The final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of La Belle et La Bete is this 1997 legal thriller with supernatural overtones that lets Keanu Reeves take on a scene-chewing Al Pacino. Charlize Theron co-stars as Reeves’ wife Mary Ann, while Keanu plays Kevin Lomax, a not…
Category: Did You See That?!? (Tv & Film)
Tron: Legacy (2010) -Joseph Kosinski
Tron was a big part of my childhood. I remember seeing it in the theatre, and I remember my father falling asleep next to my sister while I was enraptured by the film. The use of computer technology, and the blossoming game world that seemed to fascinate every 80s kid was up there on the…
Quantum Leap (1991) – Justice and Permanent Wave
Sam (Scott Bakula) is less than happy to find where he has leaped to in Justice. Penned by Toni Graphia and with an original airdate of 9 October, 1991, Sam is Clyde, and he’s just been inducted into the Klu Klux Klan – people who stand for everything Sam’s family taught him to fight. It’s…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) – Operation – Annihilate! and Amok Time
Captain’s log: stardate 3287.2 Operation – Annihilate! closes out the first season of Trek. It was written by Steven W. Carabatsos and aired on 13 April, 1967. Playing as almost straight-up horror, this episode is a lot of fun, and introduces Kirk’s (William Shatner) family, his brother, Sam (also Shatner, with mustache) his wife, Aurelan…
The Twilight Zone (1959) – The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine, Walking Distance, and Escape Clause
My exploration of the dark corners of the universe captured in The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series, available from Paramount, continues this week with three spooky episodes. Up first is The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine which aired on 23 October, 1959, and was penned by Rod Serling. The tale follows Barbara Jean Trenton (Ida Lupino) an ageing…
Wings of Desire (1987) – Wim Wenders
Remade for those North American audiences who hate to to read as the less than stellar City of Angels, the beautiful Wings of Desire captured hearts and imaginations when it premiered at Cannes, winning Wenders a Best Director award. It is also the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book….
A Matter of Life and Death (1946) – Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
David Niven and Kim Hunter star in this wonderful piece of fantasy that is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film. Also known as Stairway to Heaven, this is a film I had never heard of. Niven is Peter Carter, a RAF pilot. He and his crew are returning to…
Battlefield Earth (2000) – Roger Christian
Sometimes, bad is bad. And this stop with the Sci-Fi Chronicles Book demonstrates how bad. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about this film, and it’s a wonder that any of those involved walked away with the semblance of a career. Based on L. Ron Hubbard’s titanic novel, the film stars John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, and…
Quantum Leap (1991) – Play Ball, and Hurricane
Batter up! Sam (Scott Bakula) finds himself in the body of minor league pitcher, Lester ‘Doc’ Fuller in Play Ball. This episode was penned by Tommy Thompson and had an airdate of 25 September, 1991. Sam is in 6 August, 1961, and he and Al (Dean Stockwell) are having problems figuring out his mission. There…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) – The Alternative Factor and The City on the Edge of Forever
Captain’s log: stardate 3087.6 Well, it had to happen. In a season with twenty-nine episodes, at least one of them had to be iffy, and The Alternative Factor is definitely that one. Written by Don Ingalls, this lacklustre episode had it’s premiere on 30 March, 1967. But it did introduce me to one thing, even…
The Mind Reels 