Phantom of the Opera (1943) – Arthur Lubin

It’s the first color Universal Monster movie! Phantom of the Opera is presented in gorgeous technicolor, this is the only one of the original Universal Monster movies that won the Oscars it was nominated for, Best Cinematography (Color) and Best Art Direction (Color). While one could argue that the Universal Monster series started with the…

The Shadow of the Wind (2001) – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A friend of mine recommended this book to me, and I found myself completely swept away in the tale that is a love letter to books and Barcelona (it even comes with a walking tour at the end of the book which will allow those in the city to visit all the sites mentioned in…

Unlawful Entry (1992) – Jonathan Kaplan

Kurt Russell, Madeline Stowe and Ray Liotta star in this early 90s thriller that puts three stellar actors into a halfway decent script and hopes that their charisma and charm will see it through. For the most part, it succeeds, not least of which because they are all great actors. Russell and Stowe are Michael…

The X-Files (1996) – Grotesque, and Piper Maru

Howard Gordon delivers a script for Grotesque, a monster of the week episode, that won the series an Emmy for cinematography, and gives us a moody piece that first aired on 2 February, 1996. Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) are requested by Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) to help the head of the Behavioural Unit,…

Star Trek: Enterprise (2004) – Hatchery, and Azati Prime

Captain’s log: 8 January, 2154 Andres Bormanis pens the teleplay for this episode from a story he developed with Micheal Sussman. It first debuted on 25 January, 2004. The Enterprise finds a derelict insectoid Xindi ship in crashed on a planet within the expanse, and things become a little troubling for the crew when Archer…

Star Trek: Voyager (1999) – The Voyager Conspiracy, and Pathfinder

Captain’s log: stardate 53329 Joe Menosky penned this Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) episode that delves into paranoia as she begins to suspect that the Voyager was intentionally transported to the Delta Quadrant. After augmenting her alcove to assimilate more data, her neural pathways are unable to handle it, and begin correlating facts into vast…

The Wasp Woman (1959) – Roger Corman and Jack Hill

Office drama in a cosmetics company meets terror when I delve into the next title in DK Canada’s highly enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book, and settle in for the next mad scientist picture. A wasp obsessed scientist, Zinthrop (Micheal Mark) is recruited by a cosmetics company run by Janice Starlin (Susan Cabot). Starlin has…

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) – Joseph Green

It’s time for another bad movie featuring a mad scientist as I continue to enjoy the fantastic tome DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. This time the scientist, Bill (Jason Evers) by name is obsessed with transplants, and brains, and grafting organs, limbs and tissues. When he receives a call that something has gone wrong…

Space: 1999 (1977) – Bringers of Wonder: Part 2, and The Seance Spectre

After last week’s cliffhanger with Commander John Koenig (Martin Landau) being menaced by one of the monstrous Bringers, I had to find out what happened next! Written by Terence Feeley, this episode first aired on 11 August, 1977. While the rest of the Alphans see the Bringers as friends, relatives, and loved ones, Koenig sees…

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (1982) – Stephen King

Stephen King’s fantastic epic adventure gets underway with this stellar, yet surprising short entry into what will be a massive tome, The Gunslinger. Starting with the iconic line. “the man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed” one can’t help but be swept up in the epic western style fantasy.  The Man…