As I return to the Family section in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, I am delighted to dig into another Pixar movie. In fact, the first Pixar feature film. Since 1995, Pixar has released incredible films that have become a treasured part of modern culture. It’s hard to believe that it…
Month: December 2017
Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – A Town Called Mercy, and The Power of Three
It’s time for a Western Doctor Who as the Doctor (Smith), Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) travel to A Town Called Mercy. Written by Toby Whithouse, the episode first aired on 15 September, 2012. When the Time Lord and his Companions arrive in the American Old West, they find themselves confronting a town…
Forrest Gump (1994) – Robert Zemeckis
The final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film following my screening of Apocalypse Now is Forrest Gump, Robert Zemeckis’ incredibly powerful, entertaining and Oscar winning film. While the film is not predominantly about Vietnam, the war sequences are very intense and well-crafted. The story, featuring an Tom Hanks in the titular…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991) – The Drumhead, and Half a Life
Captain’s log: stardate 44769.2 Jonathan Frakes directs his third episode of the series, from a script by Jeri Taylor. This episode, a bottle show, first aired on 29 April, 1991. Trouble comes aboard the Enterprise when a Klingon exo-biologist, J’Ddan (Henry Woronicz) is being investigated by Riker (Frakes) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) for sabotage, and…
The Twilight Zone (1964) – The Masks, I Am the Night – Color Me Black, and Sounds and Silences
Spookiness abounds in this week’s instalment of The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series. First up is The Masks, penned by series creator Rod Serling. First airing on 20 March, 1964, the story centres around wealthy, and dying, Jason Foster (Robert Keith). Foster has invited all of his greedy heirs to a Mardi Gras party, and…
Uncommon Type (2017) – Tom Hanks
I’ve been a fan of Tom Hanks’ since Bosom Buddies, I’ve watched him grow from a comedic actor to one of my favourite all time actors. I have delighted in his career, and love when he steps away from the front of the camera to work behind it, directing, producing, writing. It was his writing…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991) – The Nth Degree, and Qpid
Captain’s log: stardate 44704.2 Airing on 1 April, 1991, The Nth Degree, written by Joe Menosky, brought back fan favourite Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz). Barclay is slowly finding his way out of his shell, working with Crusher (Gates McFadden) on some theatre workshops. He’s slowly finding his way. The Enterprise arrives at the Argus Array…
South Park: The Complete Fourth Season
Boy bands, a haphazard adaptation of Great Expectations that takes a really strange left turn, fat camps, racism, more religion, moving onto the fourth grade – which necessitates new opening credits, and of course some new characters that become just as central to the small mountain town as Stan, Kyle Cartman and Kenny. In a…
Roman Holiday (1953) – William Wyler
Following my screening of His Girl Friday for the DK Books fantastic, The Movie Book. I have moved on to the What Else to Watch section of the title, and dove into the one film amongst it that I had not yet covered, Roman Holiday. Starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert, let me…
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) – Barry Levinson
Robin Williams headlines the next film recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Apocalypse Now. After the previous recommendations Good Morning, Vietnam comes across as a little too light and clean a depiction of Vietnam. It is also heavily fictionalised, as Williams’ portrayal of real life Adrian…
The Mind Reels 