Monthly Archives: July 2026

Brad reviews THE SPECIALIST (1994), starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, and James Woods!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

When THE SPECIALIST came out back in ‘94, Sylvester Stallone was on a pretty good run of films, with his prior two movies being CLIFFHANGER and DEMOLITION MAN. I’m a fan of Stallone, but he wasn’t the main reason I went to see THE SPECIALIST at the movie theater. I went to see it because James Woods is in it. I’ve always been drawn to actors who are little different than your traditional Hollywood leading men. That’s why I’m especially fond of actors like Charles Bronson, Roy Scheider, and Woods. This was a point in Woods’ career where he seemed to be transitioning from a leading man to more supporting roles, but he still always brought his best to every performance. And anytime one of my favorite actors was in a movie, I was going to see it on the big screen.

Stallone plays Ray Quick, a former CIA explosives expert who now uses his unique set of skills to kill bad guys. His latest client is the extremely beautiful May Munro (Sharon Stone), who enlists his assistance in ridding the earth of Thomas Leon (Eric Roberts), a Miami mobster who murdered her parents when she was a girl. The problem… his former friend and now mortal enemy, Ned Trent (James Woods), works for the mobsters, led by patriarch Joe Leon (Rod Steiger). Nobody understands Quick like Trent, and with Munro having her own set of secrets, this job is going to be much more difficult than he imagined!

I won’t sit here and pretend that THE SPECIALIST is an incredible film. It’s very much a thriller of its time… with the humid Miami locations, oversized set pieces, lots of slo-mo, and even more double-crosses. It’s more melodramatic than I remember, but I probably appreciate that more now than I did then. It’s also impossible to look back on THE SPECIALIST and not remember where Sharon Stone was at that point in her career. Two years earlier, BASIC INSTINCT had made her one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. It felt like the pairing with Stallone was trying to recapture that magic, but it didn’t really work. There are a couple of sex scenes between the two, but director Luis Llosa is no Paul Verhoeven, so the scenes don’t share the same power. 

With Stallone’s controlled, some might say comatose, performance, the movie truly belongs to James Woods. His Ned Trent is cocky, sadistic, and entertaining. He attacks every scene with so much intensity that you can’t take your eyes off him and he easily steals the film. I also enjoyed the strong supporting cast. Rod Steiger doesn’t have that much screen time, but he brings an unmistakable energy to the role of crime boss Joe Leon. Then there’s Eric Roberts, whose sleazy performance as Tomas Leon adds another layer of intensity that tries to match Woods. The scenes involving Woods, Steiger, and Roberts are some of the best of the film.

Is THE SPECIALIST one of Stallone’s action classics? Definitely not, but looking back at the kind of movies we get served these days, I’d say it’s pretty darn entertaining. Stallone and Stone could have brought more personality to their characters, but James Woods just about makes up for them by delivering one of his most delightfully over-the-top villains. And it’s just fun seeing veterans like Rod Steiger and Eric Roberts bring their own talents to the proceedings. I miss the times when movies were full of big stars and unique character actors. Whether you love it or not, THE SPECIALIST is one of those movies that you took home from the video store on a Friday night, popped in the VCR, and proceeded to have a good weekend. I miss that era of movies, and I especially miss those interesting stars!

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 5.16 “Valentine’s Day”

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, Brodie gets a storyline, Luther Mahoney continues to destroy lives, and Pembleton’s marriage collapses.  It’s a busy few days in Baltimore.

