Ryan Reynolds leads a pretty solidly packed cast in a fairly paint-by-numbers action film that despite its predictability is a lot of fun, largely in part because of the casting. Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Gary Oldman, Richard E. Grant, and Joaquim de Almeida. That’s some pretty top-drawer talent, and they all look…
Tag: protection
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Book 3: Fire (2007) – The Awakening, The Headband, and The Painted Lady
The Earth Kingdom has fallen to the Fire Nation, and things are in a dark place for Team Avatar as Book 3: Fire gets underway. Written by Aron Ehasz, the third and final season began on 21 September, 2007. Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen) has been out of it for a while. He’s grown some hair,…
Hill Street Blues (1986) – I Come on My Knees, and Say Uncle
I Come on My Knees first aired on 6 November, 1986 and was written by David Milch. There’s a lot going on in this episode, and once again the silly melodrama has been pushed aside. Sure there are fun character moments, but as a whole the series seems to be determined to finish incredibly strong….
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…
Hill Street Blues (1984) – Ewe and Me, Babe, and Blues for Mr. Green
David Stenn pens Ewe and Me, Babe from a story by Floyd Byars, and it was first aired on 8 November, 1984. There are a couple of familiar faces in the guest cast this week, Hector Elizondo and Miguel Ferrer. Oh! and watch for a brief glimpse of Tim Russ in an uncredited role as…
A Classic Horror Story (2021) – Roberto De Feo, and Paolo Strippoli
I love taking a look at foreign horror films, because all filmmakers approach the genre from their own experiences, their culture, and their influences, and what scares some people may only be entertaining to others. The Italian film, A Classic Horror Story, plays our very enjoyable, and has a couple of shifts from horror sub-genre…
TIFF 2021: Hold Your Fire dir. Stefan Forbes
New York. 1973. While it looks like a different time on film, not everything has changed, and consequently, Forbes documentary, which looks at a hostage situation that featured around the clock coverage at the time is just as relevant today as it was then. There’s errors on both sides, accusations, instituionalised racism, redemption for some,…
Congo (1995) – Frank Marshall
A script based on a Micheal Crichton novel, creature effects by Stan Winston, directed by Frank Marshall who has a long association with Spielberg and Amblin, an all-star cast including Laura Linney, Ernie Hudson, Tim Curry, Bruce Campbell, Dylan Walsh and Adewale Akkinuoye-Agbaje. Seems like a sure-fire win right? I hadn’t watched this one since…
Moonlighting (1985) – Knowing Her, and Somewhere Under the Rainbow
Ron Osborn and Jeff Reno pen the first case for Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) and David (Bruce Willis) this week. Knowing Her, debuted on 12 November, 1985, and sees the Blue Moon Detective Agency taking a case from one of David’s old girlfriends, Jillian (Dana Delaney). She hires them to find a missing locket, but David,…
Miami Vice (1988) – Baseballs of Death, and Indian Wars
Vice detectives Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Micheal Thomas) have more cases to investigate this week, as season four of Miami Vice continues. Written by Peter Lance, Baseballs of Death first aired on 19 February, 1988. The vice squad is investigating a series of murders, and find out their prime suspect is…
The Mind Reels 