Director Tony Scott teamed up with writer Shane Black to deliver a classic action film of the early 90s, The Last Boy Scout, with Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans teaming up on screen as a ex-Secret Service agent turned private detective, Joe Hallenbeck, and a former NFL all star, Jimmy Dix. When a client (played…
The X-Files (1997) – Christmas Carol, and Emily
Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) gets some solo time in this episode written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz. Mulder (David Duchovny) makes a small appearance (he was promoting Playing God at the time, and needed some time off)in this episode that first aired on 7 December, 1997. Dana and her mother, Margaret (Sheila…
Mission: Impossible (1967) – Snowball in Hell, and The Confession
Ricardo Montalban (!) guest stars in Snowball in Hell, the first mission I accept this week as I continue my exploration of Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series on blu-ray, available now! Written by Judith and Robert Guy Barrows, this episode first debuted on 18 February, 1967, and featured new IMF photos for both Barney…
Star Trek: The Fearful Summons (1995) – Denny Martin Flinn
Space, the final frontier… I take up the journey with Kirk and company again this week, and was delighted in how most of The Fearful Summons read. It’s a fast read, and has the pacing of a screenplay, and even reading it, you can tell what things would be edited out of the film, or…
SeaFire (1994) – John Gardner
Author John Gardner outs Ian Fleming’s James Bond through his paces again, in SeaFire. Which sees the agent taking on the villainous Max Tarn who has dreams of being Hitler reborn and the restoration of the Nazis. In a globe-trotting adventure that takes Bond, and returning love interest, and potential bride, Flicka across Europe to…
Millennium (1997) – A Single Blade of Grass, and The Curse of Frank Black
Erin Maher and Kay Reindl deliver the first real misstep of the Millennium television series with A Single Blade of Grass. Originally airing on 24 October, 1997 the story sees Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) travelling to New York City to investigate a body discovered there, on a construction site turned archaeological site turned crime scene….
Heartbreak Ridge (1986) – Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood stars, produces and directs this love letter to the United States Marine Corps. and while fairly engaging, the film embraces stereotypes almost to the extreme at both ends, consequently the characters and tone of the film isn’t as balanced as it could be. Eastwood plays the career marine, Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway. He’s…
Demolition Man (1993) – Marco Brambilla
Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes go head to head in this sci-fi actioner from the early 90s. It also features Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Denis Leary, Nigel Hawthorne, Bob Gunton and, sigh, Rob Schneider. Stallone plays a supercop, John Spartan, who has been tracking a psychotic maniac, Simon Phoenix (Snipes) and their confrontation at the…
M*A*S*H (1974) – There’s Nothing Like a Nurse, Adam’s Ribs, and A Full Rich Day
The Singing Doctor (Loudon Wainwright III) makes another appearance this week as all the nurses get shipped out of the 4077th when word comes down that the camp is targeted for an enemy attack. There’s Nothing Like a Nurse was penned by series developer Larry Gelbart, and first aired on 19 November,1974. With a deluge…
The Enforcer (1976) – James Fargo
Clint Eastwood returns as ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan for a third time in The Enforcer, the only film in the series not to have music by Lalo Schifrin (Jerry Fielding takes over giving us a jazzy sounding film score) and for the only time, pairs Callahan with a female homicide detective, Kate Moore, played by Tyne…
The Mind Reels 