Episode 5.16 “Valentine’s Day”

(Dir by Clark Johnson, originally aired on February 14th, 1997)

When a man  is found dead in the apartment of Alan Schack (Neil Patrick Harris), Detective Munch assume that it was a case of suicide.  However, Brodie went to school with Schack and is convinced that he’s the murderer.  Munch refuses to take Brodie serious but, luckily, Sgt. Howard is more open-minded.  After Alan beats up Brodie and leaves him on a snowy street, Brodie leaves Baltimore because he knows he’ll never get over the shame of being beaten up Neil Patrick Harris.  Just kidding!  Instead, Brodie doctors a tape to make it seem as if the police have evidence of Alan killing the victim.  Alan falls for it because …. I guess he’s just really stupid.  Like seriously, wouldn’t Alan have — at the very least — noticed that he was dressed totally different on videotape than he was on the day he committed the murder?  Or does Alan just wear the same outfit day after day?

When two seemingly unrelated bombs go off, Kellerman and Bayliss find themselves investigating a — all together now! — “red ball!”  Their investigation eventually leads them to the son of the grocer who was murdered by Luther Mahoney a few episodes ago.  The bombs are being sent to the people who the son blames for Luther getting away with murder.  One bomb is sent to the courthouse.  “Lewis is at the courthouse!” Bayliss exclaims.  “So is Julianna!” Kellerman says.  Well, that’s convenient.

Frank and Mary Pembleton attend marriage counseling. It doesn’t go well.  Frank finally agrees to allow their newborn daughter to be baptized despite the fact that he’s still struggling with his faith.  Mary, however, still leaves Frank afterwards.  She takes their daughter with her.  Frank is left alone in their home, staring at an empty crib.

And finally, due to budget cutbacks, Giardello has to dust his own office!

On the plus side, I related to Giardello’s need to dust.  As a sometimes struggling Catholic, I appreciated that the show took seriously Mary’s concerns about their daughter dying outside of a State of Grace.

Unfortunately, the rest of the episode just felt off.  Neil Patrick Harris as a tough guy drug dealer?  Nope.  Sorry.  I loved NPH as Dr. Horrible but I’m still not buying it.  As for the bombing storyline, it felt almost like a parody of an episode of Homicide.  Oh no!  There’s a bomb at the courthouse and Lewis and Dr. Cox just happen to be standing right outside the doorway!

I regret to say it but this episode just didn’t work for me.

Song of the Day: Live by Jonathan Clarke

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I’ve starting my summer job of writing about Big Brother at Reality TV Chat Blog.  In honor of that, today’s song of the day is the little-remembered theme song from the first season of Big Brother!

After listening to this, you’ll understand why they’ve gone with an instrumental theme song from season two on.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Monte Hellman 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!

96 years ago today, the great director Monte Hellman was born in New York City.  Though Hollywood never quite understood Hellman or his idiosyncratic vision, he and his films have inspired a countless number of independent filmmakers.  Hellman started his career with Roger Corman and was one of the first directors to recognize the talent of actors like Jack Nicholson and Warren Oates.  When Monte Hellman passed away in 2021, he was eulogized as one of the key figures of the Hollywood counterculture.  Today, we celebrate Hellman and his films with….

4 Shots From 4 Monte Hellman Films

The Shooting (1966, dir by Monte Hellman, DP: Gregory Sandor)

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971, dir by Monte Hellman, DP: Jack Deerson)

Cockfighter (1974, dir by Monte Hellman, DP: Nestor Almendros)

China 9, Liberty 38 (1978, dir by Monte Hellman, DP: Guiseppe Rotunno)

Music Video of the Day: Life’s What You Make It by Talk Talk (1985, directed by Tim Pope)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Today’s music video of the day is for another song that I discovered while driving around Vice City in a stolen car.

(Several stolen cars, actually.)

Talk Talk’s Life’s What You Make It is one of the most popular songs on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City‘s FLASH FM.  It’s the perfect song to listen to when you’re heading out to take down some drug dealers or if you just want to drive along the beach and wonder why Tommy Vercetti never learned how to swim.

The song was a hit both when it was originally released in 1985 and when it re-released in 1990.  The video was filmed in Wimbledon Common, London, during the early hours of the day.  The video was directed by Tim Pope, who directed videos for almost everyone in the 80s and 90s but is probably best-regarded for his work with The Cure.

