TIFF 25: Degrassi – Whatever It Takes dir. Lisa Rideout

Degrassi has been with me since 1989. I was living on my own out in Halifax, and discovered it airing on television and was hooked. I recognized myself in these characters. Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to chat and befriend members of the original Degrassi Juniour High and Degrassi High cast. I was…

Monday Musings – A Marvel Comics Super Special

Having recently talked about my love of the movie tie-in novelization, I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t dive into the equally enjoyable Marvel Super Specials that often adapted those same movies, and brought them to life panel by panel – sometimes with stellar art, sometimes not, but always worth collecting. I remember…

Abigail (2024) – Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and Tyler Gillett

After I enjoyed Radio Silence’s Ready or Not, Abigail climbed my list of things to watch in the immediate future. And It definitely entertains. Once again, a group of people find themselves trapped in a mansion (this time it’s the Guiness Manor in Ireland). This time it’s for twenty-four hours while they hold a young…

I Saw the TV Glow (2024) – Jane Schoebrun

I Saw the TV Glow is a a fantastic tale of how we relate to pop culture, as well as how we as individuals identify, and the restrictions put upon us by our environment who won’t let us become who we are. While not for everyone, I found this film thought-provoking, wonderfully crafted and an…

Kindergarten Cop (1990) – Ivan Reitman

“It’s not a tumour!” It’s a catchphrase that found its way into the pop culture and has resurfaced over and over. And I never saw it originally. I was never interested in watching Arnold Schwarzenegger be funny. It just didn’t sound like a good time to me. So now, some thirty-plus years on, I finally…

The Movie Man (2024) – Matt Finlin

Cottage Country. That phrase conjures a specific image for residents of Ontario, Canada. The calls of loons, sitting on boat docks and enjoying the peace of the lakes, an escape from the hubbub of city life; cottage country is a Canadian summer tradition. You wouldn’t expect to find a multiplex amongst the forests, the bears,…

My Heart is a Chainsaw (2021) – Stephen Graham Jones

I won’t lie, it took me a while to completely get into the story, much like the main character I was attempting to use my knowledge of slashers to figure out what was going on, while also trying to rationalize that the story was set in the ‘real world.’ But when things really started to…

Toronto Comicon Day 1

It’s March Break, and while the kiddies run around and parents are counting the moments until school is back in session, the geeks, who have inherited the Earth, returned to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to pay homage to their beloved films, television shows, animes, mangas, comics, and more by attending Toronto Comicon. From the…

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) – Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks skewers the legend of Robin Hood with his 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights. None of the versions created are safe, and Cary Elwes is perfectly cast as the iconic hero that from its opening moments takes shots at everything, nothing is safe. Using the classic tale of Robin of Locksley coming…