Music Video of the Day: Los Angeles by Frank Black (1993, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

“I think I finally figured out my new song, ‘Los Angeles’, this morning. They got one in South Patagonia, they got another Los Angeles in Mexico, they got so many Los Angeleses. Bangkok has a Los Angeles, I read recently. I imagine there’s a lot of places in the world named City Of Angels. I wrote about a futuristic one too: ‘They got one in 2525, where it’s just like a beehive.’ I mean that kind of Los Angeles you might see in a film like Blade Runner.”

— Frank Black in VOX, Issue 30, March 1993

In 1993, after the Pixies broke up for the first time, lead singer Black Francis renamed himself Frank Black and embarked on a solo career.  Los Angeles was the first single to be released off of Black’s first solo album, Frank Black. According to Black, the song was meant to take place in a futuristic version of Los Angeles, much like the one seen in Blade Runner.  The first time I ever heard the song, I misheard nearly every lyric and I thought it was about a man who Black met, a good man who worked as an insurance agent.  (For some reason, my mind always heard “sailing and shoring” as “selling insurance.”)

The video makes it clear that Los Angeles is meant to take place in some sort of future, with Black riding a hovercraft through the desert and looking like an extra from a Mad Max movie.  I’m not sure who directed this video.  Some sources hint that the video was directed by Black himself but I haven’t been able to find any definite confirmation.

After releasing two solo albums, Black went on to front Frank Black and The Catholics before reuniting with the Pixies and eventually changing his name back to Black Francis.

Black Francis’s real name?  Charles Thompson IV.

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Pacific Blue 4.18 “Thicker Than Water”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Pacific Blue, a cop show that aired from 1996 to 2000 on the USA Network!  It’s currently streaming everywhere, though I’m watching it on Tubi.

This week, the Pumpkin Man strikes!  It’s even dumber than it sounds.

Episode 4.18 “Thicker Than Water”

(Dir by Scott Lautanen, originally aired on March 21st, 1999)

A mob lawyer and his wife have been murdered, and for some reason the bicycle patrol is investigating the case instead of Homicide. When it becomes apparent that the lawyer’s son, Andy Jr. (Scotty Cox), has disappeared, Cory makes it her mission to track him down. This is yet another episode where Cory is willing to do whatever it takes to solve the case. Of course, in Cory’s case, that usually means walking around and glaring at people.

Cory discovers that Andy Jr. is with his real mother, a stripper named Angela (Angela Marsden). Angela was the dead lawyer’s mistress. When Cory tracks down Angela, she learns that Andy doesn’t know his father is dead, but he does know that “the Pumpkin Man” came to the house. Meanwhile, the FBI sends over an agent who is big and bald… JUST LIKE THE LEAD SINGER OF SMASHING PUMPKINS!

You may think that I’m making this up, but no, it’s very, very true. Andy calls the killer the Pumpkin Man because he thinks the killer looks like Billy Corgan. When he sees the FBI agent, Andy shouts, “The Pumpkin Man! SMASHING PUMPKINS!”

Because Cory is currently in hiding with Angela, the bicycle patrol decides to go undercover. Monica gets a job dancing at the strip club. Well, of course she does. Whenever T.C. says that someone is going undercover, that means Monica is going to be looking for clues while undressed. One of the more annoying things about this season is that Monica always does a good job while she’s undercover, but no one ever gives her any credit for it. Instead, the other members of the bike patrol just roll their eyes and give an exasperated sigh whenever Monica says something. If they have a problem with Monica constantly flirting with all of the bad guys, they might want to talk to T.C., since he’s the one who keeps assigning her to do it.

This episode was dumb even by Pacific Blue standards. I already mentioned that it makes no sense for a bunch of uniformed bicycle cops to be investigating a high-profile murder. It also doesn’t really make any sense for a bike cop to go undercover at a strip club. I mean, isn’t that what Vice is for? There’s also a moment where T.C. tells off the FBI for trying to interfere with the investigation. I think the FBI ranks higher than the bike patrol. Finally, the kid playing young Andy was an absolutely lousy actor, and that crooked FBI agent may have been bald, but he still didn’t look that much like Billy Corgan.

