Michael J. Fox takes the lead in what was Peter Jackson’s first big studio film, with Bob Zemeckis serving as executive producer. While some of the special effects have not stood the test of time, it remains a fun film, trying to walk that balance between horror and comedy. Frank Bannister (Fox) is a con…
Tag: murder
Murder on the Orient Express (2017) – Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, Murder on the Orient Express has its good and bad points. I love Branagh’s attention to detail in bringing the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, to life. Unfortunately, that same attention isn’t given to the supporting cast that brings to life the trouble Poirot finds himself embroiled in….
Murder on the Orient Express (1934) – Agatha Christie
This week I dug into one of Agatha Christie’s most iconic novels, Murder on the Orient Express which features that Belgian detective and his little grey cells, Hercule Poirot. Summoned back to London, Poirot must forgo a layover and board the Orient Express to make it to his next assignment. Unfortunately, the train car is…
WNUF Halloween Special (2013) – Chris LaMartina
Reporter Frank Stewart (Paul Fahrenkopf) is about to have a bad night. It’s Halloween, 1987, and he’s on camera hosting the WNUF Halloween Special that is going to investigate the local murder house during a live broadcast. The film plays like a recorded videotape, has tolls, tracking problems, and plays more to nostalgia of the…
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) – Jack Sholder
One year after Wes Craven changed the horror genre (again) with the introduction of the dream stalker, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), New Line Cinema delivered the first follow-up sequel. All of the Nightmare sequels can be hit or miss, with the third one arguably the best of the bunch. And while the film was successful…
Mission: Impossible (1971) – The Field, and Blast
The IMF team, led by Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) has a tough assignment this time with The Field. Written by Wesley Lau from a story by Lau and Judy Burns, it first aired on 23 January, 1971. An enemy nation has control of an island in the Adriatic, and they have turned it into a…
Diablo Mesa (2022) – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Grand Central Publishing was kind enough to send me the latest Preston & Child thriller, Diablo Mesa, which came out in February. It had been a long time since I dug into a Preston & Child book, but back in 2014, I was plowing through their Pendergast series until my pile of To Be Read…
Mission: Impossible (1971) – Cat’s Paw, and The Missile
Things get personal for Barney (Greg Morris) this week as I dig into some more assignments from Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series on blu-ray. Cat’s Paw was written by Howard Browne, and first aired on 9 January, 1971. Barney’s older brother is murdered for getting too close to a high tech criminal organization, which…
Scream 2 (1997) – Wes Craven
In 1996, Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson delivered the game-changing Scream, a meta horror movie that was a hit with audiences and critics alike. And it seemed before the opening weekend was over, that a second film was already being lined up for the cameras. Looking back, I think if they had made us wait…
The Last House on Needless Street (2021) – Catriona Ward
Catriona Ward delivers a fantastic, engaging tale that is horrific, heartbreaking, and revelatory. I discovered this title when I went searching for something scary to read, something to freak me out, and mess with my brain a bit. The Last House on Needless Street does exactly that. The book is broken up into three narratives,…
The Mind Reels 