Wednesday comes upon us, and the call to travel to another world comes with it- a colour world of heroes and villains... the Marvel Cinematic Universe... Odin is dead, releasing his daughter Hela from her long confinement.  She begins her conquest of Asgard, and sweeps across the planet swiftly and viciously. It is up to Thor to stop her, but he's stranded on a gladiator planet across the cosmos without his hammer.  His only hope of defeating Hela lies within an ancient prophecy about the end of Asgard... Of the Thor movies to date, " Thor: Ragnarok " is by one of the strongest ones story-wise.  It's grounded more in the characters, and moves along at a quicker pace than the others.  I loved the shift in tone from the strong operatic one in " Dark World ", to the slightly more modern and vibrant one of "Ragnarok".  A really marvelous blend of action, drama, and humour that elevated this movie about the standard fare. This movie also give...

The World According to Jeff Goldblum rebounds nicely with this fifth episode, and it doesn't hurt it covers one of my favourite topics: barbecuing! Once every week or so during the summer a buddy of mine and I sit down around a fire and grill ourselves some food. Beef. Pork. Prawns. Veggies. We cook and eat it all. The food is great, but it's the conversation and companionship that makes the outings. The barbecue is the excuse to hang out. That's pretty much what Goldblum discovers during his exploration of the subject. He enjoys some slow cooking with the BBQ Pit Boys and learns how to cook some MONSTER ribs. Then he hangs out with YouTube griller Stephanie Soo to craft some Korean BBQ before trying out some vegetation options with the L.A. Fire Department on Independence Day. Watching all this cooking will make you hungry. Really hungry. But it's also fascinating to witness. Maybe it's because I love to cook, but there isn't one boring moment this ep...

Denim. At any one time, 50 percent of the planet's population is wearing denim. It's pretty much the most popular kind of clothing ever. It's rugged, versatile and although mass produced, the wearer still feels like it projects his or her individuality. Why? That's the question Jeff Goldblum set out to answer with the latest episode of his Disney + documentary series. Sadly, a few vignettes aside, this is the least interesting entry of the bunch. OK, what's good? A sequence where Goldblum joins Indiana Jeans (yup, he's a real dude) to search for long lost denim in a mine. This has to be seen to be believed, and it's a fun sequence. I also dug a look inside a jean manufacturing planet. It's interesting how jeans are made, and made to look distressed before they even hit the rack. But the rest of the episode is just kinda meh. The risk with a show like this is not every topic warrants a full episode. It worked for ice cream, sneakers and tattoos,...

The World According to Jeff Goldblum continues its exploration of the everyday with a fun and informative episode on tattooing. Goldblum set out wanting to answer one question: why do people get tattoos? To find the answer he traveled to a tattoo convention, Hawaii, a San Francisco tech start up, and his home town of Homestead, Pennsylvania. What he discovered during the 27-minute running time is at once expected and surprising. For some, tattoos are about self expression and self affirmation. For others, it's a personal and spiritual gesture. A visit to a traditional Hawaiian tattooist revealed some deep meaning behind tattoos, as they are a vital part of the culture. There's also an amusing look at the future of tattoos, as the next generation of "ink" will scan your body and let you know if you've had too much sun, need to lower your cholesterol, or are dehydrated. Yes, a tattoo will one day tell you all that, and more! By far the best part of this ...

Continuing the weird and wonderful journey that is The World According to Jeff Goldblum, I eagerly dove into the second episode of this unique docu-series to discover everything I needed to know about ice cream. Yes, ice cream! Did you know the U.S. Navy holds ice-cream socials as a regular way to boost morale on their vessels? Or that ice cream is used to treat battle fatigue, as the mix of sweet and fat triggers pleasurable feelings of nostalgia in the brain. Yes, ice cream is as good for your mood as it is bad for your waistline. Yes, these are just a few of the things I gleaned during the second episode of The World According to Jeff Goldblum. I also learned about the treat's origin and how it's an integral part of most people's upbringing, including our host's. All these fun facts, when combined with a fun host like Goldblum, make it hard not to like this half hour of television. And, as with other Disney + offerings, we only get an episode a week, so one...

Is there such a thing as too much Jeff Goldblum? Of course not, but the star's new Disney + series The World According to Jeff Goldblum might have you thinking there could be. I say this as a die hard Jeff Goldblum fan. In my opinion, this series wouldn't work without him. But, if you're not down with Goldblum, his schtick might wear thin by the end of the first instalment. Fortunately, I was hooked on this episode, which explores everything you'd want to know about sneakers, and found myself smiling -- and even laughing -- with glee despite myself. The point of The World According to Jeff Goldblum is we follow the quirky actor as he explores subjects that interest him. Through the process of examining the mundane, we learn something extraordinary. Each episode also connects back to Goldblum's childhood, which is where many of these fascination started out. We quickly learn he's probably been the man we've known on screen since his beginnings. So y...

Bullying is something we've all faced at one time or another. Or we ourselves have been bullies. I know I've been on both sides of this issue, which is something I'm not always happy about, or proud of. With an almost eight year old, my wife and I can see the cycle repeating, as it does with each generation. Which is why I want to highlight the new documentary #NoJoke, which features musician Andrew Cole and his quest to create an anti-bullying song featuring some of his musical idols. Along the way he recruits the likes of Jeff Goldblum, Ozzie Osbourne, Lemmy, Slash, Steve Vai, Julian Lennon, Patrick Stewart and more, and records very personal interviews with them about the subject. It's powerful and inspiring stuff. Check out the trailer: This is definitely a documentary people need to see and talk about. I hope families watch it together, and get the conversation going about bullying and how wrong it is. #NoJoke hits On Demand today. Source: #NoJ...

No self-mutilations, acidic bile, or inter-species relations here, no siree, this is the original old fashioned fright flick where science was paramount, and the horror was mostly left on the back burner. That's not to say that this isn't a genuinely creepy movie at times but after so many years of being de-sensitized by hardcore violence, I find films from this era to be more charming than anything. Is that the first time I've used the word "charming" to describe something during The Month of Horror? A first for everything!

Shawn here. Basement fans should know by now that I'm a huge fan of Independence Day.  So when I read the news of a 2015 "release date", I was elated. I read it here ! Do I care that Will Smith is in it, then not in it, then in it, then not? No I do not. Two things about this news: 1)  I love that they have had it set it up for a sequel that isn't just a "cash grab", but sad that they waited so long.

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! For his third entry, Bellamy turns to the gory horror/romance that is David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly! Oh David Cronenberg, you are vile, gross, perverted, and... brilliant, really, and Canadian! Jeff Goldblum stars as a scientist who also happens to be a troubled genius (are there any other kinds?). During an experiment dealing with teleportation, a house fly gets mixed up in the process and its genes get spliced with his altering his DNA and triggering the startling transformation! The practical make-up effects are astounding and still impressive today. Geena Davis stars as the woman who loves him because at the heart of all the blood, puss and slime is a tender and moving love story between a woman and a disgusting humanoid fly creature that enjoys regurgitating human body parts! I ask you, is...