Kathryn Bigelow has been a fave director of mine since Near Dark. And with A House of Dynamite, she continues to prove that not only is she a fantastic director, she should be a bigger deal than she is. Taking a political/techno-thriller concept and putting a human face on it, as this film does, makes…
Tag: political
TIFF 25: The Wizard of the Kremlin dir. Olivier Assayas
Director Olivier Assayas with novelist Emmanuel Carrere adapted Giuliano da Empoli’s novel that shows the machinations of political evil at work. While a work of fiction, it does tie in with actual events, and the lead character, Vadim Baranov, played by Paul Dano, seems to be more than a little similar to Vladislav Surkov. Dano…
Stargate SG-1 (2005) – Origin, and The Ties That Bind
Origin brings us deeper into the new mythology of the series as Daniel (Michael Shanks) and Vala (Claudia Black) travel with the Prior (Mark Houghton). Written by Robert C. Cooper, this episode was first broadcast on 29 July, 2005. The pair encounter the Doci (Julian Sands) who speaks for the Ori. Daniel begins to piece…
Farscape (2000) – Look at the Princess: Part 1 (A Kiss is But a Kiss), and Part 2 (I Do, I Think)
Moya is on the run, the leviathan runs with Zhaan (Virginia Hey) and Pilot (voiced by Lani John Tupu) in a hope of drawing off Scorpius (Wayne Pygram) by making him believe Crichton (Ben Browder) is on board. But John Crichton is planet-side, after yet another emotional conflict and battering with Aeryn (Claudia Black), who…
The Saint (1997) – Phillip Noyce
Val Kilmer absolutely owns the role of Simon Templar in this big-screen adaptation of the classic novels and 60s television show. And while the film isn’t as strong as it could have been, Kilmer is nicely on point, and shares some wonderful chemistry with his co-star, Elizabeth Shue. Simon is a high-profile thief that can…
King of New York (1990) – Abel Ferrara
Christopher Walken is completely captivating as Frank White, a recently paroled drug dealer who is using violence to get his way on the streets even as he tries to position himself as a possible political force in the city. Filled with now classic rap tunes, the film is gritty, violent and features a stellar cast…
Hill Street Blues (1984) – Parting is Such Sweep Sorrow, and The End of Logan’s Run
The precinct says goodbye to Esterhaus, and Lucy (Betty Thomas) is promoted to sergeant and becomes Watch Commander, which sees her taking over the roll call, and dealing with a missing podium. Parting is Such Sweep Sorrow was written by Jeffrey Lewis, Micheal Wagner, David Milch and Mark Frost from a story by Lewis, Milch…
The Expanse (2017) – The Seventh Man, and Pyre
While Mars and Earth teeter on the brink of war, Anderson Dawes (Jared Harris) reminds the OPA that it’s the best place for the Belters to keep them. At the same time, Draper (Frankie Adams) begins to recall what really happened during the attack on Ganymede, remembering that the UN forces weren’t firing on her…
Rambo III (1988) – Peter MacDonald
Sylvester Stallone’s third outing as Vietnam vet John Rambo came racing on the heels of the second film. Watching it now, it’s interesting to see how the political times have changed, as Rambo’s adventure takes him to Afghanistan this time. Living in the Far East, Rambo is found by his old CO, Trautman (Richard Crenna)…
Interceptor (2022) – Matthew Reilly
I’ve read my fair share of Matthew Reilly novels, in fact, I love the way he writes, tells his stories, and constructs his action sequences. Consequently, I was very interested to see what he would do when he got a chance to bring one of his action-packed stories to the screen. The story follows Captain…
The Mind Reels 