John’s top 10 TV shows of 2024
2024 television: Network shows held on to some viewers thanks to diversity of main characters and premises, but streaming and premium channels continued to dominate.
Science Fiction
You’ll go ‘Cuckoo’ trying to connect with this movie
Movie review: This is not phoned-in horror trash; it’s trying to be something cuckoo-bananas different. But it failed to make this viewer care.
Preston & Child hop dimensions in ‘Angel of Vengeance’
Book review: The authors intriguingly wrap up their time-travel saga as their long-running protagonists and antagonists meet.
Hitchcock gets transported to space in ‘Lifepod’ (1993)
On a Hitchcock kick (Movie review): This TV movie makes good use of its strong cast with sharp themes, future tech and a whodunit.
‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ Season 1 (1955-56) brings the macabre into living rooms
On a Hitchcock kick (TV review): As a holiday treat, we look at “Back for Christmas” and Hitchcock’s three other directorial efforts from “AHP’s” first season.
‘Twisters’ a thrilling legacy sequel with new twists
Movie review: This follow-up to one of the highlights of the 1990s disaster-flick boom effectively sweeps us back to that heady time.
‘Creature with the Atom Brain’ (1955) a surprisingly brainy film
Frightening Friday (Movie review): This snappy camp classic delivers more than it promises – at least insofar as the quantity of creatures sporting atom brains.
‘The Fury’ (1978) is weirder than ‘Carrie,’ but also worse
Frightening Friday (Movie review): You’d think a re-team of De Palma and extra-sensory abilities would be a winner. You’d be wrong.
‘Caddo Lake’ an engrossing metaphysical mystery
Movie review: Shyamalan might not be helming strong films anymore, but he’s still producing them, including this evocative missing-girl puzzle in the swamps.
In ‘The Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy’ (1964), babes beat a bandaged bloke
Frightening Friday (Movie review): Not quite horror, not quite horrible, the film’s standout feature is the wrestling action.