The comedic section of the chapter on Monstrous Apes in the fantastic DK Canada book, Monsters in the Movies, brings me a Marx Brothers classic which I had never seen, and consequently as delighted to settle in for. Groucho, Harpo, and Chico lend their hysterical aid to the owner of a circus, Jeff Wilson (Kenny…
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2012) – Bound For Rescue, A Necessary Bond, and Secret Weapons
“When we rescue others, we rescue ourselves.” Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) and the Jedi Younglings have all sorts of trouble to handle in Bound For Rescue. Written by Christian Taylor this episode debuted on 17 November, 2012 and continues the Youngling story arc that began with their journey to Ilum to find kyber crystals for…
The Day of the Dolphin (1973) – Mike Nichols
The next title to be featured on the list of ten films that made me cry from the Ten Bad Dates With De Niro book is this Mike Nichols film from the early seventies. I won’t say that it made me cry by the ending was sad, poignant and necessary. George C. Scott headlines as…
Star Trek: Enterprise (2002) – Precious Cargo, and The Catwalk
Captain’s log: 12 September, 2152 David A. Goodman pens the teleplay for this episode from a story by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired on 11 December, 2002. Trip (Connor Trinneer) is at the centre of the story when the Enterprise comes to the aid of a pair of aliens and their mysterious…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 3
I dive into disc three of the DVD release of Shogun this week which marries the conclusion of the third episode, originally broadcast on 17 September, 1980, and the fourth episode, which aired on 18 September, 1980. James Clavell’s novel, adapted by Eric Bercovici continues to explore feudal Japan through the transplanted Blackthorne (Richard Chamberlain)…
Redemption Ark (2002) -Alastair Reynolds
I return to the universe of Alastair Reynold’s space opera this week, with a story that ties directly into Revelation Space, though it also ties into the expanded universe as glimpsed in Chasm City. The Inhibitors are back, they are an ancient mechanical race that prunes back intelligent life, stopping them when they venture too…
Star Trek: Doctor’s Orders (1990) – Diane Duane
Doctor McCoy has to take over the center seat in the next Pocket Books Star Trek novel I dug into, Doctor’s Orders. Set during the original five year mission, the Enterprise has come to a remote planet known by the nickname, Flyspeck. There the crew learn of three different sentient species sharing the beautiful and…
Star Trek: Enterprise (2002) – Singularity, and Vanishing Point
Captain’s log: 14 August, 2152 Singularity was written by Chris Black, and first debuted on 20 November, 2002. As the Enterprise approaches a black hole, the crew appears to descend into a form of madness as each of them becomes obsessed with seemingly trivial matters. T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) who remains largely unaffected, must find a…
Dizzy Detectives (1943) – Jules White
I have always enjoyed the Three Stooges shorts. There’s not a time in my memory when they didn’t make me laugh out loud. I can remember Sunday mornings spent watching the marathon on television, or going to the base theatre in Borden to watch collections growing up. So when I saw that they were the…
Love Actually (2003) – Richard Curtis
The most painful title to admit to liking on a list I’m working on in Ten Bad Dates With De Niro is the saccharine sweet Love Actually from writer/director Richard Curtis. Telling a plethora of love stories, the film features a stellar cast of top-notch British actors, and that alone makes the film worth a…
