Monthly Archives: April 2026

Gentlemen With Guns (1946, directed by Sam Newfield)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

In the old west, Billy Carson (Buster Crabbe) gets a letter from his old friend, Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John).  Fuzzy writes that he’s in “a little trouble” and requests that Billy “mosey on over” if he has time.  When Billy shows up at Fuzzy’s ranch, Fuzzy explains that Jim McAllister (Steve Derrell) wants his land and his water rights.  McAllister not only his own gang but he’s got the sheriff in his pocket as well.  When two of McAllister’s men show up at the ranch to try to force Fuzzy out, Billy is there to throw a punch in the defense of his good friend.

Billy is surprised to learn that Fuzzy is getting married to a woman that he’s never met for.  Fuzzy gotten to know Matilda Boggs (Patricia Knox) only through the letters that they’ve exchanged as members of a lonely hearts club.  By the time Matilda arrives in town, McAllister has already arranged for Fuzzy to be framed for murder and arrested.  Fuzzy is sitting in jail, hoping that Billy can clear his name.  Matilda is only after Fuzzy’s money and if they get married and Fuzzy gets hanged for murder or shot after breaking out jail to see her, that’ll just make it easier for her to get all of it.  Billy can see through Matilda’s schemes but Fuzzy is blinded by love.

This was an interesting and engaging B-western.  It had all the usual fist fights and horse chases that you expect to find in these films but there was also some unexpected emotional depth.  Usually, Fuzzy was the just comedic sidekick in these movies.  In this one, he’s not only facing the hangman’s noose but he’s also looking for love.  Life gets lonely on the frontier.  Buster Crabbe is his usual dependable and likable self.  Buster always looked convincing throwing a punch and both he and Fuzzy get to throw a lot of them here.

For many, B-westerns like this will always be an acquired taste but, for fans of the genre, Gentlemen With Guns is a superior example.

 

Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell: The New Class 1.12 “Tommy A”

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.

It’s midterms!

Episode 1.12 “Tommy A”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on November 27th,1993)

Tommy D has got his driver’s license!

Everyone’s excited because Tommy’s father has promised to buy him a car and that means Tommy will be able to drive them everywhere.  Keep in mind, no one is excited for Tommy.  Instead, they’re just excited that they’re going to get a chauffeur who is too dumb to realize that he’s being taken advantage of.  Consider this your reminder that the first season of Saved By The Bell: The New Class featured some of the least likable character to ever appear on a dopey teenage sitcom.

Uh-oh, Tommy’s father is concerned about Tommy’s terrible grades.  He informs Tommy (and, for some reason, Mr. Belding) that, unless Tommy gets at least one A on his midterms, he won’t get his car.

The gang tries to come up with a class that Tommy could do well in.  This is kind of dumb as it’s already been established that Tommy is an amazing mechanic and that he takes autoshop.  He’s also a jock and therefore, he should do well in his physical education class.  The gang, however, decides to get Tommy an A in his science class.  Because the teacher grades on a curve, the gang tells the nerds in the class that they have the answers to the midterm and that they’ll signal which answer is correct by coughing.  By giving the nerds the wrong answers, they’ll help Tommy get an A….

So, to be clear here …. I mean, what the Hell?  Seriously, who comes up with a plan like this?  Wouldn’t the teacher notice that there are a lot of extra students in the class on the day of the midterm and that they’re all coughing in unison?  As well, it’s one thing to try to help Tommy pass.  It’s another thing to try to make a bunch of other students fail.  Not even Zack Morris would have gone that far.  (As I’ve mentioned before, the first season of Saved By The Bell: The New Class has been oddly mean-spirited.)

It doesn’t matter, though.  Tommy still flunks his science midterm.  Now, he only has one chance left to get an A and it’s in …. ENGLISH!

Oh my God, how difficult is the English midterm going to be?  Apparently, the entire grade will be determined by each student standing in front of the class and giving a one minute speech.  What?  What type of class is this?

Luckily, Scott and Weasel have a scheme.  Weasel dresses up like a janitor and he convinces Mr. Snavely, the strict English teacher, that it would be dangerous to enter his classroom.  Mr. Belding steps in to give and grade the English midterm.  Scott figures that Belding will go easy on Tommy and Scott is right.  Tommy speaks for less than a minute and basically says that everyone should just be themselves.  Belding gives the speech an A.  TOMMY’S GETTING A CAR!

