Stargate: Atlantis (2005) – The Eye, and The Defiant One

Four months after the cliffhanger given in The Storm, The Eye was broadcast on 21 January, 2025. It was written by Martin Gero. Kolya (Robert Davi) spares Weir (Torri Higginson), and she and McKay (David Hewlett) have to repair the damaged grounding station. Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) continues with his John McClane plan of action. And…

Darkman (1990) – Sam Raimi

I enjoyed Darkman when it first came out. I had it on VHS. But it has been years since I watched it. And I’ll be honest, I liked it much more this time through. I love Raimi as a filmmaker and you can see his always moving camera at work here, as well as his…

Raw Deal (1986) – John Irvin

I knew not all of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s early work were going to be winners. And there was a reason I never wanted to take a chance on Raw Deal. From everything I’d seen, trailer and image wide it looked pretty horrible. Surprise, surprise I was right. It has a horrible soundtrack and score, and the…

Gladiator II (2024) – Ridley Scott

I greatly enjoy Ridley Scott films, he’s an incredible technical director, even when his films aren’t as emotionally captivating as I would like, there’s always something masterful about his creations. Gladiator II is no different. The first film resonated and struck a chord with filmgoers everywhere. It’s no surprise that the idea of a sequel…

Stargate SG-1 (2004) – New Order: Part 1, and Part 2

Season eight gets underway on 9 July, 2004 with a two-part opener, New Order, written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie. Dr. Weir (Torri Higginson) has taken over Stargate Command, who is trying to keep things going, and negotiate use and access of the Antarctic discovery. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, O’Neill…

Blue Ruin (2013) – Jeremy Saulnier

I enjoyed Rebel Ridge, and quite liked Green Room, so I figurd I would take a look at another one of Jeremy Saulnier’s works, Blue Ruin. What I found was a solid, revenge drama whose violence, when it happens, is shockingly real and bloody. Dwight (Macon Blair) has turned into a bit of a drifter,…

Blown Away (1994) – Stephen Hopkins

Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones star in a cop thriller about revenge and the past. Set in Boston, Jimmy Dove (Bridges) is verging on retirement from the Bomb Squad following his marriage to Kate (Suzy Amis). Unfortunately, Dove’s past comes calling for him in the form of Ryan Gaerity (Jones) an IRA extremist with…

Death Rides a Horse (1967) – Giulio Petroni

Lee Van Cleef stars alongside John Phillip Meceita in this spaghetti western from Giulio Petroni. My knowledge of spaghetti westerns is pretty slim, so it should come as no surprise that I had never heard of this one, but with Lee Van Cleef in it I figured why the hell not? What it is, is…

Monkey Man (2024) – Dev Patel

Dev Patel directs and stars in Monkey Man, an action revenge film that makes sure to add in emotion, trauma, as well as some commentary on religion and politics. It’s all done without losing the driving, pulse-pounding action sequences that make this film incredibly enjoyable and watchable. As the nameless hero of the film, known…

Man on Fire (2004) – Tony Scott

I love Tony Scott films; the saturated colours, the moving cameras, the tight pacing, the visual shorthand he used in his storytelling style. I don’t think I ever met a Tony Scott film I didn’t like. Sure I like some more than others, but all of them have his indelible print on them. Man on…