Avatar: The Last Airbender came to a close on 19 July, 2008. Four episodes, airing back-to-back brought the story to an epic close. Choices are thinning, and after an initial beach break, Zuko (Dante Basco) convinces Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen) and Team Avatar that they really need to up their game in time to confront…
Tag: honour
The Green Knight (2021) – David Lowery
The Green Knight is a stunning and lyrical film that completely blew me away with its storytelling and visuals. Using the 14th-century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as its launching basis, Lowery’s tale is fantastical and beautiful, telling the tale of a young Gawain (Dev Patel) looking to make his way in the…
Heartbreak Ridge (1986) – Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood stars, produces and directs this love letter to the United States Marine Corps. and while fairly engaging, the film embraces stereotypes almost to the extreme at both ends, consequently the characters and tone of the film isn’t as balanced as it could be. Eastwood plays the career marine, Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway. He’s…
M*A*S*H (1972) – Chief Surgeon Who?, The Moose, and Yankee Doodle Doctor
Larry Gelbart who developed M*A*S*H for television pens Chief Surgeon, Who? which first aired on 8 October, 1972. The episode features the first appearance of Jamie Farr as Cpl. Klinger, a soldier intent on being sectioned out of Korea by dressing in women’s clothing. The character became so popular he shortly became a series regular….
Black Rain (1989) – Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott remains one of my favourite technical directors, and it’s been awhile since I settled in for this crime thriller, that stars Micheal Douglas, Andy Garcia, Kate Capshaw, and Ken Takakura. Douglas plays Nick Conklin a less than clean New York bigoted cop currently under investigation by Internal Affairs when he and his partner…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 3
I dive into disc three of the DVD release of Shogun this week which marries the conclusion of the third episode, originally broadcast on 17 September, 1980, and the fourth episode, which aired on 18 September, 1980. James Clavell’s novel, adapted by Eric Bercovici continues to explore feudal Japan through the transplanted Blackthorne (Richard Chamberlain)…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 2
The epic mini-series adaptation of James Clavell’s novel (he also served as one of the show’s producers), Shogun continues this week, as I dive into disc two, which includes episode two and parts of episode three which originally aired on the 16th and 17th September, 1980, following the airing of the three hour premiere on…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 1
Ah the late 70s and early 80s, the age of the television mini-series, an almost forgotten television event, though slowly being rediscovered by the advent of the limited series. It’s slightly different of course, because back then, there were only a few channels available, making a mini-series an event over consecutive nights. Shogun was based…
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) – Broken Bow
Captain’s log: 16 April, 2151 The Star Trek prequel series, Enterprise, debuted with the feature length episode, Broken Bow on 26 September, 2001. It was written by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. The series is set a century before the adventures portrayed in The Original Series, and introduces us to the crew of the first…
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (1982) – Stephen King
Stephen King’s fantastic epic adventure gets underway with this stellar, yet surprising short entry into what will be a massive tome, The Gunslinger. Starting with the iconic line. “the man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed” one can’t help but be swept up in the epic western style fantasy. The Man…
The Mind Reels 