Category Archives: Editorial

Lisa Marie’s Week In Review: 2/7/22 — 2/13/22

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Ivan Reitman, R.I.P.  I just heard that the influential Canadian director passed away yesterday.

This has been a busy week.  We started with the Oscar nominations and the Olympics.  We’re ending with the Super Bowl.  We’re finishing up what’s left of 2021.  I almost feel like next week will be the first week that 2022 actually feels like 2022.

Anyway, I’m obviously too tired to have coherent thoughts so let’s just move on to what I watched and listened to this week!

Films I Watched:

  1. Atlantis (1990)
  2. Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)
  3. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
  4. Big Man on Campus (1963)
  5. C.C. and Company (1970)
  6. C.H.U.D. (1984)
  7. Home Team (2022)
  8. Into the Wind (2022)
  9. Kimi (2022)
  10. Men With Brooms (2002)
  11. Munich — The Edge of War (2022)
  12. Nightmare Alley (1947)
  13. Race With The Devil (1975)
  14. Shattered …. If Your Kid’s On Drugs (1986)
  15. Shut In (2022)

Television Shows I Watched:

  1. Allo Allo
  2. The Amazing Race
  3. BBC World News
  4. Celebrity Big Brother
  5. King of the Hill
  6. Pam & Tommy
  7. South Park
  8. Super Bowl LVI
  9. Super Bowl Pre-Show
  10. The Winter Olympics

Music To Which I Listened:

  1. Above & Beyond
  2. Alice Martin
  3. Bloc Party
  4. Bob Dylan
  5. Britney Spears
  6. Cedric Gervais
  7. Charli XCX
  8. The Chemical Brothers
  9. Coldplay
  10. David Guetta
  11. Fatboy Slim
  12. Hans Zimmer
  13. Hozier
  14. Icona Pop
  15. Jake Bugg
  16. Louis Armstrong
  17. Lydia
  18. MEDVZA
  19. Muse
  20. Opus III
  21. Rita Coolidge
  22. Saint Motel
  23. Selena Gomez
  24. Sex Pistols
  25. Souixsie and the Banshees
  26. Tiesto
  27. The Wallflowers

Live Tweets:

  1. The Shattered Lens Live Tweets Super Bowl Sunday

Awards Season:

  1. Oscar Nominations
  2. What If Lisa Had All The Power: 2022 Edition

Trailers:

  1. Jurassic World Dominion
  2. Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
  3. Netflix
  4. Moon Knight
  5. The Lost City
  6. Nope
  7. Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
  8. DC — The World Needs Heroes

Links From Last Week:

  1. Make Your Own Bacon Roses! Love Burgers! Here Are Recipes For “Love In A Bun”! The Best Valentine’s Day Treats!
  2. The World’s Common Tater’s Week in Books, Movies, and TV 2/11/22

Links From The Site:

  1. Leonard shared the trailer for Jurassic World Dominion!
  2. Ryan reviewed Megillah, Isolated, and Unfolding!
  3. Case reviewed episodes two and three of Reacher!
  4. Jeff reviewed True Grit: A Further Adventure, Banjo Hackett, and Locked Door IV.
  5. Jeff shared his Super Bowl predictions, some thoughts on The Simpsons, and some thoughts on Kickers, Inc!
  6. Erin shared Make Sure I Win, Movie Story Magazine, Payment In Sin, Over Night, Men, Dirt Farm, and Movie Humor!  She also profiled Robert Oliver Skemp!
  7. I shared music videos from Louis Armstrong, Alice Martin, Coldplay, Above & Beyond, MEDVZA, David Guetta, and Hans Zimmer!  I paid tribute to football and shared a scene from Any Given Sunday!  I shared my week in television and a film called Big Man on Campus!  I also shared my top 6 super bowl ads!
  8. I reviewed C.C. And Company, KIMI, Shut In, Munich — The Edge of War, Men With Brooms, Home Team, Into the Wind, and the latest episode of Pam and Tommy!

