Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

Texas Ranger J.J. McQuade (Chuck Norris) is as skilled in weaponry as he is in hand-to-hand ass-kicking (but he's not so proficient in housekeeping). The so-called 'lone wolf' gets partnered with a state trooper that he doesn't want (Robert Beltran) and together the duo track down an illegal arms trader.
It begins and ends like a Western, with music to match, but in-between there's a bevy of 80s action, with plenty of gun-play. The actual story isn't a shining example of the form, but it's fun seeing Norris take on David Carradine. There's also a love interest (Barbara Carrera); the relationship is rushed and weak but it gives each of the two men something else to fight for.

3 on duty beers out of 5

Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance (1994)

aka Mirror Mirror II:  Raven Dance

Marlee and her younger brother are residents at an orphanage run by nuns. The old building also houses the titular mirror, stored in a cupboard, easily accessible, just waiting to be rediscovered!
MM2 has a trio of actors that I usually enjoy seeing at work, namely Roddy McDowall, Veronica Cartwright and William Sanderson, so I gave it a try. As expected, the three stars are entertaining. Also, young actress Tracy Wells was likeable and does an okay job, especially during the dance scenes.
The looking glass does very little other than sit in a corner and try to be menacing with its blue filter vision (why blue and not green?). When it does finally get its shit together and does something it's suitably cheesy.

2 chairs on strings out of 5

Mirror Mirror (1990)

Shy girl Megan takes a shine to a possessed, grabby-hands mirror.
Too often Mirror Mirror sits unimaginatively in the shadow of Carrie (1976), but when it does its own thing it fares slightly better.
The story doesn't call for a full-on spooky atmosphere a lot of the time, preferring instead to emphasise the outsider scenario.
Rainbow Harvest is well-cast as a goth chick who attracts the ire of high school bitches. Because of the costume and make-up her resemblance to Winona is even more apparent than usual, but that's not her fault.
I didn't even recognise Yvonne De Carlo until she spoke.

2½ reflective wants out of 5

BLADE RUNNER [1982]

Film noir usually consists of the cynical detective, the femme fatale, a vast array of deadly thugs, corrupt policemen, endless rain and in Philip K. Dick's Blade Runner, android owls.

On & off director Ridley Scott's brilliant adaptation of the gritty sci-fi noir novel is essential viewing for space nerds and film buffs alike.  Having been tinkered with several times over the past 30 years, Blade Runner is made nearly perfect in every way in The Final Cut.  Sure the characters are still a bit boring but the story, setting, atmosphere, sets and photography make up for it with flying colors.

It's a breathtaking and believable film that still holds up strongly till this day.

5 Eyes Of Providence of 5

Babylon 5: Thirdspace (1998)

An ancient, mysterious artefact is discovered by some of the B5 crew while on a mission. They capture it and and moor it outside the station. The scientists know just as well as the rest of us that mysterious alien artefacts are always trouble, but they want to open it anyhow, and consequences be damned.
It’s debatable about where Thirdspace fits into series continuity, but we’re given some clues. It's set in the middle of the year 2261, so it’s definitely after the end of the Shadow War but prior the problems the B5 crew would have with Earthforce while President Clark was in power. That means it's sometime during the first half of Season 4. The opening narration will contain spoilers if you watch it before having made it at least that far into Season 4.

3 bozo rays out of 5