A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… Kathy Tyers pens the first stand alone novel in the Expanded Universe, following on the tail of Timothy Zahn’s trilogy. The events in this story take place right after the events depicted in The Return of the Jedi, Han Solo and Leia Organa know they…
Brokenclaw (1990) – John Gardner
James Bond is back in action this week in John Gardner’s tenth 007 book, and probably my least favourite of the series at the moment. This one took me too long to get into, and then I felt not a lot really happened in the story to begin with until the climax. Bond is in…
Millennium (1997) – Weeds, and Loin Like a Hunting Flame
Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) steps back into the darkness with another pair of episodes of Millennium this week. First up is Weeds. Written by Frank Spotnitz this story first aired on 24 January, 1997. Frank heads to a small gated community, joined by Cheryl Andrews (Cch Pounder in a return appearance), where a series of…
Ex Machina (2014) – Alex Garland
Alex Garland wrote and directed this stunning film, his first feature, that explores the concepts of Artificial Intelligence and the desire to live and survive. When a young programmer, Caleb (Domhall Gleeson) wins a contest to spend a week at his boss, Nathan’s (Oscar Isaac), remote estate, he loves the idea, when Nathan reveals that…
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) – Richard Donner
1989. I graduated high school and was living on my own for the first time, and my movie collecting addiction was swinging into full gear and this film, along with Last Crusade and Batman were some of my purchases that year, making me choose for the first time between proper meals or cinematic confection. It…
M*A*S*H (1973) – The Sniper, Carry On, Hawkeye, and The Incubator
Teri Garr makes an appearance as a nurse in the first episode up this week, The Sniper. Written by Richard Powell this story first aired on 17 November, 1973, and was the first American show to feature a bit of male nudity, as Radar’s (Gary Burghoff) butt can be glimpsed as he makes a dash…
Event Horizon (1997) – Paul W.S. Anderson
I have always dug this movie, since I saw it on the big screen in 1997. I love the cast, I love the score (Micheal Kamen), and I love the ideas at work in this science fiction horror film, and like all fans of the film I lament the fact that we will never get…
The X-Files (1997) – Leonard Betts, and Never Again
Both episodes this week are important to Dana Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) arc for the season, and the series. First up is Leonard Betts, written by John Shiban, Frant Spotnitz, and Vince Gilligan, which first aired on 26 January, 1997. Leonard Betts (Paul McCrane) is a superior EMT, he has a unique gift of diagnosing patients…
Mission: Impossible (1966) – Operation Rogosh, and Old Man Out: Part 1
Your mission should you choose to accept it, is to join me as I explore another two episodes of the classic Mission: Impossible series as I explore The Complete Series on blu-ray, available now from Paramount Pictures. The first mission up this week is Operation Rogosh. Written by Jerome Ross, it first aired on 1…
Star Trek: The Better Man (1995) – Howard Weinstein
Space, the final frontier… Don’t be fooled by the cover art, this story takes place a couple of years after the events of The Motion Picture, and apparently the burgundy uniform jackets are in place. The story itself, however, if entertaining, well-crafted, and very much a true Trek tale, and it puts Dr. McCoy front…
