Harry Essex who wrote the Universal Monster classic, Creature From the Black Lagoon, goes back to the well with this tale that he wrote and directed, and also features some early work by Rick Baker, who had his hand in the design and build of the monster costume. Octaman is the next title up in…
Tag: writer
Robot Monster (1953) – Phil Tucker
DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book, by director John Landis brings me a 50s title that is so bad, it’s come around to good, passed that and slapped it for being out too late and travelled back to bad again. It’s also become iconic, in that the monstrous ape, the chapter I am currently…
Whale Rider (2002) – Niki Caro
The beautifully crafted film, Whale Rider, adapted for the screen and directed by Niki Caro from the book by Witi Ihimaera is the next title up in Ten Bad Dates With De Niro, as I work through a list of titles that will make you cry. Set amongst the Maori people in Whangara, New Zealand,…
The Day of the Dolphin (1973) – Mike Nichols
The next title to be featured on the list of ten films that made me cry from the Ten Bad Dates With De Niro book is this Mike Nichols film from the early seventies. I won’t say that it made me cry by the ending was sad, poignant and necessary. George C. Scott headlines as…
Love Actually (2003) – Richard Curtis
The most painful title to admit to liking on a list I’m working on in Ten Bad Dates With De Niro is the saccharine sweet Love Actually from writer/director Richard Curtis. Telling a plethora of love stories, the film features a stellar cast of top-notch British actors, and that alone makes the film worth a…
Strange Weather (2017) – Joe Hill
Joe Hill delivers another great read with this collection of four short novels, all of whom, in some form or another tie in with strange weather. Each of the stories are about one hundred pages each, and completely captivate with Hill’s addictive narratives, and engaging characters, details, and horrifying moments. Snapshot delves into a bit…
Doctor Sleep (2019) – Blu-Ray Review
Mike Flanagan has been a name to watch since he appeared on the scene, and he’s become a huge hero to genre fans for his concentration on character and story as much as scares when it comes to horror films. And with Warner Brothers release of Doctor Sleep (available on blu and DVD today), he…
Parasite (2019) – Blu-Ray Review
Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design and Best Editing, Parasite, the exemplary film from writer-director Bong Joon-ho is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Pictures. Perfectly balancing a tale of comedy and drama, we are introduced to two families, and…
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – Wes Anderson
The final title in The Directory, marking the end of my time with DK Canada’s exceptional The Movie Book is this fun, quirky film from writer/director Wes Anderson and starring Ralph Fiennes. Anderson packs the film with his favourite actors as he has done throughout his films. Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody,…
Q (1982) – Larry Cohen
The next title from the Dragons & Dinosaurs chapter in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book is one I remember from my youth, not because I saw, but because I didn’t but the poster fascinated me. Of course, if the special effects were on par with the artwork of the poster this would have…
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) – Billy Wilder
The next title in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book is a bit of a red herring, which is kind of appropriate as it is kind of a mystery. Despite being nestled in the chapter on dragons and dinosaurs, the dinosaur, or monster in this one is apparent, from it’s first appearance that it…
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…
