The third episode of The X-Files introduces us to the Monster of the Week scenario and shows that it isn’t going to be just about UFOs and alien abductions. It also introduced us to an immediately iconic villain with Eugene Victor Tooms (Doug Hutchison). Squeeze, written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, first aired on…
Tag: murder
Backdraft (1991) – Ron Howard
Wow do I love this movie! Every time I put it on to watch, I find myself wanting to restart it almost the moment it is finished to watch it again. This is a fantastic effort from Ron Howard, and features a brilliant cast led by Kurt Russell. Set in Chicago, we are introduced to…
Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966) – Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming’s final James Bond book, the second published posthumously and the fourteenth 007 book overall is a collection of previously published quartet of short stories. And it’s a great collection to go out on, though of course Bond would continue to live on under other authors, and of course, as an ongoing film franchise….
Five Midnights (2019) – Ann Davila Cardinal
I’ve found myself craving something spooky to read again, and threw that into a google search, and it came back with this title, one I hadn’t heard of, and I promptly went off and found it. It ended up being a young adult novel, never a problem for me, as I love some of the…
Star Trek: Discovery (2019) – Point of Light, and An Obol for Charon
Captain’s log: stardate 1029.46 First airing on 31 January, 2019, Point of Light was written by Andrew Coville. It sees the surprise arrival of Micheal Burnham’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) adopted mother, Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner) aboard the Discovery to ask for help regarding her son, Spock (Ethan Peck, still not seen), who, as we learned, is…
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) – Alfred Hitchcock
James Stewart and Doris Day find themselves caught up in international intrigue and a political assassination in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much, a remake of his own film from 1934. While on a working holiday that takes the family to Paris, Casablanca and Marrakesh, Dr. Benjamin McKenna (Stewart), his wife, Jo (Day)…
Star Trek: Death Count (1992) – L.A. Graf
Sometimes a Trek book just works for me, and this one totally did. Set between The Motion Picture, and The Wrath of Khan, but featuring the new burgundy uniform jackets, the story despite featuring Kirk heavily on the cover, focuses more on Chekov, Sulu and Uhura, to my total delight. Their friendship is explored, from…
You Only Live Twice (1964) – Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming’s penultimate James Bond novel, there is one more to come, and then a collection of short stories, was the last one published before his death in August of 1964. Picking up nine months after the events of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service we find 007 a broken man. Still in a deep state…
Star Trek: Discovery (2018) – The Wolf Inside, and Vaulting Ambition
Captain’s log: 2257 Lisa Randolph continues the Discovery Mirror Universe arc with The Wolf Inside which first aired on 14 January, 2018. Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is in charge of the I.S.S. Shenzou and is ordered to destroy some rebels for the Terran Empire, but she works to do her best to save them all while…
Rope (1948) – Alfred Hitchcock
I dig into another classic Hitchcock today, and despite the fact that James Stewart gets top billing, he is almost a supporting role, not really taking centre stage until the final act of the film that was adapted from a stage play by Patrick Hamilton, partially adapted by Hume Cronyn. Brandon (John Dall) and Phillip…
Shadow of a Doubt (1943) – Alfred Hitchock
It’s time for a little more Hitchcock as I dive into another old favourite, Shadow of a Doubt starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. A coming-of-age tale with a twist of murder, this film remains completely captivating thanks to the direction, the leading and the wonderful supporting cast which are all recognisable to anyone who…
Saboteur (1942) – Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock delivers a fantastically paced thriller, that stirs in some patriotism and humour as every man Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) finds himself caught up in a conspiracy on the eve of war. Kane works in an airplane factory, and is doing his part for the blossoming war effort. But when he inadvertently helps a fellow…
