Shot over the course of eight years, The Devil’s Drivers is a fascinating documentary that ends up feeling incomplete. Revving and running between the borders of Palestine and Israel, the film feels constrained by its 90 minute time. Brushing gently against the political and religious situations that permeate the area, the narrative elects to follow…
Tag: political
TIFF 2021: Dune dir. Denis Villeneuve
Magnificent. Triumphant. THIS is the movie I saw in my mind’s eye when I first read Dune in 1984 when I was anticipating the Lynch film (which I love for its own reasons). The visual aesthetic, the sound and production design, the score (I swear Hans Zimmer isn’t the only one throwing a few nods…
Foundation (1951) – Isaac Asimov
While I have always been a sci-fi fan, I’ve kept it mainly to film and television, with a few exceptions, James S.A. Corey’s brilliant Expanse series, Herbert’s Dune, some Bradbury, and of course, Arthur C. Clarke. I was always worried that if I dug into any of Isaac Asimov’s novels, that they would seem to…
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) – Alfred Hitchcock
James Stewart and Doris Day find themselves caught up in international intrigue and a political assassination in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much, a remake of his own film from 1934. While on a working holiday that takes the family to Paris, Casablanca and Marrakesh, Dr. Benjamin McKenna (Stewart), his wife, Jo (Day)…
Jack Ryan: Season 2 – Blu-Ray Review
John Krasinski returns as the Tom Clancy created CIA analyst turned action hero, Jack Ryan in the second season of the addictive and smart series from Paramount Pictures. The blu-ray which arrives today is a two disc set that contains all eight episodes of the Amazon Prime aired show. Sleek, beautifully shot (stunning transferred to…
Star Trek: Enterprise (2003) – Cease Fire, and Future Tense
Captain’s log: date unknown Chris Black pens this episode that first aired on 12 February, 2003. Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and the Enterprise are called in to help mediate a dispute between the Vulcans and the Andorians who still seem to be chafing against one another, once again, over a small inhospitable planet. That of…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 1
Ah the late 70s and early 80s, the age of the television mini-series, an almost forgotten television event, though slowly being rediscovered by the advent of the limited series. It’s slightly different of course, because back then, there were only a few channels available, making a mini-series an event over consecutive nights. Shogun was based…
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) – Blu-Ray Review
From the opening moments of Dark Fate, this does feel like the Terminator film we’ve been waiting for, because as much as the film series has been about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800, it’s also, when it’s at its best, about Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, who returns to the series in style). Or rather, the balance of…
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1999) – Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang, and Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
Station log: stardate unknown Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler pen this fun holodeck run amuck episode that first aired on 24 February, 1999. The station’s Vic Fontaine (James Darren) is one of the most popular holosuite programs, but a glitch has caused mobsters to take over Vic’s nightclub, and the station crew are going…
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998) – The Reckoning, and Valiant
Station log: stardate unknown David Weddle and Bradley Thompson pen the teleplay for this episode from a story by Harry Werksman and Gabrielle G. Stanton. It debuted on 29 April, 1998. A 30,000 year old tablet is found on Bajor under the city of B’hala, predicting that the Reckoning – when the planet’s future will…
The Mind Reels 