Hill Street Blues (1983) – Life in the Minors, and Eugene’s Comedy Empire Strikes Back

While Coffey (Ed Marinaro) faces an investigation into the cause of death of the PCP-addled perp that died in a cell, Belker (Bruce Weitz) goes undercover as a blind panhandler before getting some devasting personal news. Life in the Minors was written by Michael Wagner, David Milch, and Karen Hall from a story by Steven…

Amistad (1997) – Steven Spielberg

Spielberg returns to another examination of humanity and history with his 1997 film Amistad. Based on an actual event in 1839, the film explores a revolt of Mende captives aboard the Spanish ship La Amistad. When the captives take over the ship they demand that the surviving crew take them back to Africa, but instead,…

Millennium (1999) – Antipas, and Matryoshka

This week, Millennium delivers what is probably one of my favourite episodes of the third season, Antipas, written by series creator, Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, it first aired on 12 February, 1999, and boasts some familiar Canadian faces like Art Hindle and Jay Brazeau. It also sees the return of Frank’s (Lance Henriksen) nemesis,…

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,…

Big Trouble in Little China (1986) – John Carpenter

I love rolling out with Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) and the Pork Chop Express. From the moment I saw this Carpenter film on the big screen, I knew I would love this movie for the rest of my life. And I’ve yet to be proven wrong on that count. There was a time when I…

Catch Me If You Can (2002) – Steven Spielberg

Spielberg gives us a film inspired by true life events, and puts Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Walken through their paces as I dig into another title mentioned in Ten Bad Dates With De Niro. DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale, Jr., the youngest counterfeiter and fraud in American history. Before his nineteenth birthday, he’s cashed…

The Sweet Hereafter (1997) – Atom Egoyan

Atom Egoyan’s heartbreaking, and powerful film (something I was fortunate enough to be able to tell the director in person) is the next stop in DK Canada’s The Movie Book. Based on the novel by Russell Banks, which Egoyan adapted as well as directed the film features great performances by Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Bruce…

Fate (2019) – Ian Hamilton

Ian Hamilton has crafted a series of novels about a forensic accountant, Ava Lee, who is Chinese-Canadian, and each one has been a fantastic ride, as well expanding on her character, and the world she lives in they’ve also introduced us to a variety of characters, some of whom have gone on to be fan…