Batman (1966) – Shoot a Crooked Arrow, and Walk the Straight and Narrow

Between season one and season two of Batman, they released Batman the Movie on 30 July, 1966. Then on 7 September, 1966 season two got underway with Shoot a Crooked Arrow. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross it introduced a Robin Hood-type character named The Archer (Art Carney) and his familiar-looking merry men. The villains even…

Batman (1966) – Hi Diddle Riddle, and Smack in the Middle

I have never seen the original Batman television series. I did see the movie that was released between seasons at a Saturday matinee when I was a kid and it inspired hours of play, but I’d never dug into the 120 episodes that comprised the series. I’m determined to fix that, so here we go…

Mission: Impossible (1972) – Movie, and Hit

Guest stars John Vernon and William Smith are back for another round as baddies in Movie. Written by Anthony Bowers, Arthur Weiss, and Stephen Kandel from a story by Bowers, it first aired on 4 November, 1972. It seems members of the Syndicate are infiltrating the entertainment industry and Phelps (Peter Graves) and his IMF…

M*A*S*H (1978) – Mail Call Three, Temporary Duty, and Potter’s Retirement

Everett Greenbaum and James Fritzell delivered Mail Call Three, which aired on 6 February, 1978. After a long delayed delivery of mail, a number of problems arrive with the envelopes. Hawkeye (Alan Alda) has been receiving love letters meant for another Benjamin Pierce, which he reads with lustful joy. B.J. (Mike Farrell) learns that a…

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2021) – Quentin Tarantino

Man am I divided on this one. I love that Tarantino has given us his first novel, and allows it to expand on his film of the same name. It has a pulpy style to it that fits perfectly with the era, and the aesthetic of the film story he told. It also lists movie…

Eat Wheaties! (2021) – Scott Abramovitch

Sid Straw is a loser. At least, that’s how he’s introduced to us at the start of Eat Wheaties!, a simple yet funny film directed by Scott Abramovitch. Brought to hapless life by actor Tony Hale, Sid lives alone, and hangs out in his drab corner office, occasionally chatting up co-workers who can barely stand…

Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind’s Eye (1978) – Alan Dean Foster

Back in 1978, we had just one movie, and a handful of toys available from Kenner, not taking into account a ton of tees, trading cards, and almost anything else they could plaster the name Star Wars on. People were clamouring for more adventures from Luke Skywalker and the rest of the rebel alliance, but…

The A-Team (2010) – Joe Carnahan

Sometimes you just want to relax with a fun action movie, where it seems like the heroes are having a great time, and there’s a lot to watch and enjoy as set pieces roll across the screen. 2010’s update on the classic Lupo/Cannell series The A-Team is very much one of those movies for me….

Thunderball (1961) – Ian Fleming

The ninth book, and eighth full novel,in Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 series is up this week. And this one is a bit of a special case. It was originally concocted as a screenplay, and early editions gave sole credit to Fleming, whereas future editions, much like the film(s) that would later be developed from…

Black Widow: Secrets of a Super-Spy (2020) – Melanie Scott

Don’t despair Marvel fans, just because the new Black Widow film had to be delayed due to the pandemic, doesn’t mean you can’t learn all there is to know about her in the new Black Widow: Secrets of a Super-Spy now available from DK Canada. This one is a great read, and author Melanie Scott…