Films That Matter
Tempest FugID
hough today’s feature is immediately sited as a science fiction classic, Fred M. Wilcox’s Forbidden Planet (1956) is perhaps just as well remembered for its majestic original robot and pinup infused movie poster design (that is still, to this day, a costly collectible)... though the art is quite misleading when you know what the movie is actually about. Following a narrative loosely inspired by William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, which, for those who do not know, is about a man forced to live stranded upon a magical island with his daughter, until he causes a shipwreck that brings with it possible rescue (and a man who may fall in love with his daughter)... this futuristic feature follows a somewhat similar sci-fi blueprint.
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Star Pick with Billy Gibbons
Casablanca on TopCasablancaDecember 17, 2014We are now in the middle of the awards season and are closing in on the holy grail of film festivities: the Academy Awards, or as we all like to call him – Oscar. This month, I will be reviewing four motion pictures that have won at least one of the major prizes of either best director, actor, actress or picture.
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Star Pick with Jacques Demers
A Race for GoldChariots of FireOctober 6, 2014I must say that when I asked Senator Jacques Demers the question of what his favourite movie was at the Children’s Treatment Center Roast a few weeks ago – he was caught off-guard. He initially named the previously reviewed Forrest Gump, yet after he roasted local MP Guy Lauzon, he pulled me aside in order to mention that the Hanks’ offering was not the sole movie at the top of his list – the 1981 Academy Award Best Picture Chariots of Fire was equally as important to him.
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Star Pick with Peter MacKay
Victory Over Adversity in The NaturalThe NaturalSeptember 25, 2014As I stood talking with The Honourable Peter McKay the night of the Children's Treatment Center Roast, his eyes lit up as the conversation turned from his comedic favourite, Stripes, to the subject of baseball and the excellent sports drama The Natural.
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Star Pick with Peter MacKay
Stripes a Film Comedy ClassicStripesSeptember 17, 2014First off, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, The Honourable Peter MacKay, spoke to me about his love of film. He had two favourite movies and the first will be featured here today. It is the classic 1981 war comedy Stripes. MacKay was utterly impressed by the amazing improv that went into the film (especially from Bill Murray and John Candy) and spoke of the immense laughs it brought out of him every time he watched it. He also mentioned that the movie means more to him now that he works with the armed forces.
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Billy Jack Finally Finds Peace
Billy JackJuly 31, 2014Hopefully this will be the last week for quite some time that I will have to start with the announcement of another actor’s death. Tom Laughlin, the co-writer, director and star of the four Billy Jack movies, passed away at the age of 82 last month. Though Billy Jack, the second film in the series, cannot be considered a ‘good’ movie by any means, it is still a B-movie cult classic that has some solid entertainment value.
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Star Pick with Ben Briscoe
Playing the GameLayer CakeJuly 13, 2014I am sure that most of you may recall my review last summer with Canadian PGA golfer Riley Wheeldon (who had such a good year that he has advanced to the Web.com Tour – just one step below the PGA tour), who said that his favourite movie was Happy Gilmore. I was actually lucky enough to golf with a second pro last year; Welshman, Ben Briscoe. Briscoe attended the qualifier, which was played at the Cornwall Golf and Country Club, and sadly did not make the cut (which would have sent him to Upper Canada Golf Course to play in the Great Waterway Classic), giving him the less satisfying runner-up prize of playing a round of golf with me.
