Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are always a winning combination as far as I’m concerned, and their work on Bridge of Spies just continues to confirm that for me. Using the true life story of the Abel-Powers incident, the pair take us behind the scenes of one of the major events of the Cold War….
Tag: cia
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) – George P. Cosmatos
It had been a while since I settled in for any of the Rambo films and thought it would be fun to take a look at the sequels. So I was excited to settle in for Rambo: First Blood Part II, the first of four sequels to 1982’s First Blood. The second film eschews some…
The Lone Gunmen (2001) – The Lying Game, and The ‘Cap’n Toby’ Show
Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) shows up in The Lying Game, written by Nandi Bowe. This episode first debuted on 4 May, 2001. Frohike (Tom Braidwood), Byers (Bruce Harwood), and Langly (Dean Haglund) get pulled into a murder case, immersed in secrets, a government investigation and lies. And at the heart of it, Walter Skinner…
Hudson Hawk (1991) – Michael Lehmann
Bruce Willis stars in Hudson Hawk, which feels overly cartoonish in both its violence and humor, and seems made only to appease Willis’ ego and portray him as a very cool guy. I won’t lie, there are things about this film I do like, but I hadn’t seen it since it’s release, and wow, this…
The Fury (1978) – Brian De Palma
Kirk Douglas and Amy Irving star in De Palma’s first film after his success with Carrie, and this one is another supernatural tinged thriller, but this one boasts a score by John Williams, and viewers should watch for brief appearances by Daryl Hannah and Dennis Franz. John Farris pens the screenplay from his own novel,…
Fletch’s Fortune (1978) – Gregory McDonald
Fletch is back, in his third novel from Gregory McDonald, this time the sometimes journalist isback in Italy, supposedly working on a book, but more likely enjoying living off all of the money he’s been able to walk away with so far over the course of the previous novels. But a pair of CIA agents…
Hanna (2011) – Joe Wright
Saorise Ronan headlines this coming of age action film from director Joe Wright. Not your typical action film, the story may feel familiar, but with Ronan and Wright, the film becomes something more. Joining Ronan are Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett, and with a strong cast like that, you know this is going to be…
M*A*S*H (1975) – Payday, White Gold, and Abyssinia, Henry
We’re closing in on the end of season three, and with Payday, Hawkeye (Alan Alda), serving as the payroll officer of the month has an unexpected windfall. Written by John W. Regier and Gary Markowitz, this episode first hit the airwaves on 4 March, 1975. As everyone finds ways to spend their pay, card games,…
The Expendables (2010) – Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone stars, directs and writes (alongside Dave Callaham) in The Expendables, and he brings along a brilliant ensemble cast of classic action heroes, wrestlers and actors. Padding out a fairly simple story with some explosive set pieces this is just a mostly brainless action flick that serves as homage to the action films that…
Licence to Kill (1989) – John Gardner
James Bond returns this week in John Gardner’s adaptation of the 1989 film, Licence to Kill. This is probably the most disjointed of his novels as he tries to marry his version of the literary 007 to the big screen version, and it doesn’t always work. In fact, throughout the book Bond thinks he must…
The Mind Reels 