Retro Television Review: The Love Boat 3.26 “Vicki’s First Love/The High Cost of Living/Accident Prone”


Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing the original Love Boat, which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986!  The series can be streamed on Paramount Plus!

The Love Boat promises something for everyone!

Episode 3.26 “Vicki’s First Love/The High Cost of Loving/Accident Prone”

(Dir by George Tyne, originally aired on April 5th, 1980)

It’s not easy growing up on a cruise ship.  That was one of the main takeaways that I took from this week’s episode of The Love Boat.  Vicki is really excited when singer Mark Redding (Rex Smith) boards the ship.  She has a huge crush on him and she even gets to give him a tour of the boat.

Of course, despite his teen idol status, Mark is an adult and famous and being pursued by almost every woman on the ship.  Vicki feels insecure compared to the other women who are pursuing Mark.  (Of course, those women are all in their 20s while Vicki is 12.)  Eventually, Captain Stubing has one of his fatherly conversations with her and Vicki realizes that she doesn’t have to grow up quickly.  It’s a simple storyline but it’s nicely performed by both Jill Whelan and Gavin MacLeod and, speaking as someone who wanted to be an adult when she was 12, I could relate to Vicki’s feelings.  I was also glad that Mark turned out to be not a sleazy rock star, even if he was a bit superficial.  The Love Boat is a place for romance, not debauchery.

As for the other two storylines, one featured Steve Kanaly as Mr. Massey, a wealthy man who is paying a former lover palimony.  At his lawyer’s insistence, he boards the boat with a series of contracts.  Before he get involved with any woman, he is supposed to get her to sign an agreement not to sue him for palimony.  Needless to say, this does not make Massey’s romantic life easy.  Finally, he decides to forget about the contract, just for his shipboard hook-up to present him with a contract of her own.  Apparently, everyone’s scared of getting sued!

Speaking of getting sued, Tom Barry (Alan Feinstein) boards the boat with a broken leg and is shocked to discover that the bad driver responsible for the accident that injured him is on the boat as well!  Karen (Britt Ekland) is a bit accident-prone but, despite the awkwardness of their first meeting, Tom and Karen fall in love.  Tom even agrees to not sue her.  Yay!  I love a happy ending.

This was an enjoyable episode of The Love Boat.  With the exception of Tom and Karen’ story, there really wasn’t much romance.  There was just Vicki feeling insecure but coming to realize that she was just fine the way she was and then there was Mr. Massey trying to balance getting laid with remaining legally safe.  But the Vicki storyline was sensitive and intelligent while the Mr. Massey storyline featured some nice comedic desperation from Steve Kanaly.  Even Alan Feinstein and Britt Ekland had a really likable chemistry.  All in all, this was a pleasant cruise.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special James Earl Jones Edition


4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More 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, we wish a happy birthday to the one and only James Earl Jones!

4 Shots From 4 James Earl Jones Films

Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964, dir by Stanley Kubrick, DP: Gilbert Taylor)

Conan The Barbarian (1982, dir by John Milius, DP: Duke Callaghan)

Gardens of Stone (1987, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Jordan Cronenweth)

Field of Dreams (1989, dir by Phil Alden Robinson, DP: John Lindley)

Scenes I Love: Al Capone Takes Care Of An Incompetent Employee In The Untouchables


Businessman and philanthropist Al Capone was born 125 years ago today.  A beloved figure in Chicago and a noted family man, Capone was an early victim of the IRS and he spent what should have been the best years of his life locked away in a federal prison.

Many films have been inspired by Capone’s story and many notable actors have played him.  In 1987’s The Untouchables, Robert De Niro brought Capone to life and, in a memorable scene, he showed how to deal with an employee who was not carrying his weight.

 

Music Video of the Day: Right Side of Wrong by Mick Mars (2023, directed by Norwood Cheek)


Today’s video is for the second single to be released from Mick Mars’s upcoming solo debut, The Other Side of MarsThe Other Side of Mars is scheduled to be released in February.

