The Brothers McMullen (1995) Edward Burns

In the mid-90s it seemed every studio was trying to find the next big little indie title, so there were lots of smaller character-driven films being foisted upon the audience, and while a lot of the studios have eschewed that for sure-things and tentpoles, some studios still take chances. But in the 90s it seemed…

The Equalizer (1987) – Beyond Control, and Carnal Persuasion

McCall (Edward Woodward) and Mickey (Keith Szarabajka) find themselves back in the spy game in Beyond Control. Written by Coleman Luck it first aired on 14 January, 1987. Control (Robert Lansing) comes to McCall when a KGB mole is killed. To protect names, sources, and plans within plans Control has to work outside the Company…

The Expanse (2018) – Immolation, and Delta-V

Things ramp up again not only for the crew of the Rocinante but the entire system in Immolation. Written by Alan DiFiore, this episode first debuted on 16 May, 2018. As Holden (Steven Strait), Amos (Wes Chatham), Bobbie (Frankie Adams) and Prax (Terry Chen) explore the Mao facilities on Io, the hybrid pods that were…

The Night Travelers (2023) – Armando Lucas Correa

Simon & Schuster Canada was kind enough to send me a copy of Armando Lucas Correa’s latest, The Night Travelers, and I was delighted to find myself completely swept up in the narrative he created, weaving historical fact into a multi-generational tale of mothers and daughters. Through the eyes of Ally, Lilith, Nadine and Luna…

The Equalizer (1986/1987) – Heartstrings, and High Performance

McCall (Edward Woodward) gets involved in bringing down an illegal adoption scheme when a new mother, Vanessa (Michele Dotrice) comes to him for aid when her newborn is taken from her before she even leaves the hospital with him. Heartstrings was written by Loraine Despres and it first aired on 17 December, 1986. Joining him…

The Dark and The Wicked (2020) – Bryan Bertino

Bryan Bertino who wrote and directed the now iconic horror film, The Strangers, delves into supernatural territory with this unnerving little film that occasionally misses the mark by leaning too heavily into its scares while presenting the idea of a demonic presence as more of a hunting animal, preying on the weakest, separating them from…

Isle of Dogs (2018) – Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson delivers another highly-enjoyable stop-motion animated feature with Isle of Dogs. He penned the script from a story he developed with Jason Schwartzman, Kunichi Nomura, and Roman Coppola. Set in a not-so-distant future in Japan, the story follows young Atari (Koyu Rankin) who travels to an island to seek out his missing canine, Spots…

Hill Street Blues (1982/1983) – Santaclaustrophobia, and Gung Ho

It’s the holiday season on the hill, and lots of things are going on at the precinct. Santaclaustrophobia, written by Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich, and Jeffrey Lewis, first aired on 16 December, 1982. Belker (Bruce Weitz) is undercover as a bell-ringing Santa, but a young kid keeps spoiling things by revealing he’s a cop. Hill’s…

Young Guns (1988) – Christopher Cain

A fun cast gives a bit of a young update on a classic western tale as Emilio Estevez climbs into the saddle as Billy the Kid in Christopher Cain’s Young Guns. Featuring a high-profile cast that included Lou Diamond Phillips, Kiefer Sutherland, Dermot Mulroney, Terence Stamp, Jack Palance and Terry O’Quinn. John Tunstall (Stamp) has…