The Dark Crystal (1982) – Jim Henson and Frank Oz

1982 was a great year for genre film, and I remember seeing Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal in the theatre, and being totally in awe of it. The story for me was ok, but it was the realm I found myself in, Thra as portrayed on the big screen (though I didn’t know the name…

The X-Files (1996) – Home, and Teliko

Some Andy Griffith jokes and a great Babe reference doesn’t quite keep the darkness in bay at what was and is considered the most controversial episode of The X-Files ever. Glen Morgan and James Wong delivered ‘Home’ to the viewing public on 11 October, 1996 and it disturbed a lot of viewers. Agents Mulder (David…

Chuck (2011) – Versus the Hack Off, and Versus the Curse

Zachary Levi directs this episode of Chuck, which was written by Craig DiGregorio and Alex Katsnelson. It debuted on 9 December, 2011. Both Casey (Adam Baldwin) and Lester (Vik Sahay) are in prison for their individual crimes, though Lester has the place more wired (literally) than Casey who has to deal with some problems. Meanwhile,…

Scorpius (1988) – John Gardner

James Bond’s adventures this week take him around England, and then over to the States in John Gardner’s seventh 007 novel. This time around Bond finds himself taking on an unusual enemy in a story that seems just as relevant today. James is assigned to investigate a religious cult known as the Meek Ones run…

The X-Files (1996) – Talitha Cumi, and Herrenvolk

The third season of The X-Files comes to an end with Talitha Cumi which unearths some Mulder family secrets while advancing the series’ mythology arc. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter from a story he developed with David Duchovny. It first aired on 17 May, 1996. When a shooting at a fast…

The Keep (1983) – Michael Mann

(Re) Watching Michael Mann’s disjointed supernatural film, The Keep I realised I wanted one thing from it – Mann’s original cut. Apparently clocking in at 3 1/2 hours it was trimmed down to 2 by Paramount Pictures, who then cut another half hour out of it after some rough previews. It’s not like now. If…

Days of Thunder (1990) – Tony Scott

Tony Scott re-pairs with Tom Cruise after their success with Top Gun, add in a score by Hans Zimmer and throw in a cast that includes Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, John C. Reilly, Micheal Rooker, Randy Quaid, and Cary Elwes, and producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, this sounds like nothing but win, but Days…