There’s always that moment when I find the soul of a specific convention, we look into one another’s eyes, recognize one another, and embrace. This year, it was slipping into the comfortable shoes of beloved fandoms, and seeing shared passions bringing people together. Set against the backdrop of the Metro Toronto Convention Center’s South Building,…
Tag: passion
The Birch Wood (1970) – Andrzej Wajda
As I return to DK Canada’s The Movie Book, I dive into the What Else to Watch list following my screening of Ashes and Diamonds. Directed by the same film maker, Andrzej Wajda, The Birch Wood is a gentle character piece set in prewar Poland. The story follows Stanislaw (Olgierd Lukaszewicz), a young man suffering…
Life of the Party (2018) – Blu-Ray Review
With a recycled plot that is straight out of an 80s film, the Melissa McCarthy vehicle, Life of the Party hits blu-ray and DVD this week from Warner Brothers. Despite using all of the university and college tropes that have been in play since National Lampoon’s Animal House, the film arguably takes the story and…
The Princess Bride (1987) – Rob Reiner
The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Fellowship of the Ring is this fantastic adaptation by William Goldman of his highly enjoyable novel, The Princess Bride. Director Rob Reiner gathers a fantastic cast that includes Peter Falk, Fred Savage, Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Mandy…
The Daylight War (2013) – Peter V. Brett
Digging into the third book of The Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett has been long overdue, but it was very much worth the wait. After the climactic conclusion of the previous instalment, not to mention some of the revelations, the characters are left in some strange places. The novel picks up shortly after the…
The Movie Book (2016) – Danny Leigh, Louis Baxter, John Farndon, Kieran Grant and Damon Wise
I always love to take a look at movie books and see what films made the lists contained within. Then I’ll spend an inordinate amount of time ruminating why others were left out. They also tend to add a pile of movies to my viewing queue, and as I’m coming up on the end of…
TIFF Bell Lightbox: Trek Talks with Dr. Mae Jemison
TIFF Bell Lightbox’s fantastic series of Trek Talks came to a close last night with a passionate and humorous talk by doctor, and former astronaut, Mae Jemison. Her talk drew a lot of attention, and her love of both the science and arts was on full display as she entertained and informed, igniting and rousing…
Lego Star Wars: Small Scenes From a Big Galaxy (2015) – Vesa Lethimaki
DK Canada and Lego Star Wars combined forces to publish a fun and beautiful book of Vesa Lethimaki’s minifigures and the creative environs he puts them in. I remember first coming across Lethimaki’s Flickr stream a few years ago, and was completely wowed by his art. I quickly bookmarked it, and visited on a regular…
Fan Expo 2016: The Interviews
Sue and I had a great time at Fan Expo, and thanks to the fine folk at Vistek, who outfitted us (check out their rentals, and their store here in Toronto), we got some great images, and some wonderful interviews from the press day organised by Touchwood PR check them out below. First up we…
Hot Docs 2016: Life, Animated – Roger Ross Williams
If there is a more honest, emotional and human film at this year’s Hot Docs Film Festival, I can’t imagine what it could be. Owen Suskind, the young autistic man who is the focus of William’s objective eye, is a brilliant soul, and we learn through the film, his story, his life, and his…
Leonard (2016) -William Shatner with David Fisher
It was just over a year ago, that Leonard Nimoy passed, and like many people around the globe, I was profoundly affected by it. I grew up with Leonard, well not literally, I grew up with his most famous character, Mr. Spock on my television screen, in the books I read, and every few…
Doctor Zhivago (1965) – David Lean
One of the recommendations from my viewing of Gone With The Wind, as I make my way through the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book is up for viewing today, David Lean’s Russian revolution epic, Doctor Zhivago; and I enjoyed this one so much more than Wind right from the off. The…
