No makeup, close-ups and harsh lighting put Maria Falconetti on the screen as Joan of Arc in a way that hasn’t been seen since. Carl Dreyer’s retelling of the story of the French heroine is the next big title in DK Book’s The Movie Book. We are invited to take a front row seat for…
Tag: torture
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…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1968) – The Empath and Elaan of Troyius
Captain’s log: stardate 5121.5 The Empath is an interesting episode, written by Joyce Muskat and with an original airdate of 6 December, 1968, this one uses a bit of minimalist set design to give it an almost surreal feel. Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) find themselves trapped in…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1968) – Plato’s Stepchildren and Wink of an Eye
Captain’s log: stardate 5784.2 Plato’s Stepchildren first screened on 22 November, 1968 and was written by Meyer Dolinsky. The episode is of historical note because of the first American broadcast interracial kiss when Captain Kirk (William Shatner) kisses Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Beyond that, the story is rather basic. The Enterprise is summoned to a…
Silence (2016) – Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese’s beautifully shot passion project, Silence, is unveiled on blu-ray from Paramount Pictures today. Based on the novel by Shusako Endo the film is vibrant and gorgeous, while it plays with some tough questions about religion, faith, cultures and beliefs. Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson share top billing in this film, but…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) – The Return of the Archons and Space Seed
Captain’s log: stardate 3156.2 The Return of the Archons was penned by Boris Sobelman from a story by Gene Roddenberry and had an original airdate of 9 February, 1967. The Enterprise is investigating the fate of the U.S.S. Archon that went missing a century ago. There is a being, known as Landru (Charles Macauley) that…
Strange Days (1995) – Kathryn Bigelow
My time with the films of James Cameron for the Sci-Fi Chronicles book comes to an end with this film that he penned the script for, and gave to the incredibly talented Kathryn Bigelow to direct. Ralph Fiennes stars as Lenny Nero, a former cop turned street hustler, with a charming side that can sell…
Doctor Who (Colin Baker) – Mindwarp
The Trial of a Time Lord continues with Mindwarp. This four-parter was penned by Philip Martin and ran from 4 to 25 October, 1986. As the Doctor’s (Baker) trial continues, as well as his clash with the prosecutor, the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) who presents his evidence. The story, and the case unfold, as the Doctor…
Doctor Who (Colin Baker) – Vengeance on Varos
The Doctor (Baker) and Peri (Nicola Bryant) are really in it this time, as they dive into the world of reality television (a couple of decades before it really took off)! Vengeance on Varos was penned by Philip Martin and was comprised of two parts, running from the 19 to 26 January, 1985. The…
Batman: The Animated Series (1995/1997) – The Lion and The Unicorn, Holiday Knights, and Sins of the Father
The first iteration of Batman: The Animated Series comes to a close with this episode, The Lion and The Unicorn, which had an airdate of 15 September, 1995. In it, Gotham, Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Alfred (Efrem Zimbalist jr.) are threatened one final time by the Red Claw (Kate Mulgrew) who returns and kidnaps…
The Mind Reels 