True Grit: A Further Adventure (1978, directed by Richard T. Heffron)

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Jedadiah Leland

Warren Oates as the legendary, one-eyed old west lawman Rooster Cogburn?

That was the idea behind True Grit: A Further Adventure, a made-for-TV movie that was meant to serve as a pilot for a potential television series. The film is a direct sequel to 1969’s True Grit and it features Warren Oates stepping into the role of Rooster Cogburn, the character that John Wayne famously played in the original film and who Jeff Bridges later played in the 2010 remake. In A Further Adventure, Cogburn is once again hired to escort teenager Mattie Ross (Lisa Pelikan) across the country. Along the way, Rooster gambles away all their money, meets an attractive widow (Lee Meriwether), and gets a job in a mining town. With the help of Mattie, he also gets a job as a bounty hunter and the two of them go after a group of wanted outlaws. Mattie tries to reform Rooster and make him act like more of a traditional western hero while Rooster drinks and gambles and complains.

I am a huge Warren Oates fan but even I have to admit that he’s miscast of Rooster Cogburn. In both Charles Portis’s original novel and the two films that were adapted from it, Rooster was overweight and physically imposing, He wasn’t book-smart but he was wise in the ways of the frontier. Physically, Warren Oates is too slightly built and his trademark nervous energy feels out of place in the role of Rooster. Wayne and Bridges were both believable as men who would draw first and ask questions later but Oates was a natural-born talker. That’s one of the things that made him one of the best actors of the 70s but it doesn’t serve him well in the role of Rooster Cogburn.

On the plus side, Lisa Pelikan is a considerable improvement on Kim Darby in the role of Mattie, though she’s nowhere near as good as Hailee Steinfeld would later be in the 2010 film. Lee Meriwether and Warren Oates shares some good scenes together but the film’s made-for-TV origins makes Meriwether’s overall performance feel like a special guest star diversion. True Grit: A Further Adventure is a throw-back to the type of formulaic western television programs that were popular in the late 60s. It’s easy to see why the pilot didn’t get picked up. It was miscast and it was too late. If it had aired a few years earlier, it’s possible to imagine Oates and Pelikan traveling to a different town and getting involved in a different story on a weekly basis and perhaps the role would have been changed to better suit Oates’s style of acting. But, by 1978, television was heading in the direction of Hill Street Blues and the days of the western were over.

Unfortunately. Warren Oates would die just four years after this film aired, a tragically early passing that robbed the world of a unique actor who was in his prime. Though Oates may not have been right for Rooster Cogburn, he will always be remembered for films like Badlands, Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia, Stripes, Dillinger, and Two-Lane Blacktop. He was truly a one of a kind talent.

What If Lisa Marie Picked The Oscar Nominees: 2021 Edition

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

With the Oscar nominations due to be announced tomorrow, now is the time that the Shattered Lens indulges in a little something called, “What if Lisa Marie had all the power.” Listed below are my personal Oscar nominations. Please note that these are not the films that I necessarily think will be nominated. The fact of the matter is that the many of them will not be. Instead, these are the films that would be nominated if I was solely responsible for deciding the nominees this year. Winners are listed in bold.

I should also point out that, unlike the Academy (which is using a March to December, 2021 eligibility window), I am using a January to December 2021 eligibility window. So, you may see a few nominees below that were technically nominated for the 2020 Oscars, despite the fact that the films themselves were not really given a theatrical release until the the first few months of 2021. The Father is probably the most obvious example of this.

It should also go without saying that I’ve only nominated films that I’ve actually seen. So, if you’re wondering why a certain film wasn’t nominated, it’s always possible that may have not gotten the opportunity to see it yet. I have a feeling that The Souvenir Part II and Cyrano would have potentially shown up in the list of nominee below if either one of those films was currently available in my part of the world. Of course, it’s also possible that I didn’t feel that a certain film was worthy of a nomination, despite what the critics may see. In the end, my best advice is not to worry too much about it. I’m not an Academy voter so ultimately, this is all for fun and that’s the spirit in which it should be taken.

You’ll also note that I’ve added four categories, all of which I believe the Academy should adopt — Best Voice-Over Performance, Best Casting, Best Stunt Work, and Best Overall Use Of Music In A Film.

Click on the links to see my nominations for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010!)

