Alex McCord guest stars in Crack-Up which sees the IMF going after the mob/Syndicate (again), this time focussing on a hitman, Peter Cordel (McCord). Written by Arthur Weiss from a story by Weiss and Robert and Phyllis White this episode first aired on 9 December, 1972. Phelps (Peter Graves) and his team, Barney (Greg Morris),…
Night Call: A Walking Shadows Novel (2020) – Brenden Carlson
Brenden Carlson’s Night Call, available from Dundurn Press is set in the past, an alternate 1933, and yet in describing it, I lean towards the phrase retro-future noir. We are introduced to the cynical hard-boiled detective, Elias Roche, who is haunted by an incident in his past and walks a fine line between the law…
Fringe (2011) – Immortality, and 6B
Immortality takes us back to the other side in this episode written by David Wilcox and Ethan Gross. It first aired on 11 February, 2011. Broyles (Lance Reddick) seems to be missing so Lincoln (Seth Gabel) is in charge of Fringe Division, just as a new and horrifying case comes along and Fauxlivia’s (Anna Torv)…
1883 (2021) – Blu-Ray Review
It has been a while since I was utterly gobsmacked and left wordless following a television show, but 1883, an origin story for the hugely popular Yellowstone series (which I’ve yet to start) did that. It is available today on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount Pictures. Written and created by Taylor Sheridan, who also created…
Hush (2016) – Mike Flanagan
Home invasion stories are not my jam. I’ve never cared for it, and I’ve yet to be entertained by one. But going through Mike Flanagan’s filmography, his third film plants itself firmly into a territory that usually doesn’t do much for me. Co-witten with his partner, Kate Siegel, who also stars, the film follows Maddie…
The Color Purple (1985) – Steven Spielberg
Was Steven Spielberg the right person to shoot the film adaptation of Alice Walker’s powerful novel? He was an interesting choice for the project, and it definitely wasn’t the dramatic material that he was associated with in the 80s, having delivered a number of blockbusters at that point. And while there were a number of…
Hill Street Blues (1981) – Choice Cut, and Up in Arms
Seven episodes in writer Lee David Zlotoff brings us full circle with Choice Cut. First airing on 14 February, 1981, the episode sees Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) dealing with a hostage situation in a supermarket, not entirely dissimilar from what happened in the first episode. In fact, it’s the same hostage takers! They went…
The Replacement Killers (1998) – Antoine Fuqua
Antonine Fuqua’s 1998 actioner The Replacement Killers has quite the pedigree, it not only has Fuqua in the director’s chair, an executive producer credit for John Woo, but also stars Hong Kong cinema icon Chow Yun-Fat, the fantastic Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker, Jurgen Prochnow, Danny Trejo, Til Schweiger, and Clifton Collins Jr. John Lee (Chow…
Fringe (2011) – Reciprocity, and Concentrate and Ask Again
It seems Massive Dynamic has assembled the Device from the parts left behind by the First People (an ancient race who were technologically advanced) and against Walter’s (John Noble) wishes, Peter (Joshua Jackson) agrees to let the company run some tests on him, and his interaction with the machine. Reciprocity was written by Josh Singer…
Mission: Impossible (1972) – Ultimatum, and Kidnap
Murray Hamilton (the beaches will be open!) guest stars in Ultimatum. Written by Harold Livington from a story by Shirl Hendryx and Livingston, the episode all guests Donnelly Rhodes! First airing on 18 November, 1972, the episode sees the IMF on familiar ground. Phelps (Peter Graves) and his team are after a nuclear physicist, Cooper…
The Mind Reels 