Author Archives: Lisa Marie Bowman

Retro Television Reviews: City Guys 5.11 “Cassidy Couch” and 5.12 “Brother From Another Mother”

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 Thursdays, I will be reviewing City Guys, which ran on NBC from 1997 to 2001.  Almost the entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!

Despite the fact that the Neat Guys haven’t been neat for a while, it’s time to review two more episodes of City Guys!

Episode 5.11 “Cassidy Couch”

(Directed by Frank Bonner, originally aired on October 20th, 2001)

Chris’s dad is investing in a play being written and directed by Derek Wagner, one of Broadway’s hottest directors!  (Oh yeah, Chris is rich.  It’s kind of funny how that aspect of Chris’s character kind of got pushed into the background.)  Cassidy thinks that she would be perfect for the lead role of an innocent pilgrim girl.  Chris offers to ask his dad to pull a few strings but Cassidy says that she wants to get the job based on nothing but her ability.

When Chris and Cassidy go to the auditions, Chris is surprised to see that Cassidy is dressed up like a pilgrim.  Cassidy explains that you should always dress for the role you want.  Chris spots another actress waiting to try out and says that apparently, she’s planning on auditioning to be a hooker.  (Boooo!  Way to be judgmental, Chris.)  Cassidy sees that the actress is wearing a short skirt and a tank top and she throws a fit.  “Excuse me!” Cassidy snaps, before demanding why the actress is dressed like me on a warm day.  The actress informs Cassidy that the director only casts attractive women and that her pilgrim outfit isn’t going to get the job done.  Cassidy rips off her pilgrim outfit and auditions in her pajamas.

(Personally, I’m more interested in whether or not Cassidy is a member of Equity because I doubt Broadway’s hottest director is going to be working on a non-union show.)

Cassidy does get a part in the show, though it’s not the starring role.  When Chris takes Cassidy to her first rehearsal, he overhears Derek Wagner having an argument with the actress he did cast in the lead role.  The actress tells Derek that he’s a pig and then she quits.  Derek then goes into the rehearsal hall and, after Cassidy approaches him and thanks him for giving her a small role, he promotes Cassidy to the lead role!

Chris is worried that Derek is “going to put the moves” on Cassidy.  Cassidy is offended at Chris’s suggestions that Derek wouldn’t just cast her for her talent.  But then, one night at rehearsals, Derek does exactly what Chris said he would do.  Cassidy quits the play.  Determined to expose Derek for being a predator, Chris and Jamal invite him onto their radio show and Derek agrees.  Why would Derek agree to go on a high school radio show?  It’s because the show needs Derek to do something illogical so it can end the story without having to leave the roof of Manny High.  If Derek had refused to appear on the show, Cassidy wouldn’t get a chance to confront in the booth and expose him to the handful of students who are actually dorky enough to listen to Chris and Jamal’s show.

This episode dealt with a real issue so let’s give it some credit.  Unfortunately, all the credit in the world isn’t going to make up for concluding the episode with Derek getting exposed on a high school radio program.  Derek is a Broadway director who is busy putting together his latest show.  He’s not going to appear on the Manny High Morning Show and he’s certainly wasn’t going to appear on a show hosted by the boyfriend of the actress who he just sexually harassed and then fired.  Not everything can be resolved on the roof of the school, City Guys!

Don’t even get me started on the B-plot, which featured L-Train getting psychic powers and having a premonition of Ms. Noble’s impending death.  Jamal, Al, and Dawn were really worried that Ms. Noble would die because apparently, these high school seniors who are on the verge of graduating don’t have a life outside of obsessing on their principal.  Fear not.  Ms. Noble did not die.  The most interesting thing about the B-plot was that Al and Dawn were dating, despite having broken up several episodes earlier.  Again, it would appear that this episode was meant to air earlier in the season but NBC aired it later, continuity be damned.

