The next title in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, as I continue to delve into Dragons and Dinosaurs, takes me to Russia, where the legendary hero Ilja Moromez (Boris Andreyev) is brought to life in the first Russian film to be shot and shown in Cinemacope. It was released in ’56 in Russia, and…
Tag: myth
Toronto After Dark 2019: 8 (2019) – Harold Holscher
Toronto After Dark brings us a tale out of South Africa tonight with 8. Marrying the feel of a haunted house tale with the legends and myths of the tribes of South Africa this film plays almost as a gentle tale, and while light on real scares, there are some character moments that resonate and…
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) – Rob Cohen
There is a fun, if not a good movie somewhere in this mess of a mummy film that is my next stop in the mummy chapter of DK Canada’s highly enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book. Unfortunately there are a number of things holding it back, there are some casting changes that affect onscreen chemistry,…
The Curse of La Llorona (2019) – Blu-Ray Review
While Warner Brothers may have some issues with its DC Extended Universe, it’s horror films set in The Conjuring Universe continue to do their job, deliver some solid scares (and some mediocre ones) and usually attracts solid casts. The Curse of La Llorona is the sixth film in the shared universe, connected, in this case,…
Insomnia (1994) – Stephen King
Every time I had read the blurb, or cover jacket for King’s Insomnia there was nothing about it that really caught my interest, nothing leaped out at me, and I was afraid that perhaps this one wouldn’t be enjoyable to me at all when I finally dug into it. I was delighted to be wrong….
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark & More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981 & 1984) – Alvin Schwartz
Scary stories are always a delight to take part in, wrapped oneself in darkness and trying to laugh the chill that the scares gives us, while enjoying the fright and perceived danger of it, like whistling past a graveyard, seems to be ingrained in our DNA. I never read these young adult collections when they…
Indiana Jones and the Philosopher’s Stone (1995) – Max McCoy
Nicholas Flamel. The Philosopher’s Stone…. No, I’m not re-reading the Harry Potter books, at least not yet, I’m digging into the next Indiana Jones adventure. Coming two years before the first Harry Potter novel, Max McCoy’s first stab at an Indiana Jones story melds the legendary tomb of Hermes, and the enduring myth of alchemy,…
Unforgiven (1992) – Clint Eastwood
The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Wild Bunch, is my all-time favourite western, Eastwood’s multi-Oscar winning film (Best Director, Best Picture, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor for Gene Hackman). An ageing gunfighter, William Munny (Eastwood) wants to tend to his tiny parcel…
Doctor Who (David Tennant) – The Satan Pit and Love & Monsters
The Doctor (Tennant) dives into The Satan pit to confront a timeless evil, while Rose (Billie Piper) and the crew of the Sanctuary Base attempt to elude the possessed Ood. Written by Matt Jones, and airing on 10 June, 2006, the conclusion to the story is surprisingly solid considering how close it dances to the…