And Megan realizes that she doesn’t have to play dumb to get boys to like her.  That was the episode’s B-plot.  It was pretty dumb and required Megan to behave in a way that was totally out-of-character.

Anyway, Tommy D is now Tommy A.  He thanks his friends for helping him.  Hey, Tommy, they just want a ride!

Next week, the first season ends!

 

Song of the Day: Maria, performed by the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Texas Flag, by Erin Nicole

Since today is San Jacinto Day, it seems appropriate that today’s song of the day should come from Texas!

Here is the University of North Texas’s One O’Clock Lab band performing Maria at the Addison Jazz Festival.

AMV of the Day: Legion of Monsters (Gēto: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri)

Posted on by Arleigh

The “Legion of Monsters” AMV by KamikadzeAMVs absolutely rips, fusing Disturbed’s pounding, battle-ready sound with Gate’s modern-vs-fantasy spectacle. From the jump, the track’s aggressive rhythm locks perfectly with the visuals—gunships roaring overhead, tanks rolling through medieval battle lines, and dragons getting met with missile fire. The editing rides the music’s intensity, slamming into every beat drop and chorus so that each explosion and charge feels bigger, louder, and almost mythic in scale.

What really stands out is how the AMV frames the JSDF as an unstoppable force of nature. KamikadzeAMVs leans hard into the contrast between modern military precision and the chaos of a fantasy battlefield, turning every artillery strike and aerial assault into a show of overwhelming dominance. The pacing keeps escalating, building this sense that once the Gate opens, there’s no turning back—the modern world doesn’t just enter, it takes over.

At the same time, the title “Legion of Monsters” starts to shift in meaning as the video unfolds. At first, it points toward the creatures of the Special Region—dragons, armies, the unknown—but as the destruction ramps up, the label becomes ambiguous. The JSDF, with their advanced weapons and calculated tactics, begin to feel just as monstrous in their own right. By syncing the heaviest moments of the track with scenes of modern warfare tearing through a fantasy world, the AMV creates this hype-fueled tension where both sides embody the idea of “monsters,” making the spectacle feel even more intense and layered.

Song: Legion of Monsters by Disturbed

Anime: Gate (Gēto: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri)

Creator: KamikadzeAMV

Past AMVs of the Day

Scenes That I Love: Bernie

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy San Jacinto Day!

You can celebrate by watching my favorite scene from Richard Linklater’s Bernie!  I really love this quick lesson about my home state:

By the way, that line about “Dallas snobs,” always got a big laugh from the audiences at the Dallas Angelika.  It’s important to have a sense of humor.

Don’t worry, Vermont.  You’ll learn how to laugh at yourself someday.

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Another Special Texas 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 is San Jacinto Day, which means that it is once again time for….

4 Shots From 4 Texas Films

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Daniel Pearl)

Slacker (1991, dir by Richard Linklater, DP: Lee Daniel)

Office Space (1999, dir by Mike Judge, DP: Tim Suhrstedt)

Upstream Color (2013, dir by Shane Carruth, DP: Shane Carruth)

Late Night Retro Television Review: CHiPs 5.16 “Battle of the Bands”

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 a musical conflict!

Episode 5.16 “Battle of the Bands”

(Dir by Leslie H. Martinson, originally aired on January 31st, 1982)

Jon Baker cannot understand the appeal of punk rock.  He says that the punk rockers all seem to be suburban kids so why are they so angry?  They’re not from “the ghetto,” as Baker puts it.

“Suburbs can be a ghetto too, Jon.” Grossie says.

Grossie, who is definitely my favorite member of the Highway Patrol, explains that he likes to keep up with youth culture and, as a result, he understands the difference between Punk and New Wave.  Punk rockers have fans who slam dance while New Wave bands have fans who pogo.  Grossie demonstrates how to do each dance while the other members of the Highway Patrol watch.  When Getraer demands to know why Grossie is slamming himself against the lockers in the locker room, Grossie proceeds to hop out of the room.

This is all important information for Baker to have because there’s a Battle of the Bands coming up.  New Waver Snow Pink (Susan Richardson) is eager to win but her guitars were recently stolen out of her band’s van.  Unfortunately, Snow Pink has been targeted by Pain, a punk band that is led by Thrasher (William Forsythe).  Thrasher doesn’t care about making good music.  All he wants to do is cause trouble!

