Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) – Stephen Herek

I forgot how much I loved this film. This was one of my go-tos in the mid-90s. It was a film I recommended constantly, one I played in the store, and loved Richard Dreyfuss’ performance as the titular Mr. Holland. An ode to teachers, the film follows Mr, Holland, as he takes a teaching position…

John Wick (2014) – Chad Stahelski

I was shocked (and delighted because it meant I could watch them all again) that I hadn’t written about John Wick before. I had written up the second film but for some reason hadn’t done the other three. So that means I could buckle up and dive into this amazing world where assassins thrive, have…

Tron: Ares (2025) – Joachim Ronning

I was there in 1982. I remember sitting in the Odeon in Kingston. It was me, my sister, and my father. It wasn’t my dad’s thing. I was gobsmacked by the idea of being able to go inside a computer, and live in this new world of video games, which, at the time, were just…

Smallville (2001) – Hothead, and X-Ray

Hothead takes onto the Smallville Crows, the highschool football team overseen by the arrogant Coach Arnold (Dan Lauria). And Arnold is going to be our freak of the week. Written by Greg Walker this episode, which is helping to continue setting the pace and style for the series, first aired on 30 October, 2001. Arnold…

TIFF 25: EPiC – Elvis Presley in Concert dir. Baz Luhrmann

Acclaimed director brings Elvis Presley to the big screen (or the biggest screen if you can see it in IMAX) in a way you’ve never seen before. A look at his Vegas residency concerts, by putting you in a front row seat for the show. With a quick recap of his career the concert film…

Pirate Radio (2009) – Richard Curtis

Based loosely on a true story, Richard Curtis brings his talent for blending comedy and drama to a classic tale of rock and roll! In the early 60s when British Rock was at its height, England only played rock’n’roll for perhaps an hour all day on air. But just off the coast in the North…

Pitch Perfect (2012) – Jason Moore

I adore Anna Kendrick. And I know I’m definitely not the only one. So throwing her in a comedy like Pitch Perfect simply rang all my bells. Kendrick plays Beca who is a freshman at Barden University, where her father teaches. She doesn’t want to be there, but she has a deal with her dad….

Beat Street (1984) – Stan Lathan

I remember seeing the poster and soundtrack for Beat Street everywhere in the mid-80s, and I remember some of the songs popping up in my life. I didn’t recall much of the film itself, just the breakdancing and I figured maybe I should revisit it. It’s definitely worth the watch. There’s a grittiness to the…