Monthly Archives: December 2020

Music Video of the Day: Martin Scorsese by King Missile (1993, directed by George Seminara)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Before there was Film Twitter, there was this song by King Missile.

Are the song and the music video celebrating Scorsese or are they parodying his out-of-control fans?  It’s probably doing both.  This video was made in 1993, back when Scorsese was still best-known as a director of violent, profane gangster films.  While Scorsese is still known for those films, he has also directed movies like Kundun, The Aviator, Hugo, and Silence.  Of course, all of those movies came out after this song.  Instead, this video ends with a flash of The Age of Innocence, a hint that Scorsese was interested in more than just being defined as a director of kinetic mafia movies.

If this song was written today, its subject would probably be Tarantino instead of Scorsese.  Even though lead singer John S. Hall is supposed to be dressed up like a Scorsese gangster, he actually looks more like someone paying homage to the reservoir dogs.

When watching this video, be sure to keep an eye on the band in the background.

If I was Martin Scorsese, I probably would have gotten a restraining order after this song came out.

Enjoy!

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special F.W. Murnau Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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.

Today was celebrate the visionary director, F.W. Murnau!  Murnau was born 132 years ago today, in Germany.  He went on to become a leading expressionist and one of the most influential filmmakers of all time.  Needless to say, it’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Films

The Hunchback and the Dancer (1920, dir by F.W. Murnau)

Nosferatu (1922, dir by F.W. Murnau)

Faust (1926, dir by F.W. Murnau)

Sunrise: The Story of Two Humans (1927, dir by F.W. Murnau)

Four Color Apocalypse 2020 Year In Review : Top 10 Ongoing Series

Posted on by Ryan C. (fourcolorapocalypse)

Ryan C. (fourcolorapocalypse)'s avatarRyan C.'s Four Color Apocalypse

Rolling right along with our end-of-year surveys, we come to 2020’s Top 10 Ongoing Series. Qualifiers in this category are serialized comics that saw more than one issue or volume released in the past 12 months. Not sure any further explanation beyond that is necessary? And so —

10. Psychodrama Illustrated By Gilbert Hernandez (Fantagraphics) – Beto’s latest side-step limited series focuses on somewhat surreal interpretations of the lives of Fritz and her family, resulting in a heady mix of the topical, the trippy and, of course, the libidinal. Familiar faces, unfamiliar places.

9. The Immortal Hulk By Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, et al. (Marvel) – The best “Big Two” series in ages showed no signs of slowing down in 2020, as Ewing interjected political issues and plenty of plot twists into his “long game” storyline, while Bennett continued to wow with richly-illustrated action sequences and uniformly inventive…

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Music Video of the Day: Dead Arms & Dead Legs by Eliot Sumner (2015, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Eliot Sumner is the child of Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting.  Dead Arms & Dead Legs was the first single off of Sumner’s 2nd album, Information.  According to Sumner, the song was inspired by walking around Stonehenge and thinking about what it all meant.  I have been to Stonehenge and I can verify that, if you can actually get away from all the tourists, walking around the centuries-old monument will make you question your place in the universe.  It will also remind you to buy a new calendar.

Of course, if you know your British sci-fi, it might also make you think of the fate of Prof. Quatermass.

Enjoy!

 

Lisa’s Week In Review: 12/21/20 — 12/27/20

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Just a few more days to go and 2020 is over!

Films I Watched:

  1. A Christmas Story (1983)
  2. All the Right Moves (1983)
  3. The Burnt Orange Heresy (2020)
  4. Die Hard (1988)
  5. Die Hard 2 (1990)
  6. Driveways (2020)
  7. Elf (2003)
  8. I’ll Name The Murderer (1936)
  9. I’m Your Woman (2020)
  10. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
  11. Less Than Zero (1987)
  12. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
  13. Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs (2020)
  14. Silent Night Bloody Night (1972)

Television Shows I Watched:

  1. A Teacher
  2. The Andy Griffith Show
  3. The Bachelorette
  4. California Dreams
  5. Cheers
  6. Community’
  7. Court Cam
  8. Degrassi
  9. The Dick Van Dyke Show
  10. Frasier
  11. King of the Hill
  12. Happy Days
  13. The Love Boat
  14. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
  15. The Office
  16. Parks and Recreation
  17. The Ripper
  18. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
  19. Seinfeld
  20. Taxi
  21. Vengeance: Killer Lovers

Books I Read:

  1. Apropos of Nothing (2020) by Woody Allen
  2. Cinema 62 (2020) by Stephen Farber and Michael McClellan
  3. The Sister In Law (2020) by Sue Watson

Music To Which I Listened:

  1. Armin van Buuren
  2. Bob Dylan
  3. Chuck Berry
  4. Coldplay
  5. Cornershop
  6. Daft Punk
  7. Electric Feel
  8. Goo Goo Dolls
  9. Haim
  10. Katy Perry
  11. Kodaline
  12. The Pretty Reckless
  13. The Ramones
  14. Saint Motel
  15. Si Crastoun
  16. Skrillex
  17. Taylor Swift

TSL Year-End Lists:

  1. Top Ten Single Issues (Ryan C)

Live Tweets:

  1. Christmas Eve
  2. Christmas Day

Trailers:

  1. Desert Strike
  2. Coming 2 America
  3. WandaVision
  4. The Village in The Woods
  5. Land
  6. The Human Voice
  7. The Little Things

Award Season Links:

  1. Lisa’s Oscar Predictions for December
  2. The Chicago Film Critics Association
  3. Indiana Film Journalists
  4. Greater Western New York Film Critics Association
  5. Music City Film Critics Association
  6. Florida Film Critics Circle

More Links From The Site:

  1. Erin reviewed Overcomer and An Unlikely Weapon.  She shared scenes from A Christmas Story and A Charlie Brown Christmas.  She shared the Covers of Science Fiction Quarterly.  She also shared: Planet Stories, Unknown, Homicide at Yuletide, Christmas Eve, Merry Christmas, The Day After Christmas, and The City!
  2. Doc wished everyone a happy Christmas Eve and a merry Christmas!
  3. Jeff wished everyone a Happy Festivus.  He shared music videos from Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.  He wrote about both the Black Widow and the time Big Crosby met David Bowie.  He reviewed A Midnight Clear, Hickey & Boggs, Stroker Ace, Destroy All Humans, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales!
  4. Ryan reviewed Sludgy!
  5. I shared music videos from The Pretty Reckless, Armin van Buuren, Si Cranstoun, The Ramones, and the Goo Goo Dolls!
  6. I reviewed Maid in Manhattan, The Mystery of D.B. Cooper, The Rhythm Section, Driveways, Money Plane, My Psychedelic Love Story, Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, Valley Girl, Shooting Heroin, Olympic Dreams, Mighty Oak, Possessor, and Ava!
  7. I paid tribute to Humphrey Bogart and Michael Curtiz!
  8. I shared Treevenge, Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, and Santa Claus Conquers The Martians!  I also shared an AMV, 4 Shots From 4 Holiday Classics, and a scene from It’s A Wonderful Life!

More From Us:

  1. Ryan has a patreon!  Consider subscribing!
  2. On her photography site, Erin shared: Fog, Santa, The Grinch, Santa’s Here, Merry Christmas To All, Number 5, and Swans!
  3. At my music site, I shared songs from Kodaline, Bob Dylan, Katy Perry, Chuck Berry, Coldplay, Saint Motel, and Cornershop!

Want to check out last week?  Click here!

Die Hard (1988, directed by John McTiernan)