Episode 5.12 “Brother From Another Mother”

(Directed by Frank Bonner, originally aired on October 20th, 2001)

Here is the plot description of this episode, courtesy of Wikipedia:

There is a heat wave going through New York, Dawn convinces Ms. Noble to allow a small waiting pool on the roof of Manny High. Instead Al and Chris secretly set up a large swimming pool for the whole school to enjoy and relax. Ms. Noble later finds out about the pool when one of the many interruptions preventing her from having a peaceful lunch break is leaking water coming from the ceiling. She tells Al to get rid of the pool. Before he does this, Al attempts to conquer his fear of the pool and learn how to swim, but in the process he almost drowns. Ms. Noble comes in the nick of time to rescue him and decides to teach Al how to swim before she gets rid of the pool. Meanwhile, Jamal’s father and El-Train’s mother develop an attraction for each other while attending a parent-principal conference. They set up a date and have the time of their lives. Jamal freaks out and doesn’t know what to think of this blossoming relationship, the possibility of someone else being his mother, and the future of a new family. While El-Train is ecstatic that his mother is finding some happiness in her life and he is looking forward to a possible future of Jamal becoming his brother and Mr. Grant his father.

Wow, that sounds terrible!  This kind of makes me glad that this episode is one of the many from season 5 that has not been uploaded to YouTube.  How exactly could they put a large swimming pool on the roof with Ms. Noble noticing?  And why does everything have to be on the roof?  Wouldn’t it actually be hotter on the roof than it would be if they put the pool in the courtyard or something?  Add to that, how many times could Jamal freak out over the possibility of his father dating someone.  Grow up, Jamal!

Next week, this show will be two episodes closer to being over.

Here’s The Teaser For Bob Marley: One Love

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here’s the first teaser trailer for the upcoming musical biopic, Bob Marley: One Love.  This film will star Kingsley Ben-Adir at Bob Marley.  You may remember Ben-Adir from his strangely bland turn as Malcolm X in One Night In Miami.  The film was also directed by the same director who did King Richard.

The film is opening wide on January 12th, 2024.  Here’s the trailer:

Here’s The Second Trailer for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The second trailer for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon dropped today.

The first trailer was criticized by some (but certainly not by me) as being a bit too moody and obscure.  The second trailer is a bit more action-packed.  It leaves little doubt that Robert De Niro is the film’s villain while it’s a bit more ambiguous in what it shows us of Leonardo DiCaprio.  (Though who have read the book already know the truth about the character that DiCaprio is playing.)  The second trailer definitely plays up the thriller aspect of the story.

Regardless of which trailer does what, I can’t wait to see the film!

Retro Television Reviews: The Love Boat 2.22 “Love Me, Love My Dog/Poor Little Rich Girl/The Decision”

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 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!

It’s time for Isaac’s heart to get broken, yet again!

Episode 2.22 “Love Me, Love My Dog/Poor Little Rich Girl/The Decision”

(Dir by Roger Duchowny, originally aired on February 24th, 1979)

Isaac has sworn off falling in love with passengers.  As he explains it, he’s fallen in love with a movie star, a singer, a criminal, and a journalist and, every time, the romance ended as soon as the ship docked.  Isaac is tired of getting his heart broken and, unlike Doc and Gopher, he doesn’t view romance as just being a game.

Still, as soon as Isaac spots Selena Moore (Debbie Allen) boarding the ship, he’s interested.  He insists that he’s not going to act on his attraction but both Gopher and Doc tell him that it’s okay to just have some fun.  And when Selena starts showing up at the bar and telling Isaac about her doubts about whether or not she wants to get married to her fiancé, Isaac decides to follow Gopher and Doc’s advice.  He and Selena have a shipboard romance.

And, of course, Isaac falls in love.  He said that he wouldn’t but he does because that’s just who Isaac is.  Isaac is the most sincere character on the show.  Gopher is goofy.  Doc is a walking HR nightmare.  Julie is practical.  The Captain is stern.  And Isaac is the one who impulsively falls in love, even though he knows he’s probably going to get hurt.

