TIFF 25: Bad Apples dir. Jonatan Etzler

Saoirse Ronan shines as Maria, an elementary school teacher pushed too far in Jonatan Etzler’s darkly funny thriller, Bad Apples. If you’ve read the tagline for the film, do yourself a favour and don’t read anything else about it. Go in with the knowledge that Maria is working to keep her class engaged. She has…

Northern Exposure (1995) – Buss Stop, and Ursa Minor

Buss Stop was penned by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess. It debuted on 24 April, 1995. Michelle (Teri Polo) is mounting a production of Bus Stop but runs into problems. Ron (Doug Ballard) wants Erick (Don McManus) to be cast and as a way of making sure it happens, pays Michelle the rest of the…

Record of a Spaceborn Few (2018) – Becky Chambers

After how much I enjoyed the first two books in the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers, I didn’t even read the blurb for the third book. I just jumped into it, waiting to see where Chambers would take me this time. Record of a Spaceborn Few explores the Exodan Fleet. They were the last people…

Star Trek: Voyager (2001) – Q2, and Author, Author

Captain’s log: stardate 54704.5 LeVar Burton directs this episode that sees the return of Q (John de Lancie). Written by Robert Doherty from a story by Kenneth Biller, it first debuted on 11 April, 2001. Q shows up on the Voyager, much to Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) chagrin with his son (Keegan de Lancie) in tow….

Splice (2009) – Vincenzo Natali

The next title in DK Canada’s Minsters in the Movies book, as I continue my way through the chapter on mad scientists is Splice, starring Adrien Brody and the always exemplary Sarah Polley. This film is very much the mad scientist take on parenting with all the mistakes and the oedipal complexes taken to a…

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) – Phil Johnston and Rich Moore

When I was growing up, Disney films meant the holidays for me, and it wouldn’t matter if they were all Disney released films or not, they were collectively known in my home as Disney movies, and this implied that they would be suitable for the entire family, and presented the possibility of an evening’s entertainment…

Incredibles 2 (2018) – Blu-Ray Review

Pixar films are a constant delight for me, and I look forward to each theatrical release, as well as their blu-ray releases each year, and today is the day for that home release… Incredibles 2 joins the Pixar collection on my blu-ray shelf today, and continues to set the gold standard of Disney/Pixar home releases…

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1994) – Rivals, and The Alternate

Station log: stardate unknown Rivals was written by Joe Menosky from a story by Jim Trombetta and Michael Piller. It originally aired on 2 January, 1994. Quark (Armin Shimerman) has trouble on the Promenade when an El-Aurian con artist, Martus Mazur (Chris Sarandon) arrives on the station and plans to open a competing bar. Mazur…

The Incredibles 2 (2018) – Brad Bird

It’s been twenty-three years since Pixar became THE name in family entertainment, and it has been fourteen years since we last checked in with the Parr family, known collectively as The Incredibles. Brad Bird, the writer-director of the first film serves in the same capacity in this film. And while we may have waited fourteen…