A Better Tomorrow was a hole in my John Woo and Hong Kong cinema that I wanted to fill, People have raved about it for years, that it helped define a generation of HKers and became a cult classic among North American film lovers. It features melodrama and lots of gunplay. It also has a…
Author: TD Rideout
Mandy (2018) – Panos Cosmatos
Nicolas Cage headlines in Mandy, a drug-addled hallucinogenic ride in this revenge horror (?) thriller. Set in the early 80s, but filled with 70s sensibilities in sense of style and set design, Cage is Red Miller who lives out in the woods with Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough). They have a quiet life, he works is…
Smallville (2002) – Tempest, and Vortex
Tempest closes out the first season of Smallville. Written by showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar from a story by Philip Levens, season one came to a close on 21 May, 2002. The spring formal is here, Clark (Tom Welling) and Chloe (Allison Mack) are headed out together. And there’s lots of other character stuff…
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) – Matt Shakman
Marvel brings their first family into the MCU with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It’s charming, and has some solid casting, but it never really has the impact that this iconic team deserves. And that may be due to superhero fatigue. Marvel and Disney have upped the audience of dosage of superheroes that everything feels…
Stargate: Atlantis (2007) – Sunday, and Submersion
Dr. Heightmeyer (Claire Rankin) suggests everyone have a Sunday off, and this is what happens. Written by Martin Gero, Sunday first aired on 1 June, 2007. Everyone has a relaxing plans in the works, Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) is teaching Ronon (Jason Momoa) about golf, McKay (David Hewlett) and Beckett (Paul McGillion) want to go fishing,…
Star Trek: A World Gone Mad (1973)
Gold Key Comics continued to boldly go with their Star Trek comics. Issue 20, A World Gone Mad, hit comic spinners for September, 1973. It featured a story by Arnold Drake, art by Alberto Giolitti, and a cover painting by George Wilson. The splash page suggests that a passing comet has not only driven a…
Get Smart (1966) – The Decoy, Hoo Done It, and Rub-A-Dub-Dub… Three Spies in a Tub
Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) is The Decoy in this episode, written by Sydney Zelinka and Ronald Axe. It first aired on 29 October, 1966. While Agent X carries the plans to a distant meeting, Agent 86 is to pose as the decoy and draw the attention of KAOS. The Chief (Edward Platt) plants information to…
Artificial Condition (2018) – Martha Wells
Martha Wells delivers another entertaining entry in the Murderbot Diaries with Artificial Condition. Much like the first story, this is only a novella as well and it rips along at warp speed, filled with action beats, laughs, and a small exploration of the worlds that Wells is building. The story picks up shortly after the…
Stargate SG-1 (2007) – Talion, and Family Ties
We begin our run to the series finale, with only four episodes left how are stories, and character arcs going to start playing out? Talion was written by Damian Kindler and first debuted on 1 June, 2007. When Teal’c (Christopher Judge) and Bra’tac (Tony Amendola) survive a series of bomb attacks which kill other Jaffa,…
Star Trek: The Haunted Asteroid (1973)
Gold Comics conintued to boldly go in July 1973, with their next Star Trek issue. The Haunted Asteroid featured a story by Arnold Drake, with art by Alberto Giolitti and Sal Trapani. It had another cover painting by George Wilson. The story’s opening splash page seems to suggest we’re in for a ghost story. How…
The Mind Reels 