I return to Alastair Reynold’s Revelation Space universe this week, with this, the third novel in the ongoing storyline involving the Inhibitors and the struggle of humanity, in all its forms, to escape extinction. We are introduced to a slew of new characters in this titanic space opera, while reacquainting ourselves with old friends. The…
Star Trek: Enterprise (2003) – The Breach, and Cogenitor
Captain’s log: date unknown Chris Black and John Shiban pen the teleplay for this episode from a story by Daniel McCarthy. It’s a Phlox (John Billingsley) episode that first aired on 23 April, 2003, and was directed by Voyager’s Robert Duncan McNeill. Phlox finds himself in an ethical dilemma when the Enterprise is summoned to…
Bride of the Gorilla (1951) – Curt Siodmak
DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies continues allows me to continue my journey through the jungle of monstrous apes, and this time brings me a couple of familiar faces in a very familiar story. Raymond Burr and Lon Chaney Jr. star in this film that sees Burr playing Barney Chavez, a plantation manager deep in…
Robot Monster (1953) – Phil Tucker
DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book, by director John Landis brings me a 50s title that is so bad, it’s come around to good, passed that and slapped it for being out too late and travelled back to bad again. It’s also become iconic, in that the monstrous ape, the chapter I am currently…
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2012/2013) – Revival, Eminence, and Shades of Reason
“Strength in character can defeat strength in numbers.” Revival opens our trio of episodes this week, coming where it should chronologically within the Clone Wars timeline, but after it was produced it was used to open the fifth season on 29 September, 2012. Written by Chris Collins, the story follows the united Maul (Sam Witwer)…
Octopussy (1983) – John Glen
Roger Moore’s sixth outing as James Bond, 007, licence to kill, in Octopussy is this week’s Bond film. 55 at the time of filming, producers decided to stick with Moore when they learned of a rival production company luring Sean Connery back to the secret agent life with the remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never…
Star Trek: Enterprise (2003) – Judgement, and Horizon
Captain’s log: date unknown Archer (Scott Bakula) has some problems with the Klingons, who make a return appearance in this episode written by David A. Goodman from a story he developed with Taylor Elmore. It first aired on 9 April, 2003. Archer is captured and told to stand trial by the Klingons. He is charged…
Chuck (2007) – Pilot, and Verus the Helicopter
This week I begin a revisit with the awesomeness that is the television series, Chuck. I remember being completely enraptured with it from the first episode, which debuted on 24 September, 2007 – right when I needed some fun and joy. The pilot for the series was written by series creators Josh Schwartz and Chris…
Star Trek: Enemy Unseen (1990) – V.E. Mitchell
The Human Adventure continues, but they aren’t always outstanding. Sure, of late, there has definitely been an uptick in the quality of stories in the series of late. Unfortunately, Enemy Unseen by V.E. Mitchell didn’t do it for me. Originally written to be part of the five year mission, Paramount and Pocket Books changed the…
Diamonds Are Forever (1956) – Ian Fleming
The fourth James Bond adventure by Ian Fleming is on my book shelf this week, and I dug into it eagerly. Despite some troubling moments of racism, 007’s literary adventure in this book is damned enjoyable, and you can see a number of themes and locales survived the jump to the big screen with Sean…
The Mind Reels 