A Next Generation Reunion on "Picard"

Star Trek: Picard is one of several Trek spinoffs currently streaming on the Paramount+ network. Now entering its third season, the series has been an enjoyable, but sometimes uneven, ride in the past. In each of its first two years, the show started off with strong concepts and ideas, but often veered into secondary story lines that were not as interesting as the main plotline, losing focus on character development and the overall arc in the process. For its final season, the series is giving long-time fans a gift; a reunion of the The Next Generation era crew in a compelling story featuring all the hallmarks of classic Trek: great characters, humor, action, a dangerous villain, and fantastic visual effects and music.

Spoilers ahead: The story begins as an about to retire Admiral Picard receives a distress call from his old friend Dr. Beverly Crusher, who he hasn't spoken to or seen in many years. It turns out Beverly's in danger, and needs Picard's help. She advises him not to trust anyone, especially Starfleet. Picard reaches out to his friend and former first officer, Will Riker. The two men come up with an under the radar plan to locate Beverly, and offer assistance. Along the way, they'll run into familiar faces like Star Trek: Voyager's Seven of Nine, who's now the first officer aboard an upgraded version of Riker's old command, the Titan, and a new threat in the person of a bounty hunter named Vadic, who's hunting Beverly and her son, Jack. That's right, Trek fans, Beverly has another son aside from Wesley. But why is Vadic after them, and who's Jack's father?

I've seen three episodes thus far, and this season of Picard feels like a heartfelt valentine for Trek fans, featuring the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast in an exciting tale that will serve as a proper farewell for these beloved actors, a much better sendoff than the uneven Star Trek: Nemesis, the last film to feature these characters. In fact, the final season of Picard looks to be a sort of epic, ten hour Next Generation movie, featuring a mix of familiar characters and intriguing new faces, as well as some surprising plot twists and turns, and a starbase full of Trek easter eggs for longtime fans. Just wait until you see Michael Dorn as an older Worf, who first shows up in episode 2. He also gets some great lines in episode 3, which is well-directed by Jonathan Frakes, aka Will Riker.

Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes appear to be having a ball together, and Jeri Ryan offers excellent support in her role as Seven. Todd Stashwick steals every scene he's in as Liam Shaw, a by the book Starfleet captain who's a thorn in Picard's side, and Amanda Plummer is magnificently evil as Vadic, the mysterious villain of the story. There are some powerful and emotionally resonant scenes between Stewart and Gates McFadden's Beverly in the third episode, and some sharp moments of conflict between Stewart and Frakes. I can't wait to see what happens next on this last (?) voyage of The Next Generation crew. Star Trek: Picard has rebounded in it's final season to become one of the best Trek series currently airing, along with the excellent Strange New Worlds. Here's the trailer for Picard, Season 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw0pg11OzCQ.

We Sold Our Souls: Heavy Metal Horror

Grady Hendrix has penned some of the best horror novels of the last ten years, including Horrorstor, My Best Friend's Exorcism and the clever slasher film inspired thriller, The Final Girl Support Group. His work contains scares, chills, humor, strong characters, and an in-depth knowledge of horror films, books and TV shows, which manifests itself in the pop culture meta references inserted throughout his fantastic work. I recently completed We Sold Our Souls (2018), the heavy metal-infused tale of the rise and downfall of Dürt Würk, an up and coming metal band that implodes as the group is on the verge of achieving widespread fame.

Dürt Würk's lead singer, Terry Hunt, embarks on a successful career as a solo artist, leaving the rest of the band in ruins, both personally and professionally. Years later, Kris Pulaski, the band's former guitarist, who's barely eking out a living in dead end jobs, begins to suspect something terrible occured on the evening the band broke up. She embarks on a cross country road trip to discover the truth of what happened on their last night together, and confront Terry, now on a mega-sized tour as the iconic heavy metal artist Koffin.

Kris will learn a lot more than she bargained for, reuniting with some of her band mates, and meeting new friends and allies along the way. It's a frightening odyssey that features secrets, lies, dark entities, and conspiracy theories. The novel is drenched in a whole lot of heavy metal music, including the lyrics to some of Dürt Würk's music, which are peppered throughout the story. By the time Kris discovers the truth about the terrifying night Dürt Würk broke up, she'll learn as much about the dark places inside herself as the monstrous evil that's behind Terry's heavy metal success. 