Pope also directed the film, The Crow” City of Angels and was the original director for The Last King of Scotland.  Though Pope eventually left and was replaced on that project, he was responsible for casting Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin, the role that would eventually win Whitaker an Oscar.

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell 2.9 “Jessie’s Song”

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 Saturdays, I will be reviewing Saved By The Bell, which ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

This week, Jessie’s so excited!

Episode 2.9 “Jessie’s Song”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on November 3rd, 1990)

This is it.  This is the episode of Saved By The Bell that everyone knows.

Jessie gets hooked on caffeine pills!

“I’m so excited!  I’m so excited!  I’m so …. SCARED!”

Along with Running Zack, this is the episode that the show will never live down.  In a 2o16 interview, Peter Engel stated that the script originally had Jessie getting hooked on amphetamines but NBC said they wouldn’t air the show if there were any references to “hard drugs.”  The script was changed to have Jessie get hooked on over-the-counter caffeine pills.

I’m not sure the episode would have played any better if it had featured amphetamines.  When I was younger, there were times when I accidentally took more of my ADHD meds than I should have and my behavior was nothing like Jessie’s in this episode.  The scene where Jessie starts yelling in the Maxx about how she and Kelly and the show’s Lisa are going to beat out their competition for a record contract can only lead me to conclude that absolutely no one on the show had ever taken speed at any point in their life.

That’s the thing that makes this episode so memorable, though.  Everyone remembers Zack waking up Jessie and Jessie screaming, “I’m so excited!”  It’s a cringey moment but, honestly, the entire episode is a cringey moment.  The only thing about his episode that feels in any way authentic is Mario Lopez’s performance as Slater.

(Seriously, Lopez was this show’s secret weapon.  Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, and Lark Voorhies eventually developed into good actors towards the end of the show.  Out of respect for the deceased, I won’t comment on Dustin Diamond’s talents.  But Mario Lopez was strong and believable from the start of the series.)

How cringey is this episode?

Screech puts on a dress and a wig and speaks with a bad Irish accent and all of the girls in the locker room believe him when he says that he’s related to Sinead O’Connor.  “You taught her everything she knows!?” the show’s Lisa exclaims.

Zack is somehow able to produce, in just one day, a professional music video for Jessie, Kelly, and Lisa’s group, Hot Sundae.

That music video — oh God, the music video!  It couldn’t be more 80s if it tried.  The girls dance while wearing workout outfits and singing.  Who wrote the song that they’re singing?  Did Zack come up with it?  To be honest, the video’s not that bad.  It just feels extremely …. suburban.  Would there have been room for Hot Sundae in 1990?  Probably not.  I doubt MTV was going to switch to a grunge, rap, and Hot Sundae format.

What about Jessie’s fantasy about having to go to a party school?  Actually, that made me laugh.  I went to a party school and I had fun.  Plus, Mr. Dewey says “Cowabunga.”  Still, as a general rule, any Saved By The Bell fantasy sequence automatically qualifies as cringe.

But, in the end, this will always be the “I’m so excited!” episode.  Poor Elizabeth Berkley is probably so sick of people quoting that line to her.  In his dubious autobiography, Dustin Diamond poked fun at his co-stars for thinking they were all giving great performances in this episode.  As was often the case with Diamond, this judgment says more about his flaws than those of his co-stars.  Of course the actors though they were all giving great performances.  They were teenagers!  They had an excuse for not knowing better.  The adults, however….

In the end, Hot Sundae misses its chance for stardom because of Jessie’s freakout.  It’s a good thing they’ve all got Zack Attack to fall back on.

I love this episode.

 

 

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 7/5/26 — 7/11/26

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Big Brother 28 (24/7, CBS, Paramount+, Pluto TV)

Originally, I wasn’t going to watch Big Brother this season but I gave in.  Watching this show and getting annoyed is pretty much a tradition around these parts and you know me.  I’m all about tradition.  You can read my thoughts (and Erin’s thoughts!) about the show over at RealityTVChatBlog.