And now, without further ado:

Best Picure
Belfast
CODA
The French Dispatch
The Last Duel
Licorice Pizza
Mass
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Shiva Baby

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza
Kenneth Branagh for Belfast
Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog
Joel Coen for The Tragedy of Macbeth
Fran Kanz for Mass
Emma Seligman for Shiva Baby

Best Actor
Nicolas Cage in Pig
Bradley Cooper in Nightmare Alley
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog
Anthony Hopins in The Father
Udo Kier in Swan Song
Denzel Washington in Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actress
Jodie Comer in The Last Duel
Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones in CODA
Frances McDormand in The Tragedy of Macbeth
Rachel Sennott in Shiva Baby
Tessa Thompson in Passing

Best Supporting Actor
Reed Birney in Mass
Bradley Cooper in Licorice Pizza
Jamie Dornan in Belfast
Jason Isaacs in Mass
Troy Kostur in CODA
Chaske Spencer in Wild Indian

Best Supporting Actress
Caririona Balfe in Belfast
Ann Dowd in Mass
Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog
Kathryn Hunter in The Tragedy of Macbeth
Ruth Negga in Passing
Martha Plimpton in Mass

Best Voice Over Performance
Olivia Colman in Ron Gone Wrong
Jack Dylan Grazer in Ron Gone Wrong
Micahel Imperioli in The Many Saints of Newark
Abbi Jacobson In The Mitchells vs The Machines
Danny McBride in The Mitchells vs The Machines
Sylvester Stallone in The Suicide Squad

Best Original Screenplay
Belfast
CODA
Licorice Pizza
Mass
Pig
Shiva Baby

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Father
The French Dispatch
The Last Duel
Nightmare Alley
Passing
The Power of the Dog

Best Animated Feature Film
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs The Machines
Ron Gone Wrong
Summit of the Gods

Best Documentary Feature Film
Final Account
Flee
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster
Summer of Soul
Val
The Velvet Underground

Best International Feature Film
Another Round
Dear Comrades!
Flee
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Prayers For The Stolen
Summit of the Gods

Best Original Score
Assault on VA-33
Belfast
The French Dispatch
The Green Knight
Reminiscence
Shiva Baby

Best Original Song

“So May We Start” from Annette
“Beyond the Shore” from CODA
“Surface Pressure” from Encanto
“On My Way” From The Mitchells vs The Machines
“Remain” from Old
“Fire In The Sky” from Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Gold Rings

Best Overall Use Of Music
Annette
CODA
Encanto
Licorice Pizza
Summer of Soul
Tick …. Tick …. Boom!

Best Sound Editing
Black Widow
Dune
Godzilla vs. Kong
A Quiet Place Part II
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Best Sound Mixing
Belfast
CODA
Dune
In The Heights
Tick …. Tick …. Boom!
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Best Production Design
Dune
The French Dispatch
The Last Duel
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Casting
Belfast
CODA
East of the Mountains
Licorice Pizza
The Power of the Dog
Shiva Baby

Best Cinematography
Belfast
The French Dispatch
Nightmare Alley
Passing
The Power of the Dog
Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Costume Design
Dune
The Green Knight
The Last Duel
Nightmare Alley
Passing
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Best Film Editing
Belfat
The Father
The Last Duel
Licorice Pizza
Tragedy of Macbeth
Shiva Baby

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
The French Dispatch
The Green Knight
Nightmare Alley
The Suicide Squad

Best Stuntwork
Assault on VA-33
Black Widow
Dune
The Harder They Fall
No Time To Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Best Visual Effects
A Quiet Place Part II
Annette
Dune
Godzilla vs. Kong
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

List of Nominees By Number of Nominations

10 Nominations — Belfast

9 Nominations — Licorice Pizza

8 Nominations — CODA, The Tragedy of Macbeth

7 Nominations — Dune, Mass, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, Shiva Baby

6 Nominations — The French Dispatch, The Last Duel

5 Nominations — Passing, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

4 Nominations — The Mitchells vs The Machines

3 Nominations — Annette, Encanto, The Father, Flee, The Green Knight, Ron’s Gone Wrong, Spider-Man: No Direction Home, The Suicide Squad

2 Nominations — A Quiet Place Part II, Assault on VA-33, Black Widow, Godzilla vs Kong, Pig, Summer of Soul, Summit of the Gods, tick….tick….BOOM!

