A Wrinkle in Time (2018) – Ava DuVernay

Disney’s adaptation of Madeline L’Engle’s classic young adult novel is a mixed bag at best. The story’ ideas aren’t realised on the screen very well, but there is some nice talk about quantum physics, physics, and science as spiritualism throughout the film that I really enjoyed. Director DuVernay, best known for her documentary work, in…

Marvel Studio’s Thor: Ragnarok Blu-Ray Review

Thor Ragnarok the immensely enjoyable third solo adventure of the Marvel hero comes home on blu-ray and DVD today, and continues to build on the Marvel Cinematic Universe while also bringing in something new to the adventure… A huge sense of humour and fun. Chris Hemsworth as the titular god shows that he can manage…

The Leopard (1963) – Luchino Visconti

The next film on the What Else to Watch list from DK Canada’s The Movie Book following my screening of Ossessione is this three hour epic starring Burt Lancaster. Lancaster plays Prince Don Fabrizio Salina, the ageing patriarch of a dying dynasty. It’s Sicily in the 1860s and political and social upheavals cause Fabrizio great…

The Shape of Water (2017) – Guillermo del Toro

del Toro’s latest film, The Shape of Water is very much a fairy tale for adults, as well as sharing a kinship with the horror films of the 1950s, specifically, 1954’s The Creature From the Black Lagoon (as well as to Abe Sapien as seen in del Toro’s own Hellboy series). But in this film,…

The Greatest Showman (2017) – Michael Gracy

Last night I had a chance to take in Hugh Jackman’s passion project, The Greatest Showman, a musical based on the life of P.T. Barnum, as well as his famed circus. Jackman plays the titular character and easily slips back into his song and dance roots. Joining him on-screen is Michelle Williams, as Barnum’s wife,…

The Trial (1962) – Orson Welles

I return now to DK Canada’s The Movie Book, where their next big title recommendation is Orson Welle’s opus, Citizen Kane. Having previously reviewed it, I moved right along to the What Else to Watch section, and discovered a Welles film that I hadn’t watched or reviewed before. Based on Kafka’s novel, The Trial features…

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – Taika Waititi

Marvel and Disney unveil their latest foray into the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) with a new instalment in the Thor series. It’s loud, it’s fun, but lacking a bit of an emotional punch in its final act. This time out Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been out travelling the cosmos, leaving both Earth and Asgard behind….

The Postman (1997) – Kevin Costner

It’s time to return to the Sci-Fi Chronicles book as we journey to the far distant year of 2013!! The Postman, directed by Costner, and starring Kevin Costner, feels like another attempt to turn himself into a hero in the post apocalyptic world. Based on the novel by David Brin, the epic film, it’s three…