The Man with the Golden Gun - Bondathon Film 9

Time to check in on our ninth film of the Bondathon: The Man with the Golden Gun

Mentioned in this vlog:

• The Man with the Golden Gun stars Roger Moore as James Bond and is directed by Guy Hamilton
• See the original Bondathon post with schedule and film listing, and my introductory vlog about the Bondathon.
• See my vlogs for previous films in the Bondathon with Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds are Forever and Live or Let Die
• You can also hear my Bondathon reviews as a part of the Movie Moxie Podcast

Up Next for the Bondathon: The Spy Who Loved Me *

* I am going to take a hiatus for a week but will be back in 2 weeks for more.

Toronto After Dark Summer Screenng 2012: Juan of the Dead and The Pact

Taking a look at the first night of the Toronto After Dark Summer Screening with Cuban zombie films Juan of the Dead and haunted house flick The Pact.

• I mention the Canadian zombie-comedy film Fido
• I mention the book Down a Dark Hall, in particular the font that the title is in on the book cover.
• I mention Starship Troopers, has it really been 15 years since then? Really?
• I share that my You Tube Channel went like just a few weeks ago, feel free to check out more vlogs there.
• If you are into the supernatural and paranormal, feel free to check out Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural a paranormal TV podcast I co-host with my sister Suzie and we chat all about fiction and non-fiction paranormal shows.
  

See more about the screenings here, see more information at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival website or Buy Tickets to the Summer Screenings Here.

Live and Let Die ~ Bondathon Film 8

Time to check in on our eight film of the Bondathon: Live or Let Die

Mentioned in this vlog:

• Live or Let Die stars Roger Moore as James Bond and is directed by Guy Hamilton
• See the original Bondathon post with schedule and film listing, and my introductory vlog about the Bondathon.
• I am starting to notice a theme of the plots of the Bond films being rather forgettable.
• I also notice that the stylings of the films are continuing to be one of my favourite things about films (except the high waisted pants!).
• I mention Yaphet Kotto who is in Live and Let Die as well as Alien & Homicide: Life on the Street.
• I talk a lot about the use of The Tarot in the film, in particular the fact that they switched decks at one point. The decks they use in the film are both The Tarot of the Witches (this is the correct name) as well as The Rider-Waite deck.
• Decks in the Film: The Tarot of the Witches and The Rider-Waite Deck (traditional)
• Decks I Show in the Review: The Yeagar Tarot of Meditation, Arcus Arcanum Tarot Deck and Morgan-Greer Tarot Deck (very traditional); plus a mystery deck! If you recognize it, please share the name!
• See my vlogs for previous films in the Bondathon with Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Diamonds are Forever
• You can also hear my Bondathon reviews as a part of the Movie Moxie Podcast

Up Next for the Bondathon: The Man with the Golden Gun

Live or Let Die Images:


Images of the Tarot Decks show in my video:

DVD Releases June 26, 2012

Time to take a look at a selection of DVD releases for Tuesday June 26, 2012!



Images: Mirror Mirror & The Artist (Courtesy of Alliance Films); Gone Little Mosque on the Prairie (Courtesy of eOne Films)

• Father's Day this amazing and button pushing film from Astron-6 and Troma is out on a 4 Disc Set (BluRay, 2xDVD and CD) and it's guaranteed to freak you out. I saw it at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival in 2011 and I named it the best cult film of the festival with the icky-ist imagery and it certainly had one of the best Q&A's (see here). It's not for the faint of heart but for true cult fans. See my original vlog review of Father's Day here.
• Mirror Mirror Tarsem Singh's turn on the Snow White tale with Lily Collins as Snow White and Julia Roberts as the evil queen. Beautifully styled and very fantasy oriented, this one is a film I really wanted to check out.
• The Artist Winner of 5 Oscars this year The Artist won the hearts of many with it's old school silent film charm. Stars Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo and John Goodman.
• 21 Jump Street reboot of the 80's TV show about cops going over in high school, this revisioning with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill looks like it takes the comedy and runs with it and is certainly on my to see list.
• Gone I was quite impressed with this thriller starring Amanda Seyfried as a survivor who is not taken that seriously, it's very interesting to see the different take and response her character gets from people and should be on any to see list for folks interested in gender dynamics.
• Wrath of the Titans Sequel to the 2010 Clash of the Titans reboot which yet again stars Sam Worthington as the hero Perseus. Also out this week is a Titans 2-Pack with both Wrath of the Titans and Clash of the Titans on BluRay (Amazon.ca only).
• Oranges & Sunshine stars Emily Watson as a social worker that takes on the task of reunited estranged families not only with the children separated from their families but also lead to believe they parents are no longer alive. Based on a true story, this one even the trailer can bring me to tears.
• Once Upon a Time in Anatolia co-winner for the 2011 Cannes Grand Prix this Turkish film has take the festival circuit by storm as well as having quite an impressive limited release run.
• TV on DVD this week including the Canadian drama Little Mosque on the Prairie: Season 5 Trailblazing (Amazon.ca only) and Damages The Complete Fourth Season which stars Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, John Goodman and Dylan Baker.
• Christopher Nolan Director's Collection (BluRay) impressive collection of Nolan's work including Memento, Insomnia, Inception, Batman Begins & The Dark Knight; and just in time for folks looking to rev up their Nolan watching pre-The Dark Knight Rises this July.
• A Thousand Words comedy starring Eddie Murphy as a man who literally is on a countdown to only saying a maximum of 1,000 more words.
• Plus: Book to Film Club November reading selection Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks is being released in paperback. See more about the 2012 Movie Moxie Book Club here and sign up for updates here.
  

