I don’t think there’s another director that could have done a biopic on the eccentric, imaginative, and terrible director that was Ed Wood than Tim Burton. Burton’s love and use of miniatures, dark themes and humour, and his eye for casting. Leading the story on screen is Johnny Depp as Ed Wood. Depp has a…
Hill Street Blues (1985) – What Are Friends For?, and The Virgin and the Turkey
Norman Buntz (Dennis Franz) has a tough day on the hill, one that will shake him to his core, whether he admits it or not in What Are Friends For? With an original airdate of 5 December, 1985, this episode was written by Dick Wolf. Buntz and Rodriguez (Del Zamora) are running down a lead…
Dead Again (1991) – Kenneth Branagh
It’s been a couple of decades since I watched Branagh’s Hitchcockian romantic thriller, Dead Again. In fact, it had been so long that I completely forgot about the uncredited appearance by Robin Williams! But from its opening shots, and it’s driving and powerful score by Patrick Doyle, I was taken into the sweeping narrative. In…
Countdown to Fan Expo 2023
Fan Expo is right around the corner, and it’s something I haven’t attended since COVID hit, but this year, I’m going back. And I am excited. There are so many people I want to see and meet, and while the SAG-AFTRA strikes may prevent some discussions I still expect to have a damn good time…
Batman (1967) – The Zodiac Crimes, The Joker’s Hard Times, and The Penguin Declines
Stephen Kandel and Stanford Sherman deliver the teleplay from a story by Kandel for the series’ first three parter. Star Adam West says the three partners that were made were intended to be released theatrically overseas though this never happened. The first episode, The Zodiac Crimes, first aired on 11 January, 1967. The Joker (Cesar…
Family Ties (1983) – The Harder They Fall, This Year’s Model, and Not an Affair to Remember
Steven (Micheal Gross) and Elyse (Meredith Baxter) have a tough go of it with parent-teacher conferences when Elyse has a run-in with an incredibly rude teacher, Mr. Tedesco (Edward Edwards). Written by Rich Reinhart, The Harder They Fall, debuted on 19 October, 1983. Elyse has an interaction with Tedesco that leaves her less than thrilled….
Star Trek: Avenger (1997) – William Shatner with Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens
The Reeves-Stevens help William Shatner tell his next Star Trek tale, the third in his Shatner-verse stories. This time out, despite his continued work to make sure that James T. Kirk is still the smartest, bravest, strongest and most desirable man in the room, the story ties together a lot of interesting ideas and melds…
Batman (1967) – The Contaminated Cowl, and The Mad Hunter Runs Afoul
The Mad Hatter (David Wayne) has made his escape from prison and has returned to Gotham City with a dastardly plan to bring Batman (Adam West) down by stealing his cowl and adding it to his collection, something he’s working on as he attends the annual headdress ball. Charles Hoffman wrote this two-part story, and…
Sharksploitation (2023) – Stephen Scarlata
Sharks. Since Peter Benchley’s iconic 1974 novel, Jaws, they have been a ready-to-use monster for Hollywood moviemakers. With Steven Spielberg’s big-screen adaptation of the novel, sharks became the ‘it thing’ for films. However, they were arguably already on their way to being cast as the baddie thanks to some casting in the 60s Bond films….
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) – Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks skewers the legend of Robin Hood with his 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights. None of the versions created are safe, and Cary Elwes is perfectly cast as the iconic hero that from its opening moments takes shots at everything, nothing is safe. Using the classic tale of Robin of Locksley coming…
The Mind Reels 