Hitting DVD, Blu-ray and VOD today is this British import starring Steve Coogan,. He brings his Alan Partridge character in a hostage story that has some great dialogue wrapped up in a paint-by-numbers story. Reprising his television character, Coogan stars as Alan Partridge, radio DJ and deluded by his perception of his own fame, including driving around in a…
Author: TD Rideout
The Rockford Files (1976) – The No-Cut Contract & A Portrait of Elizabeth
This week private investigator Jim Rockford (James Garner) is in trouble again. The first episode, written by Cannell, himself is a lot of fun. It originally aired 16 January, 1976, and features Wayne Tippit, back as Agent Shore, Becker (Joe Santos), Angel (Stuart Margolin) and Beth (Gretchen Corbett). The phone gag is all in Spanish,…
Trailer tracks: Gremlins (1984) – Joe Dante
Man, do I remember this movie, and I still adore it. Who wouldn’t want a Mogwai?
Wrath of the Titans (2012) – Jonathan Liebesman
Sigh. Like the pointless remake that preceded it, this sequel is more interested in spectacle than story, image over substance. And like it’s predecessor, completely lacks the fun, and wonder that inhabited the 1981 original. This time around we have cardboard-cutouts-that-are-pretending-to-be-characters on another quest. And while the casting is good, Sam Worthington, Bill Nighy, Rosamund…
Trailer Tracks: The Goonies (1985) – Richard Donner
Steven Spielberg and Richard Donner working with a script from Christopher Columbus created this great film that starred Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green and Martha Plimpton. I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen this one, I know I played the soundtrack on cassette so many times the lettering faded from it,…
Love and Death (1975) – Woody Allen
The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Manhattan was, Love and Death. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised to the story, but still don’t care for Woody Allen’s acting ability. This time around, Allen takes on the Russians… He’s a neurotic soldier, Boris, in Czarist…
Trailer Tracks: Sneakers (1992) – Phil Alden Robinson
Now this is how you put a trailer together, it gives you a taste of the plot, and seriously ups the tension the entire way through its 2 minute run. With a star-fueled cast like this – Robert Redford, Ben Kingsley, Sidney Poiter, River Phoenix, Mary McDonnell, Dan Akroyd, David Strathairn, and James Earl Jones –…
Doctor Who (William Hartnell) – The Myth Makers
The third season of Doctor Who continues this week with this 4 part story that originally aired 16 October to 6 November 1965. It was written by Donald Cotton, and saw the Doctor (Hartnell) and company, travelling to the ancient city of Troy. I must really love Doctor Who, because getting through these four episodes,…
Trailer Tracks: Saving Private Ryan (1998) – Steven Spielberg
70 years ago today, some of the bravest and most frightened souls stepped onto beaches in Normandy, D-Day. It would feel wrong to put up some sci-fi or horror movie today, so I went with a film that had a powerful impact on me. Spielberg’s masterful, Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks… (as a side note,…
Men In Black 3 (2012) – Barry Sonnenfeld
For a film based on a rather dark comic property, these films tend to be light and fun and mindless popcorn entertainment, when they work. The third outing, feels way overdue, but I settled in, finally to take a look at the third installment of the franchise. K (Tommy Lee Jones) is in trouble (and…