1 Nomination — Another Round, Dear Comrades!, East of the Mountains, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Final Account, Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster, The Harder They Fall, In The Heights, Luca, The Many Saints of Newark, No Time To Die, Old, Prayers For The Stolen, Quo Vadis Aida?, Reminiscence, Swan Song, Val, The Velvet Underground, Wild Indian

List of Films By Number of Oscars Won:

3 Oscars — Licorice Pizza

2 Oscars — CODA, Dune, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog

1 Oscar — Belfast, Dear Comrades!, Encanto, The Father, The French Dispatch, The Green Knight, The Many Saints of Newark, Mass, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Shiva Baby, Summit of the Gods, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Val, Wild Indian

Artwork of the Day: Make Sure I Win (by Robert Maguire)

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Dazzling Erin

by Robert Maguire

There are several editions of this paperback, because I guess “those college beauty contests” never ceased to be shocking. The cover above is from the 1964 edition and was done by Robert Maguire.

Music Video of the Day: Time by Hans Zimmer (2017, dir by ????)

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This is a piece of music that I’ve had stuck in my head ever since the middle of January. What can I say? The more days pass, the more you think about Time. Whenever I hear this piece of music, I wonder if that top ever stopped spinning. I also wonder if this is real or if it’s all a dream. That’s the power of a great musical score. Much time has passed but I’m happy to say that there’s still much time to come.

This video was filmed at a performance in Prague.

Enjoy!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Review: 1/31/22 — 2/6/22

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I watched a lot of movies this week. I finally feel like I’m ready for the Oscar nominations to be announced on February 8th. Ideally, I would have had all this done before the first week of February but we don’t live in an ideal world and you know what? I’ve seen a lot of really good movies over the past two weeks. This has been a fun two weeks, even if I was very aware that I was quickly running out of time to see everything that I wanted to see.

Anyway, Oscar nominees on Tuesday! I can hardly wait! And then the Super Bowl on Sunday, which is usually one of our busiest days at the site as we try to keep up with the movie previews and all of the other commercials. I can’t wait!

Here’s what I watched and listened to this week:

Films I Watched:

Annette (2021)
Ator, The Fighting Eagle (1982)
Belfast (2021)
Bergman Island (2021)
Black Widow (2021)
Blind Fury (1990)
The Card Counter (2021)
CODA (2021)
Encanto (2021)
Eternals (2021)
Flee (2021)
The French Dispatch (2021)
In the Line of Duty: Siege at Marion (1992)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Luca (2021)
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Prayers For The Stolen (2021)
Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)
Rolling Like Thunder (2021)
Shangi-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
The Velvet Underground (2021)

Television Shows I Watched:

Allo Allo
The Amazing Race
The Bachelor
Bar Rescue
Celebrity Big Brother
The Love Boat
The Office
Open All Hours
Pam & Tommy
Parking Wars
The View
The Winter Olympics
WKRP In Cincinnati

Music To Which I Listened:

Bloc Party
Britney Spears
Charli XCX
Clint Mansell
Cream
Destroyer
Elisa
Hans Zimmer
Jefferson Airplane
Kylie Minogue
Lily Allen
Lynard Skyanrd
Muse
Phantogram
Saint Motel
Taylor Swift
Yazoo
Yvonne Elliman

Awards Season:

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for January

News From Last Week:

Links From Last Week:

Links From The Site:

Case reviewed the first episode of Reacher!
I reviewed Pam & Tommy and Blind Fury! I also shared a short film about bikes and my week in television. I shared 8 things that I’m looking forward to in February.
I shared music videos from Lily Allen, Muse, Elisa, Bloc Party, Charli XCX, Muse (again), and Destroyer!
Jeff reviewed Siege at Marion, Ride Lonesome, The Big Stampede, and Rescue from Gilligan’s Island! He also reviewed A Locked Room III.
Jeff paid tribute to John Ford and shared the histories of NFL SuperPro and the Second Pro Bowl.
Erin reviewed Boys’ Ranch and wished everyone a happy Groundhog Day!
Erin Shared Hot Dam, Last February, Day Into Night, Snowslide, Movie Humor, South Sea Stories, and Law and Order, Unlimited. She also profiled artist Carlo Jacona!

More From Us:

Ryan has a patreon! You should subcribe!
On her photography site, Erin shared: Collection, waiting, Invite, Lava Lamp, Winter Weather, Tunnel, and Blue Eyes!
For Big Brother Blog, I wrote about Celebrity Big Brother!
At Reality TV Chat Blog I reviewed the latest episode of the Amazing Race!
At my music site, I shared songs from: Jefferson Airplane, Kylie Minogue, Yazoo, Charli XCX, Cream, Lynard Skynard, and Yvonne Elliman!

Want to see what I did last week? Click here!

