The Twonky (1953) – Arch Oboler

I venture into a new section of DK Books’ Monsters in the Movies, one dealing with monstrous machines, and the first one I encounter is a sentient television set in The Twonky. This kind of sci-fi comedy is probably more relevant today, when seen through the lens of mobile phones and modern technology, instead of…

M*A*S*H (1972) – Chief Surgeon Who?, The Moose, and Yankee Doodle Doctor

Larry Gelbart who developed M*A*S*H for television pens Chief Surgeon, Who? which first aired on 8 October, 1972. The episode features the first appearance of Jamie Farr as Cpl. Klinger, a soldier intent on being sectioned out of Korea by dressing in women’s clothing. The character became so popular he shortly became a series regular….

Cliffhanger (1993) – Renny Harlin

Somehow I feel this actioner from the early 90s doesn’t get enough love. In fact I think it can honestly be looked at and said it has improved with age, while some 90s action flicks should be better left forgotten. Directed by Renny Harlin, who had two big successes already at the time, Nightmare on…

The X-Files (1995) – 2Shy, and The Walk

Jeff Vlaming takes Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) to Cleveland, Ohio to investigate a serial killer that seems to be preying on lonely hearts of a certain body type. Airing on 3 November, 1995, the series introduced us to Virgil Incanto as brought to life by Timothy Carhart. Incanto seems to be preying…

Chuck (2011) – Versus the Muuurder, and Versus the Family Volkoff

Chuck (Zachary Levi) has to put on his detective hat in Chuck Versus the Muuurder. Written by Alex Katsnelson and Kristin Newman, this episode first debuted on 21 March, 2011. Chuck is in charge of recruiting a new candidate for the Intersect program, but when one of them ends up dead in castle, the underground…

The X-Files (1995) – Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose, and The List

Darin Morgan who was first cast as the Fluke-Man, then penned the season two classic Humbug, joined the crew of The X-Files as a story editor at the beginning of the third season, and he turned in another instant classic scipt with Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose. First airing on 13 October, 1995 the story is…

1984 (1956) – Michael Anderson

DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies provides a glimpse into a dystopian future that may not be so different from a time we live in now, with the 1956 adaptation of Orwell’s classic novel, 1984. The screenwriters say they ‘freely’ adapted the original story so there are differences from book to screen, but thematically, it…

Caddyshack (1980) – Harold Ramis

Caddyshack remains one of those comedies that just stays with you. And it has stayed with me since I first saw it as a teenager in the 80s, Bill Murray and his nemesis, the gopher puppet delighted me to no end, while Chevy Chase’s zen-like and self-confident (verging on the arrogant) golf player Ty, exuded…

Monsters (2010) – Gareth Edwards

It’s time for another close encounter with alien beings in the next title from DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, this time, the creature’s are earthbound, and despite the titles are they really monsters? Or perhaps it’s the humans who are the monsters? Six years ago a space probe returning to earth with samples of…