The video was directed by Norwood Cheek, who has also done music videos for Ben Folds Five, She & Him, The Connells, and Soul Coughing.

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Reviews: Baywatch Nights 1.10 “Kind of a Drag”


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 Baywatch Nights, an detective show that ran in Syndication from 1995 to 1997.  The entire show is currently streaming on Youtube!

Episode 1.10 “Kind of a Drag”

(Dir by Bernard L. Kowalski, originally aired on December 2nd, 1995)

Someone is putting on a dress and a rubber Richard Nixon mask and attacking drag performers!  After one performer is pulled out of the ocean (“It’s a wig!” a lifeguard shouts after pulling off the performer’s blonde hair), Mitch, Garner, and Ryan are hired to discover what’s going on.

They suspect that the attacker could be Duncan Valentine (Stuart Fratkin), the son of a former sitcom star who is trying to put together a movie about her life.  (His mother’s catchphrase was, “Wait until your father comes home!”)  Needless to say, someone is going to have to go undercover as a drag performer to catch the killer.  Which means that it’s time for Ryan to give Mitch a makeover!

Garner also goes undercover as Whoopi Goldberg but we don’t really get to see much of him in his red dress and wig.

While Mitch is performing a song, the assailant in the Richard Nixon mask shoots him!  No worries.  Mitch is wearing a bullet-proof vest.  What does worry me is that the assailant then heads to the dressing room but no one bothers to call the police or follow him down there.  Are they trying to catch this guy or not?  Instead, everyone gathers around Mitch to make sure that he’s okay.  Eventually, Ryan does say, “Call 911,” but I’m not sure why you would wait so long to do that when there’s a gun-toting maniac in the same building as you.

Anyway, it turns out that Duncan is innocent.  Instead, the assailant is revealed to be a drag performer who is upset that he wasn’t cast as Duncan’s mother in the biopic.

This episode was …. actually, considering that it’s from the 90s, it could have been worse.  Yes, a good deal of the show is taken up with scenes of David Hasselhoff struggling to walk in heels and revealing that no one has ever taught him the right way to sit down while wearing a short skirt.  (Ryan really should have given him some advice as far as that’s concerned.)  And yes, Mitch’s girlfriend did happen walk in on Mitch while he was wearing a dress.  (Fortunately, she’s thrilled to discover that Mitch is getting in touch with his feminine side.)  And yes, the villain did turn out to be a deranged drag performer who apparently believed that he actually was Duncan Valentine’s mother.  However, for the most part, the show did treat the other drag performers with respect and it didn’t attempt to play the attacks on them for laughs.  Mitch, Garner, and Ryan treat them like they would any other clients.  In 1995, that was probably the best anyone could expect.

Next week, the show undergoes the first of many format changes!

Oppenheimer Wins In Nashville!


Yesterday, the Music City Film Critics Association — that’s the Nashville group — has announced their picks for the best of 2023!  The winners are in bold.

Best Picture
American Fiction
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Color Purple
The Holdovers
The Iron Claw
The Zone of Interest

Best Director
Alexander Payne – The Holdovers
Celine Song – Past Lives
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actress
Emma Stone – Poor Things
Greta Lee – Past Lives
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Zac Efron – The Iron Claw

Best Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Penelope Cruz – Ferrari
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Best Supporting Actor
Charles Melton – May December
Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie

Best Young Actress
Abby Ryder Fortson – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Ariana Greenblatt – Barbie
Calah Lane – Wonka
Madeleine Yuna Voyles – The Creator
Mile Davis-Kent – Creed III

Best Young Actor
Christian Convery – Cocaine Bear
Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers
Joe Bird – Talk to Me
Jude Hill – A Haunting in Venice
Milo Machado Graner – Anatomy of a Fall

Best Acting Ensemble
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
The Color Purple
The Holdovers
The Iron Claw

Best Music Film
American Symphony
Barbie
Maestro
The Color Purple
Wonka

Best Animated Film
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Elemental
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
The Boy and the Heron

