Stephen Chow not only directed Kung Fu Hustle, but he starred in it and had a hand in the script. And what he delivers is a wild action-comedy seasoned with some pop culture references as well as seeming to exist in a Warner Brothers cartoon. Set in 1940s China, the story follows a troubled man,…
Author: TD Rideout
Broadcast News (1987) – James L. Brooks
Holly Hunter is a treasure and she sparked in Broadcast News. She shines so wholly that she almost eclipses her co-stars Albert Brooks and William Hurt. James L. Brooks wrote and directed this Oscar-nominated film (seven of them, including best picture, actress, actor, supporting actor and didn’t take home one) that lets a love triangle…
Hill Street Blues (1984) – Fuched Again, and Low Blow
There’s trouble at the precinct and in Vegas with Fuched Again. Written by Jeffrey Lewis, David Milch, Mark Frost and Jacob Epstein from a story by Milch, Lewis and Steven Bochco this episode first aired on 22 November, 1984. While Belker (Brice Weitz) and a number of the guys are in Vegas, Furillo (Danel J….
Green Room (2015) – Jeremy Saulnier
Two Star Trek alum star in Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room, Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart (in a way you’ve never seen him before), and with a couple of other recognizable faces like Imogen Poots and Alia Shawkat, Saulnier is intent on plunging the viewer into a gruelling and brutal experience as a punk band attempts…
Batman (1966) – The Ring of Wax, and Give ‘Em the Axe
The Riddler (Frank Gorshin delightfully chewing scenery) is back in The Ring of Wax. Written by Jack Paritz and Bob Rodgers, this episode first debuted on 30 March, 1966. The Riddler and his gang steal a Batman statue from a wax museum leaving behind a recording for Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) to…
Wonderfalls (2004) – Crime Dog, and Muffin Buffalo
Aaron (Lee Pace) begins to suspect Jaye’s (Caroline Dhavernas) secret in Crime Dog. Written by Krista Vernoff this episode was advertised on Fox, but they cancelled the series before it got a chance to air, so instead fans had to wait to discover it when it dropped on DVD in the Wonderfalls Complete Viewer Collection….
An Assassin in Utopia (2023) – Susan Wels
I occasionally find a non-fiction historical book that catches my interest, I’ll devour Erik Larson and Stephen B. Ambrose works voraciously, but when I read the blurb for Susan Wels’ An Assassin in Utopia, I had to add it to the list. Following historical events of the mid to late 19th century, Wels’ work centers…
Batman (1966) – The Penguin Goes Straight, and Not Yet, He Ain’t
John Cardwell and Lorenzo Semple Jr. join forces to tell The Penguin Goes Straight, which first aired on 23 March, 1966. And as the title suggests it seems that the Penguin (Burgess Meredith) has gone on the straight and narrow, something he demonstrates when he foils a hold-up after a theatre performance. That gets him…
The Three Musketeers (1993) – Stephen Herek
Disney’s 1993 take on The Three Musketeers has some fun things going for it, Kiefer Sutherland, Tim Curry, Michael Wincott and music by Michael Kamen. Sure it’s not much more than a romp, an entertaining one to be sure, but it doesn’t do much to make itself authentic. The film is set in France, but…
Mama (2013) – Andy Muschietti
Guillermo del Toro served as executive producer on Andy Muschietti’s Mama an interesting take on a ghost story that also explores the roles of parents, specifically mothers, while fostering some interesting and enjoyable scares with some pretty solid special effects. Sisters Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse) were thought lost when their father took…
The Mind Reels 