Wes Anderson delivers another highly-enjoyable stop-motion animated feature with Isle of Dogs. He penned the script from a story he developed with Jason Schwartzman, Kunichi Nomura, and Roman Coppola. Set in a not-so-distant future in Japan, the story follows young Atari (Koyu Rankin) who travels to an island to seek out his missing canine, Spots…
Hill Street Blues (1982/1983) – Santaclaustrophobia, and Gung Ho
It’s the holiday season on the hill, and lots of things are going on at the precinct. Santaclaustrophobia, written by Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich, and Jeffrey Lewis, first aired on 16 December, 1982. Belker (Bruce Weitz) is undercover as a bell-ringing Santa, but a young kid keeps spoiling things by revealing he’s a cop. Hill’s…
Young Guns (1988) – Christopher Cain
A fun cast gives a bit of a young update on a classic western tale as Emilio Estevez climbs into the saddle as Billy the Kid in Christopher Cain’s Young Guns. Featuring a high-profile cast that included Lou Diamond Phillips, Kiefer Sutherland, Dermot Mulroney, Terence Stamp, Jack Palance and Terry O’Quinn. John Tunstall (Stamp) has…
The Equalizer (1986) – Tip on a Sure Thing, and The Cup
McCall (Edward Woodward) with friend Sonny (Cleavant Derricks) at his side, discovers the seedy underbelly of bookies and off-track betting in Tip on a Sure Thing. Written by Scott Shepherd, it first aired on 3 December, 1986. A horse named Not a Quitter and his jockey, Luis Rivera (Daniel Faraldo) is the lock to win…
The Expanse (2018) – Reload, and Triple Point
Reload was penned by Robin Veith and aired first on 2 May, 2018. Lots of things are happening this time out. The Rocinante is flying on fumes, and against all of the crew’s better judgement, they realize the best place to stock up is in the debris of the battle between Earth and Martian forces….
Imaginary Friend (2019) – Stephen Chbosky
Stephen Chobsky, perhaps currently best known as the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, gets his Stephen King on with his latest novel, Imaginary Friend, a tale of horror that pits a small town against itself in a battle of good versus evil. At the heart of the story is young Christopher, and…
The Equalizer (1986) – Counterfire, and The Line
Counterfire is packed with familiar faces, Vincent D’Onofrio, William Hickey, Leonardo Cimino and another appearance by Robert Lansing as Control. Written by Scott Shepherd and Coleman Luck, this episode was first broadcast on 19 November, 1986. McCall (Edward Woodward) finds himself on the back foot when he finds himself on the run, as someone frames…
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 – Part 1 (2021/2022) – Blu-Ray Review
Paramount Pictures starts the new year right for me by delivering me Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 – Part 1 on DVD and Blu-Ray. The two-disc set includes the season’s first ten episodes, and some insightful extras. The series, aimed at new to Trek and younger viewers, embraces everything that Trek is, working together, the…
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) – Wes Anderson
I love the quirkiness of Wes Anderson films, and that was why he was such a perfect match for Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and making it a stop-motion film was the only choice for Anderson’s interpretation. Mister Fox (aptly voiced by George Clooney) is persuaded by Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) to give up his…
Troll (2022) – Roar Uthaug
Troll is a fun Norwegian monster movie that ticks off a number of boxes for a kaiju movie. While it doesn’t do anything in terms of stretching character development or plot twists (the big one is seen in the trailer, so that doesn’t do the film any good) it does prove to be a bit…
The Mind Reels 