Sam (Scott Bakula) finds himself in rural Washington state on 6 November, 1972. Despite the fact that he is mistaken for bigfoot in the episode’s opener, we soon learn he’s a Vietnam vet, named Henry, who has been living in the woods. The Beast Within was written by John D’Aquino, who previously played Frank in…
Author: TD Rideout
Star Trek: The Original Series (1968) – Plato’s Stepchildren and Wink of an Eye
Captain’s log: stardate 5784.2 Plato’s Stepchildren first screened on 22 November, 1968 and was written by Meyer Dolinsky. The episode is of historical note because of the first American broadcast interracial kiss when Captain Kirk (William Shatner) kisses Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Beyond that, the story is rather basic. The Enterprise is summoned to a…
Star Trek: Killing Time (1985) – Della Van Hise
Hey look, it’s another non-canon Trek novel that features villains altering the timeline to change history, and allowing the author to play with established characters in their own way, with heavy slash tendencies (in this case, a Kirk/Spock romance… again). If you can get your hands on an ultra-rare first edition, there is actually more…
The Twilight Zone (1961) – Long Distance Call, A Hundred Yards Over the Rim, and The Rip Van Winkle Caper
Paramount Pictures dares me to go deeper into The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series on blu-ray, and I took them up on it. First up this week is Long Distance Call. Written by Charles Beaumont and William Idelson, this episode had its premiere on 31 March, 1961. Young Bill Mumy (making his first of three…
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – Roger Spottiswoode
Pierce Brosnan’s second outing as Ian Fleming’s James Bond, 007, is the final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following a screening of Goldfinger, and I quite happily make the argument that this may be Brosnan’s best outing in his four Bond films. From the opening White Knight sequence, to…
A Corner in Wheat (1909) – D.W. Griffith
As I continue digging further into DK Book’s The Movie Book, I move onto the work of D.W. Griffith. I had previously reviewed his epic film, Intolerance, and have moved onto his key works. Listed first is A Corner in Wheat, a short from 1909. This film is as stunningly relevant today as it was…
Doctor Who (David Tennant) – Fear Her and Army of Ghosts
The Doctor (Tennant) and Rose (Billie Piper) find themselves in a rather unusual adventure during the 2012 Olympics. Fear Her was written by Matthew Graham and first aired on 24 June, 2006. Arriving in an English neighbourhood, the Doctor realises something strange is going on, when children seem to be disappearing up and down the…
Live and Let Die (1973) – Guy Hamilton
007 is back, and he’s the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. Roger Moore debuts as secret agent James Bond in this 1973 update of Ian Fleming’s character. It also delves a little into blaxploitation, and features one of my favourite Bond Girls, Jane Seymour as Solitaire. Marrying drugs…
Quantum Leap (1993) – Revenge of the Evil Leaper and Goodbye Norma Jean
Sam (Scott Bakula) and Alia (Renee Coleman) find themselves in the forms of two women held in a prison in Revenge of the Evil Leaper, or Evil Leaper III. This final installment of the Evil Leaper Trilogy aired on 23 February, 1993, and marks the last time in the series that Sam leaps ito a…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1968) – For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky and The Tholian Web
Captain’s log: stardate 5476.3 I’ve always loved the title of this episode and the imagery it conjures in my head. Written by Hendrik Vollaerts under a pseudonym this ends up being a solid, if slightly flawed episode, that aired on 8 November, 1968. Things get underway when Dr. McCoy (DeFrorest Kelley) is diagnosed with a…
