We’re coming up on the end of the first season of Paramount Picture’s Mission: Impossible, and the wonderful Eartha Kitt guest stars in the penultimate episode, The Traitor. Written by Edward J. Lasko this IMF assignment first aired on 15 April, 1967. When an American agent turns traitor and hides out in a foreign embassy,…
Tag: gangster
Mission: Impossible (1967) – The Frame, and The Trial
Dan (Steven Hill) puts his team through another trying week as I explore more of Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series on blu-ray, now available from Paramount Pictures. First up is The Frame, written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, The Frame first aired on 21 January, 1967. Dan and his standard IMF team,…
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2010) – Hunt For Ziro, Heroes on Both Sides, and Pursuit of Peace
“Love comes in all shapes and sizes.” Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle pen the first episode up this week, Hunt For Ziro, which continues the arc established last week that saw gangster Ziro the Hutt (Corey Burton) escaping the Republic prison he had been placed in. First airing on 12 November, 2010,…
Moonlighting (1985) – The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice, and My Fair David
Orson Welles, to whom the first episode this week is dedicated, makes his final television appearance as he introduces this unique episode of Moonlighting. Written by Debra Frank and Carl Sautter, the episode debuted on 15 October, 1985, and about twelve minutes into it, transitions to black and white. David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill…
Zombies on Broadway (1945) – Gordon Douglas
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…
White Heat (1949) – Raoul Walsh
The next film on the What Else to Watch list following the recommendation from DK Canada’s The Movie Book of The Godfather, is the gangster classic, White Heat, starring James Cagney, and features that iconic line, “Made it, Ma! Top of the world!” Cagney plays Cody Jarrett, a psychopathic criminal who has a bit of…
Goodfellas (1990) – Martin Scorsese
Goodfellas is the final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Godfather. Here’s the thing, the gangster genre has never been my favourite, or even high on my list of films I enjoy. But, I remember reading the original non-fiction book written by Nicholas Pileggi back…
Once Upon a Time in America (1983) – Sergio Leone
Clocking in at almost four hours long, Leone’s cinematic adaptation of Harry Grey’s original novel is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Godfather. Robert De Niro stars as David ‘Noodles’ Aaronson, a gangster, who after fleeing New York returns over thirty years later…
Scarface (1983) – Brian De Palma
A story of greed wiping out any trace of humanity, and the dark side of the immigrant story, Brian De Palma’s update of the classic gangster 1932 film remains a staple of the genre as I return to the Thriller & Crime section of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film. Al Pacino plays…
The Twilight Zone (1962) – One More Pallbearer, Dead Man’s Shoes, and The Hunt
My journey through the depths of The Twilight Zone continue this week, as I continue my way through Paramount Pictures’ complete series collection on blu-ray. First up is One More Pallbearer. Written by series creator and showrunner Rod Serling, this story first aired on 12 January, 1962. Dr. No himself, Joseph Wiseman plays Paul Radin,…
The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) – Frank Tashlin
The first recommendation following my screening of Jailhouse Rock for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film is the very enjoyable The Girl Can’t Help It starring the stunning Jayne Mansfield. The film follows an alcoholic PR man, Tom Miller (Tom Ewell) who used to the top of his game, and could find the…
Banshee: Season 4
The white-knuckle, pulp thriller, rollercoaster ride that is Banshee has come to a close. While it’s bittersweet that the show has come to its conclusion, there’s nothing like going out on a high note. Brutal in its violence, dark and dry in its humour, and incredibly sexy in its liaisons, the series has captivated the…
