Benedict Cumberbatch turns in a masterful performance as Alan Turing in Moreten Tyldum’s Biopic/WWII Thriller, The Imitation Game. Based on the book by Andrew Hodges, with a screenplay by Graham Moore, the film follows the life story of brilliant mathematician, Alan Turing, slipping back and forth through his life, centering on his youth in school,…
Tag: book
The Rockford Files (1979) – Kill the Messenger and A Good Clean Bust with Sequel Rights
Jim Rockford (James Garner) is in for a lot of fun this week. First up is Kill the Messenger, written by Juanita Bartlett. This one aired 27 October, 1978. The phone gag features a very early version of phone tag. Dennis (Joe Santos) is getting ready to take his lieutenant’s exam, and is suffering…
The Maltese Falcon (1941) – John Huston
Humphrey Bogart stars in this classic film noir that is the first recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of The Big Sleep. Dashiel Hammett’s book comes to life under the direction of John Huston, who also penned the adapted screenplay, with gumshoe Sam Spade (Bogart) finding…
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) – L. Frank Baum
While I was laid up in hospital a couple of weeks ago for my hernia operation, I decided I would read a children’s book that I had never looked at before. So my Kindle was happy to add the 15 Oz novels by L. Frank Baum to their library, and I had a look…
The Rockford Files (1978) – The Gang at Don’s Drive-In and The Paper Palace
Jim (James Garner) meets up with an old friend, with a problem, in the first episode this week, The Gang at Don’s Drive-In. It was written by James Crocker and aired 13 January, 1978. The phone gag features a call from someone who just went through 12 years of therapy, and will happily tell Jim what he…
The Last Policeman (2012) – Ben H. Winters
This week’s perusal of the Book Shelf brought me this, the first in a trilogy, that combines a whodunnit with some light science fiction. Not too long from now, an asteroid, Maia, is discovered, way too late to do anything about it, on a direct collision with Earth. They have until the beginning of…
Mister B. Gone (2007) – Clive Barker
Clive Barker’s books have always found a way to unnerve me, and keep me turning the pages at the same time, so I’m always happy to come across something by him that I haven’t read yet. This one opens with a plea. A begging for the reader to burn the book. Please. It seems…
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) – Peter Lord
Great sight gags, brilliant animation, a fun story and a talented voice cast make this one a treasure trove. I love the work of Aardman Studios, and this one did not fail to entertain. Based on his book, Gideon Defoe wrote the screenplay that brings this fun-filled story to life. The film features a captain…
Moneyball (2011) – Bennett Miller
I finally got around to seeing this one. Based on the true story, and book by Michael Lewis with a script by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane the General Manager of the Oakland A’s, who with the help of statistical whiz kid, Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), uses statistics and…
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – Orson Welles
This is the first time I’d seen this one, and honestly, it was the first time I’d ever heard of it. That being said, I quite liked this film by Welles, which serves as one of the recommended follow-up titles to my viewing of Citizen Kane from the Great Movies – 100 Years of…
The Mind Reels 