Blu-Ray Review: Star Trek – Beyond (2016) – Justin Lin

Beaming in on Blu-Ray and DVD today from Paramount Pictures is the latest entry in the reboot or Kelvin-verse Star Trek series. I’d previously reviewed my theatrical experience of the film here,  so I was eager to see how my impressions of it changed when viewed at home. I actually found myself enjoying it more. Knowing…

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) – Anthony Mann

An incredible cast fills out this recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of Spartacus. Alec Guinness is Marcus Aurelius, whose death begins the downfall of the great empire, as his son, Commodus (Christopher Plummer) assumes leadership, and is unwilling to let anything stand in his way. They…

Heavy Metal (1981) – Gerald Potterton

I remember seeing issues of Heavy Metal on the magazine rack when I would buy my Starlog and movie magazines growing up on CFB Kingston. I was young, I was there when I was ten and eleven, but I remember being intrigued by the covers I saw. They were appealing, fantastic art, beautiful women, and…

Spartacus (1960) – Stanley Kubrick

Kubrick takes us back to 1st Century B.C.E. for the next stop in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film. The classic story of a slave that leads a revolt against the Roman Empire, that has become decadent, and indulgent. Leading the cast, and serving as executive producer is Kirk Douglas, who is joined…

Vertigo (1958) – Alfred Hitchcock

Perhaps one of Hitchcock’s best films, Vertigo, is next on the list of recommendations from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. With the combined star power of James Stewart and Kim Novak, this romantic thriller defines obsession as well as fear. Stewart is John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson a San Francisco police detective on…

Toronto After Dark 2016: In a Valley of Violence – Ti West

It was action night at Toronto After Dark on Sunday, wonderfully hosted by the Scotiabank Theatre here in Toronto, and they delved a little further west than they have in the past by screening the latest Ti West film, the western, In a Valley of Violence. West has gotten a lot of love from Toronto…

Ghosts of Mars (2001) – John Carpenter

Natasha Henstridge leads a bit of a cult cast in the next John Carpenter film up for a look-see in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. In a bit of an iffy film, and one that saw Carpenter at his most burnt out on the Hollywood scene, Henstridge stars as Lt. Melanie Ballard, a Mars police officer…

TIFF Bell Lightbox, Trek and My Birthday

It’s October 12, my birthday, if you hadn’t circled it on your calendar, and TIFF Bell Lightbox will be my birthday starbase today apparently. First up, at 6:30 this evening is the first of the fantastic sounding Trek Talks programs, this evening’s topic, An Astronaut’s Voyage to the Final Frontier. Presented by Lt. Col. Jeremy…

Black Moon Rising (1986) – Harley Cokeliss

My time with John Carpenter continues as I delve further into the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. This time around it’s an action thriller that Carpenter penned and sees Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Hamilton and Robert Vaughn caught up in the action. Jones is Quint, a professional thief, who is hired by the FBI to gather evidence…