) – Sidney J. Furie

Shortly before Top Gun hit theatres, another jet fighter movie took to the skies, this time it was the F-16 Eagle, in the military fantasy, Iron Eagle. I say fantasy, because this film pretty much embodies every young boy’s dream of being a hero, of going against impossible odds, and proving to his father that…

The Giant Behemoth (1959) – Douglas Hickox and Eugene Lourie

The English are in trouble again as I venture into the water to discover another title in the Dragons & Dinosaurs chapter of DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. This time all of our atomic testing has caused a mass of radioactive waste to wash ashore near a small English village, and that’s only the…

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) – Hayao Miyazaki

Following my screening of Spirited Away as recommended by DK Canada’s The Movie Book, I was delighted to move on to the What Else to Watch list and dive into a number of Miyazaki films I was aware of, but had never seen. Today, I dug into Laputa: Castle in the Sky. And found myself…

War of the Worlds (1990) – The Deadliest Disease, and Path of Lies

The battle for Earth wages on, in this week’s installment of the science fiction series, War of the Worlds. The Deadliest Disease opens this week’s pair of episodes. It was written by Carl Binder from a story by Wilson Coneybeare. It debuted on 12 February, 1990. A fantastic, revolutionary ‘med cell’ (this actually sounds like…

Day of the Dead (1985) – George A. Romero

DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies brings me a Romero zombie classic, the last installment of the original trilogy, Day of the Dead, as I continue to explore the chapter focusing on the walking dead, the zombie. With makeup effects work by Tom Savini, and a cool score by John Harrison, Romero’s classic is a…

Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – Kathyrn Bigelow

The multi-Oscar nominated Zero Dark Thirty (out of six nominations, it only took home Best Sound Editing) is the next title on the What Else to Watch list following my screening of The Battle of Algiers for DK Canada’s highly enjoyable The Movie Book. Kathryn Bigelow puts Jessica Chastain front and center as Maya, in…

Patton (1970) – Franklin J. Schaffner

George C. Scott’s Oscar winning turn as controversial military commander, General George S. Patton is my next stop as I explore the recommendations from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Movie book following my screening of Saving Private Ryan. Based on a history of Patton as well as Omar Bradley’s (portrayed by Karl Malden…

The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) – Tony Richardson

The events leading up to British involvment in the Crimean war are the focus of The Charge of the Light Brigadd the final recommendatiin from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Lawrence of Arabia. Based in part on the historical text, The Reason Why by Cecil Woodham-Smith. Featuring…