We Sold Our Souls is a compelling, fast-paced read which will resonate with horror fans and heavy metal devotees. There are a lot of knowing, insider references to a number of beloved bands, including Pantera, Slayer, and AC/DC, that will delight dyed in the wool metal-heads. The dark forces featured in the novel will appeal to classic horror fans, especially those with an interest in otherworldly, Lovecraftian terrors. The characters are well-developed and interesting, and never feel like caricatures. If you're looking for an edgy, intriguing metal-themed horror novel, check out We Sold Our Souls. And if you like the book, dive into some of Grady Hendrix's other fine work.

Retro Thriller: The Man They Could Not Hang

Boris Karloff is well-known, and much beloved by, several generations of fans for his iconic portrayals of the Frankenstein Monster and The Mummy, and as the narrator of the classic animated holiday special How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Karloff was a versatile performer who played a variety of roles on the big and small screen, as well as on stage, but he's perhaps best remembered for his horror and thriller films. Between 1935 and 1942, Karloff, a prolific actor, made six films for Columbia Pictures, several of which feature him as a doctor or scientist who makes a revolutionary discovery, only to have his brilliant and groundbreaking work misunderstood by the authorities and the public, leading to terrible consequences.

The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) stars Karloff as Dr. Henryk Savaard, who is experimenting with a procedure that could resucictate the dead. This will allow doctors to perform difficult surgeries that couldn't be done with the patient alive. Savaard's idea is that the patient's life could be temporarily ended, and they could then be revived after the life-threatening surgeries are completed. When a medical student actually dies as a result of the authorities interfering with a test of his procedure, Savaard is put on trial for murder. He's convicted, and sentenced to hang. When Savaard's assistant Lang visits him in prison, the doctor signs a release allowing his body to be released for use in experiments after his death. Savaard, who's vowed that retribution will be visited upon those who convicted him, is hanged, and dies. Or does he?

In the weeks following Savaard's death, some of the jurors from his trial die under mysterious circumstances. Several remaining members of the jury receive a mysterious invitation to a gathering at Savaard's home, which ostensibly comes from the judge who presided at the trial. But when everyone arrives at the house, it turns out a now revived Savaard plans to visit a deadly revenge upon those who voted in favor of his death. Can any of them escape Savaard's wrath? The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) is a fascinating thriller, well directed by Nick Grinde, who also helmed two other entries in Karloff's "mad scientist" cycle for Columbia, The Man With Nine Lives (1940) and Before I Hang (1940). Karloff is excellent in the film, bringing a great deal of depth to his role as Savaard. The supporting cast, including Lorna Gray, Don Beddoe and Roger Pryor, are also quite good.

The "revenge" elements of the plot anticipate later films such as the Vincent Price vehicle The Abominable Dr. Phibes, and the medical aspects of the story are quite forward thinking. Karloff would play variations of this role in several more films for Columbia, ultimately spoofing this type of character in the final entry in the cycle, The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942), which also features Peter Lorre. Karloff is often quite underrated as an actor, and he managed to raise the profile of B films like this with his always terrific work. The Man They Could Not Hang is an entertaining thriller, with some fine cinematography by Benjamin Kline, that's highly recommended for fans of classic thrillers. Here's a look at a trailer for the Eureka Films (Region B encoded) release of Karloff's Columbia films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppSb01QNBRE.

"Poker Face" Evokes Vintage TV Mysteries

Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face

If you're a fan of vintage TV mystery series, then writer-director Rian Johnson (Knives Out) and actress Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) have a real treat in store for you. Poker Face, a new show airing on Peacock beginning January 26, evokes the self-contained format of classic series such as Columbo. Both Johnson and Lyonne are fans of that much-beloved 1970s show, and the two collaborated on this new series that is a valentine to the era of weekly television series with self-contained episodes.

Poker Face features Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a casino worker with a peculiar talent: she can tell when someone is lying. Charlie is sort of a human lie detector. While this may seem like a gift to some, it's caused Charlie some trouble in her past, as well as in her present. The series follows Charlie (who's on the run) as she travels from place to place, works a series of odd jobs, interacting with some offbeat characters, and ends up getting involved with mystery and murder along the way.

The show is structured in similar fashion to Columbo, in that we see the murder committed in the first act of the episode, and then Charlie enters the scene, and helps solve the crime, often befriending some of the people she meets. There are some clever stylistic touches, including a very 1970s inspired color palette and look to the show, right down to the title font. In addition to Lyonne, who's effervescent as Charlie, there's an all-star roster of guest stars throughout the series, including Adrian Brody, Cherry Jones, Nick Nolte, Ron Perlman, Ellen Barkin and Luis Guzman.