Best Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol
American Symphony
Beyond Utopia
Four Daughters
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Best International Film
Anatomy of a Fall
Godzilla Minus One
Society of the Snow
The Zone of Interest
When Evil Lurks

Best Screenplay
American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
The Holdovers

Best Original Song
“I’m Just Ken” Ryan Gosling – Barbie
“Live That Way Forever” Richard Reed Parry, Little Scream, Barr Brothers – The Iron Claw
“Peaches” Jack Black – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
“Road to Freedom” Lenny Kravitz – Rustin
“What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish – Barbie

Best Score
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Boy and the Heron

Best Sound
Ferrari
Maestro
Oppenheimer
The Killer
The Zone of Interest

Best Cinematography
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best Production Design
Asteroid City
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Editing
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Comedy Film
American Fiction
Barbie
Bottoms
The Holdovers
Poor Things

Best Horror Film
M3GAN
Scream VI
Talk to Me
Thanksgiving
When Evil Lurks

Best Action Film
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Best Stunt Work
Bottoms
Ferrari
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
The Iron Claw

The Jim Ridley Award
The Jim Ridley Award is named after the late, great Nashville Scene editor/writer where our critics group selects a film or individual that embodies the spirit of Nashville.
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Beau is Afraid
Menus-Plaisirs Les Proisgros
Poor Things
Slotherhouse
The Boy and the Heron

Here Are The 2023 Nominations of the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association!


The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association has announced its nominations for the best of 2023!  The winners will be announced on February 12th!

BEST PICTURE
“All of Us Strangers” (Searchlight Pictures) – Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin & Sarah Harvey
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.) – David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley & Robbie Brenner
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features) – Mark Johnson, Bill Block & David Hemingson
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films) – Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese & Daniel Lupi
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) – Emma Thomas, Charles Roven & Christopher Nolan
“Origin” (Neon) – Paul Garnes & Ava DuVernay
“Past Lives” (A24) – David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon & Pamela Koffler
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures) – Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos
Lanthimos & Emma Stone
“Radical” (Pantelion Films) – Benjamin Odell, Joshua Davis & Eugenio Derbez
“Society of the Snow” (Netflix) – Belén Atienza, Sandra Hermida & J. A. Bayona

BEST DIRECTOR
Lila Avilés, “Tótem”
Ava DuVernay, “Origin”
Greta Gerwig, “Barbie”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor Things”
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Celine Song, “Past Lives”

BEST ACTOR
Gael García Bernal, “Cassandro”
Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”
Eugenio Derbez, “Radical”
Colman Domingo, “Rustin”
Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers”

BEST ACTRESS
Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall”
Greta Lee, “Past Lives”
Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”
Laura Paredes, “Trenque Lauquen”
Emma Stone, “Poor Things”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Colman Domingo, “The Color Purple”
Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”
Charles Melton, “May December”
Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza, “Blue Beetle”
Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”
Penelope Cruz, “Ferrari”
America Ferrera, “Barbie”
Rachel McAdams, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”

VOICE OR MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE
Nicolas Cantu, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
Ariana DeBose, “Wish”
Oscar Isaac, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Shameik Moore, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Hailee Steinfeld, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Lauren Vélez, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

ANIMATED FEATURE
Pablo Berger, “Robot Dreams”
Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn, “Wish”
Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Hayao Miyazaki, “The Boy and the Heron”
Jeff Rowe, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
Peter Sohn, “Elemental”

INTERNATIONAL FILM
“Anatomy of a Fall” (France)
“Godzilla Minus One” (Japan)
“Radical” (Mexico)
“Society of the Snow” (Spain)
“Tótem” (Mexico)
“The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom)

DOCUMENTARY
Maite Alberdi, “The Eternal Memory”
Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Véréna Paravel, “De Humani Corporis Fabrica”
Mstyslav Chernov, “20 Days in Mariupol”
Madeleine Gavin, “Beyond Utopia”
Davis Guggenheim, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”
Matthew Heineman, “American Symphony”

