Wings of Desire (1987) – Wim Wenders

Remade for those North American audiences who hate to to read as the less than stellar City of Angels, the beautiful Wings of Desire captured hearts and imaginations when it premiered at Cannes, winning Wenders a Best Director award. It is also the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book….

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – Gareth Edwards

  Rogue One is The Dirty Dozen of Star Wars films, it succeeds beyond all expectation, introducing new characters, fleshing out events we know had to happen, but had only imagined until now. Gareth Edwards directs a fantastic cast including Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, Forest Whitaker and Alan Tudyk…

Allegiance: A Cineplex Event

George Takei’s passion project, and historically important musical, Allegiance is getting a one night Cineplex Event. Inspired by Takei’s own experiences during World War II, the story, featuring music and lyrics by Jay Kuo and book by Kou, Mark Acito and Lorenzo Thione, follows the Kimura family in America after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor….

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971) -Mel Stuart

The late Gene Wilder stars in this iconic adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s tale, that is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my return to the Family genre. The film stands out in minds around the globe for its musical numbers and the terrifying tunnel trip…

Star Trek: The Tears of the Singers (1984) – Melinda Snodgrass

Before she was tapped to join the writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Melinda Snodgrass penned this non-canon classic Trek novel, that is one of the best ones I’ve rad to date. There is an ecological element to the tale, music, and alien life plays a major part, and not only are Kirk, Spock…

Uncovered – Queen & Bowie

Last night I had the good fortune of attending the closing night performance of Acting Up Stage’s annual Uncovered show. This year, an impressive assembly of Canadian talent performed selections from the musical libraries of David Bowie and Queen, and included a pair of actors who basically channelled the ghosts of Bowie and Freddie Mercury…

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008) – Chris Carter

The last episode of season 9, and the presumed end of the series before its relaunch in 2016 aired on 19 May, 2002,  six years later Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are put into action again, and so am I as I investigate the cinematic entries for the Sci-Fi Chronicles book….

Rear Window (1954) – Alfred Hitchcock

James Stewart and the stunning Grace Kelly star in the next recommended title from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book as I continue my time with Hitchcock’s thrillers. Voyeurism leads to problems as laid up photographer (is there a more voyeuristic career) L.B. Jefferies (Stewart) believes one of his neighbours, he can…

Quantum Leap (1990) – Pool Hall Blues and Leaping in Without a Net

  Sam (Scott Bakula) ends up shooting some stick in this week’s episode to save a young woman’s bar. Pool Hall Blues was penned by Randy Holland and originally aired on 14 March 1990. It’s 4 September, 1954 and Sam has leaped into Charlie “Black Magic” Walters, who, we learn, taught Al (Dean Stockwell) in…