Titles on Amazon.ca(Canada):


Titles on Amazon.com (US):

Prometheus Vlog Review

The Countdown to Prometheus is complete with the viewing and reviewing of Prometheus, and of course it is a 100% spoiler-free review.

Thanks to everyone for their patience in waiting for the review, I hope you enjoy it.

Things mention in the vlog:

• I saw Prometheus in Ultra AVX and in 3D and I saw it with my sisters Jamie and Suzie.
• See my vlog revisiting Alien here, Aliens here, Alien 3 here, Alien Resurrection here and bonus episode reviewing/revisiting Predator and AVP (Alien vs Predator) here.
• I mention "The Problem with Prequels" which is the fact that you know where the story is going.
• I mention ensemble casts that really work in film such as Aliens, King Arthur (2004), and The Magnificent Seven
  
• The Aliens Quadrilogy and series is very much part of my family history, especially with my siblings Jamie, Suzie & Jason, click through to see their sites and awesome adventures!
• You can also hear my Prometheus Countdown reviews as a part of the Movie Moxie Podcast.
• And a HUGE thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to not spoil Prometheus - thank you. thank you. thank you :)

See more vlogs of film reviews, marathons and festival coverage over at my new You Tube Channel.

Diamonds are Forever ~ Bondathon Film 7

We are back with the 7th Bond film where Sean Connery returns as Bond for Diamond Are Forever and they quickly reinstate his Bondness after the one and only film by George Lazenby with last weeks look at One Her Majesty's Secret Service. This time we are heading into the cold harshness of the 70's and Shannon quickly finds out what it was that stopped her first attempted at the Bondathon, and also commits to soldiering through and continuing on with the adventure this time around.

I do apologize that this is up a day later than planned, but the massive heat wave here in Toronto is making it a big challenging to do...anything...

Mentioned in this vlog:

• Diamonds are Forever stars Sean Connery as James Bond and is directed by Guy Hamilton.
• See the original Bondathon post with schedule and film listing, and my introductory vlog about the Bondathon.
• See my vlogs for previous films in the Bondathon with Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  
• You can also hear my Bondathon reviews as a part of the Movie Moxie Podcast
• I mention The Biggest Loser and indicated I may implement a 'yellow line' or 'red line' for the Bond films to separate the ones I like from the ones I actively dislike
  
• This is a film that I would put below the red line as I did actively dislike it for the gender stuff and harshness, plus I am seeing the trend that I don't usually like the US set films with 'odd villains' and gangsters.
• I mention the extreme heat wave here in Toronto at the moment. It's really hot. Stay safe out there!
  

Up Next for the Bondathon: Live or Let Die

Cosmopolis Vlog Review

Film review of Movie Moxie 2012 Book to Film Club selection of Cosmopolis, directed and adapted by David Cronenberg and starring Robert Pattinson, Kevin Durand, Samantha Morten, Juliette Binoche, Sarah Gadon and Paul Giamatti.

I mention:

• The 2012 Movie Moxie Book to Film Club.
• My book review of Cosmopolis
• The Book to Film club is currently reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.
• Plus see the Cosmopolis film site for worldwide release dates

Up next week: Prometheus

See more vlogs of film reviews, marathons and festival coverage over at my new You Tube Channel.

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Predator and AVP ~ Countdown to Prometheus Bonus Episode

The anticipation builds for Prometheus, and as I didn't get to see it opening weekend I looked back on two semi-related films to the series with Predator and AVP aka Alien vs Predator.

Things I notice on this re-watch and mention in the vlog:

• I mention that I really like the fact that Predator has an ensemble cast, and I think that ensemble cast films lend themselves to enjoyable repeat viewings
• I mention the Ontario Film Rating Board
• I watched AVP with the alternate beginning
• I mention Predator 2 and Predators (from 2010)
  
• A big thank you to my sister Jamie for lending my AVP!
  