When Isaac trips and falls after one night of dancing, Doc jokingly declares that Isaac will never walk again.  Selena runs away in tears.  That really should have been a clue that she loved her fiancé more than she was letting on.  When the ship finally returns home, Isaac can only watch as Selena greets her fiancé, who turns out to be an older man who uses a wheelchair.  Isaac can only wipe away a tear and hand the roses that he got for Selena to a random passenger.  It’s a bit sad, even though the outcome was predictable.  Ted Lange and Debbie Allen both made the story work far better than one might expect it to.

And it’s a good thing that Lange and Allen worked so hard because the other two stories are nowhere near as strong.

One of the stories features Fannie Flagg as Alicia Finch, an eccentric woman who sneaks her terrier (played by Cricket) onto the boat.  (Cricket gets her own credit, which is cute).  Alice meets Mason Randolph (Gene Rayburn), a single man who also loves dogs!  Unfortunately, Cricket starts yapping and biting whenever she sees Mason.  It looks like Alicia and Mason will never be.  However, when the boat docks, Mason’s dog is waiting for him.  Even though Mason’s dog is quite a bit bigger than her, Cricket takes a liking to him.  This story was extremely predictable and Gene Rayburn was a bit annoying as Mason.  (Apparently, he was a game show host and he delivers almost all of his lines as if he’s waiting for the audience to applaud.)  On the plus side, Cricket was really cute.

Finally, Suzanne Welles (Maren Jensen) is a waitress who has won the lottery but now that she’s rich, she’s not sure if auto mechanic Alan Harmon (Dennis Cole) really likes her or just wants her money.  Alan is also the Captain’s mechanic and Stubing comes up with a plan that’s so stupid that it makes you wonder if he should really be in charge of cruise ship.  Basically, Stubing tells Suzanne that she’s right about Alan and that he’s only after her for the money.  Alan then says that the Captain is correct.  Stubing thinks that if Suzanne’s suspicions are confirmed, she’ll be able to relax and fall in love with Alan without worrying about why he’s pursuing her and …. wait, what?  How does that make any sense?  Why would Suzanne continue to spend time with Alan after he tells her that he’s only interested in her for the money?  I mean, the boat is full of single, handsome men.  The plan is idiotic but somehow, it works!  Everyone tells the captain that he’s a genius.  Seriously, what a weird story.  I mean, Isaac is pouring out his heart and getting hurt again and the Captain is busy encouraging his passengers to lie to each other.

The cruise was definitely mixed bag.  The Ted Lange/Debbie Allen story was nicely done.  Cricket was cute.  Lauren Tewes got to wear a really pretty dress for the ship’s Mexican Fiesta Night and I loved the sparkly blue evening gown that Maren Jensen wore while having dinner at the Captain’s table.  But the non-Isaac stories were, respectively, bland and incredibly dumb.  I guess no vacation is perfect.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Jean Cocteau 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, the Shattered Lens celebrates the 134th anniversary of the birth of the great French surrealist Jean Cocteau!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Jean Cocteau Films

The Blood of a Poet (1932, dir by Jean Cocteau, DP: Georges Perinal)

Beauty and the Beast (1946, dir by Jean Cocteau, DP: Henri Alekan)

Orpheus (1950, dir by Jean Cocteau, DP: Nicolas Hayer)

Testament of Orpheus (1960, dir by Jean Cocteau)

Retro Television Reviews: Fantasy Island 3.4 “Baby/Marathon”

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 the original Fantasy Island, which ran on ABC from 1977 to 1986.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

This week’s episode is saved by the one and only Herve Villechaize.

Episode 3.4 “Baby/Marathon”

(Dir by George McCowan, originally aired on October 5th, 1979)

Fantasy Island is going to be hosting a marathon competition so Tattoo decides to greet Mr. Roarke while carrying a replica of the Olympic Torch.

Tattoo proceeds to light a huge flame in a cauldron.  A group of Islanders start trying to splash water on the fire, leading to Tattoo yelling at them to leave the flame alone.  Mr. Roarke, who appears to be even more disgusted than usual with Tattoo’s antics, barks at his assistant to put on his tuxedo and head down to the docks so that they can greet their guests.

