del Toro’s latest film, The Shape of Water is very much a fairy tale for adults, as well as sharing a kinship with the horror films of the 1950s, specifically, 1954’s The Creature From the Black Lagoon (as well as to Abe Sapien as seen in del Toro’s own Hellboy series). But in this film,…
Tag: prison
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991) – Ensign Ro, and Silicon Avatar
Captain’s log: stardate 45076.3 Michelle Forbes returns to The Next Generation this week. This time, she is playing the fan favourite character, Ro Laren. In this episode we are introduced to the Bajorans, their conflict with the Cardassians, and planting seeds for the upcoming series, Deep Space Nine. Airing on 7 October, 1991, this episode…
Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – Asylum of the Daleks, and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Steven Moffat pens the seventh series opener, Asylum of the Daleks, which first aired on 1 September, 2012. The Doctor, Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) are travelling together again, and they are about to step into a mystery that is going to be with the Time Lord for a while, the mystery of…
The Breadwinner (2000) – Deborah Ellis
House of Anansi press has released an updated version of Deborah Ellis’ poignant and beautifully written tale, The Breadwinner. Aimed at younger readers, the book puts a face to stories that help the reader empathise and understand some of the issues that are taking place in Afghanistan. Canadian born Ellis has crafted a whole series, with…
Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – The Big Bang and, A Christmas Carol
The fifth series of the relaunched Doctor Who comes to a close this week with The Big Bang. Penned by Steven Moffat, this episode is the conclusion of the season long arc featuring the cracks in space-time as well the resolution of the Pandorica cliffhanger from last week. The episode first aired on 26 June,…
Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – The Lodger, and The Pandorica Opens
James Corden shows up this week in the very entertaining episode, The Lodger. Written by Gareth Roberts, this episode first aired on 12 June, 2010. The Doctor (Smith) is separated from Amy (Karen Gillan) and the TARDIS by a mysterious event that seems to be located around a flat that houses Craig Owens (Corden). So,…
Cape Fear (1962) – J. Lee Thompson
The classic Robert Mitchum/Gregory Peck thriller is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Point Blank. I’m ashamed to admit I had never seen the original before now, I’d seen the remake with Nolte and De Niro, but not this one. So going in, I…
Jailhouse Rock (1957) – Richard Thorpe
The Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book brings me back around the Musical genre, and this time around it features Elvis Presley himself. The story, such as it is, follows Vince Everett (Presley) who is serving one year (!) for manslaughter. While in the joint he meets a former country singer, Hunk Houghton…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1969) – Whom Gods Destroy and Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
Captain’s log: stardate 5718.3 Whom Gods Destroy was penned by Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl and had it’s first broadcast on 3 January, 1969. The Enterprise arrives in orbit around Elba II, which serves as an asylum for the criminally insane. They have arrived on a mission of mercy, they are carrying a serum that…
Doctor Who (David Tennant) – Smith and Jones, and The Shakespeare Code
A new companion, Martha Jones (Freema Agyemam), a medical student working in a hospital finds herself joining the Doctor (Tennant) in the TARDIS this week. Smith and Jones was written by Russell T. Davies and originally aired on 31 March, 2007. Martha and the Doctor discover that the hospital they are in has been transported…
The Mind Reels 