There are lots of things that still work with John Hughes teen comedy, Sixteen Candles, but there are so many problematic things that have really begun to overshadow the story’s heart. There’s some racism, there’s some things that walk the line up to and over harassment and assault, and that really takes the shine off…
TIFF: Musicals! The Movies That Moved Us – Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
When the musical made the leap from stage to screen, it opened everything up, not just in terms of accessibility for the viewing audience, but the scope of the storytelling canvas – things were no longer confined to a stage, the settings, the choreography, the characters could live in a whole new way. Cameras could…
The X-Files (2001) – Empedocles, and Vienen
While Scully (Gillian Anderson) ends up in the hospital with a complication surrounding her pregnancy, Agent Reyes (Annabeth Gish) approaches Mulder (David Duchovny) with a case that may tie back to Doggett (Robert Patrick). Empedocles was written by Greg Walker, and first aired on 22 April, 2001. When an office worker, Jeb (Jay Underwood) is…
Mission: Impossible (1969) – Fool’s Gold, and The Commandante
Ken Pettus pens Fool’s Gold which first aired on 26 October, 1969, and sees the IMF team, led by Phelps (Peter Graves) to stop a counterfeiter, Igor Stravos (Nehemiah Persoff) who has enough printed cash to purchase the entire gold reserve of a country, which would allow him to topple the government. Paris (Leonard Nimoy)…
Star Trek: Discovery – Desperate Hours (2017) – David Mack
Back in 2017, Star Trek launched it’s first live action series since the finale of Enterprise in 2005. As always there have been tie-in books allowing various authors to explore the universe depicted on big and small screens, as well as the variety of characters inhabiting it. Some to a more successful degree than others….
The Lone Gunmen (2001) – Planet of the Frohikes, and Maximum Byers
Planet of the Frohikes is probably my favorite episode of the rewatch of The Lone Gunmen (I haven’t seen most of them since the series aired, and DVD set came out). Written by Vince Gilligan, this episode first debuted on 6 April, 2001. The guys receive an email from asking for help to be freed…
Highlander III: The Final Dimension (1994) – Andrew Morahan
The one good thing about the third Highlander film is that it does away with the horrible second entry in a franchise that did NOT need to happen. For countless fans everywhere, there can be only one, and the diminishing returns on the sequels, no doubt caused by the horrible stories supports that. This story…
The Dead Don’t Die (2019) – Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch writes and directs this zombie film that is more in line with the Romero created monster than the running creatures that have been made so popular of late. In fact, the entire film plays out at an enjoyably relaxing pace, letting the story brew, the characters breathe, and the oddities, eccentricities, and the…
M*A*S*H (1978) – Our Finest Hour Part 2, The Billfold Syndrome, and None Like It Hot
The second part of the clip show, Our Finest Hour, airing on 9 October, 1978 featured segments written by Ken Levine, David Isaacs, Larry Balmagia, Ronny Graham, and David Lawrence. We get glimpses of pranks, the many romances of Hawkeye (Alan Alda), the humanization of Houlihan (Loretta Swit), Radar’s (Gary Burghoff) really bad day, and…
The Breakfast Club (1985) – John Hughes
I remember the first time I saw The Breakfast Club, and in fact this was my introduction to John Hughes. I was in high school, in grade 9, and one of our gym teachers, of all people, put it on for us during one of our gym classes, as the idea of acceptance, and the…
The Mind Reels 