Daily Archives: August 3, 2025

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.13 “One Last Dance”

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 Sunday, I will be reviewing the Canadian series, Degrassi High, which aired on CBC and PBS from 1989 to 1991!  The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi

Degrassi High comes to a close.  Here’s the final time we’ll be hearing this theme song.

Episode 2.13 “One Last Dance”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on February 11th, 1991)

With the end of term approaching, the students of Degrassi High are shocked to hear that their school will be closing.  The next year, everyone will be split up and going to different schools.  Lucy may have just been elected president of the student council but she’s never going to take office.

It’s sad news but at least the students get one last dance.

Joey and Caitlin finally get back together as the series come to a close, dancing in Degrassi’s gym.  Upon hearing some students discussing the rumor that one of their classmates is HIV+, an angry Dwayne finally admits that it’s him.  His “friend” Nick (George Chaker) refuses to speak to him.  His other friend, Tabby (Michele Johnson-Murray), finally gets over her fear and shares a dance with him.  Snake dances with Michelle.  Wheels shows up to the dance and I’m going to assume that he’s no longer homeless.  Arthur — remember when this show was all about Arthur? — is spotted dancing with someone.  The camera pans over all of the students in the school’s gym, sharing some final moments as they prepare to end one chapter of their life and start another.  It’s a low-key but effective ending for the show.  It helps that the we’ve gotten to know the characters so well.  Degrassi High didn’t need to burn down the school to have an effective ending.  It just needed to get everyone together in the gym.

However, it was not the end of the franchise, not hardly.  A year after Degrassi High ended, School’s Out would air and our characters would be given temporary (and, in some cases, rather tragic) closure.  I’ll take a second look at School’s Out next Sunday. And then, a decade or so later, a new generation would become students at Toronto’s most famous learning center.  Degrassi: The Next Generation is coming soon!

Brad reviews AMERICAN OUTLAWS (2023)!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

AMERICAN OUTLAWS is a 2023 crime drama inspired by the true story of the Dougherty siblings, Dylan (Emory Cohen), Lee-Grace (India Eisley), and Ryan (Sam Strike). Starting in Florida, the film follows the three siblings, who, facing potential prison time, embark on a desperate cross-country crime spree in 2011. Dylan, the older brother, leads the trio, with Lee-Grace, a former stripper battling drug addiction, and Ryan, a soon-to-be father at risk of returning to prison for a parole violation. Their plan is to flee to Costa Rica for a fresh start, but their journey spirals into chaos after Dylan escalates a routine traffic stop by shooting at police, leading to a series of bank robberies and an eight-day manhunt. The film explores their loyalty and reckless pursuit of freedom, set against a backdrop of poverty, ultimately culminating with their capture, and collective jail sentences of 179 years in prison.

AMERICAN OUTLAWS, written and directed by Sean McEwen, is a mixed bag, but I definitely enjoyed watching it. It’s a low-budget, ambitious B-movie, but it’s also somewhat a victim of its budget. On the positive side, McEwen creates a gritty feel, particularly during the car chases, shootouts and various criminal acts. He also incorporates real news footage that adds authenticity and grounds the story in a specific date and time. The cast, led by India Eisley’s uninhibited portrayal of Lee-Grace, delivers committed performances, with Emory Cohen and Sam Strike capturing the siblings’ desperate bond. On the negative side, the low budget is also quite evident at times. You can’t help but wonder what McEwen could have done with more money to throw at the production. He’s clearly a talented filmmaker, and I’m looking forward to watching his future projects.

I did want to note that AMERICAN OUTLAWS is the final role of actor Treat Williams, who would pass away in a tragic accident on June 12th, 2023. The actor, who would have roles in classic films like Sidney Lumet’s PRINCE OF THE CITY (1981) and Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984), adds gravitas as Agent Jameison R. Donovan, though his screen time is limited. His five decade career doesn’t end on an extremely high note, but it’s still a joy to see him in a solid, authoritative role. 

Ultimately, AMERICAN OUTLAWS is a solid thriller that gets by on a committed cast and a true-crime story, but it isn’t able to fully capitalize on its premise due to budget limitations. It’s worth a watch for fans of gritty crime dramas. Just be sure to keep your expectations in check. 

Fire Alarm (1932, directed by Karl Brown)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

When their cat climbs to the top of a power pole, Pat (Noel Francis) and Gertie (Marjorie Beebe) call the entire fire department to come help them bring the kitty down.  The fire chief isn’t amused but two firemen, Charlie (Johnny Mack Brown) and Fishey (George Cooper), both catch the eye of Pat and Gertie.  Soon, Charlie is dating Pat and Fishey dating Gertie.  While Fishey and Gertie provide the comic relief, Charlie and Pat provide the drama.  Charlie thinks that Pat’s boss (Richard Tucker) is putting the moves on her and he responds by punching him.  Charlie and Pat break up but a fire that breaks out next door to Pat’s building brings them back together.

