Raymond Benson’s next Bond story was the adaptation of the Pierce Brosnan film, The World is Not Enough. It doesn’t differ too much from what ended up onscreen, but because it’s the written word, it allows one to recast the film, and I happily eject Denise Richards as Christmas Jones from the movie in my…
Author: TD Rideout
Star Trek: Picard (2022) – Assimilation, and Watcher
It makes a kind of sense for Lea Thompson to direct an episode about time travel, and that’s who sits in the director’s chair this time out as I continue to explore Picard Season 2. Assimilation was written by Kiley Rossetter and Christopher Monfette and it was first broadcast on 17 March, 2022. La Sirena…
Watcher (2022) – Chloe Okuno
Mike Flanagan recommended Watcher in a post on Twitter, and seeing as how much I enjoy his work, I knew I had to take a look at it. Watcher is an unnerving horror film, and a terrifying look at reality, the lead character, Julia (Maika Monroe) is constantly right about everything that happens, but because…
Quigley Down Under (1990) – Simon Wincer
Simon Wincer is a hard-working director, his efforts can be hit or miss, but I loved his work on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, Lonesome Dove, and D.A.R.Y.L. Starting with Quigley Down Under, he’s worked with Tom Selleck a number of times, but this was their first feature film…
Hill Street Blues (1987) – A Pound of Flesh, and It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
The penultimate episode of Hill Street Blues aired on 5 May, 1987. It was written by Christian Williams and it begins tying things up for the end of the series. Hunter (James Sikking) has been found, he was trapped, buried alive for eleven days, and it comes out that to survive, he ate part of…
Moloch (2022) – Nico Van Den Brink
The Dutch film, Moloch, delivers some solid folk horror in this atmospheric tale. Betriek (Sallie Harmsen) lives a quiet life, looking after her daughter, while trying to forget the trauma that scarred her as a child, when her grandmother was murdered. This has caused a bit of conflict between her and her own mother, Elske…
Star Trek: Picard (2022) – The Star Gazer, and Penance
Season two of Star Trek: Picard gets underway with a firefight on a Starfleet bridge, and Picard (Patrick Stewart) is right in the middle of it. The clock rolls back forty-eight hours and the the episode got underway on 3 March, 2022. Written by Micheal Chabon and Terry Matalas, a name we’re going to see…
Family Ties (1985) – Designated Hitter, Don’t Go Changin’, and The Old College Try
Alex (Micheal J, Fox) is troubled when an intelligence test suggests Mallory (Justine Bateman) is smarter than he is, but the real story in this episode, written by Stephen Curwick, is Jennifer’s (Tina Yothers). Airing on 24 October, 1985, Jennifer has found a boy she likes, Adam (Noah Hathaway!), and the family is delighted when…
Star Trek: Mind Meld (1997) – John Vornholt
Set shortly after the events of The Undiscovered Country, John Vornholt’s novel shoves Spock into the limelight on an adventure that pairs him with a young Vulcan girl named Teska, and is a precursor to his work in reunifying Vulcans and Romulans. Through a weird series of familial relations, Teska refers to Spock as her…
Live at Five (1999) – Raymond Benson
007 is back. Raymond Benson wrote a short story, just in time for the premiere of The World is Not Enough. It was published in TV Guide and gives a brief glimpse of a Cold War defection that James Bond was involved in. Set in the United States following a botched attempt in London, Bond…
The Mind Reels 