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Samy Burch, “May December”
Laura Citarella & Laura Paredes, “Trenque Lauquen”
Emerald Fennell, “Saltburn”
David Hemingson, “The Holdovers”
Celine Song, “Past Lives”
Justine Triet & Arthur Harari, “Anatomy of a Fall”

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach, “Barbie”
Andrew Haigh, “All of Us Strangers”
Phil Lord, Christopher Miller & Dave Callaham, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Tony McNamara, “Poor Things”
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Eric Roth & Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

ENSEMBLE CAST
“Barbie”
“Blue Beetle”
“The Color Purple”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Oppenheimer”
“Poor Things”

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Suzie Davies & Charlotte Dirickx, “Saltburn”
Ruth De Jong & Claire Kaufman, “Oppenheimer”
Jack Fisk & Adam Willis, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer, “Barbie”
Marcela Gómez Montoya & Daniel Rincon, “The Kings of the World”
James Price, Shona Heath & Zsuzsa Mihalek, “Poor Things”

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Rodrigo Prieto, “Barbie”
Rodrigo Prieto, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Pedro Luque, “Society of the Snow”
Robbie Ryan, “Poor Things”
Linus Sandgren, “Saltburn”
Hoyte van Hoytema, “Oppenheimer”

COSTUME DESIGN
Sophie Canale, “Saltburn”
Jacqueline Durran, “Barbie”
Ellen Mirojnick, “Oppenheimer”
Julio Suárez, “Society of the Snow”
Holly Waddington, “Poor Things”
Jacqueline West, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

EDITING
Miguel de Zuviría & Alejo Moguillansky, “Trenque Lauquen”
Nick Houy, “Barbie”
Jennifer Lame, “Oppenheimer”
Yorgos Mavropsaridis, “Poor Things”
Thelma Schoonmaker, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Michelle Tesoro, “Maestro”

HAIR & MAKEUP
Luisa Abel, Jason Hamer, Jaime Leigh McIntosh & Ahou Mofid, “Oppenheimer”
Kazu Hiro, Stan Grigg, Kay Georgiou & Lori McCoy, “Maestro”
Ana López-Puigcerver, Belén López-Puigcerver, David Martí & Montse Ribé, “Society of the Snow”
Ivana Primorac, “Barbie”
Cassie Russek & Alexei Dmitriew, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier & John Weston, “Poor Things”

SOUND
Jorge Adrados, Oriol Tarragó & Marc Orts, “Society of the Snow”
Johnnie Burn & Tarn Willers, “The Zone of Interest”
Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo, Kevin O’Connell & Willie Burton, “Oppenheimer”
Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich & Dean Zupancic, “Maestro”
Tony Lamberti, Andy Nelson, Lee Orloff & Bernard Weiser, “Ferrari”
Nina Rice, Ai-Ling Lee, Dan Kenyon & Kevin O’Connell, “Barbie”

VISUAL EFFECTS
Félix Bergés & Laura Pedro, “Society of the Snow”
Simon Hughes, “Poor Things”
Andrew Jackson, Giacomo Mineo, Scott Fisher & Dave Drzewiecki, “Oppenheimer”
Michael Lasker, Alan Hawkins, Bret St. Clair & Pav Grochola, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland & Neil Corbould, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
TBA, “Godzilla Minus One”

STUNTS
“Ferrari”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
“The Iron Claw”
“John Wick: Chapter 4”
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
“Napoleon”

SCORE
Jerskin Fendrix, “Poor Things”
Michael Giacchino, “Society of the Snow”
Ludwig Göransson, “Oppenheimer”
Robbie Robertson, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, “Barbie”
Marcelo Zarvos, “May December”

SONG
“Dance the Night” written by Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa & Caroline Ailin; performed by Dua Lipa, “Barbie”
“The Fire Inside” written by Diane Warren; performed by Becky G, “Flamin’ Hot”
“I’m Just Ken” written by Mark Ronson & Andrew Wytt; performed by Ryan Gosling (featuring Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen), “Barbie”
“Road to Freedom” written and performed by Lenny Kravitz, “Rustin”
“This Wish” written by Julia Michaels & Benjamin Ric; performed by Ariana
DeBose, “Wish”
“What Was I Made For?” written by Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell; performed by Billie Eilish, “Barbie”

Here Are The 2023 Nominations of the Visual Effects Society


Here are the 2023 nominations of the Visual Effects Society!  The winners will be announced on February 21st.

