I’ll be honest. I wasn’t a fan of Adam Sandler. I never really found him that funny. His style just didn’t appeal to me. When I saw him in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love, however, I saw a completely different side of him as he took on the lead role of Barry Egan in a…
Tag: writer
The Ninth Configuration (1980) – William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty the author of The Exorcist, wrote and directed this spiritual sequel, now defined as part of the faith trilogy formed by The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration, and The Exorcist III. It’s a fascinating film, in parts funny, in parts heartbreaking, and in parts horrifying. In a remote part of the Pacific Northwest…
Capricorn One (1977) – Peter Hyams
Moon landing conspiracies didn’t really have any traction until Peter Hyams wrote and directed Capricorn One. Citing the fact that the most important event in mankind’s history had taken place, and the only witness was a television camera sparked his imagination about what could and couldn’t be done with that idea. The Apollo missions were…
Candyman (2021) – Nia DaCosta
Writer/director Nia DaCosta updates the Candyman story, by making a direct sequel to the classic 1992 film, and giving the narrative a new spin as it expands on the legend of Candyman, and ties it into the continuing cycle of prejudice and racial violence. The whole film is about reflections, perspective, and narrative, as up-and-coming…
Polite Society (2023) – Nida Manzoor
Polite Society is an enjoyable action comedy with strong female characters involved in a wonderfully melodramatic tale. The story follows a young Pakistani woman, Ria (Priya Kansara) who dreams of being a stuntwoman, and who idolizes her older sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), who is experiencing a tough time after leaving art school because she she…
Whiplash (2014) – Damien Chazelle
I am well aware that I’m playing catch-up on this title, but I knew this one would have to be one that I was ready and in the mood for, and wow, a fantastic film. The first half of the film is a huge stress-watch for me, but what an amazing ride and one that…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) – Strange New Worlds, and Children of the Comet
Akiva Goldsman wrote and directed the series opener for Strange New Worlds, which was first broadcast on 5 May, 2022. It had to tie in with the established canon of The Original Series, and what had happened in Star Trek: Discovery during season two. It also riffs on The Day The Earth Stood Still, which…
Star Trek: Picard (2023) – Vox, and The Last Generation
Showrunner Terry Matalas slips into the director’s chair to give us a powerful penultimate episode, Vox. Written by Sean Tretta and Kiley Rossetter, this episode was first broadcast on 13 April, 2023. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the rest learn that the symptoms of Irumodic Syndrome were simply a side effect of what was really wrong…
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) – 4K Steelbook
I’ve always enjoyed TMNT, I loved the idea, I loved the original (so much darker) comics, the cartoon when I came across it, and yeah, I saw that first movie in theatres. And if anyone asked who my favourite turtle was, it was, is and always will be Donatello. Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures brought us…
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmicheal Manor (2023) – Stephen Cognetti
While I’m not always the biggest found footage fan, it’s a genre that has really been done to death because everyone thinks they can do it, I quickly became a fan of Stephen Cognetti’s Hell House LLC series. He’s written and directed all the films so far, which makes The Carmicheal Manor the fourth in…
The Mind Reels 