Picture a Stephen King novel directed by Steven Spielberg, with a score by John Carpenter, and a beautifully balanced touch of nostalgia and you have the wondrous, scary, funny, and exciting ride that is Netflix’s latest winner, Stranger Things. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, the series is set in Indiana in the year,…
Tag: mother
Queen of Spades: The Dark Rite (2015) -Svyatoslav Podgayevskly
It’s always interesting to see what genre films look like from other countries, and this Friday at select cities across the country, and on VOD on the 19th, we can have a look at Russia’s Queen of Spades. A riff on the Bloody Mary urban legend that is seemingly as old as mankind, the…
Magnum, p.i. (1987/1988) – The Love That Lies and A Girl Named Sue
The Love That Lies opens Magnum’s (Tom Selleck) case book this week. Originally airing on 18 November, 1987, this episode was written by Jeri Taylor (who would later go on to work on both Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Voyager). Brenda Babcock (Eileen Brennan) hires Thomas to find the child she…
Hot Docs 2016: Life, Animated – Roger Ross Williams
If there is a more honest, emotional and human film at this year’s Hot Docs Film Festival, I can’t imagine what it could be. Owen Suskind, the young autistic man who is the focus of William’s objective eye, is a brilliant soul, and we learn through the film, his story, his life, and his…
Hot Docs 2016: Cheer Up – Christy Garland
Having its World Premiere this evening at Scotiabank at 7pm is this charming, emotional, little gem, that takes us to northern reaches of Finland’s Arctic Circle, and into the lives of some wonderful young women, cheerleaders, who have big hearts, and bigger dreams. Led by their coach Miia, this cheerleading team tries to win…
Batman: The Animated Series (1992) – The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy, Perchance to Dream, and The Underdwellers
It’s time to head back to Gotham for another trio of episodes featuring the Caped Crusader (Kevin Conroy). These three stories oiginally aired on 14th, 19th, and 21st of October, 1992, respectively. Up first is The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy! Batman may have his hands full when he encounters a trap designer who has…
Magnum, p.i. (1985) – Going Home and Paniolo
Thomas heads to Virginia in the first episode up this week, Going Home, which aired 31 October, 1985 and was penned by Gene Donalds and Chris Abbott. He returns to Virginia for his grandfather’s funeral, and it opens up a slew of memories, pains, and troubles amongst the family. He’s never been a fan of…
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) – Guillermo del Toro
Not sure why this one ended up in the family genre section of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, but I guess, it ties in with the Wizard of Oz in terms of a fantasy world, and a young girl. Doesn’t matter, because I love sitting down and watching this one!…
Toronto After Dark: The Diabolical (2015) – Alistair Legrand
Ali Larter took center screen at the 10th Annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival last night in this spin on the haunted house tale, that to my way of thinking could have been a tad longer to expand on the mythology and story that the film wanted to introduce and play with, because otherwise,…
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) – Francis Lawrence
The Sci-Fi Chronicles expedition into the world created by Suzanne Collins with her bestselling Hunger Games trilogy, continue with the first part of the last book, divided into two films, with the second one forthcoming this holiday season. But knowing that it’s only the first part of a two-part story, I knew, going in,…
The Mind Reels 