Alan Alda steps behind the camera to direct Bulletin Board, a bit of a vignette episode written by Simon Muntner and series developer Larry Gelbart. It debuted on 14 January, 1975. Trapper (Wayne Rogers) is writing a letter home to his kids (and occasionally smooching a nurse or two), Frank (Larry Linville) and Margaret (Loretta…
Fletch (1985) – Micheal Ritchie
Chevy Chase brings Gregory MacDonald’s classic investigative journalist to life in this classic 80s film that is still damned funny, and a lot of fun to watch. When I first heard about this movie, they started re-releasing some of the novels, including the original, and I snapped a couple of them, but for me, they…
The X-Files (1998) – Kitsunegari, and Schizogeny
Robert Patrick Modell aka Pusher (Robert Wisden) is back to cause problems for Mulder (David Duchovny), Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) in Kitsunegari, written by Vince Gilligan and Tim Minear, this episode debuted on 4 January, 1998, and serves as a nice companion-piece to the earlier episode, Pusher (Season 3 Episode 17). When…
Eat Wheaties! (2021) – Scott Abramovitch
Sid Straw is a loser. At least, that’s how he’s introduced to us at the start of Eat Wheaties!, a simple yet funny film directed by Scott Abramovitch. Brought to hapless life by actor Tony Hale, Sid lives alone, and hangs out in his drab corner office, occasionally chatting up co-workers who can barely stand…
Mission: Impossible (1967) – Action!, and The Train
Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) is missing from this week’s first mission (apparently he was written out of the script as punishment for observing his religious beliefs), so Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) picks up the mission while Rollin (Martin Landau) concocts the plan in Action! written by Robert Lewin. This episode first hit the airwaves on 4…
The Sniper (2021) – Chang Kuo-Li
Taiwanese author Chang Kou-Li delivers an action thriller this week. With its North American debut, The Sniper, is available now from House of Anansi Press, features a translation by Roddy Flagg and reads like the best of Hong Kong cinema. There are action beats, police investigations, involving characters and a weaving story that takes you…
Millennium (1997) – 19:19, and The Hand of Saint Sebastian
Prophecy and the Millennium Group are front and centre in this week’s episode of Millennium. First up Frank (Lance Henriksen) is trying to find a group of missing children in Hurricane Alley, and he and Peter Watts (Terry O’Quinn) are in a race against time in 19:19. Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong this…
Sudden Impact (1983) – Clint Eastwood
Lalo Schifrin returns to score Dirty Harry’s next adventure which sees Eastwood not only starring as Dirty Harry Callahan, but serves as the film’s producer and director. After causing more problems for the city brass, and not following the law in his own investigations, Harry is assigned to a homicide case that will get him…
Flashdance (1983) – Adrian Lyne
Flashdance is an odd duck. When it first came out it was seen as this big thing, it influenced fashion, and launched the producing careers of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer who went on to produce some of the biggest hits of the 80s and 90s. Watching it now, it entertains, but it’s blatantly obvious…
M*A*S*H (1974/1975) – Mad Dogs and Servicemen, Private Charles Lamb, and Bombed
Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and Trapper (Wayne Rogers) have to try psychiatry on a patient suffering from PTSD in Mad Dogs and Servicemen while Radar (Gary Burghoff) has to have a rabies shot after he’s bitten by a feral dog that has been visiting him at the camp. Written by Mary Kay Place and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason,…
The Mind Reels 