Now, I will say that Thrasher is kind of intimidating.  That’s more due to him being played by a young William Forsythe than anything else.  He’s a “punk,” which, in the world of CHiPs, means that he has a mohawk and his two bandmates have shaved heads.  (If anything, they look more like Neo-Nazis than punk rockers.  Johnny Rotten would have kicked them out of a moving car.)  That said, when Thrasher flicks his lighter and talks about trashing the club, you believe that there’s a very good chance that he’ll do just that.  Fortunately, the Highway Patrol is there to stop him.

Now, as you probably already guessed, there was no way that CHiPs was going to do a Battle of the Bands episode without giving Ponch a band.  Ponch competes and he sings Kool & The Gang’s Celebration.  It’s disco vs punk vs new wave!  Of course, punk doesn’t really get to compete because the band is arrested.  And Ponch really can’t win because then his character would have an excuse to leave the show.  So, it’s not a shock when Snow Pink wins the Battle of the Bands.

To be absolutely honest, this episode was surprisingly fun.  It was definitely an episode of its era, embracing both music and the moral panic of the 80s.  The punks were unconvincing.  Snow Pink was actually a pretty good singer.  Estrada flashed that blinding grin while singing disco.  Baker once again comes close to getting a romantic subplot.  Grossie gets a monologue about the ideology of punk rock.  What’s not to like?  Bury this episode in the ground because it’s a time capsule!

One final note: Baker, at one point, says that Ponch might leave the Highway Patrol to pursue his musical career.  It’s impossible not to hear the note of hope in Larry Wilcox’s voice.

Brad recommends THE COPS ARE ROBBERS (1990)!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

If you’re looking for a good “dirty cops” movie to pass the time, I ran across an entertaining one today called THE COPS ARE ROBBERS (AKA – GOOD COPS, BAD COPS). It’s currently playing on Amazon Prime and Tubi. The film is a 1990 TV movie based on the real life robbery of the Boston Depositors Trust bank over Memorial Day weekend in 1980 by a group of corrupt cops. I first became aware of the film when I took part in an interview with Robert F. Lyons about his career on the This Week in Charles Bronson podcast. Lyons specifically mentioned this film as containing a role that he really enjoyed.

THE COPS ARE ROBBERS features an incredible cast, and this is what ultimately sets the movie apart for me. The movie opens as top cop Kirkland, played by George Kennedy, assigns Jake Quinn (Ed Asner), to lead a notoriously corrupt law enforcement agency in Massachusetts. No sooner does Quinn take over, when the Boston Depositors Trust is hit over Memorial Day weekend with over $25 million in cash and jewels taken. The crew of criminals includes current cops Jerry Clemente (Ray Sharkey) and Jimmy Donnelly (Steve Railsback), ex-cop Frank Moran (James Keach), and safe expert Benny Brown (Lyons). Over the next 5 years, with the assistance of officers Brill (James Morrison) and Kellogg (Franc Luz), Jake Quinn does every thing he can to bring Clemente and his crew down! 

Ed Asner, Ray Sharkey and Robert F. Lyons are the real standouts of the film. Asner brings a toughness and honesty to his role honed by decades of playing such roles. In other words, the part fits him like a glove. Sharkey plays his part as a man who’s so arrogant and corrupt that he doesn’t seem to realize that using his position of trust in the community for his own selfish gain is a problem. He seems to think he deserves whatever he can steal, and it’s fun to see the pressure squeeze in on him as the film moves along. After watching the film, I can see why Lyons enjoyed playing this part, as he is excellent in his role as the safe expert. He is one of the most important parts of the robbery, he doesn’t trust cops, and he eventually gets the opportunity to give them a reason not to trust him. It’s a nice showcase for his talents. 

At the end of the day, if you like the cast, enjoy movies based on true stories, or appreciate TV movies from the late 80’s and early 90’s, I definitely think you’ll enjoy THE COPS ARE ROBBERS. Veteran Director Paul Wendkos (CANNON FOR CORDOBA, THE BAD SEED) brings a professional touch to the proceedings, and for me, watching his film was a fun way to spend an evening.