• You can also hear my Prometheus Countdown reviews as a part of the Movie Moxie Podcast
• See my vlog revisiting Alien here, Aliens here, Alien 3 here and Alien Resurrection here.
  
• The Aliens Quadrilogy is very much part of my family history, especially with my siblings Jamie, Suzie & Jason, click through to see their sites and awesome adventures!
• And a HUGE thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to not spoil Prometheus - thank you. thank you. thank you :)
  

Prometheus hit theatres this week June 8, 2012 in North America; I am hoping to see it very, very soon and really hoping to avoid spoilers.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service ~ Bondathon Vlog, Film 6

Taking a look at On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the sixth film in the Bond franchise and the first (and only!) one starring George Lazenby. I really enjoyed this daring turn for Bond as well as the fabulous action sequences.

Mentioned in this vlog:

• On Her Majesty's Secret Service stars Sean Connery as James Bond and is directed by Peter Hunt, this one is in the running for my fave and leads the pack so far.
• See the original Bondathon post with schedule and film listing, and my introductory vlog about the Bondathon.
• See my vlogs for previous films in the Bondathon with Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice.
  
• You can also hear my Bondathon reviews as a part of the Movie Moxie Podcast

Up Next for the Bondathon: Diamonds Are Forever

Movie Moxie Vlog Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

Shannon shares her spoiler-free review of the Snow White and the Huntsman starring Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth.

I also mention High School which is out here in Toronto as of June 8, 2012 at Yonge & Dundas, see my written review of it here and my vlog review of it here.

Up next week: Cosmopolis

See more vlogs of film reviews, marathons and festival coverage over at my new You Tube Channel.

Worldwide Short Film Festival 2012 Day 3 Vlog

I had a great time (although again got rained on!) on Day 3 of the Worldwide Short Film Festival 2012 getting to enjoy Danish short films from the Film School Spotlight: Super 16 Anarkino program.

I mention...

• I discuss all the films as a part of the Film School Spotlight: Super 16 Anarkino program: Cool Girl, A Shadow of a Doubt / Skyggen af tvivl, Dennis, Thor's Hammer / Thorshammer and To All My Friends / Til alle mine venner.
  
• See more about the Film School Spotlight: Super 16 Anarkino program here.
• I mention the Radio Lingua Network while doing my best to speak Danish.
• Worldwide Short Film Festival YouTube Page.
• See continuing coverage of the festival here.
• This vlog is posted on my You Tube Channel, see more vlogs there.

The Worldwide Short Film Festival runs from June 5 - 10, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Worldwide Short Film Festival 2012 Day 2 Vlog: The Family Compact and Creative Control

I am continuing to vlog my way through the Worldwide Short Film Festival 2012, today with the Day 2 programs of The Family Compact and Creative Control.

I mention...

• From The Family Compact program I discuss: Liar, Hellion, Long Distance Information, Belly and Me Without You
• The Family Compact program screens again on Saturday June 9, 2012
  
• From the Creative Control program I discuss: The Maker, How to Raise the Moon, Gravity of Center, Lifetripper and Withering Love
• Creative Control program screens again on Friday June 8, 2012
• In Long Distance Information I mention my love of Peter Mullan in (you can see him in Tyrannosaur, Boy A, True North and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1)
  
• I mention the animation style of Idiots and Angels
• I mention Rob Benedict who is in Lifetripper plays Chuck on Supernatural, a show I talk about extensively on my paranormal TV podcast Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural
  
• Worldwide Short Film Festival YouTube Page.
• See continuing coverage of the festival here.
• This vlog is posted on my You Tube Channel, see more vlogs there.

The Worldwide Short Film Festival runs from June 5 - 10, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

You Only Live Twice ~ Bondathon Vlog, Film 5

Side Note: I've started a You Tube channel called Shannon the Movie Moxie, and I have all the Bondathon vlogs uploaded in their own playlist here. I will still continue to post the vlogs here as well as include the audio in the weekly Movie Moxie Podcast.

Mentioned in this vlog:

• You Only Live Twice stars Sean Connery as James Bond and is directed by Lewis Gilbert and I barely made it through this one, although I will admit it's still better than From Russia with Love.
• I mention covering the Worldwide Short Film Festival; see my coverage of it here.
  
• See the original Bondathon post with schedule and film listing, and my introductory vlog about the Bondathon.
• 
• See my vlogs for previous films in the Bondathon with Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball.
• You can also hear my Bondathon reviews as a part of the Movie Moxie Podcast

Up Next for the Bondathon: On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Alien Resurrection ~ Countdown to Prometheus

Side Note: I've started a You Tube channel called Shannon the Movie Moxie, and I have all the Aliens vlogs uploaded in their own playlist here. I will still continue to post the vlogs here as well as include the audio in the weekly Movie Moxie Podcast.

