The recommendations from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of Rififi continue with this delightful, British crime caper, starring Jack Hawkens, Nigel Patrick, Roger Livesey and Richard Attenborough. The crux of the plot is a group of ex-military men gathered up to pull of a perfectly timed and…
Tarantula (1955) – Jack Arnold
My time with director Jack Arnold continues, thanks to the Sci-Fi Chronicles. This time around, we find ourselves int he middle of the desert menaced by a giant spider. But don’t worry, things work out in the end, and we’re all saved by Clint Eastwood. Really. Near a small desert town, Professor Gerald Deemer…
Issues Vol. 15
Even as Sue and I dive into both Fan Expo and the ever-approaching TIFF, Kirk at West End Comics keeps me smiling with books and recommendations. And this week, there is some really good stuff. So here’s what I’m reading after a day on the Expo floor… Providence (Avatar Comics) issue 4, written by Alan…
Doctor Who (Tom Baker) – The Seeds of Doom
And just like that we come to the end of Season 13 of Doctor Who, and we close it out with a 6 part story by Robert Banks Stewart that plays, initially like a riff on the classic, The Thing From Another World. This serial ran from 31 January to 6 March, 1976. It…
Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) – Jack Arnold
I got to revisit one of the classic Universal monsters for the next entry in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book, director Jack Arnold, and the monster… the Creature from the Black Lagoon, or as he’s also known… The Gill Man, and I have to say, some 60 years on, this is still one solid piece…
Magnum, p.i. (1984) – Rembrandt’s Girl and Paradise Blues
Comedy legend Carol Burnett shows up in Hawaii this week in the first of the two episodes up for review this week. Rembrandt’s Girl was written by Chris Abbott, and aired on 2 February, 1984. Higgins (John Hillerman), with Agatha (Gillian Dobb) helping out is planning a meditation retreat weekend at the estate, and…
Fan Expo 2015
For some people, it’s Christmas, for others, it’s the smell of freshly sharpened pencils signifying the start of another school year… this weekend, is one of my favorite celebrations… Fan Expo. Sue and I have been very lucky in not only our attendance as fans, but in our coverage as media of Fan Expo. We’ve…
The Martian (2011) – Andy Weir
I’ve been wanting to read this book since I heard Ridley Scott had been tapped to direct the film, and having finished it, I think he’s the perfect choice. I can’t wait to see what he does with it, and if his film will wrap me up as completely as Weir’s novel did. Despite…
The Greatest American Hero (1983) – Wizards and Warlocks and It’s Only Rock and Roll
I’m coming up on the end of my time with Ralph (William Katt), Bill (Robert Culp) and Pam (Connie Sellecca), but there’s another Cannell series I grew up with cresting the horizon. I’m entering unusual territory here, in that from what I can garner from IMDB, this pair of episodes and next week’s were…
The Killing (1956) – Stanley Kubrick
The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my viewing of Rififi is this classic Kubrick film, which before today, I’d only heard of and never seen. That being said, I can now say I’ve seen and enjoyed it, and love the way the film shuffles back and…
The Mind Reels 