Author Archives: Roger Pocock

About Roger Pocock

Co-writer on junkyard.blog. Author of windowsintohistory.wordpress.com. Editor of frontiersmenhistorian.info

Star Trek: Beyond

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Roger Pocock

I may have finally figured out what’s wrong with me: I have been diagnosed with a case of friendshipitis.  This is an exaggerated sense of what friendships mean between two or more people.  When I tried to dig into how … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies, Reviews, Science Fiction, Star Trek | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Zoku Owarimonogatari

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Owarimonogatari was a magnificent end to the Monogatari anime adaptations, tying up pretty much all the loose ends from a large number of previous episodes. It felt like a fitting tribute to all the main characters. But what happens after … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Never Mention Murder

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Roger Pocock

These Edgar Wallace Mysteries B movies sometimes play out like an episode of Columbo but with all the scenes featuring Columbo edited out. The murderer is the focus of the whole film, with the police inspector only showing up right … Continue reading →

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Surprise

Posted on August 27, 2022 by Roger Pocock

I’m not a fan of dream sequences in drama because they often seem like a cheat, an excuse for directors, writers and actors to have a bit of fun for the sake of something that ultimately doesn’t count for anything. … Continue reading →

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The Twilight Zone: King Nine Will Not Return

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Roger Pocock

This is an episode of firsts and repeats.  King Nine Will Not Return is the first to use the iconic opening theme.  It’s provides the first time for Serling to appear onscreen at the start of the episode.  It’s also … Continue reading →

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Star Trek: Into Darkness

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Roger often says I gush over the idea of friendship.  Maybe I’m a sap but friendship matters to me.  Growing up, there were a group of us that were inseparable.  It was a bond of brotherhood that connected us.  And … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies, Reviews, Science Fiction, Star Trek | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Owarimonogatari II

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Endings are tricky things to get right, and few anime series even run long enough to get to the point of concluding their stories. Strictly speaking this is not quite an ending, for reasons we will discuss later, but it … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Act of Murder

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Roger Pocock

The first twenty minutes of this one-hour B movie are logical enough. Tim Ford (the excellent John Carson) is trying to get former actress Anne Longman (Justine Lord) to return to acting, because he is in love with her, but … Continue reading →

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Bad Eggs

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Roger Pocock

This is the first episode that has felt disappointing for a long time, and I think that’s because it lacks thematic depth. I have got used to Buffy having some kind of an issue to explore each week, but this … Continue reading →

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The Twilight Zone: A World of His Own

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Roger Pocock

It seems Rod was in the mood for a few comedy episodes before the end of season one and while I’d say that was a mistake, this would have made a great finale for the entire show.  At the time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television, The Twilight Zone | Tagged | 1 Comment

Star Trek (2009)

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Roger Pocock

After Roger and I planned to review the classic series of Star Trek, it seemed only natural to continue the voyages with the Chris Pine movies to round out the story of the original crew.  We made our move to … Continue reading →

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Owarimonogatari I

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Roger Pocock

As we travel through life we tend to collect emotional baggage. The older we get, the more we will be able to look back on past friendships and other associations and wonder what we could have done differently. There will … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Face of a Stranger

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Norman Stanley Fletcher, you have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this court, and it is now my duty to pass sentence… oh, sorry. Wrong series. This is far from being a comedy, but it does start off in … Continue reading →

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ted

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Roger Pocock

What an extraordinary episode this is. It’s like the first half was written to make the viewers really, really angry, and boy does it work. Ted is immediately a character we hate. We’re with Buffy every step of the way, … Continue reading →

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The Twilight Zone: The Mighty Casey

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Oh good… a baseball episode.  I get more excited about going to work!  But within no time at all, Serling has me seeing this as a comedy and it’s down to the audio effects. One thing The Twilight Zone did … Continue reading →

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Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Roger Pocock

We come now to what I consider the finest of the Trek movies.  But to understand that, I need to rewind to 1991.  I’m 19 and at this point in our lives, my friends and I start every weekend with … Continue reading →

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Koyomimonogatari

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Roger Pocock

At first this season feels like an odd backwards step for the Monogatari franchise. We begin with a prequel to Bakemonogatari, with Koyomi and Tsubasa investigating a minor mystery concerning a shrine in their school’s gardens. It all seems oddly … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Who Was Maddox?

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Roger Pocock

This is a rare treat: an Edgar Wallace Mystery that is actually a mystery. Writer Roger Marshall manages to pack a lot of story into 60 minutes, but I never found it difficult to follow, despite a complicated plot with … Continue reading →

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: What’s My Line (Parts 1 and 2)

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Buffy has been complaining about not being able to be a normal girl right from the start, and that is reinforced again here. There is a “career week” at school, but she doesn’t see much of a future for herself. … Continue reading →

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The Twilight Zone: The After Hours

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Marsha White is in search of a gold thimble that she saw advertised in the local department store.  It’s a sign of the times as much as last week’s Mr. Bevis, who gets a raise to $10 a week!  Did … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctor Who, Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television, The Twilight Zone | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments