The Maltese Falcon (1929) – Dashiell Hammett

Sam Spade. Almost some ninety years on, the name still conjures images. One can see Bogart, fedora atop his head, overcoat hanging on his frame, cigarette dangling from his lips while he has a heater in one hand, and a dame on the other. No matter your experience with Spade, brought to life incredibly in…

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991) – The Drumhead, and Half a Life

Captain’s log: stardate 44769.2 Jonathan Frakes directs his third episode of the series, from a script by Jeri Taylor. This episode, a bottle show, first aired on 29 April, 1991. Trouble comes aboard the Enterprise when a Klingon exo-biologist, J’Ddan (Henry Woronicz) is being investigated by Riker (Frakes) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) for sabotage, and…

The Big Heat (1953) – Fritz Lang

The next big title in DK Books’ highly informative and entertaining The Movie Book is Fritz Lang’s iconic film M, which I have previously reviewed, but on the What Else to Watch list I came across a title I had’t seen or reviewed before and was eager to dive into, Lang’s 1953 cop noir Thee…

The Twilight Zone (1963) – Jess-Belle, and Miniature

There’s the road sign up ahead, it’s time to take a weekly turn into The Twilight Zone, as I delve deeper into Season 4 of The Complete Series on blu-ray, now available from Paramount Pictures. First up is a tale of love, jealousy and witchcraft with Jess-Belle. Written by Earl Hamner Jr. this spooky little…

The Lodger (1927) – Alfred Hitchcock

One of Hitchcock’s earliest film, the silent black and white piece, The Lodger is the next title on the What Else to Watch list in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, following the viewing recommendation of Murnau’s classic Sunrise. You can definitely see hints of what is to come from the master, as he works from…

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) – Lonely Among Us, and Justice

Captain’s log: stardate 41249.3 Lonely Among Us is another mixed bag episode that shows the series is still trying to find its feet. Written by D.C. Fontana from a story by Michael Halperin, this episode first aired on 2 November, 1987. The Enterprise is ferrying delegations (necessitating the introduction of the new dress uniform) to…

Stalag 17 (1953) – Billy Wilder

This is a film I had been eager to see, and was glad to see it come up under the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book as a recommendation following my viewing of The Great Escape. My eagerness to see it was twofold, I like Billy Wilder’s work, and Stalag 17 is the…