Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993) – Lessons, and The Chase

Captain’s log: stardate 46693.1 Jean Louise Matthias and Ronald Wilkerson penned this episode that first aired on 5 April, 1993. It is a Picard (Patrick Stewart) story that sees the captain discovering love with one of his crew members, the head of the stellar science services, Nella Daren (Wendy Hughes). As their relationship blossoms, and…

Unforgiven (1992) – Clint Eastwood

The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Wild Bunch, is my all-time favourite western, Eastwood’s multi-Oscar winning film (Best Director, Best Picture, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor for Gene Hackman). An ageing gunfighter, William Munny (Eastwood) wants to tend to his tiny parcel…

The Twilight Zone (1963) – Mute, and Death Ship

Paramount Pictures’ The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series continues to delight, terrify, creep out, and amaze and this week is no different as I dig into the next two episodes of the fourth season. Up first is Mute, written by Richard Matheson. This episode first aired on 31 January, 1963. It follows the tale of…

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) – Martin Ritt

Richard Burton turns in a solid, and believable performance in this adaptation of John le Carre’s classic thriller novel. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Dr. Strangelove. Burton is Alec Leamas, a spy in charge…

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – Sergio Leone

The Great Movies – The 100 Years of Film book returns me to the western genre with this Sergio Leone epic that stars Jason Robards, Chalres Bronson, Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale. Playing against type, Fonda is the villain, Frank, who is working for the railroad, and trying to drive a woman, Jill McBain (Cardinale),…

Quantum Leap (1992) – Leaping of the Shrew and Nowhere to Run

Brooke Shields guest stars in the first episode up this week, Leaping of the Shrew. It was written by Richard C. Okie and Robin Bernheim, and premiered on 29 September, 1992. Sam (Scott Bakula) leaps into Nikos Stahatos, a sailor working on a luxury yacht on 27 September, 1956. When the ship explodes, Sam and…

Allied (2016) – Robert Zemeckis

  Available today from Paramount Pictures is director Robert Zemeckis’ wartime romantic thriller, Allied. Opening in French Morocco,  the film is a deliberate throwback to the romantic war films of yesteryear. In the first half of the film there are intentional callbacks to films like Casablanca and Notorious, calling to mind our memories and emotions…