The final film in the recommendations from my screening of Les Enfants du Paradis for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, is this dramatic thriller from the late 80s, that saw Michael Douglas mucking up his marriage to Anne Archer, and Glenn Close boiling a pet bunny. Douglas plays Dan Gallagher,…
Doctor Who (Patrick Troughton) – The Dominators
Season 6 opens with a five-part story written by Norman Ashby that ran from 10 August to 7 September, 1968. The TARDIS arrives on the peaceful planet of Dulkis, They arrive almost in conjunction with another spacecraft, one used by a power-hungry race that refers to itself as the Dominators. They and their robot soldiers, called Quarks,…
All About Eve (1950) – Joseph L. Mankiewicz
The next drama title that was recommended following my screening of Les Enfants du Paradis from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, All About Eve is a tale of ambition and betrayal, with a stellar script and direction by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Bette Davis stars as an aging theater actress, Margo…
Magnum p.i. (1982) – Try To Remember and Italian Ice
More Hawaiian fun this week, as Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) investigates more mysteries in Oahu. First up is Try to Remember, written by Reuben Leder and Andrew Schneider and aired on 28 January, 1982. Things are pretty dire as the episode opens, Thomas is being pulled from the Ferrari, which has been completely totaled…
Hollow City (2014) – Ransom Riggs
The adventure that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues in this next installment, and let me say, and this one, the second book of the trilogy (or at least I think it’s a trilogy) is very much the Empire Strikes Back of the series. In that you know it’s the middle…
The Rockford Files (1978) – Dwarf in a Helium Hat and South by Southesast
Mistaken identities seem to be the key to both episodes this week, as Jim Rockford (James Garner) gets wrapped up in a couple more cases. First up is Dwarf in a Helium Hat, which aired 27 January, 1978. It was written by Cannell and David Chase. There’s a missed opportunity with the phone gag…
Big Hero 6 (2014) – Don Hall and Chris Williams
I’ve had a tough time getting out to the theater this year, but I knew I had to see this one. Disney’s latest animated feature film is based on a Marvel comic book series and shows that their animated department can keep us just as involved as their live action entries into the Marvel…
Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) – Vincente Minnelli
The next musical for me to watch from the Great movies – 100 Years of Film book for my viewing of The Jazz Singer is this Judy Garland classic, that has a lot of familiar songs that have now become standards. The year is 1904, the World’s Fair is a year off, but it’s…
Doctor Who (Patrick Troughton) – The Wheel in Space
Season 5 of Doctor Who came to an end with this six part story that was written by David Whitaker, and aired from 27 April to June 1, 1968. It saw the introduction of a new companion, joining the Doctor (Troughton) and Jamie (Frazer Hines) in the TARDIS, and the return of an old…
Mildred Pierce (1945) – Michael Curtiz
Joan Crawford stars in this recommendation following my screening of Les Enfants du Paradis for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. I’ve never been a huge Crawford fan, but quite enjoyed her turn in this film, a strong drama, that starts with the murder of Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott). Told through her…
