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…
Tag: production design
Outland (1981) – Peter Hyams
Peter Hyams writes and directs this galactic update of the classic western, High Noon, that sees Sean Connery stepping into the Gary Cooper role of a lone marshall awaiting the arrival of men who are coming to kill him. With a visual look that seems to marry it with the universe of Alien (aided by…
Predestination (2014) – Michael & Peter Spierig
Somehow this little sci-fi, time travel, paradox embracing film never hit my radar when it first came out. It would occasionally pop up in my recommended lists, and I would think yeah, I should check that out, and then promptly forget about it. But the wait was worth it, because when I finally did settle…
Saturn 3 (1980) – Stanley Donen, and John Barry
Gorgeous set and production design can’t save a film with a number of top drawer stars (Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, and Harvey Keitel) thanks to a heavily edited final cut, and flawed story. Not to mention some miniature and model work that may have worked in the 50s but looks incredibly bad in the 80s,…
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020) – Blu-Ray Review
DC Comics and Warner Brothers brings Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) back to the screen in Birds of Prey, the latest blu-ray/DVD release in the DC universe. And I won’t lie, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had with this one. It’s quite amazing to see how far the character has come and…
Legend (1985) – Ridley Scott
Monsters in the Movies, the fantastic book by director John Landis from DK Canada moves on to the next chapter. Leaving mummies behind, I know turn my attention to Myths, Legends, and Fairy Tales, a widely populated region and I couldn’t think of a better place to start with it than Ridley Scott’s dreamlike take…
Rocketman (2019) – Blu-Ray Review
The fantasy biopic about musical legend (and one of my favorite artists) Elton John has come home on blu-ray and DVD thanks to Paramount Pictures. Taron Egerton who is bound to be nominated for an Oscar (or should be) IS Elton John in this jukebox musical that tells the musician’s personal history in a fantastical,…
Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018) – Blu-Ray Review
Disney and Marvel Studios brings the next chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to your ever-expanding blu-ray shelf as Ant-Man and The Wasp comes home. In terms of timeline, this film seems to happen concurrently with Infinity War, something that is touched on during the tags at the end of the film, and gives Ant-Man’s…
Interview With The Vampire (1994) – Neil Jordan
Moody, broody vampires are the next stop in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, by legendary director, John Landis. Adapted from Anne Rice’s novel, with an uncredited rewrite by Jordan, the film headlines Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas as three of the author’s iconic vampires, Lestat, Louis, and Armand respectively. And while Cruise…
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) – Ron Howard
Punch it, Chewie! Ron Howard, a reliable journeyman director takes us back to a galaxy far, far away this week when Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theatres. Penned by one of the most reliable of the Lucasfilm scribes, Lawrence Kasdan, and his son, Jonathan Kasdan, the film introduces Alden Ehrenreich in the role made…
Seven Samurai (1954) – Akira Kurosawa
The next film recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book is yet another iconic film from Kurosawa’s oeuvre. In a catalogue of films that are all exceptional, it’s tough to pick a favourite, but this may very will be mine. I love the American remake from 1960, The Magnificent Seven, it’s…
The Ipcress Files (1965) – Sidney J. Furie
The next big title in DK Canada’s The Movie Book is the classic The Third Man. Having previously reviewed it, I jumped right to the What Else to Watch list, and dove into this spy thriller from the 1960s starring Michael Caine as Harry Palmer. Based on the novel and characters by Len Deighton, this…
