Micheal Crichton’s writing, one time, as Jeffrey Hudson, delivers his first medical thriller filled with a number of themes that are still sadly too relevant today. Dr. John Berry is a pathologist working at Boston Memorial who finds himself trying to help out a friend and fellow doctor, Dr. Lee, when he is arrested for…
Author: TD Rideout
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2023) – Charades, and Lost in Translation
Spock (Ethan Peck) and Chapel (Jess Bush) are involved in an accident, and the aliens who caused it repair the shuttle, and the injured Spock, but his mixed DNA causes problems, so they use Chapel as the guideline, and make him human in Charades. Written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers this episode debuted…
Footloose (1984) – 4k
There is no way this film is forty years old. I remember very well the summer of ’84, and the first time that I saw Footloose. I was completely swept up in the music, I just recently discovered pop music, having grown up in a predominantly country household, and the rhythms and beats really spoke…
The Lord of the Rings (1978) – Ralph Bakshi
The summer of ’84 was one of the defining summers of my life. It saw a lot of changes in my life, and was also the first time that I read The Lord of the Rings. I was swept up in the world, and was delighted that I’d read all three books so quickly, and…
Fire and Ice (1983) – Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi paired up with his good friend, famed fantasy artist Frank Frazetta and delivered 1983’s Fire & Ice. An animated rotoscoped sword and sorcery adventure, this film feels more in line with the 70s style of animation and storytelling, despite the rise of Dungeons & Dragons at the time. An evil ruler, Nekron (Sean…
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Book 2: Earth (2006) – The Avatar State, The Cave of Two Lovers, and Return to Omashu
Book 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender got underway on 17 March, 2006 with The Avatar State. Written by Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick and John O’Bryan, the episode sets the stage for what is to come. Zuko (Dante Basco) and Iroh (Mako) are shocked to discover when Zuko’s sister, Azula (Grey Griffin)…
The Ninth Configuration (1980) – William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty the author of The Exorcist, wrote and directed this spiritual sequel, now defined as part of the faith trilogy formed by The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration, and The Exorcist III. It’s a fascinating film, in parts funny, in parts heartbreaking, and in parts horrifying. In a remote part of the Pacific Northwest…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2023) – Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Among the Lotus Eaters
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow gives us a time travel story in the vein of The City on the Edge of Forever, Tomorrow is Yesterday, and Assignment: Earth. Written by David Reed, the episode first aired on 29 June, 2023. La’an (Christina Chong) is still trying to find her way back to the crew after…
Family Ties (1986) – Beauty and the Bank, Mrs. Wrong: Part 1, and Part 2
Alex (Micheal J. Fox) makes a series of sexist mistakes when he applies for, and finally gets, a job at a bank. Written by Stephen Curwick, Beauty and the Bank first aired on 30 October, 1986. Alex makes a number of mistakes, when he applies for the job, mistakenly thinking Rebecca Ryan (Melinda Culea) is…
Ancillary Justice (2013) – Ann Leckie
Ann Leckie delivers an interesting space opera read that uses the feminine pronoun she throughout, as a part of its language, not as a descriptor of the people themselves, who are predominantly genderless. It’s a great touch, and really plays nicely with the casting of characters in the mind’s eye. We are introduced to Breq,…
The Mind Reels 