Search
TBRchives
Categories
Behind the Curtain
Author Archives: curtisrunstedler
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: The Grizzlies
The Grizzlies is an incredible Canadian movie and based on a true story about a group of indigenous students who form a lacrosse team in northern Canada (Kugluktuk, which is at the northwestern mainland tip of Nunavut and had the … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged indigenous, lacrosse, northern Canada, sports drama, Tantoo Cardinal, youth suicide
Comments Off on Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: The Grizzlies
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Apollo 11 (2019)
This year will mark the 50th anniversary since Neil Armstrong and the boys touched down on the Moon in July 1969. Back then, it was an epic event of Star Wars proportions (and I imagine the excitement of seeing the … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Apollo missions, documentary, NASA, Neil Armstrong, space
Comments Off on Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Apollo 11 (2019)
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Leaving Neverland
I believe the boys/men in this documentary, and bravo to HBO for having the courage to air it in its entirety despite the backlash from MJ “superfans” and the Jackson estate. I love Michael Jackson’s music; Thriller was one of … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged child sexual abuse, HBO, Michael Jackson, Neverland Ranch
Comments Off on Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Leaving Neverland
Red Dead Redemption 2: The Most Beautiful Tragedy
Red Dead Redemption 2 is possibly the greatest video game of all time and certainly my absolute favourite. Red Dead Redemption was my absolute favourite for a long time, boasting gorgeous graphics, wide, open-world gameplay, and a super compelling narrative, yet Red Dead 2 exceeds the … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Games, Reviews
Tagged Old West, outlaws, Pinkertons, redemption, revisionist, revolver, Western
Comments Off on Red Dead Redemption 2: The Most Beautiful Tragedy
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Hereditary
This year’s Hereditary has been hailed as the scariest movie in recent years, but I don’t feel that it does this film justice. It is terrifying on a psychological level, but the traditional jump scares and scare tactics are minimal. Instead, we … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Ari Aster, creepy child, death, grief, PTSD, supernatural
Comments Off on Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Hereditary
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Elvis Presley: The Searcher
HBO’s new documentary Elvis Presley: The Searcher peels back the mythological layers of the rock icon/god to examine him as a man who was hard working, open minded, quite likeable, and who loved music. I love Elvis Presley, especially his Sun Sessions … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Elvis; HBO; documentary; rock and roll; biography
Comments Off on Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Elvis Presley: The Searcher
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Pyewacket
Pyewacket is a great little Canadian indie horror gem about a teenage girl whose father has recently died and as a consequence of arguing with her overprotective mother, decides to summon a demon with even more disastrous consequences. Canadian Nicole Muñoz … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged demon, Laurie Holden, mother-daughter, Nicole Muñoz, occult, supernatural
Comments Off on Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Pyewacket
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Annihilation
Alex Garland (Ex Machina) makes a fantastic return as director/writer with Annihilation, which is based on Jeff VanderMeer’s novel. It’s about five female scientists who enter a seemingly alien, jungle-like quarantine zone searching for the lost expedition. Only one of its … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Alex Garland, alien, Natalie Portman, sci fi
Comments Off on Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Annihilation
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Ma vie de Courgette (My Life as a Zucchini)
Ma vie de Courgette (a courgette is a zucchini for North American folks) is a delightful and heartwarming little stop motion film, and probably my favourite animated film since Finding Nemo. Courgette is the main character, a sensitive and intelligent little boy … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged animated, child abuse, children, French, orphanage, stop motion
Comments Off on Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Ma vie de Courgette (My Life as a Zucchini)
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Week: Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia
David Munro’s 1979 ITV documentary Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia (written by John Pilger) captures the horrors and atrocities of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime (1975-79) firsthand from the front line. While it is a hard watch, it is a … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged 1970s, Cambodia, documentary, genocide, Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot
Comments Off on Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Week: Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia