Joyland (2013) – Stephen King

I should just listen to my gut. Just because my brain isn’t initially sure I’ll enjoy a Stephen King book that doesn’t fall into what I think is my ‘usual fare’ doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy it. In fact, my gut constantly reminds me of titles that have surprised me, and we can add Joyland…

The Equalizer (1987) – Blood & Wine: Part 1, and Part 2

The third season two-part opener of The Equalizer, which was filmed as part of the block at the end of season two, was broadcast on 23 September, 1987 as a feature-length episode. Written by Coleman Luck it featured a few familiar faces alongside Edward Woodward’s portrayal of Robert McCall, Keith Szarabajka shows up as Mickey,…

Lancaster: The Forging of a Very British Legend (2020) – John Nichol

I’ve always been a fan of history, it was one of my favourite classes in school. I would delve into it and try to imagine and conjure the world these people lived in, instead of simply memorising and delivering names and dates. When it comes to reading historical nonfiction I get a little reticent, because…

M*A*S*H (1975) – The Bus, Dear Mildred, and The Kids

Hawkeye (Alan Alda), B.J. (Mike Farrell), Radar (Gary Bughoff), Frank (Larry Linville) and Potter (Harry Morgan) find themselves lost in The Bus. Written by John D. Hess, this episode first aired on 17 October, 1975. The group is coming back from a medical gathering, but have somehow got lost on the way back to the…

Go Tell It On The Mountain (1953) – James Baldwin

This week sees me reading something a little different from my usual escapist fare. Recently LeVar Burton began a reading club on Fable, and while I can’t access it in Canada, they did list the first three books he was recommending, and Go Tell It on the Mountain was at the top of his list….

The Big Four (1927) – Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot is reunited with his old friend Captain Hastings who comes to England to see his old friend, but the duo find themselves caught up in their biggest adventure yet. The Big Four moves the characters into some new territory, almost James Bondian in nature, as the pair encounter an international master criminal (well…

John Hughes 5-Movie Collection (Blu-Ray)

For those of an age, John Hughes films defined their high school years, and spoke to them in ways that other teen comedies (and dramas) seemed incapable of doing. There was a reality to the way the characters were written, even in some of the more comedic entries, and consequently, the viewer could relate to…

Tentacles (1977) – Ovidio G. Assonitis

This Italian made California shot creature feature that wants to be the next Jaws, or even the next Orca, is the next film up in DK Canada’s so fun Monsters in the Movies book. It definitely fails on that front, an angry, human hungry, giant octopus… ok. The real scary thing is some of the…

Lovecraft Country (2016) -Matt Ruff

This week I dove into Matt Ruff’s brilliantly entertaining Lovecraft Country, which takes all the things you love about a good Lovecraft story; otherworldly horror, science fiction mixed with horror, and some other familiar horror tropes, the creepy doll, the haunted house, and deliver it without Lovecraft’s far too prominent racism. As much as I…