I first learned Phil Tippet’s name in 1983 when I was reading a behind-the-scenes magazine about the making of The Return of the Jedi, and there was a discussion on the stop-motion and go-motion techniques used to create the movement of the Scout walkers in the Star Wars sequel. I was fascinated by what I…
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) – James Wan
Director/writer James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Whannell return for the second Insidious film which picks up shortly after the first film ended continuing off the troubling reveal that Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) is no longer Josh but some malignant spirit that has come back from The Further with him, and killed Elise (Lin Shaye). While…
M*A*S*H (1983) – Strange Bedfellows, Say No More, and Friends and Enemies
Mike Farrell gets behind the camera and settles into the director’s chair again in Strange Bedfellows which was written by Karen Hall and debuted on 10 January, 1983. Charles (David Ogden Stiers) is suffering from a seasonal allergy and his snoring is keeping both Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and B.J. (Farrell) awake. It’s complicated by the…
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) – George P. Cosmatos
It had been a while since I settled in for any of the Rambo films and thought it would be fun to take a look at the sequels. So I was excited to settle in for Rambo: First Blood Part II, the first of four sequels to 1982’s First Blood. The second film eschews some…
Fringe (2009/2010) – Grey Matters, and Unearthed
The cryogenic heads that were stolen in the previous season are back. Well, one of them is, and it’s reattached to a body, and in the form of Thomas Jerome Newton (Sebastian Roche) is going around removing slices of brain from patients who all, once investigated, seem to have a connection to Walter (John Noble)…
Mission: Impossible (1972) – Double Dead, and Casino
Hey look everyone, the IMF is going after the mob (again). This time out, there are a couple of complications for the team as their mission takes them to the Islands (supposedly Hawaii), in Double Dead. Written by Jackson Gillis and Laurence Heath from a story by Gillis, this episode debuted on 12 February, 1972….
‘Salem’s Lot (1975) – Stephen King
I had a tough time with the horror genre when I was a child. My imagination was always much more powerful than any image I may have glimpsed through my fingers and consequently, I couldn’t watch them. But I was intrigued by spooky ideas. It wasn’t until I was 12 going on 13 that I…
Fringe (2009) – August, and Snakehead
An Observer known as August (Peter Woodward) goes rogue and takes a young woman, Christine (Jennifer Missoni) hostage in order to keep her safe in the episode August. Written by J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner, this story was first broadcast on 19 November, 2009. While Walter (John Noble) worries over coming up with the perfect…
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2021) Season 2 – Blu-Ray Review
Lower Decks has been a gift for Star Trek fans, and Paramount Canada lets you bring home the Emmy-nominated second season on Blu-ray today. The series has been a join since its premiere, delivering comedy and in-jokes while still being Star Trek at its core. Over the course of the ten episodes of season two,…
The Hateful Eight (2015) – Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino’s eighth film let him tackle the fringes of the western genre, and features a beautiful score by iconic composer Ennio Morricone. With his sharp ear for dialogue and engaging storytelling, Tarantino pays homage to the Italian Spaghetti Westerns and classic American films of the same genre, as well, apparently, to the 1982 classic Carpenter…
The Mind Reels 