Category Archives: Lisa’s Editorial Corner

The Oscars Are Moving To YouTube….

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

….in 2029!

To be honest, I’m not really surprised by this move.  It’s been a long time since the Oscar ceremony brought in monster ratings.  Movies themselves have moved from being something that bring people together to instead becoming something of a niche interest.  The movies that win awards are now often very different from the movies that people are paying to see.  As well, we’re now in a culture where we see celebrities almost 24 hours a day.  The enigmatic glamour that once went along with celebrity culture is gone and with it, the excitement that made the Oscars a television mainstay.

So, it makes sense.  Moving the Oscars to YouTube will mean no longer having to deal with ABC demanding that the Academy give out awards like Oscar Cheers Moment or that Best Popular Film Oscar that they tried to get the Academy to include a few years ago.  One presumes the Academy will now control the show, though apparently commercials will still air during the broadcast.

That said, I don’t think this movie is going to make the Oscars relevant again.  It’s too late for that.  The Oscars will be 101 years old by the time they move to YouTube and the ceremony is still going to face the task of holding viewer’s attention for 3+ hours.  The Academy will no longer have to go through the humiliating post-show ritual of trying to make the bad ratings look good.  But they will have to deal with the trolls in the comments.

My prediction is that the other awards shows will also be exclusively streaming by 2029.  The Oscars are opening the dam.  Why would a network waste money broadcasting the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards if the Oscars aren’t even going to be on ABC?  Eventually, everyone will have a different awards show to choose from.  The sequel to Sound of Freedom will win Best Picture at one ceremony while the prequel to One Battle After Another wins at another and, at another ceremony, the latest Marvel film will compete with the latest DC film.

The Oscars had a good run as an American institution.

But nothing lasts forever.

Lisa Marie’s Editorial Corner: 10 Things For Which I Am Thankful In 2025

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, it’s that time.

Every Thanksgiving, I come up with an even-numbered list of things for which I’m thankful.  I know some people are saying that we shouldn’t be thankful for anything this year.  There are people who say that, because they’re miserable, it’s somehow offensive that everyone else isn’t miserable.

But you know what?

Screw that.

Never be ashamed of being happy.  Never feel like you can’t be thankful.

1) I’m thankful for our readers.  2025 has been the most successful and busy year that Through the Shattered Lens has had in a very long time.  In both October and November, we have set records for the number of site views we’ve received.  Thank you to all of you.  I hope you’ve enjoyed what you’ve found on this site and I hope you’ll continue to read in 2026!

2) I’m thankful for our contributors!  Arleigh, Erin, Jeff, Leonard, Brad, Case, and the music lover by the name of Necromoonyeti, thank you so much for your contributions this year.  Thank you for making this a site of not just one opinion but of many opinions.  Thank you for inspiring me to keep writing, if just to keep up with the great work that all of you are doing!

3) I’m thankful to once again be an American!  A few weeks ago, twitter (or X or whatever the Hell you want to call it) made public where everyone’s account was located.  It was a needed action.  A lot of accounts that have been at the forefront of spreading disinformation and brewing conflict in the United States were revealed to be located in Russia and the Middle East.  However, the process wasn’t perfect.  For four days, due to a VPN that I was definitely not using to watch movies that weren’t available in the U.S., my account was listed as being based in Ireland.  While I am of Irish descent, I am definitely based in Texas.  I’m glad to say that twitter has fixed the error and I can now say “Happy Thanksgiving!” without having to worry about someone saying, “Aren’t you in Ireland?”

4) I haven’t watched a lot of television this year but I will say that I am thankful that the King of the Hill reboot was wonderful and more than worthy continuation.  The show managed to keep up with the changing times while retaining the humor and outlook that made it a classic to begin with.  All reboots should be this good!  I’m thankful for Mike Judge.  (I’m also thankful for Greg Daniels, despite what happened with The Paper.)

5) I’m thankful that I stopped watching All’s Fair after the first episode.  Sometimes, a bad show is just a bad show and there’s nothing wrong with admitting that.  Not everything is camp.  Sometimes, it’s just crap.