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
“Oppenheimer”
“The Creator”

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“John Wick: Chapter 4”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Napoleon”
“Nyad”
“Society of the Snow”

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”
“Elemental”
“Nimona”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
“Ahsoka”; Season 1; Dreams and Madness
“Loki”; Season 2; Glorious Purpose
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”
“The Last of Us”; Season 1; Infected
“The Mandalorian”; Season 3; The Return

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
“A Murder at The End of the World”; Season 1; Crypt
“Citadel”; Season 1; Secrets in Night Need Early Rains
“Ted Lasso”; Season 3; Mom City
“The Crown”; Season 6; Dis-Moi Oui
“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”; Season 2; Beat LA

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT
Alan Wake 2
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Immortals of Aveum
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Mortal Kombat 1

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL
Accenture; Changing Tree
Apple; Air Pods Pro; Quiet The Noise
Coca-Cola; Masterpiece
Jean Paul Gaultier; Divine Perfume
Virgin Media; Goat Glider

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT
Hypersphere 360; SeaWorld Abu Dhabi
Postcard From Earth
Rembrandt Immersive Artwork
“The Marvels:” Goose the Flerken Cat
“Zootopia: Hot Pursuit”

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”; Topo the Octopus
“Godzilla Minus One”; Godzilla
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”; Rocket
“Wonka”; Oompa Loompa

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
“Elemental”; Ember
“Elemental”; Wade
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”; Spot
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”; Superfly

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Diablo IV; Inarius and Lilith Cinematic; Lilith
“Shadow and Bone”; Season 2; No Funerals; Nichevo’ya the Shadow Monster
“The Last of Us”; Endure & Survive; Bloater
“The Nevers”; It’s a Good Day; Robot Dog
Virgin Media; Goat Glider; The Goat

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”; Knowhere
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”; Underwater Wreck Environment
“John Wick: Chapter 4”; Place de L’Étoile
“The Creator”; Floating Village

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”; Chicken Island
“Elemental”; Element City
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”; Mumbattan City
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”; Midtown Manhattan

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
“Loki”; Season 2: 1983; World’s Fair White City
“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”; The Broken Circle
“The Last of Us”; Look for the Light; Salt Lake City
“The Last of Us:” Post-Outbreak Boston

OUTSTANDING VIRTUAL CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A CG PROJECT
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
“Migration”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“The Creator”

OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”; The Arête
“Peter Pan & Wendy”; Jolly Roger
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”; Spider HQ
“The Creator”; Nomad

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“Napoleon”
“Nyad”; Stormy Waters
“The Creator”
“The Nun 2”

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
“Elemental”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
“Citadel”; Secrets in Night Need Early Rains; Ocean Water
“Invasion”; Season 2; A Voice from the Other Side
“Loki”; Season 2; Science/Fiction; Spaghettification
“The Mandalorian”; Season 3; Lake Monster Attack Water
“Willow”; Children of the Wyrm; Crone Duststorm and Magical Effects

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
“John Wick: Chapter 4”; Apartment Massacre Videogame Style
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“The Creator”; Bar
“The Creator”; Spaceships

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
“The Last of Us”; Endure and Survive; Infected Horde Battle
“The Last of Us”; Infected; Boston
“The Mandalorian”; Season 3; The Return
“Willow”; Children of the Wyrm

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL
Accenture; Changing Tree
Coca-Cola; Masterpiece
Smirnoff; Cocktail
Starfield

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT
“I’m a Virgo”
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
“Oppenheimer”
“Society of the Snow”

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
“Blue Beetle”; Machine Learning Cloth
“Elemental”; Volumetric Neural Style Transfer
“The Flash;” Volumetric Capture
“Wish”; Dynamic Screen Space Textures for Coherent Stylization

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT
Au 8ème Jour
L’Animal Sauce Ail
Loup y es-tu?
Silhouette

Retro Television Reviews: Fantasy Island 4.9 “Sanctuary/My Late Lover”


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 the original Fantasy Island, which ran on ABC from 1977 to 1986.  Almost the entire show is currently streaming is on Youtube, Daily Motion, and a few other sites.

