I dig into more Universal monsters this week to the first sequel to The Mummy. Released in 1940, The Mummy’s Hand features Tom Tyler as the Mummy. It’s hard to come down on anyone’s side on this one nowadays. The ‘heroes’ are led by an archeologist, Steve Banning (Dick Foran) who is a snappily-dressed American…
Tag: payday
The Wild Geese (1978) – Andrew V. McLaglen
The Wild Geese has a horrible title song, but then as I watched the credits I saw that it had production design by Syd Cain, and its opening title sequence was done by Maurice Binder. It also has a very impressive leading cast, Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Roger Moore. Not bad. And while the…
Starman (1987) – Grifters, and The Wedding
Paul (Robert Hays) and Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) seem to be conned on both sides of the law in Grifters. Written by Steven Hollander, the episode first aired on 13 March, 1987. The pair have driven a car up from Texas as a way to make some money, but they are about to find a…
Magnum P.I. (2019) – Day of the Viper, and I, the Deceased
In a quick nod to the original series, Magnum (Jay Hernandez) is watching Stalag 17, one of the original Magnum’s (Tom Selleck) favorite movies. The homages to the original continue throughout the series, but the episode quickly takes a serious turn for Higgins (Perdita Weeks). Day of the Viper was written by Gene Hong and…
Magnum P.I. (2019) – Nowhere to Hide, and Winner Takes All
Magnum (Jay Hernandez) is training for the Iron Man competition but gets involved in a case involving a missing Russian fugitive, something that will put Higgins (Perdita Weeks) and Kumu (Amy Hill) in trouble. Written by Joe Gazzam from a story he developed with Peter M. Lenkov, Nowhere to Hide first aired on 14 January,…
Star Trek: The Joy Machine (1996) – James E. Gunn
James E. Gunn takes the original story treatment for The Joy Machine by Theodore Sturgeon, who gave us the TOS episodes Shore Leave and Amok Time, and turns it into a novel that feels very much like an Original Series episode. When a couple of Federation investigators disappear on a planet, one that Captain James…
Looper (2012) – Rian Johnson
Rian Johnson is a fantastic writer/director (no matter what some Star Wars fans may think), and with his science fiction thriller, Looper, he plays with a number of familiar tropes, especially those of the western genre as he explores, and plays with, causality, in this brilliant actioner that stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily…
M*A*S*H (1975) – Payday, White Gold, and Abyssinia, Henry
We’re closing in on the end of season three, and with Payday, Hawkeye (Alan Alda), serving as the payroll officer of the month has an unexpected windfall. Written by John W. Regier and Gary Markowitz, this episode first hit the airwaves on 4 March, 1975. As everyone finds ways to spend their pay, card games,…
The Mind Reels 