Pamela Anderson delivers a career-topping performance as Shelley an aging Vegas showgirl, whose show, Razzle Dazzle, is closing, bringing her thirty-year career to a grinding stop. Directed by Gia Coppola whose use of shallow focus lenses keeps the story on Shelley at all times, the tale looks honestly at aging and beauty in not only…
Tag: vegas
Hill Street Blues (1984) – Fuched Again, and Low Blow
There’s trouble at the precinct and in Vegas with Fuched Again. Written by Jeffrey Lewis, David Milch, Mark Frost and Jacob Epstein from a story by Milch, Lewis and Steven Bochco this episode first aired on 22 November, 1984. While Belker (Brice Weitz) and a number of the guys are in Vegas, Furillo (Danel J….
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…
Empire Records (1995) – Allan Moyle
Empire Records was one of those films that gained cult status in the video store I worked in when the film was released to, yup, VHS. My staff loved it, and it would go into high rotation as something played in the store. Set in a music store, the film is set over the course…
The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) – Bert I. Gordon
The stories of atomic mutation continue as I delve deeper into DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. This one ends up being a rather bland tale, as it doesn’t really try to do a character piece, but it definitely doesn’t have any action set pieces. It’s more of a point to point narrative that tries…
The Twilight Zone (1961) – Mr. Dingle, the Strong, Static and The Prime Mover
I plunge back into Paramount Pictures The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series with another trio of episodes this week. Burgess Meredith returns to the Zone this week in Mr. Dingle, the Strong. Written by series creator, Rod Serling, this episode first aired on 3 March, 1961. Meredith is the titular Dingle, a timid vacuum-salesman, who…
Quantum Leap (1992) – The Curse of Ptah-Hotep and Stand Up
Sam (Scott Bakula) finds himself dealing with a sandstorm and a 3,000 year old curse when he leaps into Dale Conway an archaeologist in Egypt on 2 March, 1957. Bizarre accidents begin to claim the lives of a number of the dig’s party, and Sam and his partner, Ginny (Lisa Darr) must figure out what…
The Twilight Zone (1960) – The Hitch-Hiker, The Fever and The Last Flight
Paramount Pictures takes me deeper into The Twilight Zone this week as I continue my exploration of The Complete Series on Blu-Ray. First up this week is the ominously named, The Hitch-Hiker. This episode had an original airdate of 22 January, 1960, and was written by Rod Serling, based on a radio play by Lucille…
The Greatest American Hero (1981) – Operation: Spoilsport and Don’t Mess Around with Jim
Season 2 continues this week as Bill (Robert Culp) and Ralph (William Katt) deal with some new dangers!! Up first is Operation: Spoilsport, which aired 11 November, 1981, and was written by Frank Lupo. World War III is on the horizon, and within 24 hours will be well underway, when an automatic missile system…
The Rockford Files (1979/1980) – Just a Coupla Guys and Deadlock in Parma
After 6 seasons, I’m now on the final two episodes of this landmark series. And while the first episode is a bit of a let-down in terms of a story for Rockford (James Garner), you can definitely see a blueprint for a show that helped define 21st century television (though it started in 1999)….
The Mind Reels 