Smiles, everyone, smiles!

Episode 4.9 “Sanctuary/My Late Lover”

(Dir by Leslie H. Martinson, originally aired on January 3rd, 1981)

This week brings us two fantasies, neither one of which quite works.

Thomas Henshaw (Bobby Sherman) is a man who does not initially appear to be too happy to be on Fantasy Island.  That’s because someone has poisoned him and he only has a day or two to live.  His fantasy is to go the Sanctuary, an exclusive resort for killers, and track down his assassin.  Henshaw has got one clue, a strand of hair that he found on his clothing.  All has to do is find someone who has the same hair.  This would make perfect sense in a world where only one person had light brown hair.  It make less sense in the real world or, for that matter, even on Fantasy Island.

Mr. Roarke gives Thomas Henshaw a serum that will prolong his life for a few days.  Henshaw goes to the Sanctuary, where he immediately finds himself being menaced by Sid Haig!  Sid plays the bad guy’s henchman.  There’s a scene where Thomas attempts to grab a strand of Sid’s hair and instead pulls off his wig.  Sid does not look particularly amused by the whole thing.

Thomas meets and falls for Tessa (Morgan Brittany), who is basically owned by one of the assassins.  Thomas changes his fantasy, telling Mr. Roarke that he just wants Tessa to be free, even if that means that he loses his chance to track down the killer.  Mr. Roarke agrees to the change but no worries.  Thomas still manages to track down his assassin and learn the name of the poison.  (He also snatches a strand of hair off of the bad guy’s head and declares, “It’s the same!”  DNA testing used to be so simple!)  Mr. Roarke and the Fantasy Island cops show up and arrest the killer and also provide an antidote to Thomas.  Thomas lives and leaves the Island with Tessa.

The main problem with this fantasy is that Bobby Sherman was extremely miscast, giving a performance that was so mild that you never once believed he could be at the center of a murder-for-hire scheme.  Michael Cole, who plays one of the assassins, perhaps would have been believable as Thomas Henshaw.  For that matter, if the show’s producers and writers had really been willing to think outside the box, it would have been interesting to see Sid Haig play a sympathetic role on Fantasy Island.  But Bobby Sherman is just too bland for this type of story.

The other fantasy is also, sad to say, a bit bland.  Anastasia Decker (Eva Gabor) is a wealthy widow who is trying to choose between three suitors.  Complicating matters is the ghost of Anastasia’s husband, the charming Dex (Gene Barry).  Dex keeps popping up and pointing out all of the flaws in the men who want to replace him.  Anastasia cannot emotionally move on.  Finally, Anastasia decides she wants to be with Dex so she tries to drive her car over a cliff!  Luckily, Ghost Dex is able to magically stop the car in mid-air and return it to the road.  Anastasia realizes that, of her suitors, nerdy-but-nice Walter (Craig Stevens) is the one who truly loves her and that’s who she leaves the Island with.  Dex returns to the afterlife, happy in the knowledge that Anastasia will be able to move on.

I like it when Fantasy Island deals with the supernatural but this particular fantasy was so bland that not even a tap-dancing ghost could liven things up.  Eva Gabor tried her best but this fantasy was the type of story that the show had already done several times in the past.  Despite effective performances from Gabor, Barry, and Stevens, it was just a bit too familiar to be effective.

Well, this was a disappointing trip to the Island.  Hopefully, the plane will bring something more interesting next week!