Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) suffers a bit of an identity crisis this week in The Schizoid Man. Written by Terence Feely, this episode had an original airdate of 27 October, 1967. There’s yet another new Number Two (Anton Rodgers), and he’s got quite the plan concocted to finally break Number Six… He changes his number,…
Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) – Ishiro Honda
Director Ishiro Honda returns for the last Godzilla film of the Showa era, and while it still features space aliens intent on taking over the planet, this one feels a little deeper than some of the previous entries, by introducing some interesting characters who seem to really struggle with their natures. I’m talking, specifically about…
The Vast of Night (2019) – Andrew Patterson
The Vast of Night is very much my kind of film, part Twilight Zone, part early Spielberg, there’s a vibe to this film that I just totally dig. A lot of the film feels like an homage to old dramas, encouraging the theatre of the mind, but there is a nice payoff at the end…
M*A*S*H (1980) – Old Soldiers, Morale Victory, and Lend a Hand
Dennis Koenig pens Old Soldiers which first aired on 21 January, 1980. Everyone at the 4077th is concerned when Potter (Harry Morgan) heads to Tokyo General, leaving Hawkeye (Alan Alda) in charge. While the camp deals with a bunch of youngsters who are having an allergic reaction, they fret and worry over their CO, and…
Miami Vice (2006) – Michael Mann
I love a good Michael Mann film, and man do I love my Miami Vice, so sure win right? Unfortunately no. While it’s not a horrible film, the early 21st century update on the classic 80s series just doesn’t work as well as it could. Yes, the camerawork and look is everything you would expect…
The Prisoner (1967) – A. B. and C., and Free For All
Anthony Skene pens A. B. and C. which sees Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) dealing with a new assault, this time on his mind, as a new Number Two (Colin Gordon) uses dream manipulation to attempt to sift the truth of Six’s resignation. First airing on 13 October, 1967, it sees Six being drugged at night,…
Mission: Impossible (1970) – The Innocent, and Homecoming
This week, we have a pair of episodes that feature a couple of recognizable guest stars, who went on to become series regulars on M*A*S*H, and The Innocent features a cool new title music arrangement, and it took me a moment to recognize him, but Sam Elliott as IMF agent Doug. Written by Marc Norman…
Battlestar Galactica 11: The Nightmare Machine (1985) – Glen A. Larson and Robert Thurston
It’s been a while since I checked in with the Galactica, and we’ve now left the episode adaptations behind and moved on to original stories. So, in 1985, long after the original series ended, as well as the short-lived 1980 continuation, Thurston and Larson give us new Galactica. And it’s not a winner. In fact,…
Beneath Her Skin (2021) – C.S. Porter
Nimbus Publishing, under its Vagrant Press, brings a new voice, C.S. Porter to the mystery genre, with their first novel, Beneath Her Skin, a lean, brisk, thriller. With the sub-title A Kes Morris File, one can assume that this will be Porter’s first foray into a series around their creation of Kes Morris, a female…
The Prisoner (1967) – Arrival, and The Chimes of Big Ben
The Prisoner is a series I had long heard about, but, for some reason known only to some deep, dark corner of my psyche, I had never watched. Everything I heard about it suggested I would enjoy it, that it would be right up my alley. But I never dug in and screened it… ……
The Mind Reels 