Poker Face is an enjoyable, retro-styled combination of Columbo, The Fugitive, Ellery Queen and Murder, She Wrote. As of this writing, I've seen the first four shows, and I think the best thus far is the fourth, "Rest In Metal," featuring Chloe Sevigny as the lead singer of a once popular punk band whose last shot at the big time comes at a murderous price. In addition to Sevigny's excellent performance, there are some clever faux punk-metal tunes featured in the episode. If you enjoy classic TV mystery shows, you'll have a great time watching this clever, entertaining series. Check out the trailer for Poker Face, now streaming on Peacock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x2NzusLAqk.

Retro 1970s Movie: Farewell, My Lovely

Robert Mitchum in Farewell, My Lovely

Several actors have portrayed author Raymond Chandler's iconic private detective Philip Marlowe throughout the years, including Humphrey Bogart, Dick Powell, James Garner, Elliot Gould and James Caan. Only one actor has portrayed Marlowe more than once on film thus far: Robert Mitchum. When he first played Marlowe, Mitchum had recently appeared in a pair of well-made, noir-tinged crime dramas, the character driven The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) and the action-oriented The Yakuza (1974). Mitchum's next project would be an adaptation of Chandler's second Marlowe novel, Farewell, My Lovely (1975) which had been adapted twice before for the big screen. The story was first reworked as an entry in RKO's "Falcon" series, The Falcon Takes Over (1942), and two years later, a more faithful version of the novel, Murder, My Sweet (1944), was released by the same studio.

Farewell, My Lovely is set in 1941 Los Angeles, where a just released ex-con named Moose Malloy (played by Jack O'Halloran, who later appeared as one of the trio of Kryptonian super-villains in the first two Christopher Reeve Superman films) hires Marlowe to find his girlfriend Velma. Malloy lost touch with Velma while he was in prison for seven years after pulling a bank job, and wants to reunite with her. The search for Velma takes Philip Marlowe on a tour of both the high and low end worlds of LA, and his journey leads him through a labyrinthine plot (typical of Raymond Chandler's work) where there's a trail of dead bodies, a host of dark secrets, and no easy answers to the mystery. After all, this is a dark tale, and a movie that's based on one of the best known literary thrillers of the golden age of noir.

1970s cinema is filled with a lineup of excellent neo-noir tales, including Chinatown, Night Moves, and Charley Varrick, among many others. Farewell, My Lovely is actually more of a throwback to the older style noirs of the 1940s, with its moody cinematography by John A. Alonzo, and the lush score by David Shire. The direction by Dick Richards is solid, and David Zelag Goodman's screenplay pulls some key lines directly from Chandler's novel. There's a top notch cast, led by Mitchum's fine work as Marlowe, and featuring a host of familiar faces, including Charlotte Rampling, Anthony Zerbe, John Ireland, Sylvia Miles and Harry Dean Stanton. Sylvester Stallone and Joe Spinell, soon to appear together in Rocky, have small roles in the film. 

While many reviewers at the time of the movie's release remarked that Mitchum was too old to play of Marlowe, he projects just the right mix of low key charm and world weariness that's perfect for the role. He's got good chemistry with the cast, including Rampling's sultry Helen Grayle, Ireland's no-nonsense cop Lt. Nulty, and he even gets to sing a bit with Miles' careworn ex-chanteuse Jesse Florian. Farewell, My Lovely is worth seeing if you're a Mitchum fan, or a noir devotee. Mitchum reprised the role of Marlowe three years later in an inferior sequel, an adaptation of Chandler's The Big Sleep, which inexplicably moved the Marlowe character to the present day, and featured another all-star cast, including Joan Collins, Oliver Reed, Candy Clark and Sarah Miles. Here's the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NgK_-g5b3c.

This Wedding "Invitation" Leads To Terror

In director Jessica M. Thompson's horror thriller, The Invitation, New York based freelance artist Evelyn "Evie" Jackson learns about some distant relatives from England after taking a DNA test. Evie is curious about these new relatives, as she has no living family. Before you know it, Evelyn is whisked off to London, after being invited to a wedding by a cousin she never knew she had. Evelyn is in store for a few more surprises once she learns the real reason she's been asked to attend this event. Despite being intrigued by her cousin Oliver, and carrying on a flirtation with Walter, the owner of New Carfax Abbey, the house where the wedding is taking place, Evie begins to witness disquieting behavior around the manor, and experiences some disturbing events.

