Based on the novel of the same name del Toro’s latest is a lush, shining example of the noir genre, and features strong performances and visuals. I loved how faithful it was to the spirit of the novel, there were a few necessary changes, but none that change any of the overall arcs for any…
Tag: soul
Full Metal Jacket (1987) – Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick’s look at the Vietnam War isn’t only a commentary on the war itself, but the dissolution of the self, and the soul of humanity to be replaced by an animal nature that restrains us a species and diminishes who we are. From the introduction to the Marine Corps on Parris Island, South Carolina,…
The Prophecy (1995) – Gregory Widen
There are a number of movies that seemed tied inextricably with my memories of working at Jumbo Video in the mid-90s, and The Prophecy is one of them. No one I know saw it in the theatre, but once we received a screener copy for it in the store, it made the rounds, and I…
The X-Files (1996) – Unruhe, and The Field Where I Died
Vince Gilligan who would go on to create Breaking Bad, penned this episode, that gets Scully (Gillian Anderson) abducted (again, number five!) and was the first episode to be broadcast on a Sunday night after the series had it’s move there from Friday nights, where it had been a staple for three years. It was…
The X-Files (1994) – Lazarus, and Young at Heart
Trouble finds its way into Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) life again this week in Lazarus. Written by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon, it first aired on 4 February, 1994. Scully is working a bank robbery job with another agent, and former boyfriend, Agent Jack Willis (Christopher Allport). When the arrest goes wrong and both the suspect…
Sourcery (1988) – Terry Pratchett
I head back to Terry Pratchett’s wonderful fantasy realm of Discworld for this week’s book. The fifth book in the series is as much a delight as the first, and gives us another day of the inept wizard, Rincewind. When the eighth son of an eighth son is born a sorcerer walks the lands for…
Star Trek: Short Treks (2018/2019) – Runaway, Calypso, The Brightest Star, and The Escape Artist
Captain’s log: 2257 I take on the first season of Short Treks this week which aired between the first and second season of Star Trek: Discovery, Featuring shorter tales, some that will have a direct effect on future episodes and events. The first episode, Runaway, lets Tilly (Mary Wiseman) have a bit of a moment…
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) – John S. Robertson
No visit to DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book chapter on mad scientists would be complete without renewing one’s acquaintance with one of the other men of science who fell to their studies, the infamous Dr. Jekyll. This silent film, using Robert Louis Stevenson’s original novel to inspire its tale, features John Barrymore in…
Altered States (1980) – Ken Russell
William Hurt is on the search for the purest truth, and that, in this case, places him squarely in the mad scientist chapter of DK Canada’s very enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book. Eddie Jessup (Hurt) is a scientist seeking the ultimate truth, and finds himself experimenting with isolation chambers and a ritualistic, possibly hallucinogenic…
Toronto Comic Con 2019
There’s always that moment when I find the soul of a specific convention, we look into one another’s eyes, recognize one another, and embrace. This year, it was slipping into the comfortable shoes of beloved fandoms, and seeing shared passions bringing people together. Set against the backdrop of the Metro Toronto Convention Center’s South Building,…
The Mind Reels 