Matt Reeves followed up his turn on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes with War for the Planet of the Apes, the third film in the new series, which works to tie itself back into the original series, forming one big circle. Andy Serkis dons the mo-cap suit again to bring Caesar, the chimp,…
Tag: war
Fringe (2009) – Ability, and Inner Child
The mythology arc really kicks in with Ability. Written by David H. Goodman from a story by Glen Whitman and Robert Chiapetta this episode first aired on 10 February, 2009. The story picks up with Mr. Jones (Jared Harris) escape from prison via the teleportation device, and its effect on him. It also reveals that…
Screamers (1995) – Christian Duguay
Screamers is a bit of a mess. It has a solid pedigree but somewhere between its origin and its filming, I imagine a number of things went wrong, culminating in the disappointing movie it became. The film stars Peter Weller and is originally based on a story by Philip K. Dick and Dan O’Bannon had…
Battle Royale II (2003) – Kenta Fukasaku and Kinji Fukasaku
Battle Royale II is very much a different creation from its predecessor. Set three years after the events of the first movie this film moves the film mythology forward. Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and Noriko (Aki Maeda) have made their escape, and Shuya has now started what the rest of the world calls a terrorist organization,…
Shards of Earth (2021) – Adrian Tchaikovsky
Before I could dig into Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky, available now through Orbit Books, I had to familiarize myself with the characters of the universe he created by reading the first volume, Shards of Earth, also available from Orbit Books. Within pages of Tchaikovsky’s book, I was wrapped up in the imagination…
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – Raymond Benson
Raymond Benson’s second 007 novel was an adaptation of the second Pierce Brosnan film, Tomorrow Never Dies. And while he seems to have some trouble adapting some of the more over the top action beats of the film, his take on the story actually works really well, and is one of the strongest film adaptations…
Star Trek: Discovery – The Enterprise War (2019) – John Jackson Miller
Where was the U.S.S. Enterprise during the Klingon war (2256-2257) as depicted in Season One of Star Trek: Discovery? Miller’s novel, The Enterprise War, available now from Simon & Schuster through their Gallery Books imprint, answers that question. Tying itself in with the events of the television series, as well as the previously released novels,…
M*A*S*H (1978) – Mail Call Three, Temporary Duty, and Potter’s Retirement
Everett Greenbaum and James Fritzell delivered Mail Call Three, which aired on 6 February, 1978. After a long delayed delivery of mail, a number of problems arrive with the envelopes. Hawkeye (Alan Alda) has been receiving love letters meant for another Benjamin Pierce, which he reads with lustful joy. B.J. (Mike Farrell) learns that a…
M*A*S*H (1977) – The Grim Reaper, Comrades In Arms: Part One, and Part Two
Burt Prelutsky pens The Grim Reaper which sees Hawkeye (Alan Alda) running afoul of a goal focussed colonel, Bloodworth (Charles Aidman) in this episode that first aired on 29 November, 1977. Bloodworth is a frequent visitor to the 4077th warning of the number of casualties he expects from his assaults, and maneuvers against the enemy….
Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix (2007) – David Yates
Director David Yates takes over the big chair for the next instalment in the Warner Brothers’ adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s magical novels, and he’d best get comfortable, because he’s going to see Harry Potter through the rest of his cinematic trip, over the course of the next four films. Much like Goblet of Fire, the…
The Mind Reels 