The next drama title for review in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book is this generation-defining film that not only stars Dennis Hopper, but he directed it, and wrote the script with co-star Peter Fonda and Terry Southern. Fonda plays Wyatt, though he’s referred to through the entire film as Captain…
Airwolf (1984) – Fallen Angel and HX-1
Stringfellow Hawke (Jan-Michael Vincent) and Dominic Santini (Ernest Borgnine) fly into more adventure this week. First up is Fallen Angel, written by Deborah Pratt, which aired 3 November, 1984. String and Dom are laid up in a hospital by the end of the opening titles because of a stunt they did crashing a biplane into…
Smoke and Mirrors (1998) – Neil Gaiman
This collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman was just what I needed. All the tales deal with magic or illusion, whether in the form of creatures, sex, drugs, or life, the power of each is examined under the eye of this brilliant author in this wonderful collection of stories, some of which I…
Looking: Season 1
HBO is also releasing the Michael Lannan created series Looking today on DVD and Blu-Ray. Set in San Francisco the series follows three gay men, a video game level designer, Patrick (Jonathan Groff), struggling artist, Agustin (Frankie J. Alvarez) and entrepreneur, Dom (Murray Bartlett) as they struggle to make their lives work, and hopefully fall in…
Girls: Season 3
Releasing from HBO today, is the third season of the Lena Dunham created series. Serving as the creator, writing with a number of talented people, including Judd Apatow, directing some of the episodes, and of course starring in it as Hannah, alongside Marnie (Allison Williams), Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet). For a…
Black Sails: Season 1
The Rockford Files get a brief respite this week, as I take a look at three different television series being released to DVD and Blu-Ray today. The first is the pirate series, Black Sails, available now from Anchor Bay. This lushly produced, and cinematically shot eight episode first season is simply stunning in high-definition,…
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) – Danny Boyle
The final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of On The Waterfront is this immensely enjoyable tale. Boyle’s kinetic, energetic film style is well-served in this film, that is a dramatic, heart-on-its-sleeve film that one 8 academy awards and that year’s ceremonies, including Best Picture, Best…
Philadelphia (1993) – Jonathan Demme
The next title following my screening of On the Waterfront for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book is this classic drama that features the combined star power of Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. I hadn’t seen this one since it was in the theater, and I was eager to have another…
Doctor Who (Patrick Troughton) – The War Games
Patrick Troughton’s final story as The Doctor is this 10 part story written by Malcolm Hulke and Terrance Dicks that ran from 19 April to 21 June, 1969. The TARDIS arrives on, what the Doctor believes, initially, is a battlefield in World War I, but it becomes apparent very quickly that they are not…
Mississippi Burning (1988) – Alan Parker
The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of On the Waterfront is this dramatic film featuring standout performances from Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe as FBI agents investigating a highly charged case in the South. In 1964, two FBI agents, Ward (Dafoe) and Anderson (Hackman)…
