Karl Urban, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and Rosamund Pike head to battle in this film adaptation of the hit video game Doom, my next stop in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. Strange things are happening in a research base on Mars, and a group of Space Marines, with Sarge (Johnson), kitted out to take on whatever…
The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy
Currently playing at the Red Sandcastle Theatre, until November 13th, here in Toronto is a wonderfully spooky and entertaining tale featuring a virtuoso solo performance by Eric Woolfe. Cribbed from Canadian history and a moderate dose of Lovecraft, Woolfe presents his show with a use of puppets, card tricks, and close-up prestidigitation, all to great…
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) – Anthony Mann
An incredible cast fills out this recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of Spartacus. Alec Guinness is Marcus Aurelius, whose death begins the downfall of the great empire, as his son, Commodus (Christopher Plummer) assumes leadership, and is unwilling to let anything stand in his way. They…
Doctor Who (Colin Baker) – Mindwarp
The Trial of a Time Lord continues with Mindwarp. This four-parter was penned by Philip Martin and ran from 4 to 25 October, 1986. As the Doctor’s (Baker) trial continues, as well as his clash with the prosecutor, the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) who presents his evidence. The story, and the case unfold, as the Doctor…
Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) – Michael Coldewey & Michel Lemire
Almost 20 years after the first film, Heavy Metal 2000 returns with more animated science fiction, as I continue to work my way through the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. While the animation may be stronger this time around, everything else seems to suffer. Eschewing the anthology format that served the first film so well, not to…
Quantum Leap (1990) – One Strobe Over the Line and The Boogieman
Sam (Scott Bakula) is fashion photographer Karl Granson in One Strobe Over the Line. This episode was penned by Chris Ruppenthal and aired on 19 October, 1990. It’s 15 June, 1965, and Sam is there to make sure that an up and coming model, Edie Landsdale (Marjorie Monaghan) doesn’t die of an overdose. In the…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) – What Are Little Girls Made Of? and Miri
Captain’s Log: Stardate 2712.4 There are two things that have always stayed with me for this episode when I was growing up, the big scary Ruk (Ted Cassidy) and the appealing, Andrea (Sherry Jackson). Written by Robert Bloch (who also penned Psycho), although Gene Roddenberry touched it up while it was shooting, the original airdate…
Star Wars: Year by Year – A Visual History (Updated and Expanded Edition, 2016) – Ryder Windham
Oh DK books, you really do fire my imagination and allow me to wander the recollections of my youth. If there was book better suited to do that for me than the Star Wars: Year by Year coffee table book that I found myself enjoying this week (the updated version, as my Mom had previously given…
The View from The Bridge: Memories of Star Trek and a Life in Hollywood (2009) – Nicholas Meyer
I couldn’t believe my good fortune when I got to see Nicholas Meyer’s introduction to the Director’s Cut of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on my birthday, and then to see him the next day at one of the fascinating Trek Talks being hosted by the TIFF Bell Lightbox in celebration of the…
Superman: The Animated Series (1997)- Two’s a Crowd and Blasts From the Past: Parts I & II
Season 1 of Superman’s (Tim Daly) adventures comes to a close this week with Two’s a Crowd which sees the return of Rudy aka Parasite (Brion James). This episode aired 15 February, 1997, and sees Brian Cox joining the already stellar cast, that sees Joanna Cassidy returning as Maggie Sawyer. When a criminal mastermind, Dr….
The Mind Reels 