Author: TD Rideout

Never Dream of Dying (2001) – Raymond Benson

James Bond returns in Raymond Benson’s Never Dream of Dying, and this time around things get emotional for Ian Fleming’s 007 as he goes after Le Gerant, the leader of the notorious Union organization that has been causing him so much trouble over the past few novels. With his adventures taking him across the continent…

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Magnum P.I. (2019) – Blood in the Water, and The Day It All Came Together

The penultimate episode of season one of the reimagined Magnum P.I. was written by Gene Hong, and first debuted on 25 March, 2019. While T.C. (Stephen Hill) deals with the imminent arrival (and then non-appearance) by his father, with lots of needling from Rick (Zachary Kingston) and Shammy (Christopher Thornton), Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and Higgins…

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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) – Dean Fleischer Camp

Dean Fleischer Camp directed this faux documentary that follows a tiny shell, named Marcel, as he discovers a measure of internet fame, its upside and down, and a measure of loss and the importance of family and change. Filled with beautiful stop-motion animation blended brilliantly with live action, the story finds Camp playing a version…

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Inferno (1980) – Dario Argento

It’s been a while since I watched Argento’s Suspiria, though I remember enjoying it, so when I learned he did two more films set in the same world I knew I had to seek them out. The first follow-up film is 1980’s Inferno. Rose (Irene Miracle) is living in New York (with Italian locations serving…

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The Exorcist: Believer (2023) – David Gordon Green

For the first few minutes of The Exorcist: Believer I thought that maybe the reviews were wrong, that they had been too harsh, or maybe didn’t understand what the film was trying to do. It’s opening felt, to me, very much in line with the original film, until the earthquake hit, and from that moment…

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Magnum P.I. (2019) – Black is the Widow, and A Kiss Before Dying

Magnum (Jay Hernandez) is on the hunt for a murderer who may be using a dating app to find targets. Black is the Widow was written by Neil Tolkin and first aired on 4 March, 2019. Karen McDowell (Gia Mantegna) hires Magnum to investigate the death of her father, who was killed during a carjacking….

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Family Ties (1987) – A, My Name is Alex, and ‘D’ is for Date

Michael J. Fox gets to really show his range in A, My Name is Alex. A special hour-long episode that was first broadcast on 12 March, 1987. It was written by Alan Uger and series creator Gary David Goldberg. Alex (Keaton) isn’t dealing well with the death of his friend Greg (Brian McNamara). With a…

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Star Trek: Heart of the Sun (1997) – Pamela Sargent, and George Zebrowski

Set during Kirk’s original five year mission as portrayed in The Original Series, Heart of the Sun is an interesting exploration of isolationism and its effect, combining two story threads that end up having more in common than you initially realize. The Enterprise has arrived in a remote system, helping restore a planetary database that…

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Magnum P.I. (2019) – Day the Past Came Back, and Murder is Never Quiet

The series keeps that continuity running and introduces another legacy character, MacReynolds (Ammie Masterson) in Day the Past Came Back. Written by Peter M. Lenkov and Eric Guggenheim. It first debuted on 18 February, 2019. With callbacks to the series premiere, Magnum (Jay Hernandez) is kidnapped and taken back to the shipwreck of stolen Iraqi…

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