The Empty Child written by Steven Moffat introduces two things to the new series of Doctor Who that helped define it. Airing on 21 May, 2005, it made children in gas masks scary, especially if they ask “Are you my mummy?” and brought in a new character that made a huge impact, Captain Jack Harkness…
Tag: humour
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) – L. Frank Baum
It’s been over a year since I travelled to the land of Oz. So I decided to buckle up for a quick jaunt back to that fairyland that shaped the lives of so many children at the beginning of the 20th century. Baum guides us back to his world as we go on another quest…
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) – Arthur Penn
As I return to the thriller category of Great Movies – 100 Years of Film, I got to settle into a film that I haven’t seen since my film classes in university. Bonnie and Clyde. The film stars Warren Beatty as Clyde and Faye Dunaway as Bonnie in this cinematic retelling of the famous criminals…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) – Wolf in the Fold and The Trouble with Troubles
Captain’s log: stardate 3614.9 Wolf in the Fold first graced screens on 22 December, 1967. The episode was penned by Psycho’s Robert Bloch, and it’s obvious. This was one of the first episodes of television to scare me. I remember watching this story, and being completely freaked out by one scene but I was totally…
Doctor Who (Christoper Eccleston) – The Unquiet Dead and Aliens of London
The Doctor (Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) travel back to Cardiff (an in-joke because that is where the series shoots), 1869. There they quickly find themselves embroiled in alien mystery, and chatting with Charles Dickens (Simon Callow) in The Unquiet Dead. Written by Mark Gatiss, with an original airdate of 9 April, 2005, this episode…
The LEGO Batman Movie: The Making of the Movie (2017) – Tracey Miller-Zarneke
As evidenced by my review this past Saturday, I loved The LEGO Batman Movie, it was so much fun to watch, and revel in. It was funny, family friendly, and told a brand new Batman story. So I was delighted when DK Canada sent me their latest, The Making of the Movie. Much like the…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) – Journey to Babel and Friday’s Child
Captain’s log: stardate 3842.3 Journey to Babel, written by D.C. Fontana and airing on 17 November, 1967 is an incredibly important episode. It features some diplomacy in the 23rd century as well as introducing us to Sarek (Mark Lenard) and Amanda (Jane Wyatt) Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) parents. His father serves as the Vulcan ambassador and…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) – I, Mudd and Metamorphosis
Captain’s log: stardate 4513.3 Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel) is back in the fun and playful episode I, Mudd. Written by Stephen Kandel this episode had its premiere on 3 November, 1967. This episode has a lot of delightful banter, and lots of intentional, and well-crafted humour. The U.S.S. Enterprise is seized by an android,…
Rio Bravo (1959) – Howard Hawks
If someone mentions John Wayne to me, this is the movie I go to. Happily, it’s the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Searchers. Starring Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan and Angie Dickinson, this, to me, is Howard Hawks best western. Wayne stars…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) – Operation – Annihilate! and Amok Time
Captain’s log: stardate 3287.2 Operation – Annihilate! closes out the first season of Trek. It was written by Steven W. Carabatsos and aired on 13 April, 1967. Playing as almost straight-up horror, this episode is a lot of fun, and introduces Kirk’s (William Shatner) family, his brother, Sam (also Shatner, with mustache) his wife, Aurelan…
The Mind Reels 