A Blast From The Past: I Like Bikes But…. (dir by Bob Deaton, Loren Dolezal, Dennis Hess, Ernest Johnson, Oscar Rojas, Robert Rose, and Trudy Travis)

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

How many directors does it take to put together a 13-minute film about bicycles?

Apparently, it takes seven! At least that’s the amount that received credit for 1978’s I Like Bikes But…. I guess some of them did the live action shots and some of them did the animation and maybe one of them was in the recording booth with the narrator but still, seven seems like a lot. But I guess it takes a lot of manpower to make people like cyclists.

Anyway, this film was meant to encourage people to not only ride bicycles but to also observe all of the safety rules that surround riding bikes in public. A bicycle named Ike is convinced that he can make you love overlook the slow-moving nuisance of the public cyclist if he just keep repeating, “I like bikes over and over again….” That may have worked for Eisenhower but he won a war so everyone already liked him. Whereas bicyclists are usually the people you dread getting stuck behind in traffic.

I have to admit that, after watching this short film, I found myself hating bikes even more than I did before. But I do appreciate Ike’s enthusiasm. He tried.

Great Moments In Television History #15: The Second NFL Pro Bowl is Broadcast

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Jedadiah Leland

On January 12th, 1952, NBC aired the Pro Bowl.

Though this was the first time that the Pro Bowl was aired on network television, it was actually the second Pro Bowl to be played. The 1951 Pro Bowl, which was not televised, was a legendary game featuring amazing plays by both the American Conference Team and the National Conference Team. The final score was 28 to 27, with the America Conference triumphant. That was the unaired Pro Bowl.

The second Pro Bowl, which went out to viewers all across America, was closer than the final score indicated. At the end of the first half, the American Conference led by a score of 13-10. After a scoreless Third Quarter, the National Conference came roaring back during the 4th Quarter. During the final quarter, the National Team scored 20 unanswered points and went on to win by a score of 13-30.

I haven’t been able to find out much about what specifically happened during the second Pro Bowl but the stats would seem to indicate that it was a good game! And it played out to a nationwide audience on January 12th, 1952.

As far as Pro Bowls go, it’s all been downhill from there.

Previous Great Moments In Television History:

Not So Great Moments In Comic Book History #19: NFL SuperPro Is Here!

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Jedadiah Leland

Behold, the one Marvel super hero who will never get his own movie or even a show on Disney Plus! Behold, NFL SuperPro!

He went from sacking quarterback to tackling crime! That tells you all you really need to know about NFL SuperPro. His real name was Phil Grayson. He dreamed of being a football star until he was sidelined by a knee injury. Working as a sports reporter, Phil one day interviewed an eccentric fan who revealed that he specialized in making special football uniforms that would turn the players into superheroes. At that very moment, a group of burglars broke into the fan’s home. They stole all of the fan’s memorabilia (and later set it all on fire) but, for some reason, ignored all of the super costumes on display. The fan ended up dead but Phil Grayson ended up with a uniform and, thanks to a chemical spill, super strength!

It may sound like a parody but it was actually a very real comic book and, due to guest appearances from both Spider-Man and Captain America, NFL SuperPro was very much a part of the Marvel universe. Marvel, back in the days when the company was always just a few months away from bankruptcy, partnered with the NFL to develop NFL SuperPro. The NFL wanted to reach news fans. Marvel needed money.

Fabian Nicieza, who wrote the first five issues of NFL SuperPro, said that he only worked on the book because the NFL agreed to give him free tickets to all the games. The NFL thought they would be getting some new fans. Marvel thought they’d be getting some NFL money. Instead, they both got years of ridicule that lasted far beyond the end of NFL SuperPro’s series.

NFL SuperPro ran for 12 issues, from 1991 all the way to 1992. He fought a collection of villains who were all related to football. His main enemy was a crime boss called Sanction and let’s just say that the Kingpin wasn’t losing any sleep over losing his status as Marvel’s main criminal mastermind. NFL SuperPro also faced off against a time traveling assassin named, you got it, Instant Replay! And then there was Quickkick, a villain who used to be a placekicker! In one issue, NFL SuperPro fought a gang of Hopi criminals and the reaction from representatives of the Hopi Tribe was so fiercely negative that the issue itself was recalled. That’s probably not what the NFL had in mind when it came to attracting new fans.

Along with that controversy, NFL SuperPro did not last because it wasn’t very good and an early 90s comic book reader was probably the least likely person to idolize someone who was essentially a jock. In fact, as a character, NFL Superpro has not appeared since 1992, which is a little amazing when you consider that Marvel still occasionally trots out U.S. Trucker for a guest appearance or two. It is tempting to think that Marvel is embarrassed by NFL SuperPro but his absence probably has more to do with NFL copyright issues. And the NFL definitely was embarrassed.