Bunny Kelly (Barbi Benton), Gretchen Wasserman (Arlene Golanka), and Olaf Olafsen (Peter Isacksen) have all come to the Island so that Olaf can compete in the marathon and hopefully win enough money to keep their barbell factory open.  (Don’t blame me, I didn’t write this script.)  When Olaf is injured while trying to lift some weights, Bunny enters the marathon in his place!  (At first, Bunny tries to disguise herself as Olaf but, when that doesn’t work, Mr. Roarke declares that Bunny can compete as herself.)

Can Bunny defeat the men who have shown up to run the marathon?  Well, it won’t be easy.  Bruno Glass (Bruce M. Fischer) is so evil that he often stops in the middle of the race so that he can laugh at everyone else’s misfortune.  Helping out Bruno is his trainer, Dr. R.M. Funk (Dick Martin).  Using techniques that would be more appropriate for a cartoon, Bruno sabotages the other racers.  Somehow, Bruno is able to do this despite the fact that the entire race is being televised live to the world.  Fear not!  With the help of friendly competitor Eugene (Paul Petersen), Kitty makes it to the finish line.  When both Kitty and Eugene sprain an ankle towards the finish line, they carry each other to a tied victory!  The factory is saved and everyone falls in love!

As you have probably already guessed, the whole marathon was pretty stupid.  There really didn’t seem to be any sort of set rules as to how the marathon would be run.  Olaf and Gretchen grabbed a car and drove alongside Kitty for most of the race.  Meanwhile, Dr. Funk was somehow able to commit numerous acts of open sabotage without anyone noticing.  Because Dr. Funk and Bruno were so cartoonish, it made it difficult to take seriously the possibility that they might win.  There was no suspense whatsoever, which made for a pretty boring fantasy.

I preferred the episode’s other story, in which Tattoo was placed in charge of finding a family to adopt an orphaned baby.  At first, Tattoo wanted to adopt the baby himself but eventually, he realized that the child would be better off with Thomas (Joshua Gallegos) and Mary (BarBara Luna), two Islanders who already had a large family and who had more experience taking care of babies.  There was nothing surprising about the story but seriously, Herve Villechaize’s portrayal of Tattoo’s dilemma was surprisingly touching.  While Villechaize was notoriously difficult on the set of Fantasy Island, he also used his fame to speak out in support of abused and neglected children and he really seemed to be put his heart into this episode of Fantasy Island.  When Tattoo said that he wanted to make sure the baby had the best and most loving home possible, one got the feeling that he was speaking for Villechaize as well.

So, this was yet another mixed episode of Fantasy Island.  Ultimately, it was saved by the sincerity of Herve Villechaize.

AMV of the Day: One Headlight (Clannad)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

How about an AMV of the Day for the 4th?  And how about one using One Headlight by The Wallflowers?  That’s a song that’s always felt like a song for the 4th to me, and not just because they specifically mention Independence Day, either!

Anime: Clannad

Song: One Headlight (performed by The Wallflowers)

Creator: Elijah McKinley (please subscribe to this creator’s channel)

Past AMVs of the Day

4 Shots From 4 Films: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Gangs of New York, V For Vendetta, The Great Gatsby

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!

Because it’s the fourth, this edition of 4 Shots From 4 Films features some classic cinematic moments involving fireworks!

4 Shots From 4 Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, dir by Peter Jackson, DP: Andrew Lesnie)

Gangs of New York (2002, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Michal Ballhaus)

V for Vendetta (2005, dir by James McTeigue, DP: Adrian Biddle)

The Great Gatsby (2013, dir by Baz Luhrmann, DP: Simon Duggan)

Retro Television Reviews: Hang Time 5.7 “Joint Venture” and 5.8 “Revolver, Problem Solver?”

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 Mondays, I will be reviewing Hang Time, which ran on NBC from 1995 to 2000.  The entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!