6) I’m thankful that the horror genre — thanks to films like Sinners, Weapons, and Frankenstein this year and Nosferatu last year — is finally getting some respect.  I’m less thankful that some of the genre’s new fans still look down on the horror films of the past.

7) I’m thankful for my family. Last year was not an easy one for us.  This year, we dealt with even more loss.  But we were there for each other and we always will be.  I’m happy to be spending this Thanksgiving with them.

8) I’m thankful for American Anthem!  Seriously, I’ve watched that stupid movie seven times this year.  Steve Tevere has thrown a tripus!

9) I don’t care what anyone says.  I liked Happy Gilmore 2.

10) Most importantly, I’m thankful that we’re all still here and we’re all still moving forward.

Happy Thanksgiving!

6 Things That I Am Looking Forward To In October

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to October!  October is a big month here at the Shattered Lens.  It’s the month when we devote the majority of our time to the horror genre.  It’s time for our annual Horrorthon!  Last year, we had a record number of Horrorthon posts.  I’d love to break that record this year but mostly. I just want this year’s Horrothon to be fun for both our writers and our readers!

Here’s what I’m looking forward to in October!

  1. Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein — I think I was one of the few people who unreservedly loved Del Toro’s version of Nightmare Alley and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what he does with Mary Shelley’s classic tale.  Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein just feels like perfect casting.
  2. The Horror Movies On TCM — TCM never lets me down in October.  I can’t wait to binge all of the classic horror that will be aired this month.
  3. Nouvelle Vague — Richard Linklater’s tribute to the French New Wave is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 31st and then on Netflix two weeks later.  While I was a bit disappointed with last year’s Hit Man, I still look forward to every new Linklater film.  Speaking of which….
  4. Blue Moon — Linklater’s other 2025 film is scheduled for an October 17th release.  Ethan Hawke is said to be brilliant in this film.
  5. After The Hunt — I’m not really a huge fan of director Luca Guadagnino and I’ll probably never forgive him not only his Suspiria remake but also his uncharitable words about the original.  That said, After The Hunt has gotten such mixed reviews that I’m intrigued.  Julia Roberts is said to give one of her best performances in the film but the film’s storyline has been criticized.  Whenever critics give a negative review to a politically-charged film, I feel almost duty-bound to watch the film and decide for myself.
  6. Halloween — It’s my favorite holiday!  I can’t wait to see all the decorations, all the parties, and all the costumes!

October’s going to be a great month and those of us at TSL can’t wait to celebrate it with you!  What are you looking forward to in October?

A Note From Lisa To You Regarding Retro Television Reviews

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

So, some may have noticed a lack of retro television reviews this week.  I wish I had a better excuse than me being sick to give you but seriously, I’ve just been under the weather big time this week.  I went from 9 degree temperatures at Lake Texoma to 67 degree temperatures back home in Dallas and my asthma has basically just been kicking my ass for a week and a half now.  Plus …. well, I won’t go into the gory details but let’s just say this is not my week when it comes to feeling well.

I was going to try to get caught up on my television reviews today but then I realized that would essentially mean writing and posting 9 television reviews in one day and it would also mean that I would inevitably have to rush to get them all completed.  That, along with me being tired and ill, would probably lead to some badly written reviews on my part.  Add to that, the Oscars are approaching this weekend and Oscar Sunday is a big tradition around these parts.  It’s a tradition that also requires a bit of focus from me.

Long story short: I’m bowing to reality.  I’m sick and the world’s not going to end if there’s a week’s delay in reviewing the next episode of Malibu, CA.  I’m accepting that what Erin always tells me about taking care myself is true and that I need to perhaps get a little rest so I can get back to being 100% healthy and alert.  Retro Television Reviews will return on March 3rd with Miami Vice!  Thank you for your understanding and patience!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Review: 1/13/25 — 1/19/25

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Rest in Peace, David Lynch.

