Quantum Leap (1991) – Southern Comforts and Glitter Rock

It’s 4 August, 1961 and Sam (Scott Bakula) has leapt into the owner of a brothel in Southern Comforts. Written by Tommy Thompson this episode aired on 3 April, 1991. As Gilbert LaBonte, the proprietor of the long family-owned New Orleans-based business, Sam is there to help a young woman named Gina (Georgia Emelin). She’s…

Game of Thrones: Season 6

It’s all new territory for GoT fans with the release of Season 6 to Blu-Ray and DVD this week via HBO. The series ventures into new territory, as they leave the last of the published books behind and now, fans of the novels and the show have to wait to see how things in Westeros will…

Banshee: Season 4

The white-knuckle, pulp thriller, rollercoaster ride that is Banshee has come to a close. While it’s bittersweet that the show has come to its conclusion, there’s nothing like going out on a high note. Brutal in its violence, dark and dry in its humour, and incredibly sexy in its liaisons, the series has captivated the…

The Passage (2010) – Justin Cronin

  Epic, majestic, terrifying and engrossing. And heartfelt thanks to Amanda for pushing it in my direction! These words perfectly define The Passage by Justin Cronin. A massive novel, coming in at 879 pages in paperback, the tale it unfolds is massive, engaging, and is almost mythic in nature. With a vast cast of characters,…

Morning Star (2016) – Pierce Brown

  Pierce Brown’s epic science fiction trilogy comes to an explosive, and emotionally satisfying conclusion with Morning Star, this week’s title on The Book Shelf. After the stunning cliffhanger of Golden Son, I was left to wonder what Brown would do to finish off the story, and what would the cost be to characters I’ve…

The Great Zoo of China (2014) – Matthew Reilly

  I go long stretches of time without picking up a Matthew Reilly book. In fact, the last time I did, was before I started the weekly Book Shelf update here on the blog. But then when I do pick one up, I race through them, and find myself craving more. More NOW. The downside…

Prodigy (2013) – Marie Lu

  It’s back to the realm of Legend, as I dive into the second book of the young adult trilogy by Marie Lu. The dystopian world Lu creates, brings me back to a torn United States, divided almost in two by the Republic and the Colonies, it plunges me back into the lives of Day…

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) – Jonathan Frakes

  The journeys with the U.S.S. Enterprise continue in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book as Picard (Patrick Stewart), Riker (Frakes), Data (Brent Spiner) and the rest render their version, more or less, of The Magnificent Seven. The story behind this film, covered on the blog previously here, shows that it could have been something different than…

Hot Docs 2016: Cheer Up – Christy Garland

  Having its World Premiere this evening at Scotiabank at 7pm is this charming, emotional, little gem, that takes us to northern reaches of Finland’s Arctic Circle, and into the lives of some wonderful young women, cheerleaders, who have big hearts, and bigger dreams. Led by their coach Miia, this cheerleading team tries to win…

Orphan Black S04E02 – Transgressive Border Crossing

  Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) is back in Toronto tonight as Orphan Black roars on to screens courtesy of Space. After the revelations of last week, tonight’s episode jumps right into the rush, the science, the terror and a bit of body horror. Sarah gets into contact with Cosima and Alison (both Maslany) and reveals the…