William Peter Blatty the author of The Exorcist, wrote and directed this spiritual sequel, now defined as part of the faith trilogy formed by The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration, and The Exorcist III. It’s a fascinating film, in parts funny, in parts heartbreaking, and in parts horrifying. In a remote part of the Pacific Northwest…
Tag: asylum
Punisher: War Zone (2008) – Lexi Alexander
Ray Stevenson didn’t get a fair shake at playing Frank Castle aka The Punisher, in the 2008 follow-up to The Punisher starring Thomas Jane. Jane declined to return as he felt the script didn’t go in the way that he wanted to portray the character. What was there to dislike? And what did Ray Stevenson…
Hill Street Blues (1983/1984) – The Russians Are Coming, Ratman and Bobbin
There definitely seems to be an upswing in melodrama for this season of Hill Street Blues, and The Russians Are Coming is no exception. Written by Dennis Cooper from an idea by Cooper and Jeffrey Lewis and an unpublished story by Stanley N. Wellborn, this episode first debuted on 15 December, 1983. This episode marks…
The Equalizer (1988) – The Last Campaign, and Sea of Fire
Stanley Tucci guest stars in the season four opener of The Equalizer as the episode’s baddie, Phillip Wingate, an assemblyman who is intent on blackmailing a senator, Virgil Blake (E.G. Marshall), with something from his past. One of the assemblyman’s staff, Cindy Claussen (Laila Robins) stumbles across Wingate’s plan and reaches out to McCall (Edward…
TIFF 2021: The Mad Women’s Ball dir. Melanie Laurent
Poignant and emotionally satisfying, Laurent’s film, The Mad Women’s Ball is a lush period piece that resonates with impactful themes and understated performances. Based on the novel of the same name by Victoria Mas, the film’s narrative follows Eugenie (Lou de Laage), a woman who suffers from visions that may be spiritual visitations. Very much…
The X-Files (1995) – Fresh Bones, and Colony
Howard Gordon brings Mulder (David Duchony) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) into the world of voodoo with Fresh Bones, which features some very relevant subject matter. First airing on 3 February, 1995, Fresh Bones finds the agents travelling to North Carolina at the behest of a marine’s wife, when they refuse to further investigate his death,…
Asylum (1972) – Roy Ward Baker
Roy Ward Baker delivers another slightly spooky anthology film as I move into another section of DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies – Killer Dolls! The segment that features the tiny terrors is the last of four tales that are told to a potential new staff doctor as he tours an asylum and interviews a…
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…
Star Trek: Voyager (1998) – The Omega Directive, and Unforgettable
Captain’s log: stardate 51781.2 Lisa Klink pens the teleplay for this episode from a story by Jimmy Diggs and Steve J. Kay. It first debuted on 15 April, 1998. Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) find themselves on opposite sides of an argument when a unique particle is detected. Under orders…
Star Trek: Voyager (1996) – Dreadnought, and Death Wish
Captain’s log: stardate 49447.0 Torres’ (Roxann Dawson) past catches up with her in this episode directed by LeVar Burton and written by Gary Holland. It first aired on 12 February, 1996. A Cardassian missile, known as Dreadnought, has ended up in the Delta Quadrant. It’s computer intelligence believes it is still in the Alpha quadrant,…
The Mind Reels 