DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book by director John Landis, moves on to the realm of the mad scientist, leaving werewolves behind. And the first one I dove into was this genuinely funny film from 1945. It’s marred by moments of racism, but the rest of it proves to be very enjoyable. It what…
Tag: danger
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark & More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981 & 1984) – Alvin Schwartz
Scary stories are always a delight to take part in, wrapped oneself in darkness and trying to laugh the chill that the scares gives us, while enjoying the fright and perceived danger of it, like whistling past a graveyard, seems to be ingrained in our DNA. I never read these young adult collections when they…
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) – Sam Peckinpah
The next big title covered in DK Canada’s highly enjoyable and informative The Movie Book is the exemplary The Wild Bunch. Having previously covered it I moved onto the What Else to Watch list, and discovered a film I had often heard of but until now, had never seen. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo…
Miami Vice (1985) – Junk Love, and Tale of the Goat
Music legend Miles Davis makes an appearance in this week’s Miami Vice installment, appearing in Junk Love that was written by Julia Cameron and first aired on 8 November, 1985. Davis plays the Ivory Jones, he runs a high-class bordello that Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Micheal Thomas) bust. In the course…
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1994) – Civil Defence, and Meridian
Station log: stardate unknown Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney), Sisko (Avery Brooks) and his son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) really step in it in this episode by Mike Krohn. First airing on 7 November, 1994 the episode features a station in lockdown. The lockdown occurs when the trio, who are in one of the ore processing units…
Space: 1999 (1975/1976) – Matter of Life and Death, and Earthbound
Doctor Helena Russell’s (Barbara Bain) presumed dead husband, Lee Russell (Richard Johnson) mysteriously appears on a planet christened Terra Nova in this episode penned by Art Wallace and Johnny Byrne. This one first debuted on 27 November, 1975, and honestly, is a bit of a low point for the first season. It’s obvious that Lee…
Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – Asylum of the Daleks, and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Steven Moffat pens the seventh series opener, Asylum of the Daleks, which first aired on 1 September, 2012. The Doctor, Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) are travelling together again, and they are about to step into a mystery that is going to be with the Time Lord for a while, the mystery of…
Dumbo (1941) – Samuel Armstrong, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts, Ben Sharpsteen, and John Elliotte
Animal cruelty, a bit of racism, and the revelation that his name isn’t really Dumbo are just three of the things I caught as I screened Disney’s classic elephant tale. I continue to work my way through the What Else to Watch list following DK Canada’s The Movie Book recommendation of Snow White and the…
Back to the Future: Part III (1990) – Robert Zemeckis
My last stop in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book is the final trip with Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) in Back to the Future: Part III. From the film’s opening credits you know this will be a different adventure, the triumphant theme by Alan Silvestri gives way to a stirring romantic…
Doctor Who (Sylvester McCoy ) – Silver Nemesis
This three part tale, returned the monstrous threat of the Cybermen to the world of the Doctor (McCoy). Running from 23 November to 8 December, 1988 this story was penned by Kevin Clarke. The Doctor and Ace (Sophie Aldred – who wears a fez for a moment or two in the story, because they’re cool)…
Quantum Leap (1991) – Shock Theater, and The Leap Back
Season 3 of Quantum Leap comes to an end this week with the stellar episode, Shock Theater. Written by Deborah Pratt (surprise, surprise, seeing how good it is), the season finale aired 22 May, 1991. And oh, boy… is it good. It’s 3 October, 1954 and Sam (Scott Bakula) finds himself in the body of…
Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) – Jack Arnold
I got to revisit one of the classic Universal monsters for the next entry in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book, director Jack Arnold, and the monster… the Creature from the Black Lagoon, or as he’s also known… The Gill Man, and I have to say, some 60 years on, this is still one solid piece…
