The Seven Dials Mystery (1929) – Agatha Christie

The Seven Dials Mystery is a delightful romp.It takes us back to Chimneys, reacquaints us with Superintendent Battle, as well as Lady Eileen, better known to her friends as Bundle, as she and her friends get caught up in mystery, murder, romance and adventure. While Chimneys is occupied by another family, whose renting it for…

Millennium (1997) – Maranatha, and Paper Dove

With the penultimate episode of the first season, Maranatha, Millennium continues its move towards tying in end of the world mythology (heavily influenced by Christian texts) with the rise in crime, and specifically murder. Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) finds himself brushing up against possible events from the book of Revelations in this story written by…

Cobra (1986) – George P. Cosmatos

I’ve been enjoying revisting some of the classic 80s action films, and I even remember the first time I saw this one. I wish I could have told myself what I KNOW now, this film is horrible. It’s uneven, and as much as I enjoy an action film from the Stallone oeuvre, this one is…

Magnum Force (1973) – Ted Post

Clint Eastwood returned as Detective ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan for a second outing in 1973’s Magnum Force, despite the fact that he seemed to be quitting at the close of the original film. This time out the gritty, and occasional racist and misogynistic film sees Harry hard at work in his beloved San Francisco, when a…

The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) – Agatha Christie

Before Hercule Poirot took the Orient Express, he found himself on the Blue Train, sans Hastings, in a mystery that has a murder, missing jewels, stagecraft, thieves, divorces, a love story, rich Americans, and devious criminals. While not quite the romp of Poirot’s previous tales, this story was fun, and while most of the clues…

The X-Files (1997) – Unrequited, and Tempus Fugit

Howard Gordon and series creator Chris Carter pen the teleplay for this episode from a story developed by Gordon to show that even in the late 90s the horror and worry over Vietnam POWs was still with us and haunting American society. With an original airdate of 23 February, 1997, Mulder (David Duchovny), Scully (Gillian…

The X-Files (1997) – Memento Mori, and Kaddish

Series creator Chris Carter penned Memento Mori which first aired on 7 February, 1997. It brings Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) cancer to the fore as the tumour becomes more aggressive and sends Mulder (David Duchovny) into an investigation of the MUFON group Scully met last year, a group of women who claim to be abductees and…

Millennium (1997) – Weeds, and Loin Like a Hunting Flame

Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) steps back into the darkness with another pair of episodes of Millennium this week. First up is Weeds. Written by Frank Spotnitz this story first aired on 24 January, 1997. Frank heads to a small gated community, joined by Cheryl Andrews (Cch Pounder in a return appearance), where a series of…

Poirot Investigates (1924) – Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie’s first collection of short stories, first published in 1924, sets forth a number of mysteries before her Belgian creation, Hercule Poirot, his little grey cells and his good friend Captain Hastings. While still capturing some of the humour of her novels, the short form of the stories doesn’t allow for a lot of…