M*A*S*H (1977) – End Run, Hanky Panky, and Hepatitis

Harry Morgan directs the first episode this week, End Run, which was written by John D. Hess and debuted on 25 January, 1977. Morgan keeps his story threads separate, giving us some comedy with Klinger (Jamie Farr), Frank (Larry Linville) and Zale (Johnny Haymer) when Frank decides to pit the two against one another in…

The X-Files (1999) – The Unnatural, and Three of a Kind

David Duchovny wrote and director the first episode up this week, The Unnatural, which first aired on 25 April, 1999. This serves as his directorial review, and it’s a lot of fun, and may be poking fun at the mythology arc, or it may just be a story Mulder (Duchovny) is told by Arthur Dales…

The Exorcist III (1990) – William Peter Blatty

It’s been a long time since I watched William Peter Blatty’s direct his adaptation of his own novel, Legion. After a reshot ending to include an exorcism that didn’t exist in the original novel or screenplay, we are left with an uneven film that does a poor job to illustrate Blatty’s nature as a storyteller….

Get Out (2017) – Jordan Peele

With his directorial debut, Jordan Peele became a horror writer/director to watch, and cemented me as a fan. Crafting an unnerving and terrifying story layered in social commentary, Peele used the genre to deliver a powerful story about race, one that is executed with precision and perfection. Balancing mystery, truly horrific moments, and a sense…

A Quiet Place Part II (2020) -4K Review

For those of you who may not have Amazon’s Prime streaming service, or like me, and love physical media, Paramount Pictures has released the much anticipated follow-up to the horror thriller A Quiet Place directed by John Krasinski. The sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, written and directed by Krasinski, is now available on 4K,…

The X-Files (1998) – Dreamland II, and How the Ghosts Stole Christmas

The body swap two parter with guest star Michael McKean comes to a conclusion this week with Dreamland II. Written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz this episode was first broadcast on 6 December, 1998. With Mulder (David Duchovny) still stuck in Fletcher’s (McKean) body, and Fletcher in his, Scully (Gillian Anderson) finally…

M*A*S*H (1976) – Hawkeye, Some 38th Parallels, and The Novacaine Mutiny

Series developer Larry Gelbart and Simon Muntner pen this bottle show (one set, or existing set shoots to save money) that features Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and was first broadcast on 13 January, 1976. After surviving an accident, Hawkeye delivers a seemingly unending and wandering monologue in a Korean home while waiting for a pickup from…

The Grudge (2004) – Takashi Shimizu

Takashi Shimizu who wrote and directed the original J-horror version of The Grudge, Ju-On, delivers the North American adaptation that isn’t quite as creepy and unnerving as the source material, as it tries to find a blending of Western and Eastern film styles that doesn’t always work. I remember Ju-On freaked me out the first…