Gore Verbinski is a vibrant visual director, but the casting of Armie Hammer as John Reid aka The Lone Ranger, doesn’t do the film any good, and the whitewashing of Tonto with the casting of Johnny Depp makes things worse. There are some wonderful sequences, some great images, and some fun comedic moments, as the…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) – All Those Who Wander, and A Quality of Mercy
All Those Who Wander is the penultimate episode of the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and it is determined to make the Gorn the scariest aliens in the Trek universe. Written by Davy Perez, this episode first aired on 30 June, 2022. The Enterprise, which is on a priority mission, receives another…
Family Ties (1986) – Be True to Your Preschool, Starting Over, and My Back Pages
Marc Lawrence pens the season five opener, aired on 25 September, 1986. There have been some changes in the Keaton family, Alex (Michael J. Fox) is a sophomore at Leland, Mallory (Justine Bateman) and Skippy (Marc Price) are freshmen at Grant, Jennifer (Tina Yothers) is in junior high, and Andrew (Brian Bonsall) who was a…
Star Trek: The Next Generation – Strike Zone (1989) – Peter David
Peter David delivered his first Star Trek novel with Stroke Zone. Originally planned to be a novel in The Original Series catalogue, it was changed and updated to take place near the beginning of season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beverly Crusher is at Starfleet Medical, Dr. Pulaski has taken over as the…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) – Serene Squall, and The Elysian Kingdom
Serene Squall lets the Enterprise crew have some fun as pirates take over their ship, and they inspire a mutiny to free themselves, but it also has ties not only to The Original Series, but to Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, tying those narrative threads together to make a cohesive tapestry. Written by Beau…
Magnum P.I. – The Complete Series
After five seasons, the reimagined Magnum P.I. series has come to an end. Like I said a number of times, it wasn’t the original, it was its own thing, but tried to include nods, and tried to honor the 1980s original, but it was fun. Jay Hernandez made a great Thomas Magnum, and while some…
The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) – William A. Fraker
There are a few things to redeem the 1981 iteration of the Lone Ranger story, it has a score by John Barry, and features Christopher Lloyd as the film’s baddie. But beyond that, this one is pretty horrible. The story, while violent, isn’t layered, sophisticated or much stronger than a grade-school tale. And that’s to…
Candyman (2021) – Nia DaCosta
Writer/director Nia DaCosta updates the Candyman story, by making a direct sequel to the classic 1992 film, and giving the narrative a new spin as it expands on the legend of Candyman, and ties it into the continuing cycle of prejudice and racial violence. The whole film is about reflections, perspective, and narrative, as up-and-coming…
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Book 1: Water (2005) – The Deserter, The Northern Air Temple, and The Waterbending Master
Tim Hendrick wrote The Deserter, which first aired on 21 October, 2005. Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), Katara (Mae Whitman) and Sokka (Jack De Sena) find themselves near a Fire Nation village which is hosting a celebration, something Aang would like to take a look at as he will have to learn firebending soon. The visit…
Polite Society (2023) – Nida Manzoor
Polite Society is an enjoyable action comedy with strong female characters involved in a wonderfully melodramatic tale. The story follows a young Pakistani woman, Ria (Priya Kansara) who dreams of being a stuntwoman, and who idolizes her older sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), who is experiencing a tough time after leaving art school because she she…
The Mind Reels 