For those of an age, John Hughes films defined their high school years, and spoke to them in ways that other teen comedies (and dramas) seemed incapable of doing. There was a reality to the way the characters were written, even in some of the more comedic entries, and consequently, the viewer could relate to…
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984) – W.D. Richter
For many people Peter Weller will always be RoboCop. For me, Weller will always be the super-cool Buckaroo Banzai, the neurosurgeon, rock star, comic book hero who fights Red Lectroids from Planet Ten with help from his back-up band (of fellow awesomely named scientists) The Hong Kong Cavaliers, as well as his fan club, the…
My Science Project (1985) – Jonathan B. Beteul
When I was growing up in Bermuda, my fellow Canuck, Sean lived across the street of Cedarcraft Lane, and he and his brothers always seemed to be renting odd movies that I had never heard of – they were well into their b-movie science fiction before I came along. And one weekend, I was able…
M*A*S*H (1973) – L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel), The Trial of Henry Blake, and Dear Dad… Three
The first episode up this week, L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel) gets it right. Written by Carl Kleinschmitt, series developer Larry Gelbart, and Laurence Marks, from a story by Kleinschmitt. It first aired on 27 October, 1973. While Hawkeye (Alan Alda) is trying to make some time with Lt. Regina Hopkins (Corinne Camacho), one of the…
The Quest (1986) – Brian Trenchard-Smith, and Russell Hagg
I remember the first time I saw this film, and how the idea of it resonated inside me. There was just so many things I could relate to in it. I was living in a foreign country, like Cody (Henry Thomas), I was fascinated by the possibility of lake and sea monsters (still kinda am),…
The X-Files (1996/1997) – Paper Hearts, and El Mundo Gira
Vince Gilligan pens Paper Hearts, one of the best episodes of season four according to stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. It first aired on 15 December, 1996, and earned composer Mark Snow an Emmy nomination. Mulder (Duchovny) has been having very vivid dreams, dreams that lead him to the unmarked grave of a little…
Mission: Impossible (1966) – Pilot, and Memory
Your mission, should you choose to accept it… This week I begin my travels with the original Impossible Mission Force, as I explore The Complete Series on blu-ray available now from Paramount Pictures. The series originally debuted on 17 September, 1966 with the Pilot episode written by the series creator Bruce Geller. We are introduced…
Star Wars: The Last Command (1993) – Timothy Zahn
Five years after the events of The Return of the Jedi, the battle against the Empire continues, as the blossoming New Republic gears up for a final encounter with Grand Admiral Thrawn in the third volume of Timothy Zahn’s trilogy that truly launched the original Star Wars Expanded Universe. While Thrawn plans to cripple the…
Licence to Kill (1989) – John Gardner
James Bond returns this week in John Gardner’s adaptation of the 1989 film, Licence to Kill. This is probably the most disjointed of his novels as he tries to marry his version of the literary 007 to the big screen version, and it doesn’t always work. In fact, throughout the book Bond thinks he must…
Millennium (1996) – Blood Relatives, and The Well-Worn Lock
Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) investigates a series of brutal murders that have a tie-in with a pretender who attempts to connect to people at funerals. Written by Chip Johanessen, Blood Relatives first aired on 6 December, 1996. James Dickerson (Sean Six) attends funerals, pretending to be a friend of the deceased in order to be…
The Mind Reels 