All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) – Edward Berger

I missed All Quiet on the Western Front when it screened at TIFF. I just couldn’t make it work with my schedule, so when it dropped on Netflix, you can be assured it went to the front of my viewing queue. Berger’s film, based on the iconic novel by Erich Maria Remarque, is a stunning…

Midnight: A Walking Shadows Novel (2021) – Brenden Carlson

Dundurn Press delivers more pulp retro-future noir with Brenden Carlson’s second novel in his Walking Shadows series, Midnight. Following up on Night Call, the narrative picks up a short time after, as we join Elias Roche, detective, hit-man. A man who walks a very narrow line of justice, balancing his work with the 5th Precinct…

The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) – Agatha Christie

Before Hercule Poirot took the Orient Express, he found himself on the Blue Train, sans Hastings, in a mystery that has a murder, missing jewels, stagecraft, thieves, divorces, a love story, rich Americans, and devious criminals. While not quite the romp of Poirot’s previous tales, this story was fun, and while most of the clues…

Poirot Investigates (1924) – Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie’s first collection of short stories, first published in 1924, sets forth a number of mysteries before her Belgian creation, Hercule Poirot, his little grey cells and his good friend Captain Hastings. While still capturing some of the humour of her novels, the short form of the stories doesn’t allow for a lot of…

The Man in the Brown Suit (1924) – Agatha Christie

This week’s Agatha Christie entry to the book shelf is another delightful adventure thriller. Sure there’s a murder and suspects, but it’s definitely more akin to an adventure story, with a wonderful female heroine in the form of Anne Beddingfield. Anne finds herself caught up in an adventure that would give the cinema serials she…

Jules et Jim (1962) – Francois Truffaut

The Directory, the final part of DK Canada’s The Movie Book continues to bring me exemplary films to expand my cinematic education, and today it brings me a classic Truffaut film. Adapting the novel of the same name by Henri-Pierre Rochem, Truffaut serves not only as director but writer and producer as well. The film…

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (1993) – Winds of Change

The Great War is over, and the life of Indiana Jones (Sean Patrick Flanery) is about to change again in this movie edited together from two episodes, one of them unaired. Paris, May 1919 Written by Jonathan Hales, this episode was first broadcast on 24 July, 1993, and sees Indy reunited with his old friend,…

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (1992/1993) – Demons of Deception

The Great War still rages around young Indiana Jones (Sean Patrick Flanery) serving in the Belgian army as Henri Defense, and this film, cobbled together from two episodes first debuted on 31 October, 1999. Verdun, September 1916 Written by Jonathan Hensleigh, from a story by series creator George Lucas, this portion of the film originally…

The Adventures of Indiana Jones (1992/1993) – Spring Break Adventure

Sean Patrick Flanery takes over the role of Indiana Jones from Corey Carrier this week with this television movie that first aired on 17 October, 1999. Cobbled together from two episodes, Princeton February, 1916 and Mexico March 1916, Flanery proves himself suitable to the role, and the stories take on a depth that was missing…