Zelda the Great is the first episode of the Batman series to introduce a female villain, but Catwoman does get name-checked here. Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr, and featuring William Dozier’s fantastic narration, this episode first debuted on 9 February, 1966. While Bruce Wayne (Adam West) and his young ward, Dick Grayson (Burt Ward) are…
Tag: narration
Batman (1966) – Instant Freeze, and Rats Like Cheese
Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) have their work cut out for them when Dr. Shivel (George Sanders) aka Mr. Freeze returns to Gotham in Instant Freeze. Written by Max Hodge, this episode first debuted on 2 February, 1966. Batman is a little bothered by Freeze’s return to Gotham, not only because of the…
Batman (1966) – The Joker is Wild, and Batman is Riled
Robert Dozier pens this week’s episode that introduced Joker (Cesar Romero) to viewers on 26 January, 1966. Joker literally springs himself from Gotham Prison and is intent on turning to his life of crime forthwith, unfortunately, he didn’t count (again) on the alter egos of Bruce Wayne (Adam West) and Dick Grayson (Burt Ward)… Batman…
TIFF ’22: Good Night Oppy
I love documentaries about space exploration, the sense of discovery, wonder and hope that permeates them, and humanity when we set our sights on a goal. Director Ryan White understands those feelings and shares them, and guides us on a fantastic journey to the planet Mars. In 2003, two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, were launched…
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) – Shane Black
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…
TIFF 2021: The Electrical Life of Louis Wain dir. Will Sharpe
If one could transmute joy and tears of a life, or transform a dew dropped ray of sunlight, into a film, then the result may very well be Will Sharpe’s biopic on English artist (you know his work, whether you recognize the name or not), Louis Wain (a fantastic turn by Benedict Cumberbatch). Sharpe’s tale…
M*A*S*H (1977) – The Most Unforgettable Characters, 38 Across, and Ping Pong
Radar (Gary Burghoff) tries his hand at writing in The Most Unforgettable Characters. This episode was penned by David Isaacs and Ken Levine, and first aired on 4 January, 1977. After filling out an ad in the back of a comic book, Radar enlists himself in a writing school with dreams of becoming an author….
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020) – Blu-Ray Review
DC Comics and Warner Brothers brings Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) back to the screen in Birds of Prey, the latest blu-ray/DVD release in the DC universe. And I won’t lie, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had with this one. It’s quite amazing to see how far the character has come and…
The White Gorilla (1945) – Harry L. Fraser
Well, as one of my favourite music groups will tell you, sometimes, bad is bad. This entry in the chapter called Monstrous Apes in DK Canada’s highly enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book is pretty horrid. It marries footage from a 1927 silent three hour epic called Perils of the Jungle, which clashes with the…
Shogun (1980) – Disc 3
I dive into disc three of the DVD release of Shogun this week which marries the conclusion of the third episode, originally broadcast on 17 September, 1980, and the fourth episode, which aired on 18 September, 1980. James Clavell’s novel, adapted by Eric Bercovici continues to explore feudal Japan through the transplanted Blackthorne (Richard Chamberlain)…
The Mind Reels 