It’s more time well spent with the Universal Monsters as I dive into the first sequel to 1933’s The Invisible Man. Vincent Price in one of his earliest performances is Geoffrey Radcliffe, a man imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit. His beloved Helen Manson (Nan Grey) is stunned and refuses to believe he’s guilty….
Author: TD Rideout
Dark Skies (1997) – Both Sides Now, and To Prey in Darkness
While John Loengard (Eric Close) tries to hunt down his abducted love, Kim Sayers (Megan Ward) by interrogating Hive members, Steele (Tim Kelleher) is working on persuading her to willingly join the Hive to see her child. Bach (J.T. Walsh) tracks her down, she’s in Berkeley. It seems the Hive’s latest plan involved infiltrating the…
The Mummy’s Hand (1940) – Christy Cabanne
I dig into more Universal monsters this week to the first sequel to The Mummy. Released in 1940, The Mummy’s Hand features Tom Tyler as the Mummy. It’s hard to come down on anyone’s side on this one nowadays. The ‘heroes’ are led by an archeologist, Steve Banning (Dick Foran) who is a snappily-dressed American…
Stargate SG-1 (1998) – Message in a Bottle, and Family
SG-1 investigates a planet that requires them to wear spacesuits, so it’s cool to know Stargate Command has access to that kind of thing. I mean after the shuttle rescue at the beginning of season two, i guess they have all kinds of access. But that’s only the precursor to Message in a Bottle. Written…
Northern Exposure (1991) Slow Dance, and The Bumpy Road to Love
Slow Dance closes out the truncated second season of Northern Exposure, and also clears the path for Joel (Rob Morrow) to possibly pursue Maggie (Janine Turner) – but what about her reputation as a black widow? All of her boyfriends have died – and Rick (Grant Goodeve) is no exception… he’s killed by a falling…
The New Doctor Who Adventures – Timewyrm: Exodus (1991) – Terrance Dicks
The second novel in the New Doctor Who Adventures continues the Seventh Doctor and Ace’s story, in fact this one continues the Timewyrn story that began in Genesis. The novel opens with the Doctor and Ace arriving in England in 1951, following the events of World War II. Unfortunately, someone or something has changed the…
Stargate SG-1 (1998) – Need, and Thor’s Chariot
SG-1 does its addiction episode with Need. Written by Robert C. Cooper from a story Cooper developed with Damian Kindler. It first aired on 24 July, 1998. When the team arrives on a distant world Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) saves a young woman, Shyla (Heather Hanson) from taking her own life. The team is captured…
The Fall Guy (2024) – David Leitch
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt deliver a fun action-comedy that reinvents the classic 80s television show and pays homage to a stunt work (which still doesn’t have an Oscar category!). Colt Seavers (Gosling) is a high-profile stunt performer, arguably the best, and he’s been working as Tom Ryder’s (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) stunt double for years. He…
Dracula (1931) – George Melford
Sometimes there’s a glowing hole in my film education. I had no idea that Universal, in 1931, released two versions of Dracula, there was the iconic Bela Lugosi version which cast a long bat-shaped shadow over the entire 20th century, setting the standard for reserved, charming and well-dressed nosferatu. At the same time George Melford,…
Dark Skies (1997) – Shades of Gray, and Burn, Baby, Burn
Juliet (Jeri Ryan) gets a bit more of a backstory in Shades of Gray. Written by Brad Markowitz this episode first aired on 8 February, 1997. As things get filled in, including a horrifying encounter during her childhood in Russia, we are invited to an even darker journey John Loengard (Eric Close) and Kim Sayers…
The Mind Reels 