Vermithrax Pejorative. There has never been a more unique name for a dragon. Ever. It’s dark. Evocative. And it sends me spiralling back through the chambers of my mind to 1981 to when I first discovered the name. I knew Dragonslayer was a movie, I knew it was coming to theatres, and I put my…
Batman: Hush (2019) – Justin Copeland
The DC Animation adaptation of Hush by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee is a solid piece of work and attempts to walk a balancing act between the established canon of the animated films, and the comics. There are also a lot of layers at work throughout the course of the film, something that doesn’t happen…
Men at Work (1990) – Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez writes, directs, and stars alongside his brother, Charlie Sheen, Leslie Hope, and Keith David in a goofy comedy that allows Estevez to give nods to other films, like Rear Window and his own Stakeout. It’s silly, not entirely engaging, and it seems Estevez, even in his own films, likes to chew some of…
Hill Street Blues (1983/1984) – The Russians Are Coming, Ratman and Bobbin
There definitely seems to be an upswing in melodrama for this season of Hill Street Blues, and The Russians Are Coming is no exception. Written by Dennis Cooper from an idea by Cooper and Jeffrey Lewis and an unpublished story by Stanley N. Wellborn, this episode first debuted on 15 December, 1983. This episode marks…
Cowboys & Aliens (2011) – Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau coming off of Iron Man, produced by Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, a story by the showrunners for The Expanse, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, Star Trek producers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano, Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown, Adam Beach and Keith Carradine…
The Equalizer (1988) – Day of the Covenant, and Splinters
McCall (Edward Woodward) and Mickey (Keith Szarabajka) find themselves caught up in a human rights struggle when Scott’s (William Zabka) new girlfriend, Zandili (Kasi Lemmons) may be a political terrorist from South Africa being hunted in New York by mercenaries and South African law enforcement. Day of the Covenant was written by Robert Eisele and…
The Expanse (2020) – Exodus, and Churn
Season five of The Expanse brings the story back into the Sol System even as the mystery of the protomolecule hangs over everything in the system. The season opener, Exodus, was written by Naren Shankar and dropped on Amazon Prime alongside episodes two and three on 16 December, 2020. The crew of the Rocinante are…
The Graveyard Apartment (1993) – Mariko Koike
Don’t delve into this book looking for answers and explanations. There are horrible things at work in and around the apartment building that is so central to the story, but no explanations will be offered and that can make things scarier for some, letting their imagination run wild, or disappointing for those who need everything…
The Equalizer (1988) – Riding the Elephant, and Eighteen with a Bullet
Riding the Bullet is the third episode of the final season, and it’s a helluva entry. Featuring a stellar supporting cast including Mako and James Hong, the episode hints at a bit of McCall’s (Edward Woodward) past as Control (Robert Lansing) reminds him that it’s his birthday, and an enemy from McCall’s past resurfaces. Written…
Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) – Yasuhiro Aoki, Futoshi Higashide, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Hiroshi Morioka, Jong-Sik Nam, Shojiro Nishimi, and Yuichiro Hayashi
Kevin Conroy voices Batman (yay!) in this collection of interconnected animated tales set in the Nolan-verse of Batman. Featuring a variety of animation styles the feature explores more of Batman’s story in Gotham following the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Have I Got a Story For You features four skateboarding kids getting…
The Mind Reels 