Mystery

Buffy – “The Zeppo” and “A New Man”

Comedy, Drama, Mystery / Leave a Comment

I’m a huge fan of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003). Although the show is highly regarded for a variety of reasons it is, and will be, pigeonholed in the teen supernatural/drama category with the likes of “Charmed” (1998-2006) and Kristen Stwewart’s “Twilight” film series (2008-2012) and be easily dismissed by many “serious” watchers. That’s a shame and in my twenties I was fairly obsessed with convincing others of the show’s genuine quality in just about every department and felt bummed they wouldn’t even give it a go. Just the name Buffy the Vampire Slayer was enough to dismiss it as pure nonsense. But thankfully those that did give it a go recognize how good a show it was. This had exceptionally good and layered writing and creative world building, a terrific ensemble cast and top notch production values, particularly after Seasons 1 and 2 had displayed the quality at work.

Sadly now three actors from the series have passed on. Michelle Trachtenberg played Buffy’s sister, Dawn Summers, and was introduced in Season 5. She was only 39 years old. In 2026 series regulars from the beginning, Nicolas Brendon and Anthony Stewart Head, passed on ages 54 and 72. This prompted me to re-visit two particular episodes that spotlighted the characters Brendon (Xander Harris) and Head (Rupert Giles) played as they were both huge fan favourites.

Deer Woman (2005)

Comedy, Drama, Mystery

Det. Dwight Faraday, who’s been relegated exclusively to animal attacks, gets the call and just can’t figure out how this happened. Upon examining the body he and spunky coroner Dana discover that the victim died in a state of arousal and the remains display a number of hoofprints.

Nine Guests for a Crime (1977)

Crime, Horror, Mystery

Nine members of an extremely rich and spiteful family spend an annual vacation on a small, and very rocky, Mediterranean island. Family patriarch Uberto brings his three children and their spouses. The ninth member is Uberto’s sister. There they indulge in adultery, binge drinking, bickering and general belittling towards each other.
Among them is someone with devilish designs…

Two 90’s Hitchcockian thrillers; “Shattered” and “Final Analysis”

Crime, Drama, Mystery

There’s a word you can look up on Wikipedia; Hitchcockian. Meaning; “Hitchcockian films are those made by various filmmakers, with the styles and themes similar to those of Alfred Hitchcock”. The master of suspense’s influence cannot be underestimated, and I doubt many filmmakers had as great an effect on the film industry (this is of course debatable). His filmography is huge and filled with classics in the suspense genre. Not a calendar year goes by without me visiting at least a few of the master’s films. Then there are also a few Hitchcockian thrillers that I’m quite fond of and I’d like to cast a light on two fairly forgotten titles. They’re both early 90’s flicks, definitely Hitchcock inspired and set in San Francisco.

Terminal Invasion (2002)

Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Inside an isolated airport, a group of people learn that their charter flight has been grounded. Things don’t get any better when two guards escort convicted murderer Jack to the premises after their car skidded off the road. But soon things get even worse as the group discovers that some may not be who, or what, they appear to be. An alien invasion is taking place and it begins at this terminal.

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