Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – Gareth Edwards

  Rogue One is The Dirty Dozen of Star Wars films, it succeeds beyond all expectation, introducing new characters, fleshing out events we know had to happen, but had only imagined until now. Gareth Edwards directs a fantastic cast including Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, Forest Whitaker and Alan Tudyk…

Where Eagles Dare (1968) – Brian G. Hutton

The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Dam Busters features a story and script by Alistair MacLean and stars Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. Burton is Major Smith, Eastwood is Schaffer an American Ranger working with a British squad that is coming up with…

633 Squadron (1964) -Walter Grauman

Cliff Robertson leads the lucky 633 Squadron in this World War II melodrama that is the next recommendation from my screening of The Dam Busters for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. The actual aerial photography of the film is stunning, above and around England, while the rotoscope work behind the cast…

Quantum Leap (1990/1991) – A Little Miracle and Runaway

Sam (Scott Bakula) is Reginald Pierson, the valet of one Michael Blake (Charles Rocket), a Scrooge-like character in Quantum Leap’s take on A Christmas Carol. A Little Miracle aired 21 December, 1990 and was penned by Sandy Fries and Robert Wolterstorff. It’s Christmas Eve, 1962, and Sam is feeling a little flustered serving Blake, who…

Quantum Leap (1990) – The Great Spontini and Rebel Without a Clue

After the heavier subject matter last week, The Great Spontini is a bit lighter fare (partially, though it does deal with a heartbreaking reality for families, divorce and custody battles) for Sam (Scott Bakula). Written by Cristy Dawson and Beverly Bridges, this episode first aired on 16 November, 1990. Sam finds himself as a magician, Harry Spontini,…

Doctor Who (Colin Baker) – The Mysterious Planet

Season 23 gets underway this week with the season long story, Trial of a Time Lord. The first instalment, The Mysterious Planet, was written by Robert Holmes and aired from 6 to 27 September, 1986. The stories reverted back to twenty-five minute long episodes, and found the Doctor (Baker) being uncontrollably summoned to present themselves…

Secret Agent (1936) – Alfred Hitchcock

  I dive back into the Thriller genre for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, and the title this time around is North by Northwest, which I’ve previously covered for the blog, but not all the recommendations that follow it have been reviewed here on the blog. So I’m about to dig…

Lost In Space (1998) – Stephen Hopkins

  The next big adventure in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book is the big-screen reboot of the classic 60s television series, Lost in Space. Boasting an all-star cast, William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Lacy Chabert, and Matt LeBlanc, the film follows the family Robinson as they leave the dying earth to prepare the…