I loved Andy Weir’s The Martian, and happily dug into Project: Hail Mary (I still need to read Artemis), and was completely wowed by it. I haven’t had this sense of wonder and sense of discovery and exploration since I read Clarke’s Odyssey and Rama series. Ryland Grace, former biologist turned teacher wakes up and…
Tag: star
Sudden Impact (1983) – Clint Eastwood
Lalo Schifrin returns to score Dirty Harry’s next adventure which sees Eastwood not only starring as Dirty Harry Callahan, but serves as the film’s producer and director. After causing more problems for the city brass, and not following the law in his own investigations, Harry is assigned to a homicide case that will get him…
Heartbreak Ridge (1986) – Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood stars, produces and directs this love letter to the United States Marine Corps. and while fairly engaging, the film embraces stereotypes almost to the extreme at both ends, consequently the characters and tone of the film isn’t as balanced as it could be. Eastwood plays the career marine, Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway. He’s…
The Expendables (2010) – Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone stars, directs and writes (alongside Dave Callaham) in The Expendables, and he brings along a brilliant ensemble cast of classic action heroes, wrestlers and actors. Padding out a fairly simple story with some explosive set pieces this is just a mostly brainless action flick that serves as homage to the action films that…
Dick Tracy (1990) – Warren Beatty
It’s been a long time since I sat down to watch this film, it may be since it first came out, or at least when it first hit video. I remember wanting to really get into this one when it first came out, I wanted it to be the next big summer blockbuster. So did…
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) – Alejandro G. Inarritu
Micheal Keaton shines in Alejandro Innarritu’s Birdman. He brings a level to his performance that you know is based on personal experience, and delivers an Oscar-nominated virtuoso performance as Riggan Thompson, an actor who walked away from a billion dollar superhero franchise and is now worried about his relevance while being haunted by his past….
Toronto After Dark 2019: Contracts (2019) – Alex Chung
Tonight’s entry in the Toronto After Dark film festival is the one film in this year’s lineup that I find a little dubious. I love that the festival embraces genre films from all over the world, and that they showcase some fantastic films, but Contracts seems like a bit of misstep. In a post-John Wick…
Moonlighting (1985/1986) – Twas the Episode Before Christmas, and The Bride of Tupperman
David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) get into the holiday spirit this week with Twas the Episode Before Christmas. Written by showrunner and creator Glenn Gordon Caron, the xmas-themed episode aired on 17 December 1985. When a man in the witness protection program, Joseph (Ralph Meyering Jr.) is murdered by Leonard (Richard Belzer), his…
The Nutty Professor (1963) – Jerry Lewis
The next mad scientist film up for viewing in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book is this classic 60s comedy starring and directed by Jerry Lewis. I remember seeing this one when I was a kid, when our base theater used to have Saturday matinees and this was one of the titles I saw…
The Mule (2018) – Blu-Ray Review
Clint Eastwood stars, produces and directs The Mule, which is available now from Warner Brothers. Inspired by a true story, the film is a huge step up from the iconic legend’s previous film, the lackluster, The 15:17 to Paris. Eastwood stars as Earl, a Korean vet, and horticulturalist who gets mixed up in the drug…
The Mind Reels 