Evie apparently isn't up on her classic horror literature because (spoiler alert) New Carfax Abbey, and Whitby, the town where it's located, are featured in a famous novel by Bram Stoker about a certain blood-drinking Count. There are all kinds of clues afoot that things are not what they seem, and a lot of talk about blood, eternal life, and multiple brides. It soon becomes apparent that Walter is none other than Dracula, and he wants Evie to be the third in his trio of vampire brides, which will solidify his power and long life. Turns out Evie is a member of several families who have provided women to Dracula throughout the decades, in exchange for protection and wealth. But Evie isn't going willingly to the altar with Dracula, or is she?

The Invitation is smoothly directed by Thompson, and there's some atmospheric cinematography courtesy of Autumn Eakin. The script by Blair Butler provides a neat twist or two on the story of Dracula, featuring some characters from the original novel in variations on their original roles, as well as some commentary on modern gender, race and relationship issues. There are some good performances, with Nathalie Emmanuel of Game of Thrones doing a nice job as Evie, and Thomas Doherty providing a smooth, slithering take on Dracula. Sean Pertwee (Alfred on the TV series Gotham) is Mr. Field, who runs the manor, and is clearly inspired by Renfield from the novel.

The film is entertaining and well-produced, but the jump scares are predictable, and there aren't any real surprises once the Dracula reveal occurs. The movie is enjoyable enough, but it doesn't quite go all the way into a classic Hammer films vibe, nor does it push the envelope in new directions. There are some more interesting recent variations on the tale of Dracula, including the 2018 BBC production with Claes Bang, and the Showtime series Penny Dreadful. Still, The Invitation is certainly better than most of the run of the mill horror fare that you can find in theaters and on demand these days, and fans of the macabre may want to give it a look. Here's the spoiler-ish trailer: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-e&q=the+invitation+triler.

Retro TV: Serling's Carol For Another Christmas

Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone, crafted a memorable holiday tale for that much revered show, as well as another for his later anthology series, Night Gallery. For The Twilight Zone, Serling wrote "The Night of the Meek," which starred Art Carney as a down on his luck department store Santa who gets a chance at redemption. On Night Gallery, Serling combined Christmas and Hanukkah in a thoughtful episode entitled "The Messiah on Mott Street," featuring Tony Roberts, Edward G. Robinson and Yaphet Kotto in a moving tale set in a low rent New York neighborhood, where a dying man (beautifully played by Robinson) has an encounter with an angelic figure (Kotto) who might be an angel, or a harbinger of death. Both episodes are essential viewing for Serling fans.

Serling scripted yet another Yuletide tale, Carol For Another Christmas, an updated version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, which aired on ABC as a holiday movie special in 1964. The film stars Peter Sellers, Ben Gazzara, Eva Marie Saint and Sterling Hayden, who plays Daniel Grudge, a powerful industrialist and weapons manufacturer who lost his son, Marley, in World War II. Grudge's nephew, Fred, visits and encourages him to use his wealth and power to effect positive change in the world, and to help the US engage in cultural exchanges with other countries. 

Peter Sellers in Carol For Another Christmas

Grudge feels the US should remain isolated, not get involved with other parts of the world, and also that we should build up our nuclear armaments in order to protect ourselves. Like Scrooge in the Dickens original, Grudge is taken on a mystical journey by three ghostly visitors on Christmas Eve, who show him what the past, present and future of our conflict-driven world has been, is currently, and could be like in the future, if the world continues on its current destructive and warlike path.


Sellers appears in the "Ghost of Christmas Future" segment, as the demagogue-like leader of a post-nuclear war society, who encourages violent conflict and an "us vs. them" philosophy. Also appearing in the film are Robert Shaw, Percy Rodriguez, Pat Hingle, James Shigeta, Steve Lawrence and Britt Ekland, who was married to Sellers at the time. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, with a score by Henry Mancini, the film received mixed reviews upon its original release, with some critics find it overly preachy and too didactic, while others praised the performances of the cast, including Sellers, Hingle and Lawrence.

Carol for Another Christmas was the first in a series of  TV specials initiated by the United Nations. The goal of the series was to educate viewers about the UN's work, in order to gain support for their missions around the world. Only four of the six proposed specials were produced. Carol for Another Christmas aired only once in 1964, and was not shown again until Turner Classic Movies rebroadcast it in 2012. It's since aired annually on TCM in December, though it has never been released on home video. While the film is a bit over the top in delivering its message, it's an interesting entry in Serling's oeuvre. Its offbeat twist on the Dickens original and somewhat downbeat themes set it apart from his more hopeful tales, and the all-star cast and solid direction by Mankiewicz make it worth seeking out.