The next Raymond Benson 007 novel, takes place a few short months after High Time to Kill. Ian Fleming’s creation, James Bond, is on medical leave and isn’t doing so well. There may be a lesion in his brain causing blackouts, and his medication seems to be exacerbating things. Even dealing with these issues, Bond…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) – Ghosts of Illyria, and Memento Mori
Leslie Hope directs Ghosts of Illyria. Written by Akela Cooper and Bill Wolkoff this episode first debuted on 19 May, 2022. While Pike (Anson Mount) and Spock (Ethan Peck) are trapped by an ion storm on a deserted Illyrian colony, the returning landing party, led by Una Chin-Rilly (Rebecca Romijn) come back infected with a…
Whiplash (2014) – Damien Chazelle
I am well aware that I’m playing catch-up on this title, but I knew this one would have to be one that I was ready and in the mood for, and wow, a fantastic film. The first half of the film is a huge stress-watch for me, but what an amazing ride and one that…
12 Angry Men (1957) – Sidney Lumet
Reginald Rose wrote the absolutely engaging and captivating script for Lumet’s 12 Angry Men from his own source material and received an Oscar nomination for it as well as a Best Picture nomination with his fellow producer Henry Fonda, both of whom deferred their salary to get the film made. The film was also nominated…
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Book 1: Water – The Blue Spirit, The Fortuneteller, and Bato of the Water Tribe
Zhao (Jason Isaacs) gets promoted to admiral in his search for the Avatar, and he recruits several expert archers to help him. Iroh (Mako) is happy for him, but Zuko (Dante Basco) is less than thrilled, in The Blue Spirit. Written by series creators Micheal Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, this episode debuted on 17…
One Piece: Season 1 – East Blue, Part 2
There is so much to discover on Crunchyroll, and I may have been foolish to dig into something so huge as One Piece right off the bat, but I was intrigued by the concept, and after watching the first few episodes I was hooked. The first half of the season helped set up a lot…
The Name of the Rose (1986) – Jean-Jacques Annaud
Jean-Jacques Annaud’s adaptation of Umberto Eco’s novel, The Name of the Rose, is an engaging tour-de-force with a fantastic cast, an intriguing mystery, and a fantastic setting. Amazingly, Sean Connery’s career was in a bit of a lull when he lobbied for the part, one which, it seems, much like Bond, and Indy’s father, he…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) – Strange New Worlds, and Children of the Comet
Akiva Goldsman wrote and directed the series opener for Strange New Worlds, which was first broadcast on 5 May, 2022. It had to tie in with the established canon of The Original Series, and what had happened in Star Trek: Discovery during season two. It also riffs on The Day The Earth Stood Still, which…
Family Ties (1986) – A Word to the Wise: Part 2, Art Lover, and Teacher’s Pet
The clip show continues with A Word to the Wise: Part 2. It was written by Marc Lawrence and Susan Borowitz and debuted on 13 February, 1986. The family and Skippy (Marc Price) continue to share stories with Ellen (Tracy Pollan) about Alex (Micheal J. Fox) before she came along. Sure some fun moments get…
Star Trek: Vulcan’s Forge (1997) – Susan Shwartz and Josepha Sherman
James Kirk is dead. But Spock, Uhura, McCoy and the rest go on in the next Star Trek book from Pocketbooks/Simon & Schuster, Vulcan’s Forge. While Chekov has gone off to serve as Sulu’s first officer aboard the Excelsior, and Spock has taken a captaincy aboard the Intrepid II, he is joined by McCoy, and…
The Mind Reels 