Rio Conchos (1964) – Gordon Douglas

  Richard Boone and Jim Brown lead the cast in the first recommendation following my screening of The Red Badge of Courage for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. Boone stars as James Lassiter, and he, Franklyn (Brown), Haven (Stuart Whitman), Rodriguez (Anthony Franciosa), and an Apache woman (Wende Wagner) are trailing…

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) Martin Scorsese

  Paul Schrader adapts Nikos Kazantakis’ powerful novel about the life of Christ (portrayed powerfully by Willem Dafoe) comes to life under the sure hand of Martin Scorsese, bringing the Christian character to life in a way unseen on the screen before this. Raising questions not only about the concept of Christ, as well as…

Sunshine (2007) – Danny Boyle

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles checks in on Danny Boyle next, and as I’ve already done 28 Days Later, it was time to see what he did with spaceships and big budgets in his science fiction foray – Sunshine. The film has a standout cast, composed of Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Hiroyuki…

Magnum, p.i. (1985) – All For One Parts 1 & 2

  Not only was it a two-part episode for The A-Team this week, it’s also one for Thomas (Tom Selleck) and the gang! All For One Parts 1 & 2 was written by Ruben Leder. Part 1 aired on 31 January, 1985, with part two following on 5 February, 1985. Magnum, Rick (Larry Manetti), and T.C. (Roger…

Theeb (2014) – Naji Abu Nowar

  Opening today at the Lightbox here in Toronto, as well as Vancouver and Calgary, with additional locations to follow on December 18, is the latest work from award-winning director Naji Abu Nowar. Shot in Jordan, and being submitted as their official Oscar Entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2016 Academy Awards, comes this…

Airwolf (1985) – The Deadly Circle and Where Have All the Children Gone?

  Stringfellow Hawke (Jan-Michael Vincent) gets himself into all manner of trouble in this week’s double installment. First up is The Deadly Circle, written by Robert Specht, with an original airdate of 30 November, 1985. Families of former comrades-in-arms are being grabbed by Vietnamese soldiers intent on extracting revenge for the destruction of their village…

An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth – Chris Hadfield

  Usually when I read a book, I am transported to some faraway land and introduced to characters and situations which ignite my imagination and leave me breathless in anticipation of what might come next.  The really good ones have had me scrambling for more from the moment I read the final few lines.  I…