The IMF team, led by Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) has a tough assignment this time with The Field. Written by Wesley Lau from a story by Lau and Judy Burns, it first aired on 23 January, 1971. An enemy nation has control of an island in the Adriatic, and they have turned it into a…
Tag: 1971
Mission: Impossible (1971) – Cat’s Paw, and The Missile
Things get personal for Barney (Greg Morris) this week as I dig into some more assignments from Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series on blu-ray. Cat’s Paw was written by Howard Browne, and first aired on 9 January, 1971. Barney’s older brother is murdered for getting too close to a high tech criminal organization, which…
Mission: Impossible (1970/1971) – The Hostage, and Takeover
Sometimes, your cover is just too good. Paris (Leonard Nimoy) finds that out in the first few minutes of The Hostage. Written by Harold Livingston, this episode first debuted on 19 December, 1970. The IMF is working south of the border again, and Paris has been posing as a hotel magnate that has agreed to…
Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) – Yoshimitsu Banno
The next film in the Godzilla series is probably the most psychedelic entry to date, and even features brief animated sequences. It also has a pretty important environmental message. The newest threat for Godzilla, and humanity, to confront is an ever-evolving, and shape-shifting creature from outer space, christened Hedorah, by young Godzilla fan (who he…
The French Connection (1971) – William Friedkin
William Friedkin’s 1971 classic has deserved a rewatch for awhile, and I was quite happy to settle in for it. I like Gene Hackman, who won himself an Academy Award for his turn as NYPD officer Popeye Doyle, and I’m a huge fan of Roy Scheider who plays his partner, Cloudy, and received a nomination…
Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) – Piers Haggard
The next film in the chapter on Devil’s Works in DK Canada’s highly enjoyable Monsters in the Movies is a small UK film that very much falls into the under-explored sub genre of folk horror. Set in the 17th century, things start to go badly for a tiny English village when a young farmer working…
Octaman (1971) – Harry Essex
Harry Essex who wrote the Universal Monster classic, Creature From the Black Lagoon, goes back to the well with this tale that he wrote and directed, and also features some early work by Rick Baker, who had his hand in the design and build of the monster costume. Octaman is the next title up in…
Even Dwarfs Started Small (1971) – Werner Herzog
I dug into another title from the Movies That Cause Trauma chapter of the Ten Bad Dates with De Niro book, and I have to say, having watched this offering from Herzog, I may not be traumatised, but I am definitely unnerved and put off by some of his work to be sure. Shot in…
Harold and Maude (1971) – Hal Ashby
The Directory in DK Canada’s The Movie Book brings me another classic that I should have seen long ago, and now, have finally been able to remedy that. Combining dark humour with an offbeat romance, Ashby’s film embraces eccentricity while reminding us to live for today. Young Harold (Bud Cort – who looks twelve) has…
Wake in Fright (1971) – Ted Kotcheff
The next film, based on the novel by Kenneth Cook, is from the What Else to Watch list in DK Canada’s The Movie Book following its suggested viewing of Picnic at Hanging Rock. It’s a dark, violent tale that strips the civility and education of man away from him as he is plunged into darker…
The Mind Reels 