Twin Peaks The Return Part Three (2017, dir by David Lynch)

Movies I Watched:

  1. Alone in Venice (2025)
  2. Amazing Racer (2009)
  3. The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
  4. Call To Danger (1973)
  5. Class of 1984 (1982)
  6. Dark Star (1974)
  7. Dead Before They Wake (2025)
  8. Excalibur (1981)
  9. Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
  10. Inchon (1981)
  11. Laws of Man (2025)
  12. Mortuary (1983)
  13. The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986)
  14. Nemesis (1992)
  15. Priceless (2016)
  16. Reagan (2024)
  17. Starman (1984)
  18. Straight To Hell (1947)
  19. Trading Places (1983)
  20. Wanted: Dead or Alive (1987)
  21. What Did Jack Do? (2017)

Television Shows I Watched:

  1. Abbott Elementary
  2. Check It Out
  3. CHiPs
  4. Dark
  5. Degrassi High
  6. Fantasy Island
  7. Friday the 13th: The Series
  8. Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story
  9. Hell’s Kitchen
  10. Highway to Heaven
  11. Homicide: Life on the Street
  12. Kitchen Nightmares
  13. The Love Boat
  14. Malibu CA
  15. Miami Vice
  16. Monsters
  17. Pacific Blue
  18. Special Force: World’s Toughest Test
  19. St. Elsewhere
  20. The Starlet
  21. Welcome Back, Kotter
  22. Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire

Music To Which I Listened:

  1. Adi Ulmansky
  2. Angelo Badalamenti
  3. Ashlee Simpson
  4. The Chemical Brothers
  5. Chromatics
  6. Chrysta Bell
  7. David Lynch
  8. Goblin
  9. The Hospital
  10. Jessica Simpson
  11. John Carpenter
  12. Julee Cruise
  13. Lindsey Stirling
  14. Primitive Radio Gods
  15. Rialto
  16. Saint Motel
  17. Skrillex
  18. Tiesto
  19. The Ting Tings
  20. TTSSFU
  21. X

Live Tweets:

  1. Nemesis
  2. Wanted: Dead or Alive
  3. Class of 1984
  4. Mortuary

News From Last Week:

  1. Visionary Director David Lynch Has Passed Away
  2. Actress Joan Plowright Dies
  3. Actor Bob Uecker Dies
  4. Director Jeannot Szwarc Dies
  5. Comedian Tony Slattery Dies After A Heart Attack
  6. The TikTok Ban Is Off Again

Links From Last Week:

  1. Tater’s Week in Review 1/17/25
  2. The Serenity Of Malibu Waves…A Peaceful Oasis Destroyed…How You Can Help…
  3. “Live Wire”

Links From The Site:

  1. Arleigh reviewed Monster and Van Helsing!  He shared an AMV of the Day and two songs of the day, from Joe Satriani and The HU.  He shared a scene from Mr. Inbetween and paid tribute to Assassin films!  He shared the trailer for Daredevil: Born Again!
  2. Brad reviewed Voyage, The Untouchables, Vampires, Sling Blade, Shane, Conviction, and Enough!  He shared a scene from Ace Ventura and paid tribute to David Lynch.  He wrote about Charles Bronson: The Musical.
  3. Erin reviewed Hitting For The Cycle and paid tribute to Bob Uecker!  She shared the covers of Real Men and Mural of Martin Luther King, Jr., Master Detective, Gang Mistress, Amazing Detective Tales, Women Without Men, Gretta, and Ginger!
  4. Jeff reviewed 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Cops and Robbersons, Excalibur, and Phantom Punch!  He reviewed a game and shared great moments in television and comic book history!
  5. I shared music videos from TTSSFU, Rialto, Skrillex, The Hospital, Tiesto, X, and Chrystabell!
  6. I shared songs of the day from The Chemical Brothers, The Supremes, Angelo Badalamenti, Jessica Simpson, and Janis Joplin!
  7. I shared my week in television!  I also reviewed Degrassi High!
  8. I paid tribute to John McNaughton, 1963, John Carpenter, bootleggers, John Boorman, and Edgar Allan Poe!
  9. I shared scenes from Airplane!, Earthquake, They Live, Deliverance, and Tales and Tellers!
  10. I reviewed When it Rains In LA, Gravity, Alone in Venice, Alice Adams, Laws of Man, Mississippi Burning, Dead Before They Wake, The Elephant Man, Dark Star, Starman, The Man, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Notorious, The Bishop’s Wife, Eraserhead, and Nomadland!

