Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993) – Force of Nature, and Inheritance

Captain’s log: stardate 47310.2 Naren Shankar pens this episode that first aired on 15 November, 1993. Trek stories have always been able to deal in analogy fairly well, but this episode proves to be a little heavy-handed. The Enterprise is searching for a missing Federation vessel, when two scientists from a nearby world arrive aboard,…

Tommy (1975) – Ken Russell

As I dig into the recommendations from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Grease, I got rather excited about what I would see, and if there would be anything I hadn’t screened before. In fact there was. The Who’s Tommy. Playing like an experimental film that is undeniably…

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993) – Dark Page, and Attached

Captain’s log: stardate 47254,1 Airing on 1 November, 1993, this episode sees the return of Deanna Troi’s (Marina Sirtis) mother, Lwaxanna (Majel Barrett) returns for another visit, and also features an appearance by a young Kirsten Dunst as a young telepathic alien named Hedril. Written by Hilary J. Bader, the story gives a little more…

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993) – Interface, and Gambit Part I

Captain’s log: stardate 47215.5 Airing on 4 October, 1993, Interface is a Geordi (LeVar Burton) story written by Joe Menosky. When the Enterprise’s Chief Engineer receives news of the disappearance of his mother’s, Captain Silva La Forge (Madge Sinclair), starship, it affects his current assignment of using a virtual reality probe to explore and rescue…

The Amber Spyglass (2000) – Philip Pullman

The final novel in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is on the book shelf this week, and I was curious to know if it would have the same effect on me as it did when I first read it eighteen years ago. I remembered nothing of the final half of the book after a…

Father Figures (2017) – Blu-Ray Release

Hitting blu-ray and DVD from Warner Brothers this week is this goofy, semi-sweet, adult-humoured quest story from first time director, but experienced cinematographer, Lawrence Sher, starring Owen Wilson and Ed Helms. Helms and Wilson play fraternal twin brothers, Peter and Kyle, who lead separate and different lives from one another and the rest of their…

The Subtle Knife (1997) – Philip Pullman

This week I returned to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy by diving into the sequel, The Subtle Knife. It picks up right after the first novel, The Golden Compass, as we follow young Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon on her adventures. She finds herself in a strange world, having passed into another realm, unlike…

The Adventure’s of Indiana Jones (1992/1993) – Love’s Sweet Song

Indiana Jones (Sean Patrick Flanery) sets out from Mexico on the next leg of his adventure that would see him embroiled in the Great War. Love’s Sweet Song was released on 12 July, 2000 and was cobbled together from two episodes that see Indy travelling to Ireland and then England before heading to War. Ireland,…

The NeverEnding Story (1984) – Wolfgang Petersen

The first recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of The Fellowship of the Ring is Wolfgang Petersen’s 1984 adaptation of only a small part of Micheal Ende’s fantasy novel, The NeverEnding Story. It has been more than thirty years since I watched this one, so I was…

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1992) – Man of the People, and Relics

Captain’s log: stardate 46071.6 Frank Abatemarco wrote this rather lacklustre episode that should have allowed Marina Sirtis a chance to shine a bit, but instead we’re given another episode that is not only recognisable, but also incredibly predictable. First airing on 3 October, 1992, all this episode did for me was make me want to…