It’s that time of year! Geekery abounds, the stars show up, costumes come out and there is a lot of fun to be had. Sprawling across both buildings of the Metro Toronto Convention Center, Fan Expo has grown and this is a big year, as many previous and beloved guests are coming back for…
Tag: practical effects
Clash of the Titans (1981) – Desmond Davis
Now this is the way you do a Greek mythology epic, with heart, fun and some top-notch stop motion effects. There is more emotion and character in a single armature movement in this film, than in the whole of the pixelated version of the 21st century! I was so happy to be able to…
The Strain Set Visit
Tonight, Gullermo del Toro presents a new vision in terror as the series premiere of The Strain launches a new kind of vampire. Back in March, I was invited to the set to have a look at what goes on behind the scenes and along with some fellow media types (a number of whom…
Evil Dead (2013) – Fede Alvarez
I decided to watch a couple of remakes this week, to see how they look, and how they stand up to the originals. We need to establish I’m a huge fan of the originals, I recognize they are full of faults, but there is also an undeniable charm to them, as Raimi and his…
Jurassic Park (1993) – Steven Spielberg
As soon as I heard about Michael Crichton’s new book in 1990, I scrabbled to get my hands on a copy, and ended up co-opting and keeping my mother’s hard cover edition as soon as she was done with it. Then, hearing that Spielberg had bought the rights for it, I knew I had…
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) – James Cameron
The 101 Sci-Fi Movies, and the 101 Action Movies mesh with this title, appearing as a fin example of both genres. Cameron’s film picks up 13 years after the original classic, and finds a rebellious John Connor (Edward Furlong) living with his foster parents, while his toughened, but possibly psychotic mother, Sarah (Linda Hamilton)…
Total Recall (1990) – Paul Verhoeven
Using the short story, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick, as a springboard, this entry on the 1010 Sci-Fi Movie list, sees Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a secret agent on Mars, under Paul Verhoeven’s direction, who was last seen on the list for Robocop. Bored with his construction job, and dreaming…
The Towering Inferno (1974) – John Guillermin
The 101 Action Movies brings me to the heights of the 1970s disaster movies with this all-star epic, produced by and some sequences directed by Irwin Allen. I’ve never been a fan of the disaster film sub genre, but with a cast like this it’s hard not to settle in for the adventure, even with an…
Toronto After Dark – Game of Werewolves – Juan Martinez Moreno
Somehow we’ve reached the end of this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival, it went QUICK! The film that closed out the event, and who’s trailer did not do it any justice at all was Game of Werewolves, a delightful little horror-comedy, though placing it after a Simon Pegg comedy may not have been the way to…
The Mind Reels 