In anticipation of the Alien prequel film Prometheus I am am re-watch all four Alien films, and today we look at my least favourite of the bunch Alien Resurrection.

Things I notice on this re-watch and mention in the vlog:

• Sadly I don't have much enthusiasm for this film, so fair warning for the fans of it.
• I mention the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet: Delicatessen, City of the Lost Children, Amélie and Micmacs / Micmacs à tire-larigot
• I mention that it did remind me a bit of The Crimson Rivers (especially the opening sequence)
• I mention going to an art journalling day with my sister Jamie and also her friend Annabel who inspired me to try to find 5 things I loved about the film.
  
• You can also hear my Prometheus Countdown reviews as a part of the Movie Moxie Podcast
• See my vlog revisiting Alien here, Aliens here and Alien 3 here.
  
• The Aliens Quadrilogy is very much part of my family history, especially with my siblings Jamie, Suzie & Jason, click through to see their sites and awesome adventures!
  

Prometheus hits theatres this week June 8, 2012 in North America; I likely need an additional week to see and review it therefore I might venture into Alien vs Predator land.

Worldwide Short Film Festival 2012: Day 1 Vlog Award Winners from Around the World

Chatting about Worldwide Short Film Festival 2012 Day 1 including reviews of Opening Night Gala Program Award Winners from Around the World Films: Luminaris, Armadingen, Trotteur, The Fisherman / El pescador and The Elaborate End of Robert Ebb / La mysterieuse disparition de Robert Ebb.

I mention...

• The Award Winners from Around the World program also screens on Sunday June 10, 2012 at 9:30PM at the Bloor, see details here.
• I mention Un été sans point ni coup sûr / A No-Hit No-Run Summer, see my review of it here.
• See the Leeroy Jenkins short film.
• Worldwide Short Film Festival YouTube Page.
• See continuing coverage of the festival here.
• This vlog is posted on my You Tube Channel, see more vlogs there.

The Worldwide Short Film Festival runs from June 5 - 10, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

DVD Releases for June 5, 2012

Time to take a look at a selection of DVD releases for Tuesday June 5, 2012!


Images: The Collapsed & Ultimate Fighter 14 (Bisping vs Miller) Courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment; John Carter © 2012 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

• The Collapsed (DVD Review) Really great post apocalyptic thriller, I love films like this that are high concept story wise and are lower budget but make the most of it, plus it let sthe audience bring their own ideas to the story in terms of trying to figure it out. I quite enjoyed and recommend this one.
• The Ultimate Fighter 14 (Team Bisping and Team Miller) DVD Review Wow, this 5-Disc DVD is just jammed packed with awesomeness of Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter which focuses on Bantamweight and Featherweight fighters for the first time. Great fights, great fighters with a ton of talent and spirit make for a very interesting season and explosive action. I also loved that the series includes the two coaches Michael Bisping and Jason Miller taking each other on at the finale.
  
• John Carter (DVD/BluRay Combo Review) Fabulous adventure film blending fantasy, science fiction and even some sword & sandals action, this one is rich with actual history and a whole world of new history with fabulous characters and very beautiful art direction. Loved it. Available on DVD, DVD/Blu-Ray Combo and 3D DVD/Blu-Ray/Digital Combo.
• Journey 2: The Mysterious Island A fun sequel and further foray into the works of Jules Verne, this is a really fun family-spirited adventure film starring Josh Hutcherson and Dwayne Johnson. Available on DVD, DVD/Blu-Ray Combo and 3D DVD/Blu-Ray/Digital Combo.
• W./E. Period film with Abbie Cornish, James D'Arcy and Andrea Riseborough following the lives of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson as well as a contemporary romance; directed by Madonna. This is on my to-see list!
• Machine Gun Preacher (DVD/BluRay Combo) Gerard Butler stars as a biker-turned-do-gooder in the plight to save Sudanese children, based on the true life of Sam Childers.
• Man on a Ledge thriller of (you guessed it!) a man on a ledge, with a tale to tell. Stars Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell and Ed Harris.
• More selections for TV on DVD this week includes the post-apocalypic series Falling Skies: Complete First Season which I really want to see as it never aired up here in Canada (at least not on a channel I get), plus we have the much loved Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season and spy/action/mystery series Burn Notice Season 5.
• Act of Valor is a film I can't quite tell how I feel about, it is going for a real-feel being based on real events, but still narrative film about SEALs, CIA and terrorists.
• Safe House action/thriller with international flavour starring Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington.
• The Three Stooges Ultimate Collection This is quite an epic collection with all 190 Short Films, 11 Hours of Movies (including features Have Rocket, Will Travel & Rockin' In The Rockies), shorts and never-before-released material for a grand total of 635 minutes.

Titles on Amazon.ca(Canada):


Titles on Amazon.com (US):