Alex Garland wrote and directed this stunning film, his first feature, that explores the concepts of Artificial Intelligence and the desire to live and survive. When a young programmer, Caleb (Domhall Gleeson) wins a contest to spend a week at his boss, Nathan’s (Oscar Isaac), remote estate, he loves the idea, when Nathan reveals that…
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) – Richard Donner
1989. I graduated high school and was living on my own for the first time, and my movie collecting addiction was swinging into full gear and this film, along with Last Crusade and Batman were some of my purchases that year, making me choose for the first time between proper meals or cinematic confection. It…
M*A*S*H (1973) – The Sniper, Carry On, Hawkeye, and The Incubator
Teri Garr makes an appearance as a nurse in the first episode up this week, The Sniper. Written by Richard Powell this story first aired on 17 November, 1973, and was the first American show to feature a bit of male nudity, as Radar’s (Gary Burghoff) butt can be glimpsed as he makes a dash…
Event Horizon (1997) – Paul W.S. Anderson
I have always dug this movie, since I saw it on the big screen in 1997. I love the cast, I love the score (Micheal Kamen), and I love the ideas at work in this science fiction horror film, and like all fans of the film I lament the fact that we will never get…
The X-Files (1997) – Leonard Betts, and Never Again
Both episodes this week are important to Dana Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) arc for the season, and the series. First up is Leonard Betts, written by John Shiban, Frant Spotnitz, and Vince Gilligan, which first aired on 26 January, 1997. Leonard Betts (Paul McCrane) is a superior EMT, he has a unique gift of diagnosing patients…
Mission: Impossible (1966) – Operation Rogosh, and Old Man Out: Part 1
Your mission should you choose to accept it, is to join me as I explore another two episodes of the classic Mission: Impossible series as I explore The Complete Series on blu-ray, available now from Paramount Pictures. The first mission up this week is Operation Rogosh. Written by Jerome Ross, it first aired on 1…
Star Trek: The Better Man (1995) – Howard Weinstein
Space, the final frontier… Don’t be fooled by the cover art, this story takes place a couple of years after the events of The Motion Picture, and apparently the burgundy uniform jackets are in place. The story itself, however, if entertaining, well-crafted, and very much a true Trek tale, and it puts Dr. McCoy front…
Poirot Investigates (1924) – Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie’s first collection of short stories, first published in 1924, sets forth a number of mysteries before her Belgian creation, Hercule Poirot, his little grey cells and his good friend Captain Hastings. While still capturing some of the humour of her novels, the short form of the stories doesn’t allow for a lot of…
Millennium (1997) – Wide Open, and The Wild and The Innocent
Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) steps back into the darkness this week as Charles D. Holland pens Wide Open, which first aired on 3 January, 1997. Frank is called in to assist on a case that seems to defy logic, a series of murders taking place in homes with top of the line security systems. Cathy…
John Hughes 5-Movie Collection (Blu-Ray)
For those of an age, John Hughes films defined their high school years, and spoke to them in ways that other teen comedies (and dramas) seemed incapable of doing. There was a reality to the way the characters were written, even in some of the more comedic entries, and consequently, the viewer could relate to…
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984) – W.D. Richter
For many people Peter Weller will always be RoboCop. For me, Weller will always be the super-cool Buckaroo Banzai, the neurosurgeon, rock star, comic book hero who fights Red Lectroids from Planet Ten with help from his back-up band (of fellow awesomely named scientists) The Hong Kong Cavaliers, as well as his fan club, the…
My Science Project (1985) – Jonathan B. Beteul
When I was growing up in Bermuda, my fellow Canuck, Sean lived across the street of Cedarcraft Lane, and he and his brothers always seemed to be renting odd movies that I had never heard of – they were well into their b-movie science fiction before I came along. And one weekend, I was able…
