The beautifully crafted film, Whale Rider, adapted for the screen and directed by Niki Caro from the book by Witi Ihimaera is the next title up in Ten Bad Dates With De Niro, as I work through a list of titles that will make you cry. Set amongst the Maori people in Whangara, New Zealand,…
Category: Did You See That?!? (Tv & Film)
Road to Bali (1952) – Hal Walker
The comedic entries continue in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book as I delve into one of the iconic Road movies of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, co-starring Dorothy Lamour. When George (Crosby) and Harold (Hope) end up unemployed in their chosen art, show-biz, (because of some fraternisation with a couple of local sheilas)…
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2012/2013) – A Sunny Day in the Void, Missing In Action, and Point of No Return
“When all seems hopeless, a true hero gives hope.” Brent V. Friedman pens the next episode in the D-Squad arc. This story first debuted on 8 December, 2012, and sees R2-D2 and the rest of the squad crash landing on a desolate planet following the completion of their mission in the previous episode. Unfortunately both…
Moonraker (1979) – Lewis Gilbert
Oh Moonraker. Sigh. When I was first getting into Bond films, at the age of twelve, I thought Moonraker was great – I didn’t see it during its original release in ’79, but I remember seeing images, and some of the toys and cards – because space, and lasers, gadgets and James Bond! Coming to…
Star Trek: Enterprise (2003) – Cease Fire, and Future Tense
Captain’s log: date unknown Chris Black pens this episode that first aired on 12 February, 2003. Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and the Enterprise are called in to help mediate a dispute between the Vulcans and the Andorians who still seem to be chafing against one another, once again, over a small inhospitable planet. That of…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 4
We come to the conclusion of James Clavell’s epic Japanese tale this week (it was definitely quicker to get through the miniseries than the novel – course I was fourteen at the time) as I delve into the fourth disc of the DVD set which has the fifth and final episode. Adapted by Eric Bercovici,…
Star Trek: Enterprise (2003) – Dawn, and Stigma
Captain’s log: date unknown Roxann Dawson directs this Trip (Connor Trinneer) episode written by John Shiban. Originally airing on 8 January, 2003 this episode riffs on the science fiction classic, Enemy Mine. Of course, it’s also been done previously in Trek, most notably in The Next Generation episodes, Darmok and The Enemy. And they were…
True Grit (1969) – Henry Hathaway
Ten Bad Dates With De Niro brings me a classic western on their list of titles that bring movie tears to the eye. John Wayne delivers an Oscar winning turn as Rooster Cogburn in Henry Hathaway’s cinematic adaptation of Charles Portis’ novel. I won’t lie, I came to the Coen Brothers version of the story…
At the Circus (1939) – Edward Buzzell
The comedic section of the chapter on Monstrous Apes in the fantastic DK Canada book, Monsters in the Movies, brings me a Marx Brothers classic which I had never seen, and consequently as delighted to settle in for. Groucho, Harpo, and Chico lend their hysterical aid to the owner of a circus, Jeff Wilson (Kenny…
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2012) – Bound For Rescue, A Necessary Bond, and Secret Weapons
“When we rescue others, we rescue ourselves.” Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) and the Jedi Younglings have all sorts of trouble to handle in Bound For Rescue. Written by Christian Taylor this episode debuted on 17 November, 2012 and continues the Youngling story arc that began with their journey to Ilum to find kyber crystals for…
The Mind Reels 