Clash of the Titans (1981) – Desmond Davis

  Now this is the way you do a Greek mythology epic, with heart, fun and some top-notch stop motion effects. There is more emotion and character in a single armature movement in this film, than in the whole of the pixelated version of the 21st century! I was so happy to be able to…

Magnum, P.I. (1981) – Missing In Action & Lest We Forget

  Thomas (Tom Selleck) takes on lost loves, broken hearts, and the military in this week’s two episodes. And while the theme isn’t in place yet (it doesn’t take over from the current them until Season 1 Episode 12 (next week)), it is woven throughout the episodes at this point. The first episode Missing In…

The Normal Heart (2014) – Ryan Murphy

  There’s a complete naturalness to everything Mark Ruffalo does on-screen, and he brings that to the brilliant Emmy-nominated The Normal Heart, available today on Blu-Ray and DVD from HBO. I’ve been a fan of Ruffalo’s for a while, and I simply love how he throws himself completely into each role, and the way he…

Arabian Nights (1974) – Pier Paolo Pasolini

  This recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for The Thief of Bagdad, ending up just being an odd watch. The story itself is a loose framework to share other, romantic and erotic tales, based on ancient tales from the Middle East. The central plot follows Nur-E-Din (Franco Merli), a…

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – Orson Welles

  This is the first time I’d seen this one, and honestly, it was the first time I’d ever heard of it. That being said, I quite liked this film by Welles, which serves as one of the recommended follow-up titles to my viewing of Citizen Kane from the Great Movies – 100 Years of…

Doctor Who (Patrick Troughton) – The Highlanders

  The Doctor (Troughton) finds himself in 18th Century Scotland in the midst of the Battle of Culloden in this week’s trip in the TARDIS. The Highlanders, the last, purely historical story to be featured in the series was written by Elwyn Jones and Gerry Davis. This four-parter aired from 17 December 1966 through to…

Jason and the Argonauts (1963) – Don Chaffey

  Ray Harryhausen brings his stop-motion magic, and Bernard Hermann brings his musical touch to this film that retells the story of the famed Greek hero in this next recommendation from The Thief of Bagdad in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. Todd Armstrong is Jason, a hero prophesied to become the king…

Magnum, P.I. (1981) – Never Again… Never Again & The Ugliest Dog in Hawaii

  Thomas (Tom Selleck) finds his way into more trouble this week, with this double dose of the Hawaii detective (sorry, investigator). The first episode, Never Again… Never Again, hit televisions on 22 January, 1981. It was written for the series by Babs Greyhosky, based on a story by Jim Carlson and Terrence McDonnell. It was directed…

Abaddon’s Gate (2013) – James S.A. Corey

  The third book in the brilliant Expanse series is just as strong, entertaining and involving as the previous two installments, and I have one more to go before the long wait until next June starts! I love the way they craft their stories, our loyal crew of the Roci are all here, Holden, Naomi,…