The Contender (Prime)

I watched two episodes of this old reality show on Tuesday.  A group of boxers competed to be …. THE CONTENDER!  They weren’t bad.  I actually remember when this show aired way back in the aughts.  Sylvester Stallone was the host for the first two seasons.  The episodes I watched were hosted by Sugar Ray Leonard.

Homicide: Life On The Street (Peacock)

My review of Homicide will drop tomorrow.

Saved By The Bell (Tubi)

My review of Saved By The Bell will drop later tonight.

Sledgehammer!  (Prime)

I watched an episode of this 80s comedy show on Friday.  A contract was put out on Sledgehammer’s life so he hid with with Amish.  It was a funny episode.

Watched and Reviewed

  1. 1st & Ten,
  2. Baywatch,
  3. CHiPs,
  4. Crime Story,
  5. Decoy,
  6. Freddy’s Nightmares,
  7. Hunter,
  8. The Love Boat,
  9. Pacific Blue,
  10. Saved By The Bell: The New Class,
  11. St. Elsewhere

Retro Television Review: Baywatch 2.10 “The Trophy, Part Two”

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 Saturdays, I will be reviewing Baywatch, which ran on NBC and then in syndication from 1989 to 2001.  The entire show can be viewed on Tubi.

This week, Baywatch concludes the two storylines that began in the previous episode.  Will Mitch get over his guilt?  Will Eddie be able to keep his job?  Who will star in this week’s slow motion monologue?  These are the important questions that come with saving lives for a living.

Episode 2.10 “The Trophy, Part Two”

(Dir by Douglas Schwartz, originally aired on November 18th, 1991)

The beach is in chaos!

Bitter over being in a wheelchair and also being single, Turner continues to take dangerous risks.  At one point, he decides to go hang-gliding to prove that not being able to walk doesn’t have to keep anyone from flying.  At another point, we get one of those priceless Baywatch montages where Turner imagines himself being able run down the beach.

Mitch still feels guilty over Turner’s condition but eventually, even Mitch has to kneel down beside the guy and say that enough is enough.  And really, that’s all it takes.  Turner accepts that his ex, Megan, is now dating a hunky marine biologist named Ross and he moves on.  Megan was played by Vanessa Angel and, according to the imdb, this was her final appearance on Baywatch.  This was also Daniel Quinn’s final appearance as Turner.  So I guess that storyline’s now over.  Mitch still seemed to be feeling pretty guilty but he’ll have to learn how to deal with that on his own because Eric Turner is out of here!

(Quinn would go on to play two other characters on Baywatch and he also had a role in the Baywatch spin-off, Pacific Blue.  I guess someone in the head office really liked him.)

Meanwhile, Eddie is bitter because, after being arrested for statutory rape, he’s been suspended from being a lifeguard.  Well, Eddie, that’s life.  That’s pretty much what would happen to any lifeguard in those circumstances.  Eddie spends a lot of time on this show demanding to be treated like everyone else and then getting angry when it happens.

When Eddie’s accuser, Caroline (played by a young A.J, Langer), attempts to commit suicide by jumping off the pier, Shauni is there to rescue her.  Having been rescued from drowning, Caroline confesses that she made up the story about Eddie because she wanted to impress her friends on the beach.  Eddie is reinstated and Caroline says that she’s going to return home to Pennsylvania and get some psychiatric help.

This episode was pretty anti-climatic.  For all the dramatic potential of Mitch’s guilt, Caroline’s accusations, and Eddie’s bitterness, both stories pretty much just ended with the sources of all the drama agreeing to live somewhere other than California.  If only life was always that simple!

In the end, this episode was typical Baywatch.  Yes, there was some drama.  But the most important thing was always getting the next montage.