Smallville (2002) – Redux, and Lineage

Redux first aired on 29 October, 2002 and was written by Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner. There’s lots going on in this episode! It seems a number of Smallville High students are aging rapidly. What’s causing that? And if Clark (Tom Welling) didn’t have his hands full with that, there’s more trouble at the school….

Stargate: Atlantis (2006) – Common Ground, and McKay and Mrs. Miller

Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) has his hands full in Common Ground. Written by Ken Cuperus, this episode was first broadcast on 25 August, 2006. Sheppard is not only captured by the Genii and Kolya (Robert Davi), but finds himself imprisoned alongside a Wraith (Christopher Heyerdahl). Capturing Sheppard is only the first step in Kolya’s plans. Ladon…

Dead of Winter (2025) – Brian Kirk

Emma Thompson stars in this white-knuckle thriller that features a layered performance, and some stand-out moments. With Finland standing in for Minnesota, Thompson braves the cold as Barb who sets out for Lake Hilda for personal reasons. A goodbye needs to be made. Along the way, she has an unnerving encounter with a man in…

TIFF25: Sentimental Value dir. Joachim Trier

Sentimental Value was recommended by my classmate Betsy, who got a look at it last week at the Telluride Film Festival. She told me to run, don’t walk to see this one. So I changed my viewing schedule for the first day of the festival to start with this. And wow. A beautiful and poignant…

Hooper (1978) – Hal Needham

Coming off of Smokey and the Bandit, Hal Needham, Burt Reynolds and Sally Field paired up again for Hooper, a love letter to the stuntmen (and women) of Hollywood – who still aren’t recognized for their contributions with an Academy Award. Reynolds is Hooper an aging stuntman who pals around with Cully (James Best) and…

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) – Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah

Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) return for a fourth time in Bad Boys: Ride or Die,. While I like the franchise, and I like the characters and the way the series has expanded, this one felt a little slower and not exactly top heavy but not as engaging as it should have been….

Northern Exposure (1991) – Only You, and Oy, Wilderness

Joel (Rob Morrow) wants to understand why women seem to be throwing themselves at Chris (John Corbett). Is it something to do with pheromones? Joel is dumbstruck, and Chris admits he’s been living with this condition for a while, and he’s just learned everything in moderation. Only You was written by Ellen Herman and was…

TIFF24: The Last Showgirl dir. Gia Coppola

Pamela Anderson delivers a career-topping performance as Shelley an aging Vegas showgirl, whose show, Razzle Dazzle, is closing, bringing her thirty-year career to a grinding stop. Directed by Gia Coppola whose use of shallow focus lenses keeps the story on Shelley at all times, the tale looks honestly at aging and beauty in not only…

Rocky Balboa (2006) – Sylvester Stallone

Stallone returns to write, direct and star in Rocky Balboa, which sees Stallone’s iconic character return to the boxing ring one last time. Watching all of the films this close together, this entry actually has some nice emotional resonance. Rocky (Stallone) is mourning the death of Adrian (Talia Shire), he’s stepped away from boxing for…