I remember the first time I saw Joel Schumacher’s colour-drenched Flatliners. I walked out of the theatres committed to the idea of flatlining. If it could be done in a controlled environment, I thought, sign me up! Some thirty years on, I’m still all for it. I think it would be an incredible exploration of…
Author: TD Rideout
Fringe (2012) – A Better Human Being, and The End of All Things
A Better Human Being first aired on 17 February, 2012 and was written by Alison Schapker and Monica Owusu-Breen from a story by Glen Whitman and Robert Chiappetta. The team gets called in to investigate a young man’s connection to a series of murders, he can hear their voices in his head, and it leads…
The Expanse (2015) – Dulcinea, and The Big Empty
I loved the moment when I discovered James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse series of novels. There’s space opera in it, but so much of the worlds they created are grounded in reality, and they all rely on hard science. So when the television series came along, I was super excited. But I kept waiting before…
The Eyes of the Dragon (1984) – Stephen King
1984 was the year I discovered Stephen King through ‘Salem’s Lot, my first King novel. But I remember my mother was a big King fan (still is) and we had arranged to get her The Eyes of the Dragon as her birthday or Xmas present. It wasn’t your usual King story, and I think that…
Fringe (2012) – Making Angels, and Welcome to Westfield
What are the Observers up to? Making Angels is a solid episode, that gives Jasika Nicole a chance to shine in her dual Astrid roles. Written by Akiva Goldsman, J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner, it first aired on 3 February, 2012. A man, Neil (Chin Han), seems to have a unique ability to see all…
Star Trek: Picard – Season Two (2022) – Blu-Ray Review
Paramount Canada sends Star Trek: Picard – Season Two home today on blu-ray and DVD! The three disc set is packed with extras, and no matter where you fall on the continuation of Patrick Stewart’s iconic turn as Jean-Luc Picard, it is fantastic, nonetheless, to see the character return again. This time around, there is…
Sorcerer (1977) – William Friedkin
Iconic director William Friedkin took on an adaptation of The Wages of Fear, creating his own nerve-biting version of the French film, and novel. The film stars Roy Scheider as one of four unlucky men from around the globe who have found themselves, for one reason or another, stuck in a Latin American country that…
The Terminal (2004) – Steven Spielberg
Hearing the name Tom Hanks in connection to a Steven Spielberg film is always a good thing for me, and I remember going to see 2004’s The Terminal in the theatre, and just delighting in the dramatic comedy the pair had come up with. Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a man who while in transit to…
Hill Street Blues (1981) – Blood Money, and The Last White Man on East Ferry Avenue
Blood Money was written by Steve Bochco and Anthony Yerkovich from a story by Michael Kozoll, Bochco and Yerkovich. It first aired on 5 November, 1981. Washington (Taurean Blacque) and LaRue (Kiel Martin) are investigating the murder of a prostitute by her pimp, but things don’t go as easily as they should. Furillo (Daniel J….
The Rocketeer (1991) – Joe Johnston
Special effects wizard Joe Johnston’s second directorial effort is probably my favourite, as there is just something about The Rocketeer that I love. The style? Art deco is a fave. The score? James Horner! The cast? Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly (who I have crushed on FOREVER), Timothy Dalton, Alan Arkin, Paul Sorvino. The source material?…
The Mind Reels 