Alex (Micheal J. Fox) finds himself in an ethical dilemma when he’s made editor of the school paper. Big Brother is Watching was written by Ruth Bennett and originally aired on 17 November, 1982. Within moments of getting the position he’s presented with a story that involves cover-ups and lies, their school has a very…
Star Trek: The Joy Machine (1996) – James E. Gunn
James E. Gunn takes the original story treatment for The Joy Machine by Theodore Sturgeon, who gave us the TOS episodes Shore Leave and Amok Time, and turns it into a novel that feels very much like an Original Series episode. When a couple of Federation investigators disappear on a planet, one that Captain James…
Swan Song (1987) – Robert McCammon
I remember seeing the original cover for this paperback in a variety of book racks when I was a teen, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I didn’t recognize the name of Robert McCammon at the time, though since that time Boy’s Life has become one of my favourite books. I didn’t…
Batman (1966) – The Clock King’s Crazy Crimes, and The Clock King Gets Crowned
We get a great window cameo (Hey! It’s Sammy Davis Jr.!) to an introduction to a new baddie, The Clock King (Walter Slezak), Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) have their hands full in this two-parter written by Bill Finger and Charles Sinclair. The first episode, The Clock King’s Crazy Crimes first aired on…
Dead Birds (2004) – Alex Turner
Henry Thomas, Patrick Fugit, Michael Shannon, and Mark Boone Junior all team up for a different kind of horror film. The group play a collection of Confederate soldiers who have just pulled off a bank robbery and are holing up at an abandoned plantation to wait things out. Unfortunately, they aren’t exactly alone on the…
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – Brian Henson
Sure, it’s way too early for a Christmas movie, but the next theatrical film that the Muppets released was their take on the classic Charles Dickens story, A Christmas Carol. The human roles are few and far between, but Michael Caine is perfectly cast as Ebenezer Scrooge. When it comes to takes on A Christmas…
Hill Street Blues (1985) – El Capitan, and The Life and Time of Dominic Florio Jr.
Garibaldi (Ken Olin) is less than thrilled to discover that Gina (Jennifer Tilly) is now interested in Goldblume (Joe Spano) after he saved her life, Hunter’s (James Sikking) stolen RV (Belker (Bruce Weitz) has moved in with Robin(Lisa Sutton)) causes a problem when it’s used in a hostage situation, and with Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti)…
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011) – Mark Neveldine, and Brian Taylor
Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage) returns in the Marvel property, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and if you thought the first film was a little haphazard, you haven’t seen anything yet. Cage is a little more unhinged in this outing, and despite offering Peter Fonda a chance to reprise his role of Mephistopheles, the legendary actor…
Batman (1966) – The Greatest Mother of Them All, and Ma Parker
Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) find themselves going up against a villainous criminal mastermind in the form of Shelley Winters’ Ma Parker. Henry Slesar penned this two-part story, whose first instalment, The Greatest Mother of Them All, aired on 5 October, 1966. Ma Parker has stayed out of Gotham City, the threat of…
Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny (2023) – James Mangold
James Mangold is not Steven Spielberg. No one said he was. But stepping into a film series whose other four instalments were directed by Spielberg, comparisons will be drawn as Harrison Ford grabs his whip and fedora and settles into the iconic role of Indiana Jones one last time. There are lots of things to…
The Mind Reels 