Looper (2012) – Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson is a fantastic writer/director (no matter what some Star Wars fans may think), and with his science fiction thriller, Looper, he plays with a number of familiar tropes, especially those of the western genre as he explores, and plays with, causality, in this brilliant actioner that stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily…

Mission: Impossible (1967) – The Council: Part 1, and Part 2

This week’s IMF assignment is a two-parter that takes its time with its storytelling, and sets things up nicely for some great payoffs as I explore more of Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series on blu-ray, now available from Paramount Pictures. Written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, part one debuted on 19 November,…

Star Trek: Voyager (1998) – Hunters, and Prey

Captain’s log: stardate 51501.4 Jeri Taylor pens this episode that first aired on 11 February, 1998. After briefly introducing the Hirogen in the previous episode, this one brings them right to the fore, as the Voyager enters Hirogen space and finds all manner of grief. They are like the Predator of the Star Trek universe,…

Planet of the Apes (2001) – Tim Burton

  It’s time for a different vision of Planet of the Apes, as I continue my exploration of the series as I delve into the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. This time around, Tim Burton directs an all-star cast including Tim Roth, Helena Bonham-Carter, Mark Wahlberg, Kris Kristofferson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, David Warner and Estella…

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) – Ted Post

  The next stop in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book is the long-running Planet of the Apes series, I’d previously reviewed the first film for the blog, so leapt forward into the first sequel, which sees Earth Astronaut, Brent (James Franciscus) travelling through some kind of space anomaly in his search for Taylor (Charlton Heston), who…

Toronto After Dark: The Machine (2013) – Caradog W. James

  Sci-Fi night at Toronto After Dark, graciously hosted at Scotiabank Theatre this year, continued with a late night screening of the UK science fiction flick, The Machine, starring Toby Stephens, Caity Lotz, and Denis Lawson. Using Blade Runner, Terminator and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica as its launching point, a number of the festival organizers were chatting…