Excluding The Predator (what the hell was that?) Shane Black has been one of my favorite Hollywood writers, and I was super-excited when it was announced he was getting into the director’s chair for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Set, like most of Black’s tales, at Christmas, this one is a slice of modern noir. Robert…
Tag: murder
Mission: Impossible (1969) – The Brothers, and Time Bomb
Leigh Vance pens The Brothers, from a story by Robert C. Dennis, that saw the IMF heading to an oil rich country to overthrow the tyrannical leader of the nation, Selim (Lloyd Batista), and replace him with his twin brother, who is being held captive. Phelps (Peter Graves), recruits his usual team, Paris (Leonard Nimoy),…
Nightmare Alley (1946) – William Lindsay Gresham
Before I see del Toro’s new film, which is an adaptation of this novel, I wanted to visit the source material, because I do love me a good noir story, and this one is a classic. And perhaps because the beats and the tropes of the noir genre are so familiar it’s easy to suss…
The Lone Gunmen (2001) – The Lying Game, and The ‘Cap’n Toby’ Show
Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) shows up in The Lying Game, written by Nandi Bowe. This episode first debuted on 4 May, 2001. Frohike (Tom Braidwood), Byers (Bruce Harwood), and Langly (Dean Haglund) get pulled into a murder case, immersed in secrets, a government investigation and lies. And at the heart of it, Walter Skinner…
9th Annual Old School Kung Fu Film Fest: Joseph Kuo Edition – 7 Grandmasters (1977)
I was able to check out one last film at the 9th Annual Old School Kung Fu Film Fest that is screening at the Museum of the Moving Image, and presented in conjunction with Subway Cinema, and that was Kuo’s 7 Grandmasters! Featuring a sharp and clean 2K restoration, of the four films I’ve seen…
9th Annual Old School Kung Fu Film Fest: Joseph Kuo Edition – The 18 Bronzemen (1976)
The 9th Annual Old School King Fu Film Fest continues in Queens today at the Museum of the Moving Image in conjunction with in Subway Cinema. Screening at 1pm is writer/director Joseph Kuo’s The 18 Bronzemen, a fast-paced film that delivers a story of vengeance and the wishes of the father carried out by the…
The X-Files (2001) – Empedocles, and Vienen
While Scully (Gillian Anderson) ends up in the hospital with a complication surrounding her pregnancy, Agent Reyes (Annabeth Gish) approaches Mulder (David Duchovny) with a case that may tie back to Doggett (Robert Patrick). Empedocles was written by Greg Walker, and first aired on 22 April, 2001. When an office worker, Jeb (Jay Underwood) is…
Fletch and the Widow Bradley (1980) – Gregory McDonald
Though written after the original Fletch novel, this novel takes place before the events of that story, and finds investigative reporter I.M. Fletcher in sunny California, filing his stories, and romancing (again) a lovely young actress, Moxie. Fletch has just filed a story for the business section, not his usual beat, but taking an assignment…
In the Heat of the Night (1967) – Norman Jewison
In the Heat of the Night shouldn’t be as timely and relevant as it still is. You’d think we could have moved beyond such levels of racism and prejudice, and yet, sections of society seem worse than ever before, and it seems to be both hidden and overt. Featuring powerhouse performances by Sidney Poitier and…
Willy’s Wonderland (2021) – Kevin Lewis
Silly, goofy, and wonderfully over-the-top, the horror film, Willy’s Wonderland, is just a romp that doesn’t take itself, or the world it exists in very seriously, and it’s star, Nicholas Cage, doesn’t say a word through the entire film. His character, known only in the credits as The Janitor, is a bad-ass looking guy who’s…
The Mind Reels 