Click here for last week!

6 Things To Which I Am Looking Forward In October

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to October!  October is a big month here at the Shattered Lens.  It’s the month when we devote the majority of our time to the horror genre.  It’s time for our annual Horrorthon!  Last year, we had a record number of Horrorthon posts.  I’d love to that record this year but mostly. I just want this year’s Horrothon for both our writers and our readers!

Here’s what I’m looking forward to in October!

  1. Anora — Sean Baker’s latest film may not be a horror film but it’s still the October film to which I’m most looking forward to.  A hit on the festival circuit, the early word is that Anora is going to be one of this year’s major Oscar contenders.
  2. The Horror Movies On TCM — TCM never lets me down in October.  I can’t wait to binge all of the classic horror that will be aired this month.
  3. Joker: Folie a Deux — This film is one of the big question marks on the upcoming calendar.  When I first heard that the sequel to Joker would be a musical, I thought it sounded like a disastrous idea.  But the early word has been that Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga both give excellent performance and that the sequel is worthy follow-up to first film.  We’ll find out in just a few more days!
  4. Terrifier 3 — Art the Clown is one of the scariest villains around.  Terrifier gave me nightmares.  Terrifier 2 was overlong but well-made.  I’ll be interested to see what happens with the third film.  If nothing else, I appreciate that the Terrifier films are unapologetic about being the type of films that they are.  It takes courage to fully embrace a genre that hasn’t always been accepted by the mainstream.
  5. Conclave — This is another film that’s expected to be an Oscar contender.  Based on what I’ve heard about the film’s plot, I’m not as enthusiastic about this film as some people are.  But I do always look forward to seeing a good Ralph Fiennes performance and the word is that he’s excellent in this film.
  6. Halloween — It’s my favorite holiday!  I can’t wait to see all the decorations, all the parties, and all the costumes!

October’s going to be a great month and those of us at TSL can’t wait to celebrate it with you!  What are you looking forward to in October?

A Note To Our Readers

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi, everyone!

As I mentioned last month, things have been difficult down here in Texas with my father’s health issues.  We’re getting back on track here at the Shattered Lens but again, I want to say thank you for your patience as Erin and I get back to our usual posting routine.

Just a few administrative notes:

  1. Retro Television Reviews will return on September 2nd, with Miami Vice and CHiPs.  The delay is because I like to write up and schedule reviews for several episodes at a time, so that way I hopefully don’t fall behind and get overwhelmed by the pressure of trying to get caught up.  Again, thank you for you patience!
  2. As always, our annual Horrorthon starts in October!
  3. As for this month, it’s going to be about getting back into the swing of things and hopefully, getting caught up on some of the movies that I’ve missed over the past few months.
  4. Thank you for reading and commenting!

Love,

Lisa Marie

A Note To Our Readers

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi, everyone.

As I’ve mentioned here before, my Dad has been very ill over the last month and a half.  Today, I learned that he will be going into hospice care.  Needless to say, both myself and my sister Erin are coming to terms with this news and everything that it potentially represents.  As a result, there may be days when it’s a bit quiet around here on the Shattered Lens.  There may be some days when the site will not feature a new music video or a new pulp cover or a Retro Television review or a film review.

That does not mean the site is going away though.  It just means that, whereas we previously updated on a daily basis, we may have to go for an every other day basis for a few weeks, at least until things get worked out around here.  This has been a difficult year but I love this site more than ever.  Family is always going to come first but I am in no way abandoning my love of writing about pop culture.

Thank you to all of our subscribers, readers, and commenters.  The Shattered Lens, and all of its writers, will still be here even if some of us do occasionally have to take a personal day!

Love,

Lisa Marie

8 Things To Which I Am Looking Forward In October

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to October!  October is a big month here at the Shattered Lens.  It’s the month when we devote the majority of our time to the horror genre.  It’s time for our annual Horrorthon!  Last year, we had a record number of Horrorthon posts.  I’m hoping that we break that record this year but, even if we don’t, it should still be a lot of fun!

