John Scalzi knows how to tell a great story, and he proves it with The Kaiju Preservation Society, which is a thunderously enjoyable tale that gives us a fun and unique look at the horror/science fiction subgenre that is populated with stories of kaiju. Throwing nods to classic kaiju like Godzilla and newer ones like…
Tag: power
The Expanse (2016) – Back to the Butcher, and Rock Bottom
Dan Nowak pens Back to the Butcher. First airing on 5 January, 2016 the story this week moves back and forth in time a bit, taking us to an event that happened at Anderson Station when some of the workers (including the wonderful Billy MacLellan) staged a protest because the corporation that owned the station…
The Eyes of the Dragon (1984) – Stephen King
1984 was the year I discovered Stephen King through ‘Salem’s Lot, my first King novel. But I remember my mother was a big King fan (still is) and we had arranged to get her The Eyes of the Dragon as her birthday or Xmas present. It wasn’t your usual King story, and I think that…
TIFF ’22: Women Talking
Writer-director Sarh Polley lends her powerful voice to bringing Miriam Toews’ brilliant and acclaimed novel to the screen. What Polley delivers is a stunning, conversation-starting piece that examines patriarchy, power, faith, hope, and dreams for the future. In a remote Mennonite community, a gathering of women takes place to figure out their future. They’ve been…
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) – 4K Review
Warner Brother invited me back to the magical world of Hogwarts and more with a copy of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore on 4K. It’s been four years since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, so the biggest thing anyone can do before diving into the beautiful 4K transfer of Warner Brothers’ Fantastic Beasts:…
Gwendy’s Button Box (2017) – Richard Chizmar, and Stephen King
I’m always delighted to dig into a Stephen King story. Equally so when it takes me back to Castle Rock (not sure I’d want to visit Derry anytime soon). He pairs up with author Richard Chizmarto to deliver a unique coming-of-age tale. Gwendy Peterson is a young girl who encounters the enigmatic and vaguely unnerving…
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – Raymond Benson
Raymond Benson’s second 007 novel was an adaptation of the second Pierce Brosnan film, Tomorrow Never Dies. And while he seems to have some trouble adapting some of the more over the top action beats of the film, his take on the story actually works really well, and is one of the strongest film adaptations…
Mission: Impossible (1970) – The Choice, and The Martyr
This week we close out the fourth season of Mission: Impossible. The penultimate episode of the season is definitely the stronger of the two, and lets Leonard Nimoy do a little character work as he plays both IMF agent Paris, and the episode’s nemesis, Emile Vautrain (which you should probably read as Rasputin). In a…
The X-Files (2002) – Sunshine Days, and The Truth
The penultimate episode of the ninth season is all about family, in a roundabout way. Written by Vince Gilligan, who also directed it, it first aired on 12 May, 2002. When a body is recovered from a location that sometimes appears to be the Brady house from The Brady Bunch television show, Doggett (Robert Patrick),…
Mission: Impossible (1969) – The Brothers, and Time Bomb
Leigh Vance pens The Brothers, from a story by Robert C. Dennis, that saw the IMF heading to an oil rich country to overthrow the tyrannical leader of the nation, Selim (Lloyd Batista), and replace him with his twin brother, who is being held captive. Phelps (Peter Graves), recruits his usual team, Paris (Leonard Nimoy),…
