Elizabeth Banks settles into the director’s chair again and delivers a mostly entertaining comedy thriller, which is loosely based on a true story, Cocaine Bear. Featuring an all-star cast led by Keri Russell, the film swings from working brilliantly to just falling a little flat. But damn if Banks doesn’t swing for the fences. There…
Tag: drug
Batman (1966) – The Spell of Tut, and Tut’s Case is Shut
King Tut (Victor Buono) is back, it seems that the academic recovery restored in his previous appearance didn’t take, and he’s back with a dangerous new plan. Written by Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barret, this first part of the two-part story first aired on 28 September, 1966. He’s focused on stealing some amber jewels…
Batman (1966) – Hi Diddle Riddle, and Smack in the Middle
I have never seen the original Batman television series. I did see the movie that was released between seasons at a Saturday matinee when I was a kid and it inspired hours of play, but I’d never dug into the 120 episodes that comprised the series. I’m determined to fix that, so here we go…
Fringe (2009) – Ability, and Inner Child
The mythology arc really kicks in with Ability. Written by David H. Goodman from a story by Glen Whitman and Robert Chiapetta this episode first aired on 10 February, 2009. The story picks up with Mr. Jones (Jared Harris) escape from prison via the teleportation device, and its effect on him. It also reveals that…
M*A*S*H (1981) – Oh, How We Danced, Bottoms Up, and The Red/White Blues
Oh, How We Danced written by John Rappaport, and with an original airdate of 23 February, 1981, has a fantastic A-story, that really touches the heart (even as it messes with series continuity), and a completely forgettable B-story. The B-story first then. Charles (David Ogden Stiers) delivers a substandard sanitation rating to a nearby American…
Mission: Impossible (1969) – The Controllers: Part 1, and Part 2
Laurence Heath pens the first two-parter of season four, and despite what I feel is the wrong point for the To Be Continued notice to be delivered, it ends up being a pretty solid story, with some real world parallels. The episodes first aired on 12 October, 1969, and 19 October, 1969. Jim Phelps (Peter…
Mission: Impossible (1968) – The Town, and The Killing
Paramount Pictures Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series on blu-ray continues to entertain as I delve into another pair of episodes this week. First up is The Town, written by Sy Salkowitz, it first debuted on 18 February, 1968. It’s also a but of a different episode, as there is no assignment for Phelps (Peter…
Outland (1981) – Peter Hyams
Peter Hyams writes and directs this galactic update of the classic western, High Noon, that sees Sean Connery stepping into the Gary Cooper role of a lone marshall awaiting the arrival of men who are coming to kill him. With a visual look that seems to marry it with the universe of Alien (aided by…
Parable of the Sower (1993) – Octavia E. Butler
Octavia E. Butler’s science fiction tale, that follows a young woman of colour on her quest to understand herself, the ideas of god, and the destiny of humanity. Within pages of this novel, I was completely swept up in Butler’s storytelling style, her characters, and the world she created. And here’s the thing, the world…
Six of Crows (2015) – Leigh Bardugo
I came across this title on a list of fantasy novels that are must reads, and though I hadn’t read the other books set in the same universe, the Shadow and Bone series, that help compose what has become known as the Grishaverse, I figured I would dig in and see what it was all…
