At the height of his James Bond run, Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo teamed up with director John McTiernan to deliver a vastly entertaining remake of the Steve McQueen classic, The Thomas Crown Affair. What the film delivers is a bold, sexy tale. I hadn’t watched this one in years, and I forgot how solid,…
Tag: jazz
Northern Exposure (1994) – Zarya, and Full Upright Position
Through the magic of Ed’s (Darren E. Burrows) film making, and Marilyn’s (Elaine Miles) storytelling we get a look at a legend of Cicely. Set in the 1900s, the regular cast take on other but familiar roles as Marilyn relates a tale of how the Romanovs came to Alaska. Written by Diane Frolov and Andrew…
Moon Over Soho (2011) – Ben Aaronovitch
Constable Peter Grant returns to investigate the supernatural in the second novel in the Rivers of London series written by Ben Aaronovitch. Picking up about six months after the first book, the novel sees Grant still dealing with the fallout from the events of the first novel, particularly the attack that left his friend, and…
Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge (1992) – Rob MacGregor
Chicago 1927 Indiana Jones is back in Chicago after his teaching job at the University of London falls through. Still reeling from the death of his wife Deirdre, he heads back to the States where he finds his old friend Jack Shannon still playing jazz, but getting into the Family business. The pair soon find…
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (1993) – Mystery of the Blues
Harrison Ford makes an appearance as Indiana Jones in this television movie that first aired on 13 March, 1993. Written by Jule Selbo from a story by George Lucas, the film open and closes with Ford’s return as Indy as he and a friend, Grey Cloud (Saginaw Grant) are racing across snow swept Wyoming in…
Breathless (1960) – Jean-Luc Goddard
A free-from film, echoed in its jazz soundtrack, Breathless is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Thelma & Louise. With it’s jump cuts, it’s occasional breaking of the fourth wall, Goddard’s uneven, but impressive film heralded the arrival of the French New Wave. Jean-Paul…
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1988) – 11001001, and Too Short a Season
Captain’s log: stardate 41365.9 11001001 was written by Maurice Hurley and Robert Lewin and is one of the high points of the first season. Airing on 1 February, 1988, the story sees the Enterprise arriving at a space station for a computer update (Here’s where I have one of my only real problems with the…
La La Land (2016) – Damien Chazelle
From its opening, marrying classical screen musical tropes and modern times, Chazelle’s film proves that not only is the big screen musical still alive, it is in fact a vibrant event. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star as two Hollywood dreamers, Mia and Sebastian. She’s an aspiring actress, he’s a jazz pianist who dreams of…
Doctor Who (Sylvester McCoy ) – Silver Nemesis
This three part tale, returned the monstrous threat of the Cybermen to the world of the Doctor (McCoy). Running from 23 November to 8 December, 1988 this story was penned by Kevin Clarke. The Doctor and Ace (Sophie Aldred – who wears a fez for a moment or two in the story, because they’re cool)…
The A-Team (1983) – Children of Jamestown and Pros and Cons
Here’s where the series gets really underway, this week’s episodes see the A-Team falling right into the groove, or the jazz, that we know they’ll be following for the next couple of seasons (to the point where it will become predictable, perhaps even cliché). First up is Children of Jamestown, written by Cannell with…
The Mind Reels 