Tony Scott updated the gritty 1974 classic, The Taking of Pelham 123 with his signature style, and introduced it to the 21st century. Featuring his signature editing, camera work and saturated colors, Pelham rockets along, resting easily on the shoulders of the film’s two leads, Denzel Washington, and John Travolta. Washington plays Walter Garber, a…
Tag: train
Terror by Night (1946) – Roy William Neill
Terror by Night is the penultimate adventure of Basil Rathbone’s and Nigel Bruce’s Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. It lifts elements from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s works, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, The Adventure of the Empty House, The Disappearance of Lady Carfax, and The Sign of Four, but is predominantly an original story….
Get Smart (1965) – Aboard the Orient Express, Weekend Vampire, and Survival of the Fattest
Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) and Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) are Aboard the Orient Express. It seems a number of CONTROL couriers have been murdered on the iconic train trip and it is up to this pair of agents to find out what is going on. Written by Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barret, this episode…
The Peacemaker (1997) – Mimi Leder
It’s easily been a couple of decades since I last watched this techno-thriller with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. I have to say, in the current geo-political environment, it’s hard to see the Americans as the good guys, working against Russian and Eastern European interests. And it’s sad that I feel that way. A group…
Unstoppable (2010) – Tony Scott
I’ve always enjoyed Tony Scott films. I like his editing, camera and visual style. Constant movement, saturated colors, and tight pacing. Even his weaker films have that great look that tells you you’re watching a Scott film. Based loosely on a true story, the film follows a runaway train, and the two men who are…
Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) – Burt Kennedy
Following the success of Support Your Local Sheriff! James Garner paired up again with director Burt Kennedy and a lot of the cast from the first film to shoot Support Your Local Gunfighter. It is not a true sequel, but more a spiritual one, this one showcases Garner’s charm and charisma once again. This time…
Magnum P.I. (2019) – The Man in the Secret Room, and He Came By Night
Magnum (Jay Hernandez) is still smarting and sulking after the break-up with Abby and takes some temporary work as the head of security for a hotel taking over for a former p.i., Russ (Lee Majors!). It’s not too long before he finds himself embroiled in another mystery, with The Man in the Secret Room. Written…
The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) – William A. Fraker
There are a few things to redeem the 1981 iteration of the Lone Ranger story, it has a score by John Barry, and features Christopher Lloyd as the film’s baddie. But beyond that, this one is pretty horrible. The story, while violent, isn’t layered, sophisticated or much stronger than a grade-school tale. And that’s to…
Family Ties (1984) – Go Tigers, ‘M’ is for the Many Things, and Say Uncle
Alex (Micheal J. Fox) is heading up to Princeton by train for an interview with one of the admitting deans. Mallory (Justine Bateman) tags along to see her boyfriend, Jeff (John Dukakis) with unexpected results. Go Tigers was written by Micheal J. Weithorn and it had an original airdate of 12 January, 1984. Back at…
An Assassin in Utopia (2023) – Susan Wels
I occasionally find a non-fiction historical book that catches my interest, I’ll devour Erik Larson and Stephen B. Ambrose works voraciously, but when I read the blurb for Susan Wels’ An Assassin in Utopia, I had to add it to the list. Following historical events of the mid to late 19th century, Wels’ work centers…
The Mind Reels 