Hill Street Blues (1982) – Stan the Man, and Little Boil Blue

David Milch penned Stan the Man, which had an original airdate of 4 November, 1982. Joyce (Veronica Hamel) is assaulted at the precinct by a perp who gets away from his arresting officer, landing her in the hospital after Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) takes the suspect down. And that is just the tip of the…

Red Lights (2012) – Rodrigo Cortes

Red Lights is a bit of a mess, there are some solid ideas to it, but it doesn’t come off as well as it could have. It does feature a solid cast including Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver, Cillian Murphy, Elizabeth Olsen, Joely Richardson, and Toby Jones. Dr. Margaret Matheson (Weaver) is a skeptic who…

Catch Me If You Can (2002) – Steven Spielberg

Spielberg gives us a film inspired by true life events, and puts Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Walken through their paces as I dig into another title mentioned in Ten Bad Dates With De Niro. DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale, Jr., the youngest counterfeiter and fraud in American history. Before his nineteenth birthday, he’s cashed…

The Two Sisters of Borneo (2014) – Ian Hamilton 

  Book 6 in this highly addictive series starts fairly joyfully for our heroine Ava Lee, debt-collector and forensic accountant. She is attending the wedding of her half-brother Michael to Amanda Yee. But, as so happens in her world, moments of happiness come few and far between when there is a case heading her way. It…

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) – Danny Boyle

  The final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of On The Waterfront is this immensely enjoyable tale. Boyle’s kinetic, energetic film style is well-served in this film, that is a dramatic, heart-on-its-sleeve film that one 8 academy awards and that year’s ceremonies, including Best Picture, Best…

F for Fake (1973) – Orson Welles

  The final Orson Welles recommended title following my screening of Citizen Kane for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, is this entertaining, quick-cutting, documentary about frauds, forgery, and fakery. Wandering delightfully from subject to subject, Welles regales the viewer with a number of stories, most based in fact, about lies and…

The Rockford Files (1974) Profit and Loss Parts 1 & 2

  Private Eye Jim Rockford (James Garner) is hip deep in it this time with this two-parter written by Cannell, based on a story by Roy Huggins. Airing during the holiday season of 1974, part one on December 20, and the conclusion on December 27, the story sees Jim drawn into a world of corporate…