Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1981) – Time of the Hawk

So the retooled Buck Rogers launched on 15 January, 1981, with a two hour premiere that was written by Norman Hudis. Fans at the time, and anyone rewatching the series, like me, must have been scratching their head over the nonsensical changes that had been forced onto the series, even as it tried to shoehorn…

Destroy All Monsters (1968) – Ishiro Honda & Jun Fukuda

I’ll be honest, this is the first Godzilla movie I’ve watched that I didn’t pay attention to any of the actors or their arcs, I was just having too much fun with the monster mashing, the model work, and the way the mythology of the monster-verse has expanded to include so many creatures, aliens, and…

Outland (1981) – Peter Hyams

Peter Hyams writes and directs this galactic update of the classic western, High Noon, that sees Sean Connery stepping into the Gary Cooper role of a lone marshall awaiting the arrival of men who are coming to kill him. With a visual look that seems to marry it with the universe of Alien (aided by…

Mission: Impossible (1967/1968) – The Photographer, and The Spy

I explore more of Paramount Pictures’ fantastic blu-ray edition of Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series this week with another pair of well-crafted episodes featuring some familiar looking guest stars. Anthony Zerbe plays the titular photographer of the episode’s title, in this story penned by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter. It first aired on…

Mission: Impossible (1966) – Wheels, and The Ransom

You’re mission should you choose to accept it, is to join me as I continue to explore Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series on blu-ray, available now from Paramount Canada. The first episode up this week, Wheels, was written by Laurence Heath and first aired on 29 October, 1966. Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) and his…

Doomsday (2008) – Neil Marshall

Writer/director Neil Marshall pays homage to Snake Plissken and Mad Max with his actioner, Doomsday, which, as I rewatched it, had an opening that seems incredibly relevant as a pandemic sweeps the UK, and as the virus spreads there are lockdowns, quarantines, and curfews – until the infected are all locked away in Scotland, a…

Gog (1954) – Herbert L. Stock

DK Books’ Monsters in the Movies beings me another mechanical menace, as I am introduced to Gog, in this 1954 science fiction film, that despite it’s terrible pacing, story, and acting hints at tech that is currently in use today, like stealth planes, solar energy, and malware. We are introduced to Dr. David Sheppard (Richard…

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1997) – Blaze of Glory, and Empok Nor

Station log: stardate unknown Eddington (Ken Marshall) returns in this episode written by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe that first aired on 12 May, 1997. The Maquis are planning on launching a bio-weapon assault against Cardassia, who since their alliance with the Dominion has made things more desperate for the Maquis. Captain Sisko…