Doctor Who (Tom Baker) – Shada

  The infamous incomplete Douglas Adams story should have finished out Season 17. The  six part story revolves around the lost planet of Shada, wherein a prison was built by the Time Lords to keep dangerous villains trapped. A former inmate, Skagra (Christopher Neame) is trying to locate the hidden planet, and possibly release all…

The Happening (2008) – M. Night Shyamalan

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles continues its foray into the works of M. Night Shyamalan, and if Unbreakable didn’t disappoint you (and honestly I still like that one after all these years), this one was bound to. I think, this one would have worked so much better as a novel, expand out the characters, add a…

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – Philip Kaufman

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles book has brought me lots of enjoyment to date, and I got very excited when it was time to revisit the series of films based on the novel by Jack Finney. I’d previously reviewed the original film here but was looking forward to re-watching this version, I’d only seen it a few…

Magnum, p.i. (1984/1985) – Kiss of the Sabre and Little Games

  We start out with something really fun this week, with this episode, Kiss of the Sabre, written by Jay Huguely with an original air date of 13 December, 1984. Magnum (Tom Selleck) is being seriously put-upon by author Betty Windom (Cassie Yates) who has been given leave to stay at the estate by Robin…

The Prestige (2006) – Chrisopher Nolan

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles book has been a welcome addition to my library, and I was delighted to see that the next subject for me to cover is director Christopher Nolan. I’ve written about most of his other films, and all the ones the book recommends previously, but for The Prestige, and one other film….

Star Wars: Lost Stars (2015) – Claudia Gray

  Another step towards Star Wars: The Force Awakens… Claudia Gray’s novel, positioned as a Young Adult title, is highly enjoyable book, and a welcome addition to the new canon of the Star Wars universe. Starting just before the beginning of the original trilogy, and ending shortly after it, at the much rumored about Battle…

Star Wars: Aftermath (2015) – Chuck Wendig

  The Journey to The Force Awakens continues… we’ve had the first issue of the comic, and now comes the new novel, set in the newly established timeline, which sadly jettisoned some of the great stories that created the Expanded Universe that have been in place for over two decades. Aftermath picks up a few…

The League of Gentlemen (1960) – Basil Dearden

  The recommendations from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of Rififi continue with this delightful, British crime caper, starring Jack Hawkens, Nigel Patrick, Roger Livesey and Richard Attenborough. The crux of the plot is a group of ex-military men gathered up to pull of a perfectly timed and…

The Day of the Triffids (1963) – Steven Sekely 

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles brings me yet another film I’ve never seen, and yet feel I know, because it shows up everywhere, The Day of the Triffids. based on the classic science fiction tale by John Wyndham. This adaptation fairly mangles the original novel, tagging on a Hollywood Happy ending, or as happy as a…

Armada (2015) – Ernest Cline

  Cline has done it again. Crafting another fantastic novel that embraces and celebrates pop culture interwoven with a thrilling narrative. Embracing its inner Iron Eagle, Ender’s Game and The Last Starfighter, while in turn paying nods to Contact and 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Cline has crafted a novel that revels and embraces…