The Martian (2015) – Ridley Scott

  A fantastic book, a top-notch actor, and one of the best technical directors working, what wasn’t to like about The Martian? Clocking in at 141 minutes, my only real issue with the film was that despite the fact that it gave you the number of sols Mark Watney (Matt Damon) spent alone on Mars…

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) – Gene Roddenberry

  I love my classic Trek, and since they aren’t making anymore of them, I decided that perhaps I’d check in with the Pocket Book series, and read, or in some cases, re-read some of these non-canon adventures of Kirk and Company. Pocket Books picked up the rights for Star Trek novels in 1979, with…

Old 37 (2015) – Alan Smithee

  The third title I got to take a look at today from Anchor Bay is this b-movie slasher film that seems to be play like a bit of a cross between I Know What You Did Last Summer and Friday the 13th. Horror icons Kane Hodder and Bill Moseley headline this film that despite the attachment…

The Anomaly (2014) – Noel Clarke 

  Releasing from Anchor Bay, available on both DVD and Blu-ray today is this sci-fi actioner written by Simon Lewis, and directed and starring Doctor Who’s Noel Clarke. It’s an interesting concept, and for the most part, fairly well executed, so kudos to Clarke for that. Clarke plays Ryan, an ex-soldier, who when he was recovering from a…

Cop Car (2015) – Jon Watts

  Releasing today from Anchor Bar on Blu-Ray and DVD is this wonderfully taut, coming of age thriller starring Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford. Two young boys, Travis (Freedson-Jackson) and Harrison (Wellford), are off on an adventure, they’re running away from home, experimenting with swear words, and daring one another as they walk…

I Am Legend (2007) – Francis Lawrence 

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles serves up the third and latest incarnation of Richard Matheson’s story. This one was made in 2007 and stars Will Smith as Robert Neville. This version of the film comes across as a much more solid adaptation of the original work but is deeply marred by the very dated CG work on the…

The Big Lebowski (1998) – The Coen Brothers

  The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of Raging Bull (as a sports movie) is one of my all time favorite comedies, and one I quote almost as often as Ghostbusters and Back to the Future. Sports, in the form of bowling, is involved peripherally…

Doctor Who (Tom Baker) – The Face of Evil

  Part of the Doctor’s (Baker) past comes back to haunt him this week. Though it would have had a bit more of a punch if this were a sequel to a previously televised story. This four-part tale was written by Chris Boucher and had originally ran from 1 January to 22 January, 1977. The Doctor and…

The Omega Man (1971) – Boris Sagal

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles book has been nothing short of immensely enjoyable so far, and I love working my way through different incarnations of stories, seeing the way series, ideas, and effects progressed through the ages. This time, I sat down to watch the second cinematic interpretation of Richard Matheson’s classic tale, I Am Legend,…