You Like It Darker (2024) – Stephen King

I love Stephen King books, the bigger the better, I love the heft of them in my hand, the weight of them as I carry them with me, the turning of each page revealing some new wonder or terror, and the way I connect to the characters and his stories. But sometimes you just need…

Starman (1986) – The Return, and Like Father, Like Son

John Carpenter’s Starman resonated with a lot of people, and it seems that in the 80s spin-off series were happening fairly regular, there was Fame, Fast Times, 9 to 5, and Private Benjamin. There are a number of issues with the series but I was eager to dig into it and see how it stands…

Live at Five (1999) – Raymond Benson

007 is back. Raymond Benson wrote a short story, just in time for the premiere of The World is Not Enough. It was published in TV Guide and gives a brief glimpse of a Cold War defection that James Bond was involved in. Set in the United States following a botched attempt in London, Bond…

Scratch One (1967) – Micheal Crichton

Michael Crichton’s second novel, which he wrote under his pseudonym of John Lange, is a fast-paced thriller that plays on the familiar trope of mistaken identity. This time out an American lawyer, Roger Carr, finds himself mistaken for a high-profile hitman and finds himself stuck between opposing sides in an arms deal which has its…

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…

TIFF’23: Knox Goes Away

I’ve said it before, and I know I’ll say it again. I love a good noir, and Knox Goes Away directed by and starring, Micheal Keaton may be one of my new favourites. making fantastic use of his framing, lighting, score and production, Knox Goes Away, despite its modern trappings, feels like a throwback to…

Batman (1966) – The Sandman Cometh, and The Catwoman Goeth

The Sandman (Micheal Rennie) is in Gotham, and for the first time in the television series, a supervillain pairs up with another master criminal, in this case, Catwoman (Julie Newmar) in this two-parter was written by Charles Hoffman and Ellis St. Joseph who also came up with the orghinal story, but exited after Catwoman was…

Batman (1966) – The Ring of Wax, and Give ‘Em the Axe

The Riddler (Frank Gorshin delightfully chewing scenery) is back in The Ring of Wax. Written by Jack Paritz and Bob Rodgers, this episode first debuted on 30 March, 1966. The Riddler and his gang steal a Batman statue from a wax museum leaving behind a recording for Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) to…

I See You (2019) – Adam Randall

The thriller I See You explores some familiar territory but does it in an interesting way, as we watch the lives of the Harper family as they deal with their internal problems while the town they live in is rocked by a series of child abductions. Jackie Harper (Helen Hunt) is a doctor who is…