Director Olivier Assayas with novelist Emmanuel Carrere adapted Giuliano da Empoli’s novel that shows the machinations of political evil at work. While a work of fiction, it does tie in with actual events, and the lead character, Vadim Baranov, played by Paul Dano, seems to be more than a little similar to Vladislav Surkov. Dano…
Tag: russia
TIFF 25: Orwell – 2+2=5 dir. Raoul Peck
Damian Lewis narrates text by George Orwell, as director Raoul Peck profoundly demonstrates that we as a society, and a planet, are living smack dab in the middle of Orwell’s 1984. Intercutting with the various adaptations of 1984 and Animal Farm, Peck includes documentary and news footage charting the new rise of fascism, authoritarianism, and…
The King’s Man (2021) – Matthew Vaughn
The third entry in the KingsMan series, all of which have been directed by Matthew Vaughn, is a prequel to the rest of the series. It shows how the KingsMan agency came to be, what caused it, and how it grew its network of information and agents. Sounds great. Then you throw in Ralph Fiennes,…
Northern Exposure (1994) – Zarya, and Full Upright Position
Through the magic of Ed’s (Darren E. Burrows) film making, and Marilyn’s (Elaine Miles) storytelling we get a look at a legend of Cicely. Set in the 1900s, the regular cast take on other but familiar roles as Marilyn relates a tale of how the Romanovs came to Alaska. Written by Diane Frolov and Andrew…
Red Sparrow (2018) – Francis Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence trusts to Francis Lawrence, who directed her in the final three Hunger Games films. As such, she bares it all in this taut spy thriller. Based on the novel by Jason Matthews the story introduces us to Dominika Egorova (Lawrence). Her promising career as a ballerina is brought to a brutal end when…
With a Mind to Kill (2022) – Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz delivers one last 007 adventure, this one set after the last novel in the Ian Fleming series, The Man with the Golden Gun. James Bond had been brainwashed by the Russians and sent to kill M, something he almost did. But after some rehabilitation, 007 proved himself once again by going after Scaramanga….
Dark Skies (1997) – Shades of Gray, and Burn, Baby, Burn
Juliet (Jeri Ryan) gets a bit more of a backstory in Shades of Gray. Written by Brad Markowitz this episode first aired on 8 February, 1997. As things get filled in, including a horrifying encounter during her childhood in Russia, we are invited to an even darker journey John Loengard (Eric Close) and Kim Sayers…
Devil May Care (2008) – Sebastian Faulks
Sebastian Faulks brings us the first post-Raymond Benson 007 novel. Picking up shortly after the final Ian Fleming novel, not short story collection, The Man with The Golden Gun finds James Bond on sabbatical in 1967. He’s not resting for long, as M calls him in to have him investigate Julius Gorner, who not only…
WarGames (1983) – John Badham
I hadn’t seen Wargames since we watched it on SuperChoice one weekend when I was a kid. I remember thinking it was okay, and fun, and man I wished I had a computer (did you see the size of those floppy discs?) and I figured it was definitely time to check this one out again….
The Flash (2023) – Andy Muschietti
Yes, some of the special effects are terrible, and yes, the film seems to be played more for laughs than telling a dramatic and serious story, and the cameos, such as they are, seem a little wasted, and Ezra Miller can come across as severely unlikeable but having waited a few months since the film’s…
The Mind Reels 