This week, Silk gets a new job and he also gets a gun!  It’s a wild time in Indiana with Hang Time!

Hang Time 5.7 “Joint Venture”

(Dir by Miguel Higuera, originally aired on October 30th, 1999)

Somehow, Silk and Eugene are the new managers of Deering’s hottest club, The Matrix!

Right away, this episode the makes the mistake of asking us to suspend our disbelief.  I’ve accepted a lot of weird things when it comes to Hang Time, like the entire team spending Christmas in New York and Antonio somehow just moving from Texas to Indiana without his parents.  But seriously, why would two high school students be hired to manage a club?  And even if you could accept the idea of two high school students being given that type of responsibility, who in their right mind would hire Silk and Eugene?  We haven’t seen anything on this show to indicate that either one of them comes across as being the sort of person who could handle that much responsibility.

The club is a big hit but Silk and Eugene are shocked to discover that someone is selling marijuana in the bathroom!  Instead of shutting down the club (which is what the show suggests they should have done for some reason), Eugene and Silk call the cops and arrange for two undercover cops to come to the club and arrest the dealer.  However, at the same time, Kristy and Mary Beth are trying to write an award-worthy story for the school newspaper and they decide to go undercover as well.  Their plan is to buy marijuana from the dealer and then write a story about it.

Yep, who wouldn’t think they were stoners?

Anyway, as you probably already guessed, this leads to the undercover cops trying to arrest not just the dealer but also Mary Beth and Kristy.  Michael and Julie see the cops grabbing their friends and, since they don’t know that they’re cops, a huge brawl breaks out.  The club is wrecked!  For some reason, the cops then call Coach K., who comes down and yells at everyone.  Luckily, only the dealer goes to jail.  Eugene and Silk lose their jobs, which they never should have had in the first place.

This is the type of episode that I hate, where every single problem could have been solved by everyone not being an absolute idiot.  Let’s move on.

Hang Time 5.8 “Revolver, Problem Solver?”

(Dir by Miguel Higuera, originally aired on November 6th, 1999)

Silk’s father is a cop!  That seems like the sort of thing that would have been helpful during the previous episode.  Anyway, this guy who was arrested by Silk’s father starts threatening Silk.  The guy carries a knife and tries to stab Silk at school.  Seeing as how that’s attempted murder and the attack was witnessed by Silk’s friends, it seems like it would have been pretty easy for Silk to call the cops and get the guy sent to prison for a decade.  Instead, Silk decides to handle things himself by getting a gun.

Yes, really.

Meanwhile, the team needs to raise money so Mary Beth arranges a car wash.  Coach K’s car ends up getting flooded with water after the team washes it without rolling up the windows.  How dumb are these people?  Anyway, the guy who wants to kill Silk shows up at the car wash with his knife.  Silk pulls out his gun but the bad guy easily grabs it away from him.  In the ensuing struggle, a shot is fired.  A window shatters.  Mary Beth nearly gets shot.  The bad guy gets arrested and Silk get cited for having an illegal gun.

Remember when Coach K made everyone sign that contract not to do anything dangerous during the season?  Under the terms of that contact, Silk should have been cut from the team.  I mean, Eugene nearly got kicked off the team for wanting to ride a skateboard.  Meanwhile, Silk is putting everyone’s lives in danger.  But Coach K is a big old hypocrite and Silk is allowed to keep playing basketball for Deering High.

I will compliment this episode, though.  For a teen sitcom that was produced by Peter Engel, the fight scene between Silk and the knife guy was surprisingly well-choreographed and filmed.  As well, this is the first episode to really allow Danso Gordon to do some acting as opposed to just standing in the background and Gordon does a pretty good job with the role, even if Silk’s action don’t always seem realistic.  This was another episode where almost everything that happened was the result of people not having any common sense.  It had a good message about being safe and careful with guns but it was still frustrating to watch.

Next week, Kristy hangs out with a goth and Michael discovers that some people are racist.  Indiana’s a crazy place.