Here’s what I’m looking forward to in October!

  1. Killers of the Flower Moon — So, technically, it’s not a horror film, though it does deal with a horrific incident in American history.  That said, Martin Scorsese’s latest is the film that I have most anticipated getting to watch this year.  I know that I’m not alone in that.  We’ve all read the rapturous reviews.  We’ve seen the enigmatic trailers.  This month, on October 20th, we’ll finally get a chance to see it for ourselves!
  2. The Killer — One week after we get a new Scorsese film, we’ll be getting a new film from David Fincher!  Again, it may not be a horror film but it is a movie from one of our best filmmakers.
  3. The Holdovers — If you can’t get into David Fincher’s latest film, you can check out the latest from Alexander Payne, The Holdovers!  Along with Killers Of The Flower Moon, Barbie, and Oppenheimer, The Holdovers is expected to be an Oscar contender come awards season.
  4. Pain Hustlers — And if you can’t get into The Killer or The Holdovers, you can check out Pain Hustlers.  2023 is the year of Emily Blunt!
  5. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Trial — The final film from the great William Friedkin is scheduled to be released on Paramount Plus and Showtime on October 6th.
  6. Horror Movies, Horror Movies, and more Horror Movies! — If you can’t enjoy watching horror movies, classic and otherwise, in October, when can you enjoy watching them?
  7. The Fall Of The House of Usher — Mike Flanagan’s upcoming Netflix miniseries promises an update to Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tale of gothic horror!
  8. Halloween — It’s my favorite holiday!  I can’t wait to see all the decorations, all the parties, and all the costumes!

October’s going to be a great month and those of us at TSL can’t wait to celebrate it with you!  What are you looking forward to in October?

WTF, Tweetdeck!?

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, I woke up and tried to hop onto Tweetdeck and I discovered that it is now down.  I usually have 10 open columns on my Tweetdeck and, as of right now, only two of them are loading.  I can check my DMs and I can see tweets from people I follow but I can’t check my lists, I can’t check my hashtags, and I can’t see my replies on Tweetdeck.  For that, I have to go straight to Twitter.

(Oddly, I can still tweet from Tweetdeck.)

Following yesterday’s rate-limit announcement, it’s hard not to assume that the limits that Elon Musk instituted also broke Tweetdeck.  It’s like he’s just looking for ways to make those of us who encouraged others to give him a chance feel foolish.

Don’t get me wrong.  There are some thing that Elon Musk has done that I agree with.  I agree with the idea that free speech should be Twitter’s number one priority.  I agree with the release of the Twitter Files, which did show just how much the government and other wealthy players manipulated the news.  I agree with bringing back the previously banned accounts.  In fact, I think he didn’t go far enough where that’s concerned because, as far as I know, the Trashfilm Guru’s original account is still suspended.  And I even agree with doing away with the legacy blue checkmarks because the verification system had itself become corrupted.  After Musk took over the site, I had a lot less annoying people showing up on my timeline as recommended follows and I appreciated that.  Plus, Elon Musk drives my commie friends crazy and I appreciated that even more.

But none of that matters if people cannot actually use the site!

The official story is that the rate limit was instituted to combat data scraping.  Data scraping is something that has been going on since the day Twitter was founded and it’s never been a big enough problem to require destroying people’s ability to use the site.  If the problem was suddenly so bad that emergency measures were needed, why not take Twitter offline for maintenance instead of making an announcement that everyone would be restricted but that subscribers to Twitter Blue would be restricted less?  If the problem was so bad that unverified users could only read 600 tweets a day, why then change that to a thousand tweets a day in response to people getting pissed off?  If it’s that huge of a problem, you don’t say, “Okay, sorry, here’s an extra 400 tweets.”  What you do is apologize and promise to fix things as quickly as possible.  The rate limit is obviously just a scheme to convince people to subscribe.

At this point, I think everyone just has to hope that Joe Rogan or Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will declare rate limits to be a conspiracy because they seem to be the only people that the Silicon Valley tech bros are interested in listening to.

In the end, this is all a reminder of the outsized role that social media (and Twitter, in particular) play in our lives.  Is it too late to return to the blogging era?