Someday I’m going to run out of Pacific Blue episodes to review. It can’t come soon enough.

Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell: The New Class 2.17 “Wanna Bet?”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Saved By The Bell: The New Class, which ran on NBC from 1993 to 2o00.  The show is currently on Prime.

This week, we’re back at the ranch.

Episode 2.17 “Wanna Bet?”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on November 5th, 1994)

Uncle Lester and Cousin Clint are out-of-town for some reason and Screech has been left in charge of the dude ranch.

This is already the stupidest episode of Saved By The Bell: The New Class yet.

It’s up to Screech to set up the end-of-the-week square dance but when he gets to be too bossy, Mr. Belding refuses to work with him.  Screech tells Lindsay to tell Belding that he’s no longer speaking to him.  Lucky Mr. Belding.

Less lucky are the members of the Gang, who are hustled by two con artists and lose all of their summer earnings in a crooked poker game.  Megan has a crush on one of the con artists but she changes her mind when he refuses to give back the money.  Luckily, the sheriff is looking for the con artists so all Screech and Belding have to do is keep them from leaving the ranch, which they do by challenging the con artists to a poker game.  Screech is such a bad poker player that the sheriff arrives before the first hand has even been successful dealt.

Belding hopes that the Gang has learned an important lesson about gambling.  Tommy D swears that he’s never going to gamble again.

“You can bet on it!” Bobby says.

I think I lost brain cells watching this crap.

A Scene That I Love: The First Meeting Of The Enterprise and the Reliant in Stark Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The first meeting between the Enterprise and the Reliant is one of my favorite moments in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, from the first phaser attack to Khan thinking that he has the upper hand to Kirk lowering Khan’s shields.  This scene goes from action to comedy (with Kirk delaying by putting on his glasses) to tragedy when Scott shows up with the body of his nephew.

This scene is one of Star Trek’s best space battles and it establishes Khan as being a worthy adversary.  For once, the danger is real.

4 Shots From 4 Star Treks

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

59 years ago, Star Trek had its American television premiere.  (It had premiered a few days earlier in Canada.)  Today, we celebrate Star Trek Day!

4 Shots From 4 Star Treks

Star Trek — “When No Man Who Has Gone Before” (1966, directed by James Goldstone)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979, directed by Robert Wise)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982, directed by Nicholas Meyer)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986, directed by Leonard Nimoy)

Music Video of the Day: King Nothing by Metallica (1997, directed by Matt Mahurin)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The music video for King Nothing was shot in Park City, Utah in December of 1996.  It was directed by photographer Matt Mahurin.  Mahurin directed his first music video in 1986 and he’s been churning them out ever since.  Among the artists that Mahurin has worked with: Disturbed, Goo Goo Dolls, Marilyn Manson, Tom Waits, Alice in Chains, Queensryche, R.E.M., Tracy Chapman, and U2.

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Review: CHiPs 6.7 “This Year’s Riot”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Mondays, I will be reviewing CHiPs, which ran on NBC from 1977 to 1983.  The entire show is currently streaming on Prime!

This week, it’s Balboa Day!

Episode 6.7 “This Year’s Riot”

(Dir by Richard A. Colla, originally aired on November 28th, 1982)

It’s Balboa Day weekend, and that means the beach is going to be full of drama and bikinis.  (Full disclosure: Before this episode, I had never heard of Balboa Day before.  I guess it’s a California thing.) Ponch and Bobby are assigned to keep an eye on things on a small island off the California coast. When an irate homeowner pulls a shotgun on teenagers who keep trespassing on his property, it’s up to Ponch and Bobby to talk him down before someone gets hurt. When a wealthy woman (Julie Newmar) tries to establish a nude beach, it’s up to the Highway Patrol to tell everyone to put some clothes on.

