Starman (1987)- Appearances, and The Probe

Paul (Robert Hays) and Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) find themselves stuck in the middle of nowhere, forty miles from a town, when their camper breaks down. They find a remote farm where a family is hiding away in Appearances. Written by Micheal Marks this episode first debuted on 16 January, 1987. Frank (Don Dubbins) is…

Mister Magic (2023) – Kiersten White

Kiersten White’s Mister Magic is an unnerving and spooky tale that definitely has a commentary on religion and those who believe. Mister Magic was a radio program, and later a television show that ran until the 90s when the final episode ended in tragedy. It seems a number of people remember the show, and remember…

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) – Christopher Gans

I hadn’t seen this film since it had DVD back in the day. It seemed everyone I knew was talking about it in the video store, in fact, for a brief moment, it seemed to be everywhere. And now it doesn’t seem to be anywhere. So I was more than willing and, in fact, delighted…

TIFF ’23: Summer Qamp

My first documentary of this year’s TIFF was the joyous celebration that is Summer Qamp. The film crew led by director Jennifer Markowitz heads to Camp fYrefly located in, of all places, Alberta. A week-long summer camp for queer, non-binary and trans teens, fYrefly is a safe space for everyone who goes there and allows…

Night Shift (1978) – Stephen King

I was craving some Stephen King, but couldn’t decide which of his novels to tackle next, so instead, I figured I fill that need with some short stories, and fug into his first published collection, which gathered a variety of different tales under the title of Night Shift. I remember seeing the paperback cover as…

TIFF ’22: The Wonder

With an opening, and an ending that reminds us that how we see stories is all perspective, The Wonder explores the line between fact and faith, science and religion. Based on the book by Emma Donoghue, The Wonder is beguiling, introspective, and moody. In the mid-19th century, an English nurse, Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) who…

The Da Vinci Code (2006) – Ron Howard

Director Ron Howard pairs with Tom Hanks to bring Dan Brown’s incredibly popular novel, The Da Vinci Code to the screen. Hanks portrays symbologist Robert Langdon, who previously popped up in Brown’s novel Angels and Demons, but it was the subject matter, and the way it tied into art and some historical moments that really…

Mad God (2021) – Phil Tippett

I first learned Phil Tippet’s name in 1983 when I was reading a behind-the-scenes magazine about the making of The Return of the Jedi, and there was a discussion on the stop-motion and go-motion techniques used to create the movement of the Scout walkers in the Star Wars sequel. I was fascinated by what I…

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) – Taika Waititi

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is arguably its most absurd. That doesn’t mean it’s not fun, and that the actors aren’t having a great time, but there are a number of tonal shifts in the narrative that leaves the film feeling a little unbalanced. But that may be because of the storyteller….

The Mote in God’s Eye (1974) – Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven

I’ve been getting more and more into some classic science fiction books, layering out a lot of the modern science fiction I’ve been finding myself reading, and I recall a friend of mine proclaiming that The Mote in God’s Eye is one of the best first contact books they’d ever read. I trust his opinion…