Gosford Park (2001) – Robert Altman

Nine years before Julian Fellowes created Downton Abbey, he wrote Gosford Park from an idea from filmmaker Robert Altman, and it is the next title on the What Else to Watch list in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, following their recommendation of The Rules of the Game. The film balances a mystery, drama, with hints…

Toronto After Dark 2017: Tragedy Girls – Tyler MacIntyre

BFFs, LOLs, LIKES, RETWEETs and MURDER. The Toronto After Dark film festival comes to a close this evening at Scotibank Theatre with the Toronto premiere of the exceptional dark comedy, Tragedy Girls. A Heathers for the cyber age, the film follows two students and best friends, Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand) and McKayla (Alexandra Shipp) who are…

Fear (2017) – Dirk Kurbjuweit

Hitting trade paperback on Canadian book shelves this week is this engrossing thriller penned by German author Dirk Kurbjuweit. A captivating tale the novel explores themes of love, family, perceptions of masculinity, and the rule of law. The novel opens with a murder. And a confession. For months Randolph Tiefenthaler and his wife, Rebecca and…

Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – Flesh and Stone, and The Vampires of Venice

The Doctor (Smith) and Amy (Karen Gillan) find themselves surrounded by Weeping Angels as the second part of last week’s story continues with Flesh and Stone. Written by Steven Moffat this story first aired on 1 May, 2010. As the Time Lord, his Companion, River Song (Alex Kingston) and Octavian (Iain Glen) alongside the surviving…

The Lion King (1994) – Roger Allers & Ron Minkoff

Magnificent. The descriptor still applies to this now iconic Disney masterpiece, and one I got to revisit when I returned to the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. Coming back to the family genre, this was the next stop. Containing themes of, well the circle of life, ranging from that of the ecological…

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – Sergio Leone

The Great Movies – The 100 Years of Film book returns me to the western genre with this Sergio Leone epic that stars Jason Robards, Chalres Bronson, Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale. Playing against type, Fonda is the villain, Frank, who is working for the railroad, and trying to drive a woman, Jill McBain (Cardinale),…

The Mummy (1999) – Stephen Sommers

While the updated version of The Mummy blasts into theatres this summer, the 1999 reboot was on the list of recommendations from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for follow-up titles to Raiders of the Lost Ark. This version, directed by Stephen Sommers, stars Brendan Fraser, Oded Fehr, Rachel Weisz and Arnold…

Secrets of a Soul (1926) – G.W. Pabst

The next film in the What Else to Watch category for the fantastic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as featured in the massive The Movie Book from DK Books is the 1926 silent film, Secrets of a Soul. A dark and moody film, taken from events in real life, the story follows a husband, Martin…