Zero de Conduite (1933) – Jean Vigo

The next stop in DK Canada’s brilliant, and highly enjoyable, The Movie Book is a collection of films by French auteur Jean Vigo. The first one highlighted and serving as gateway to the rest of his work is the short, Zero de Conduite, or Zero for Conduct. Running at a brisk forty-one minutes the film…

Man with a Movie Camera (1929) – Dziga Vertov

Vertov’s engaging documentary is the next stop in DK Canada’s The Movie Book. It falls solidly and enjoyably in the What Else to Watch list of Battleship Potemkin. A man, Mikhail Kaufman, wanders the city and captures the daily life of the Soviet Union in a brilliantly engaging way, marrying idea to image as only…

Doctor Who (David Tennant) – Smith and Jones, and The Shakespeare Code

A new companion, Martha Jones (Freema Agyemam), a medical student working in a hospital finds herself joining the Doctor (Tennant) in the TARDIS this week. Smith and Jones was written by Russell T. Davies and originally aired on 31 March, 2007. Martha and the Doctor discover that the hospital they are in has been transported…

Stalag 17 (1953) – Billy Wilder

This is a film I had been eager to see, and was glad to see it come up under the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book as a recommendation following my viewing of The Great Escape. My eagerness to see it was twofold, I like Billy Wilder’s work, and Stalag 17 is the…

The Devout (2015) – Connor Gaston

Opening at the Carlton Cinema here in Toronto is this lovingly crafted, intimate drama that is bound to move viewers even as it raises questions of belief, faith and hope. The debut effort of writer/director Connor Gaston was shot in Victoria, British Columbia. It is a beautiful film that features perfectly on point, and gently…

Fences (2016) – Denzel Washington

Paramount Pictures proudly ushers in the release of Denzel Washington’s Fences today on blu-ray. The Academy Award winner directs, working from August Wilson’s adaptation of his own Pulitzer Prize winning play. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Washington pulls double duty, serving not only as director, but in the lead role of Troy Maxson a former ball…

The Mind Reels Ole Timey Theatre presents Ellery Queen

Sue and I are finding great success with the radio plays we’ve been performing, and the amazing casts we’ve been able to populate the stories with. This week, we take on an Ellery Queen mystery from the early 40s, and while the subject material may not be as goofy as some of the ones we’ve…

Singin’ in the Rain (1952) -Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly

  For me, screen musicals don’t get any better than Singin’ in the Rain. It’s my favourite. It combines great music, with a fun look at Hollywood on the cusp of transitioning to talkies, and features some wonderful sequences and a completely charming cast in the form of Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds….

Brief Encounter (1945) – David Lean

  I dive into the recommendations for the Romance and Melodrama genre following my screening of Casablanca for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book and first up is the David Lean film, based on the play by Noel Coward, Brief Encounter. Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard star as Laura Jesson and Dr….

State of Women (November 11, 2015)

  Back in July I was fortunate enough to see the showcase presentation of State of Women, a fantastic play by Andy Lyberopoulos, and directed by Tatum Lee. Since then, there have been some changes made, and you can sense the shift.  It has definitely gotten to be a stronger show with this iteration, and while…