Hill Street Blues (1982/1983) – Santaclaustrophobia, and Gung Ho

It’s the holiday season on the hill, and lots of things are going on at the precinct. Santaclaustrophobia, written by Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich, and Jeffrey Lewis, first aired on 16 December, 1982. Belker (Bruce Weitz) is undercover as a bell-ringing Santa, but a young kid keeps spoiling things by revealing he’s a cop. Hill’s…

The Secret of Chimneys (1925) – Agatha Christie

Christie’s fifth novel is a bit of a romp filled with double identities, a murder, political issues, an empty throne, a renowned criminal, a love story, a missing diamond, and a week away at a manor known as Chimneys. We are introduced to Anthony Cade when he is working as a travel guide in Africa,…

Tobor the Great (1954) – Lee Sholem

DK Publishing brings me another mechanical menace from its highly enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book. This time around, he’s not so much a menace as he is menace. Very much a product of its time, the 50s, this film, dramatically set in the future of the day after tomorrow, it’s a charming, if not…

Shogun (1980) – Disc 2

The epic mini-series adaptation of James Clavell’s novel (he also served as one of the show’s producers), Shogun continues this week, as I dive into disc two, which includes episode two and parts of episode three which originally aired on the 16th and 17th September, 1980, following the airing of the three hour premiere on…

The Curse of La Llorona (2019) – Blu-Ray Review

While Warner Brothers may have some issues with its DC Extended Universe, it’s horror films set in The Conjuring Universe continue to do their job, deliver some solid scares (and some mediocre ones) and usually attracts solid casts. The Curse of La Llorona is the sixth film in the shared universe, connected, in this case,…

Miami Vice (1989) – To Have and to Hold, and Miami Squeeze

The final season of Miami Vice continues this week as we bid farewell to a couple of characters. To Have and to Hold was written by William Conway, and debuted on 10 February, 1989. The episode sees the final apparance of Sonny Crockertt’s (Don Johnson) ex-wife Caroline (Belinda Montgomery) and his son, Billy (Clayton Barclay…

The Babadook (2014) – Jennifer Kent

The final film in the What Else to Watch list following my screening of Picnic at Hanging Rock for DK Canada’s The Movie Book is this terrifying Australian film The Babaook. A widowed mother, Ameila (Essie Davis) and her young son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman) are put through the wringer by director/writer Jennifer Kent, as Samuel’s…

This Sporting Life (1963) – Lindsay Anderson

Richard Harris headlines the next film in the What Else to Watch list featured in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, following the recommendation of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Harris stars as Frank Machin, a miner who eventually finds success on the rugby field, something he’s wanted for a long time. He lodges in the…

Rome, Open City (1945) – Roberto Rossellini

Rome, Open City, Roberto Rossellini’s first film is on the What Else to Watch list following my screening of Bicycle Thieves as I continue my exploration of DK Canada’s The Movie Book. Decidedly melodramatic the story is set in World War II Rome, and the story weaves a group of characters together, as they work…