As much as Marvel has tried to memoryhole the character, NFL SuperPro has not been forgotten. He may never appear in a film but he will live on as long as collectors and fans debate who was the worst Marvel hero of all time.

Previous Great Moments In Comic Book History:

Game Review: Locked Door III: Crate Expectations (2022, Cody Gaisser)

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Jedadiah Leland

Once again, you are standing in a white room that is the most boring room in existence. There are two archways, one to the east and one to the west. There’s a man named Bob who you might remember from a previous game. And there’s a door to the north that’s locked.

Can you unlock the door? You’ll have to figure out how to get the key first!

This is the third Locked Door game. You’ve now got slightly more rooms to explore. And you’ve got a puzzle to solve. Unlike the first two Locked Door games, you now have to use your IF skills if you want to unlock that door. Luckily, it’s a very simple puzzle and your trophy awaits! I solved it in 27 turns and scored all 3 points.

Like the previous two games, Locked Door III works best as a parody of the locked room puzzles that every IF player has gotten frustrated with at some point. It’s amazing how there’s always something just lying around that the player can use to open whatever needs to be opened. Most houses don’t have crowbars, hammers, and and wooden planks in every room.

Next week: Locked Room 4! As long as I can keep figuring out how to unlock the doors, I’ll keep playing each installment.

Play Locked Room III.

Rescue From Gilligan’s Island (1978, directed by Leslie H. Martinson)

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Jedadiah Leland

I know that this is going to shock some people but Rescue From Gilligan’s Island is dumb. In fact, it is not just dumb. Instead, it is very, very, very dumb. It’s just about the dumbest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen.

The first TV movie sequel to the 60s television show about a group of castaways on an uncharted isle, Rescue From Gilligan’s Island picks up ten years after the final episode of Gilligan’s Island. The castaways are still living on the island and trying to figure out how to get back home. There’s the Skipper (Alan Hale, Jr.) and Gilligan (Bob Denver). There’s Mary Ann (Dawn Wells), the Howells (Jim Backus and Natalie Schaefer), and the Professor (Russell Johnson). Ginger is also there but there’s something different about her. Tina Louise refused to return to the role because she always said appearing on Gilligan’s Island ruined her career. Ginger is now played by Judith Baldwin, who looks glamorous but who also plays her role distressingly straight, as if she was the only person unaware that nothing about Gilligan’s Island should have been taken seriously.

After ten years of being stranded, the professor finally figures out how to get the castaways off the island! You’ll never believe the plan he comes up with. He decides that the castaways should build, get this … a raft! Ten years on the island and it never occurred to them to just make a raft? The castways do get some help from a tsunami, which pushes them out to the ocean. And then when Gilligan sets the raft on fire, they’re saved by the Coast Guard.

(How did they spend ten years on the island without killing Gilligan?)

Despite having been away from ten years, everyone settles back into their old routines but it’s not just the same. The Professor tries to teach but the students just want to hear about what it was like to be marooned on an island. Ginger returns to acting but is expected to now appear in PG-rated films! Mary Ann agrees to marry her old boyfriend, Herbert, despite not loving him. The Howells go right back to their old lives because the Howells are just as weird as on the mainland as they were on the island.

As for Gilligan and Skipper, they try to convince their insurance company to pay to fix the Minnow so that they can go back to giving three-hour tours but to do that, they have to convince all of the castaways to sign a form swearing that the Skipper was not liable for what happened during that last tour. (But, even if they could fix up the Minnow, why would anyone want to take a tour with the Skipper and Gilligan when the entire world probably knows that doing so mean risking having to spend ten years on a deserted island? There’s a reason why no one wanted to fly with George Kennedy after the fourth Airport movie.) So, Gilligan and the Skipper travel the country and visit old friends while being pursued by two Russian agents (Vincent Shiavelli and Art LeFleur) who want to steal a metal disc that Gilligan found on the island.

I told you it was dumb.

Dumb it may have been but it was also the highest rated show for the week that it aired. While this didn’t lead to a new series, it did lead to two more made-for-TV movies. In the first one, the castaways opened a resort. In the second one, they teamed up with a group of sports superstars and kept Martin Landau from exploiting the island’s natural resources. Dumb as this movie may be, it was necessary steps towards teaming the Skipper up with the Harlem Globetrotters.