I remember seeing the poster for Alligator when I was a kid, and while I liked the shadowy look of the art, with a giant alligator peering out of an arched sewer, I never really had much of a desire to see it. Even as I grew older and heard some semi-decent things about it,…
Tag: murder
Fringe (2009) – Unleashed, and Bad Dreams
Someone has taken one of Walter’s (John Noble) failed ideas, and perfected it, creating a hybrid animal that can deliver its eggs through a horrible sting, if it doesn’t kill you first. Unleashed was written by Zack Whedon and J.R. Orci. It first aired on 14 April, 2009. A group of animal activists make a…
Mission: Impossible (1971) – Nerves, and Run for the Money
Lisa Casey (Lynda May George) has to put herself in harm’s way with her IMF assignment in Nerves. Written by Henry Sharp and Garrie Bateson, from a story by Sharp, it first aired on 4 December, 1971. Wendell Hoyes (Christopher George) is a paranoid criminal who has his hands on a slowly degrading canister of…
Mission: Impossible (1971) – Blues, and The Visitors
Barney (Greg Morris) gets to take a bit more of the spotlight in Blues. Written by Howard Berk from a story by Orville H. Hampton, this episode first aired on 20 November, 1971. This mission isn’t quite as impossible as some, Phelps’ (Peter Graves) IMF team is set to take on a music producer, Gorman…
Crimson Peak (2015) – Guillermo del Toro
The first time I watched del Toro’s gothic tale I didn’t pay attention as much as I should and consequently, I grew bored with it. The advertising had made it look more akin to a horror film which is what I thought I wanted. I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of lurid colors, and what…
The Frighteners (1996) – Peter Jackson
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…
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…
The Mind Reels 