Land of Bad is a crisp military actioner. With a solid cast that includes two Hemsworth brothers, Liam and Luke, Russell Crowe and Milo Ventimiglia, the film takes us on a high-tension, tightly-crafted mission that sees a Delta Force team, and it’s accompanying drone (and operator) on the run after things go pear-shaped. The Delta…
Author: TD Rideout
Lake Michigan Monster (2018) – Ryland Brickson Cole Tews
I loved Hundreds of Beavers so I was eager to check out an earlier film from the creative duo behind it, Lake Michigan Monster. Sharing some of the film’s creative styles, it’s shot in black and white, made to look like a throwback to yesteryear, and has a goofy sense of humor that slides from…
Farscape (2000) – Taking the Stone, and Crackers Don’t Matter
Chiana (Gigi Edgley) is dealt a personal blow when her brother dies, she knows this because of a personal transmitter she keeps inside her. After Crichton (Ben Browder) blows her off, she skips off Moya, and joins a group of young people on a funeral planet. Taking the Stone was written by Justin Monjo and…
Hundreds of Beavers (2022) – Mike Cheslik
Hundreds of Beavers is a gift. It’s brilliantly funny, and pays wonderful homage to the cartoon shorts of yesteryear, including their dark level of violence, the magic of Melies, the creativity of silent films, and the ability of a movie to take you in and captivate you even with its odd trappings. Jean Kayak (Ryland…
Stargate SG-1 (2001) – Red Sky, and Rite of Passage
Ronald Wilkerson delivers a tale that sees SG-1 traveling to a world where Norse religion has progressed and created a devout group of faithful to the Asgardians. That’s all well and good, but by activating the gate, they triggered something that has caused a red shift in the local sun by introducing a foreign element,…
Northern Exposure (1992) – Do the Right Thing, and Crime and Punishment
David Hemmings guest stars as Viktor Bobrov, a former Russian agent who arrives in Cicely, looking for a bargain on countless items, including the KGB file on Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin). Do the Right Thing was written by Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, this episode was first broadcast on 30 November, 1992. The file seems…
Little Eve (2018) – Catriona Ward
I loved Ward’s The Last House on Needless Street so when a friend asked me to dive into Little Eve, I was more than willing to. Gothic in the truest sense of the word, Little Eve is filled with gloom, mystery and hints of horror. Set on a tiny Scottish island, the story moves between…
Stargate SG-1 (2001) – Ascension, and The Fifth Man
Carter (Amanda Tapping) is given some time off, after she’s rendered unconscious on a mission. She was inspecting a device that may or may nor be a weapon. But she and SG-1 do not come back alone, there is a mysterious entity that has attached itself to Carter. Ascension was written by Robert C. Cooper,…
Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) – Dean Parisot
Bill & Ted came along at just the right time in my life. In 1989, I was a senior in high school, and the characters, their speech, and their general attitudes resonated with me. I joined them on their Excellent Adventure a couple of times in theaters, and in 1991 when they went on a…
Fast X (2023) – Louis Leterrier
Let’s be honest, The Fast and The Furious franchise jumped the shark awhile ago. Was it before the nuclear sub? Maybe. But as we close in on the end of the saga (maybe) the series has gone full comic book with Fast X. If Vin Diesel’s Dom is Batman then Jason Momoa’s character, Dante, is…
The Mind Reels 