TIFF 25: The Balloonists dir. John Dower

John Dower delivers a fascinating and occasionally tense documentary that follows the journey of Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones as they circumnavigate the globe in a hot-air balloon. Never before accomplished the pair take the Orbiter 3, leaving behind their wives and loved ones for a trip they may not come back from. As other…

Quiz Lady (2023) – Jessica Yu

Awkwafina and Sandra Oh play sisters in the very enjoyable, Quiz Lady, which I missed at TIFF but was delighted to check out when it hit streaming platforms. Anne (Awkwafina) is quiet, set in her routines, and has some mental health issues that keep her confined to her job, and her couch, where she and…

Star Trek: Enterprise (2005) – Terra Prime, and These Are The Voyages…

Captain’s log: 22 January, 2155 The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Enterprise brings the Terra Prime two-parter to a close in this story written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Manny Coto, from a story developed by the Reeves-Stevens and Andre Bormanis. It debuted on 13 May, 2005. Paxton (Peter Weller) is holding the solar…

Star Trek: Enterprise (2005) – Bound, and In a Mirror, Darkly Part I

Captain’s log: 27 December, 2154 Manny Coto pens Bound, which first aired on 15 April, 2005. Things go badly for the crew of the Enterprise, specifically the men, when Archer (Scott Bakula) receives three Orion slave girls, Navaar (Cyia Batten), D’Nesh (Crystal Allen) and Maras (Menina Fortunato) as a ‘gift’ from Harrad-Sar (William Lucking) for…

Star Trek: Enterprise (2005) – Affliction, and Divergence

Captain’s log: 27 November, 2154 Manny Coto came up for the story for this episode which was then written by Micheal Sussman and first aired on 18 February, 2005. It was an episode that answered the often posed question, what caused the shift in appearance of the Klingons from The Original Series to The Motion…

Star Trek: Enterprise (2005) – United, and The Aenar

Captain’s log: 15 November, 2154 Manny Coto helps pen this episode alongside Judith and Garfield Reeve-Stevens in this episode that first debuted on 4 February, 2005. The story continues the arc started last week with the strange hologram-projecting ship the Romulans have created to stir up war between the Andorians and the Tellarites. Archer (Scott…

Star Trek: Enterprise (2005) – Observer Effect, and Babel One

Captain’s log: date unknown Judith and Garfield Reeve-Stevens pen this episode, which first aired on 21 January, 2005. It brought back a familiar alien species to to Trek universe. Hoshi (Linda Park) and Trip (Connor Trinneer) return from a mission, infected with a dangerous virus. Meanwhile the rest of the crew serve as hosts for…

Star Trek: Enterprise (2004/2005) – Kir’Shara, and Daedalus

Captain’s log: date unknown Mike Sussman finishes off the Syrrannite arc this week with Kir’Shara which originally aired on 3 December, 2004. Archer (Scott Bakula), T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) and T’Pau (Kara Zediker) work to deliver the Kir’Shara a Vulcan artefact that contains all the writings of the philosopher, Surak, who cited peace and the beauty…