Dial M for Murder (1954) – Alfred Hitchcock

Hitchcock pairs with writer Frederick Knott to bring his stage play, Dial M for Murder to the big screen in this captivating and thrilling adaptation. The film features a top-tier cast, the luminous Grace Kelly, Ray Milland, Robert Cummings and John Williams. Everyone has secrets in this engaging film. Kelly is Margot Wendice, a wealthy…

The Trees (2021) – Percival Everett

With two books, Percival Everett has become one of my favorite authors. I loved his take on Jim from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in James. And when I read the blurb on The Trees I knew I had to take a look. I didn’t know that I would be blown away by it. Everett…

The Producers (1967) – Mel Brooks

Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder star in Mel Brooks’ Oscar winning comedy The Producers. Scoring the Academy award for Best Original Screenplay, this one is a hoot from beginning to end. It also saw Wilder get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Mostel stars as Max Bialystock, a producer, who will do anything to make…

Northern Exposure (1995) – Buss Stop, and Ursa Minor

Buss Stop was penned by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess. It debuted on 24 April, 1995. Michelle (Teri Polo) is mounting a production of Bus Stop but runs into problems. Ron (Doug Ballard) wants Erick (Don McManus) to be cast and as a way of making sure it happens, pays Michelle the rest of the…

Northern Exposure (1994) – Grand Prix, and Blood Ties

Maurice (Barry Corbin) is having Cicely host a a wheel chair race that he is sponsoring in Grand Priz. Written by Barbara Hall, this episode was first broadcast on 9 May, 1994. But the racer he is personally sponsoring doesn’t want to be the person that Maurice wants him to be. While the town is…

Twisters (2024) – Lee Isaac Chung

I love Twister. Unabashedly. Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, some fun tunes, some solid (mostly) effects (cow!) and some great pacing and set pieces. So I was both excited and nervous when Twisters was announced. There’s some nice nods to the original film, and there’s some pretty easy character set-up. You…

The Vigil (2019) – Keith Thomas

Once again, it’s thanks to Mike Flanagan and his podcast, Director’s Commentary, for introducing me to a film that I may have missed out on. The Vigil is a wonderful little horror film that has a quick runtime of ninety minutes, and uses every one of those to tell an engaging and spooky story. Yakov…

Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) – Burt Kennedy

Following the success of Support Your Local Sheriff! James Garner paired up again with director Burt Kennedy and a lot of the cast from the first film to shoot Support Your Local Gunfighter. It is not a true sequel, but more a spiritual one, this one showcases Garner’s charm and charisma once again. This time…