Barney (Greg Morris) gets a fair dose of the spotlight in this episode, and that’s a good thing. Where he may not have been used enough in earlier seasons it’s very nice to see him doing more and more as the series progresses. In Mindbend, an episode written by James D. Buchanan and Ronald Austin…
Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series (1997) – Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Simon & Schuster Books takes me back to the early to mid-70s when I was a child and had just discovered the wonder of what was Star Trek: The Original Series in reruns. While I was meeting Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest for the first time, Paramount and the creative minds behind the scenes,…
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1981) – The Hand of the Goral, and Testimony of a Traitor
Francis Moss pens The Hand of the Goral, which first aired on 26 March, 1981. Buck (Gil Gerard) who still looks a little rough around the edges, but not so bad as the last episode, Hawk (Thom Christopher), and Wilma (Erin Gray) arrive on a far distant world known commonly as the Planet of Death….
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) – 4K Review
Tony Scott came off the success of Top Gun with this follow-up to the 1984 hit Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II, which is somehow thirty-five years old. To celebrate, Paramount Pictures delivers the high-octane sequel on a vibrant 4K disc. Let’s get this out of the way up front, there are no extras…
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) – 4K Review
I had never seen John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance before Paramount Canada offered me a copy of the new 4K version of the classic western. I had no idea it was such a political film and while I have always enjoyed performances by Jimmy Stewart, I’ve never really been a John Wayne…
Battle Royale II (2003) – Kenta Fukasaku and Kinji Fukasaku
Battle Royale II is very much a different creation from its predecessor. Set three years after the events of the first movie this film moves the film mythology forward. Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and Noriko (Aki Maeda) have made their escape, and Shuya has now started what the rest of the world calls a terrorist organization,…
Murder on the Orient Express (2017) – Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, Murder on the Orient Express has its good and bad points. I love Branagh’s attention to detail in bringing the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, to life. Unfortunately, that same attention isn’t given to the supporting cast that brings to life the trouble Poirot finds himself embroiled in….
M*A*S*H (1981) – Wheelers and Dealers, Communication Breakdown, and Snap Judgment
Thad Mumford and Dan Wilcox deliver Wheelers and Dealers which first aired on 23 November, 1981. While Potter (Harry Morgan) deals with taking a remedial driving class due to an incident on leave, B.J. (Mike Farrell) gets some news from home. It seems the second mortgage on the house is coming due and to help…
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) – Rachel Talalay
Despite the poster’s tagline about saving the best for last, the sixth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series is nothing short of a franchise killer. So horrendously bad there doesn’t seem to be any redeeming qualities to the film although there’s an actual interesting seed of an idea regarding Freddy’s offspring. Filled with…
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1981) – The Satyr, and Shgoratchx!
Buck (Gil Gerard) and Twiki (Felix Silla, voice by Mel Blanc) find themselves in a bit of a fantasy story with The Satyr. Written by Paul Schneider this episode first debuted on 12 March, 1981. The Searcher arrives at a planet and Buck draws the assignment to go and catalog it. Upon arrival he and…
The Mind Reels 