Meanwhile, Doc (Gary Morgan) is selling drugs on the beach and causing trouble. He even sells some to Grossman’s socially awkward nephew, Russell (Robbie Rist). Luckily, Ponch is there to chase Doc down. When Doc makes it onto a barge, he thinks he’s escaped. He grins and mockingly waves goodbye. Ponch rides his motorcycle off the dock, glides through the air, and lands on the barge.

“And he calls me a hot dog!” Bobby says, watching.

And really, that’s all Bobby can do. It’s certainly not as if Bobby or any other member of the Highway Patrol would have been allowed to take down the episode’s main villain. That’s not how things work when Ponch is around. When Larry Wilcox said that he was tired of the producers always favoring Erik Estrada and left after season 5, the producers could have taken that as a sign that the show didn’t always have to be exclusively the Ponch Show. Instead, they appear to have learned the opposite lesson. During the sixth and final season, the series is more about Ponch than ever. Of course, in the role of Bobby, Tom Reilly isn’t exactly the most convincing cop in the world. He comes across as a bit spacey, like a California beach bum who somehow got through the Police Academy. Larry Wilcox was always believable as a cop. When it came to riding a motorcycle and looking manly while writing tickets, Wilcox could easily keep up with Estrada. Reilly, on the other hand, always seems like he’d rather be surfing.

Ponch gets the bad guy in this one and makes the beach safe for people of all ages. Seriously, is there anything Ponch can’t do? As for the episode itself, it was bland but likable, largely because of the beach scenery. Robbie Rist is best remembered for playing Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch. He’s even more annoying as Russell here. Not only is he rude to his uncle, he’s also dumb enough to take drugs before trying to go sailing. What a dummy. It’s a good thing this is the Ponch Show and Ponch can do no wrong. Otherwise, Russell would have been in a lot of trouble.

Next week, Ponch falls in love.

I Watched Raygun: Breaking Badly (2026, Dir. by Chapman Way and Maclain Way)

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

In 2024, Rachael Gunn (a.k.a. Raygun) became a celebrity when she represented Australia in Olympic breakdancing.

It wasn’t the good kind of celebrity, though. Instead, she became famous for being ridiculed. She competed in three different battles before getting eliminated, and not a single judge voted her the winner in any of them. In her final Olympic performance, she pretended to be a kangaroo and then a sprinkler. She became an instant internet meme. At first, it was just people laughing. Then, as always happens online, things got worse. She was accused of cheating her way to the Olympics and of having privilege.

Breaking Badly, a new documentary on Netflix, is all about Raygun. It features interviews with her and her husband. They try to explain the logic behind Raygun’s performance and how she was trying to honor Australia. Raygun’s husband comes across as the sweetest guy, and it’s touching to see how much he still believes in both her and her talent. Raygun says she’s made peace with her fame and that she loves that people are still imitating her moves. A few people talk about how bad the performance was, but they all agree she was treated horribly online.

Back in 2024, I felt sorry for her when everyone was making fun of her. The documentary showed some of the worst of what people said about her, and I felt sorry for her all over again. At the same time, she knew the whole world was watching when she went out there and pretended to be a kangaroo. Raygun acts as if she had no idea that social media could be cruel. The documentary doesn’t address the real reason why Raygun started trending on Twitter. It wasn’t that she did the kangaroo and the sprinkler. It was because she was just a really, really bad breakdancer. She was outclassed by the competition, and she clearly didn’t belong among the best breakdancers in the world. The documentary acts as if Raygun was just made fun of because her routine was strange. She could have gotten away with being strange if she wasn’t so stiff and awkward in her movements.

I’m glad the documentary cleared up a few things. Raygun was legitimately picked for the Olympics. (Australia didn’t have many options to choose from when it came to breaking.) Her husband did not rig the selection process, no matter what everyone on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter claimed. She did her best, and her best just wasn’t very good.

I had totally forgotten about Raygun’s performance until I watched this documentary. I think almost everyone else had forgotten about it too. The documentary ends with a bunch of people talking about how inspiring Raygun is. I don’t know if I believe all that, but I’m glad she seems to be in a better place.