There’s not much to this programmer but it’s a chance to see western star Johnny Mack Brown in a “modern” role.  He’s convincingly tough as the headstrong Charlie while veteran actor George Cooper (who usually went uncredited in the 220 films that he appeared in) provides able support as his eccentric best friend.  Noel Francis and Marjorie Beebe are both likable as the two secretaries who end up with firefighter boyfriends and it’s had not to regret that neither had a bigger career in Hollywood.  As for the fire scenes, they are actually pretty effective for a 1930s film.  There are a few shaky shots but I imagine they were still good enough to thrill afternoon matinee audiences in 1932.

This film is often known as Flames, which provides a double meaning.  The characters fight flames while being flames themselves.  Personally, I think Fire Alarm is better.

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 3.20 “The Gas Man”

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 Sundays, I will be reviewing Homicide: Life On The Street, which aired from 1993 to 1999, on NBC!  It  can be viewed on Peacock.

This week, the third season of Homicide comes to an end.

Episode 3.2o “The Gas Man”

(Dir by Barry Levinson, originally aired on May 5th, 1995)

The third season of Homicide was coming to an end and NBC was dragging its heels as to whether or not it would renew the show.  Homicide was critically acclaimed but its ratings were low, despite the efforts to make the show more audience-friendly during the third season.  Producer Barry Levinson grew frustrated with NBC’s refusal to tell him whether or not the show would be renewed.  Feeling that show was probably over, Levinson and showrunner Tom Fontana decided to do something truly radical.  They crafted a series finale that sidelined most of the major characters.

Instead, The Gas Man focuses on Victor Helms (Bruno Kirby) and his best friend, Danny Newton (Richard Edson).  Helms has just gotten out of prison, where he served six years after a gas heater he installed malfunctioned and caused the death of one of his customers.  Helms blames Frank Pembleton for the loss of both his freedom and his family.  (After getting released, Helms tries to talk to his teenage son but is rejected.)  Helms and Newton follow Pembleton across Baltimore, watching as he goes to work and to a fertility clinic.  While Pembleton is investigating the murder of a fortune teller, Helms and Newton sneak onto the crime scene and find both the murder weapon and the fortune teller’s severed head.  Helms takes both of them home and sends pictures to the Baltimore Sun, trying to taunt Pembleton.  Both the Sun and Pembleton assume its a hoax.  Eventually, Helms makes his move and, even with a knife to Pembleton’s throat, he realizes that he doesn’t have it in him to commit a cold-blooded murder.  He starts to cry.  Pembleton arrests him.  Life goes on.

This was an interesting episode.  The first time I saw it, I was a bit annoyed that the focus was taken off the lead characters.  But the more I think about it, the more I appreciate what Levinson was going for.  With this episode, he shows us what happens after the investigation and the conviction.  Victor Helms is angry because he feels, perhaps with some justification, that he was unfairly charged and convicted.  He’s obsessed with Pembleton but it’s clear that Pembleton doesn’t even remember him.  For Pembleton, arresting Victor Helms was a part of his job, nothing more.  For Helms, it was the moment that his entire life collapsed.  Bruno Kirby and Richard Edson both gave good performances as Helms and Danny.  Kirby captured Helms’s obsession but he also gave us some glimpses of the man that Helms used to be.  As portrayed by Edson, Danny’s loyalty to his friend was actually kind of touching.

Of course, it turned out that this episode was not the series finale.  Homicide would return for a fourth season, without Daniel Baldwin or Ned Beatty.  We’ll start season four next week!

Song of the Day: Rip Her To Shreds by Blondie

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

She thinks she’s Brenda Starr/her nose job is real atomic….

I love this song.  It makes me regret that I was born to late to experience New York in the 70s.  “She’s do dull …. rip her to shreds,” is a favorite expression of mine, one that gets me strange looks from people who are not familiar with this song.

Oh well.  I can live with the looks!

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special 1990 Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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 pay tribute to the year 1990!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 1990 Films

Goodfellas (1990, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Michael Ballhaus)

Avalon (1990, directed by Barry Levinson, DP: Allen Daviau)

Dances With Wolves (1990, dir by Kevin Costner, DP: Dean Semler)

The Forbidden Dance Is Lambada (1990, dir by Greydon Clark, DP: R. Michael Stringer)

Scene That I Love: Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Martin Sheen.

In this scene from 1979’s Apocalypse Now, Sheen shows the intensity that not only nearly killed him when he suffered a heart attack during filming but which also served to make Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam epic a true classic.

 

Music Video Of The Day: Summer Girl by HAIM (2019, dir by Paul Thomas Anderson)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

What happened to summer this year?  Seriously, it’s just kind of flying by.  We’ve got August and then the first half of September and then it’s going to be Autumn again!  Get out there and enjoy yourselves while you still can!

Today’s music video of the day is all about summer.  It captures a few essential truths.  Number one, it’s fun to get undressed in public.  Number two, if you take off enough clothes while walking down the street, some dude with a saxophone will undoubtedly start following you.  What I like about this video is how everyone is both intrigued and annoyed by the saxophone player.  This is a video that just captures what it’s like to be young and have your entire future ahead of you.  It also captures the feeling of summer!

(On a personal note, the Haim sisters remind me of the Bowman sisters, except we’re four and they’re three.)

This video was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who apparently has directed a few films as well.  No, not the Resident Evil films.  That’s a different Paul Anderson, all together.

Enjoy!