This comedic title which features the next machine menace in DK Books’ Monsters in the Movies is a film that could have been filed under vampires or robots (though the vampire is definitely in it a lot longer than the robot). Apparently Mother Riley films were a thing in the UK, the character is played…
The Twonky (1953) – Arch Oboler
I venture into a new section of DK Books’ Monsters in the Movies, one dealing with monstrous machines, and the first one I encounter is a sentient television set in The Twonky. This kind of sci-fi comedy is probably more relevant today, when seen through the lens of mobile phones and modern technology, instead of…
M*A*S*H (1972) – Chief Surgeon Who?, The Moose, and Yankee Doodle Doctor
Larry Gelbart who developed M*A*S*H for television pens Chief Surgeon, Who? which first aired on 8 October, 1972. The episode features the first appearance of Jamie Farr as Cpl. Klinger, a soldier intent on being sectioned out of Korea by dressing in women’s clothing. The character became so popular he shortly became a series regular….
Cliffhanger (1993) – Renny Harlin
Somehow I feel this actioner from the early 90s doesn’t get enough love. In fact I think it can honestly be looked at and said it has improved with age, while some 90s action flicks should be better left forgotten. Directed by Renny Harlin, who had two big successes already at the time, Nightmare on…
The X-Files (1995) – 2Shy, and The Walk
Jeff Vlaming takes Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) to Cleveland, Ohio to investigate a serial killer that seems to be preying on lonely hearts of a certain body type. Airing on 3 November, 1995, the series introduced us to Virgil Incanto as brought to life by Timothy Carhart. Incanto seems to be preying…
Chuck (2011) – Versus the Muuurder, and Versus the Family Volkoff
Chuck (Zachary Levi) has to put on his detective hat in Chuck Versus the Muuurder. Written by Alex Katsnelson and Kristin Newman, this episode first debuted on 21 March, 2011. Chuck is in charge of recruiting a new candidate for the Intersect program, but when one of them ends up dead in castle, the underground…
Star Trek: The Patrian Transgression (1994) – Simon Hawke
Space, the final frontier… It’s time to continue my travels with the stalwart crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as I join them on their original five year missions to seek out new life, and new civilisations. This time, author Simon Hawke delivers a story that fits well into the style of The Original Series with…
The Secret Adversary (1922) – Agatha Christie
This week’s Agatha Christie novel, her second, introduced me to characters I’d never met before. I was aware of Poirot (in fact he was the only character of hers I did read when I was originally introduced to her books as a child), Miss Marple, of course, but I had never heard of Tommy and…
The X-Files (1995) – Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose, and The List
Darin Morgan who was first cast as the Fluke-Man, then penned the season two classic Humbug, joined the crew of The X-Files as a story editor at the beginning of the third season, and he turned in another instant classic scipt with Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose. First airing on 13 October, 1995 the story is…
1984 (1956) – Michael Anderson
DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies provides a glimpse into a dystopian future that may not be so different from a time we live in now, with the 1956 adaptation of Orwell’s classic novel, 1984. The screenwriters say they ‘freely’ adapted the original story so there are differences from book to screen, but thematically, it…