More From Us:

  1. Ryan has a patreon!  You should consider subscribing!
  2. At Days Without Incident, Leonard shared the Moon Knight teaser!
  3. At her photography site, Erin shared: Paw Prints In The Snow, Peace on Earth, Rorschach Clouds, desolate, Red Car In A Gray Alley, Window, and Just Visiting!
  4. At my music site, I shared songs from Lydia, Sex Pistols, Bloc Party, Opus III, The Wallflowers, Britney Spears, and Romeo and Juliet!
  5. At Reality TV Chat Blog, I reviewed the latest episode of The Amazing Race!
  6. For the Big Brother Blog, I have been writing about Celebrity Big Brother!

Want to see what I did last week?  Click here!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Review: 1/31/22 — 2/6/22

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I watched a lot of movies this week.  I finally feel like I’m ready for the Oscar nominations to be announced on February 8th.  Ideally, I would have had all this done before the first week of February but we don’t live in an ideal world and you know what?  I’ve seen a lot of really good movies over the past two weeks.  This has been a fun two weeks, even if I was very aware that I was quickly running out of time to see everything that I wanted to see.

Anyway, Oscar nominees on Tuesday!  I can hardly wait!  And then the Super Bowl on Sunday, which is usually one of our busiest days at the site as we try to keep up with the movie previews and all of the other commercials.  I can’t wait!

Here’s what I watched and listened to this week:

Films I Watched:

  1. Annette (2021)
  2. Ator, The Fighting Eagle (1982)
  3. Belfast (2021)
  4. Bergman Island (2021)
  5. Black Widow (2021)
  6. Blind Fury (1990)
  7. The Card Counter (2021)
  8. CODA (2021)
  9. Encanto (2021)
  10. Eternals (2021)
  11. Flee (2021)
  12. The French Dispatch (2021)
  13. In the Line of Duty: Siege at Marion (1992)
  14. Licorice Pizza (2021)
  15. Luca (2021)
  16. Nightmare Alley (2021)
  17. Prayers For The Stolen (2021)
  18. Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)
  19. Rolling Like Thunder (2021)
  20. Shangi-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
  21. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
  22. The Velvet Underground (2021)

Television Shows I Watched:

  1. Allo Allo
  2. The Amazing Race
  3. The Bachelor
  4. Bar Rescue
  5. Celebrity Big Brother
  6. The Love Boat
  7. The Office
  8. Open All Hours
  9. Pam & Tommy
  10. Parking Wars
  11. The View
  12. The Winter Olympics
  13. WKRP In Cincinnati

Music To Which I Listened:

  1. Bloc Party
  2. Britney Spears
  3. Charli XCX
  4. Clint Mansell
  5. Cream
  6. Destroyer
  7. Elisa
  8. Hans Zimmer
  9. Jefferson Airplane
  10. Kylie Minogue
  11. Lily Allen
  12. Lynard Skyanrd
  13. Muse
  14. Phantogram
  15. Saint Motel
  16. Taylor Swift
  17. Yazoo
  18. Yvonne Elliman

Awards Season:

  1. Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for January

News From Last Week:

  1. Italian screen icon Monica Vitti dies at 96
  2. NBC’s China Challenge: Politically Fraught Beijing Olympics Make Tokyo Look Tame
  3. Whoopi Goldberg suspended from “The View” after saying the Holocaust was “not about race”
  4. Jeff Zucker Resigns From CNN After Relationship With Top Executive
  5. CNN Probe Eyes Jeff Zucker’s Ties to Andrew Cuomo
  6. Zucker, Gollust’s cozy ties with Andrew Cuomo included coaching him on COVID briefings
  7. Box Office: ‘Jackass Forever’ Catapults to No. 1 as ‘Moonfall’ Craters

Links From Last Week:

  1. Making Clemenza’s Meatballs! Celebrate “The Godfather” At 50 With This Classic Recipe! — Bite! Eat! Repeat!
  2. The World’s Common Tater’s Week In Books, Movies, and Television 2/4/22

Links From The Site:

  1. Case reviewed the first episode of Reacher!
  2. I reviewed Pam & Tommy and Blind Fury!  I also shared a short film about bikes and my week in television.  I shared 8 things that I’m looking forward to in February.
  3. I shared music videos from Lily Allen, Muse, Elisa, Bloc Party, Charli XCX, Muse (again), and Destroyer!
  4. Jeff reviewed Siege at Marion, Ride Lonesome, The Big Stampede, and Rescue from Gilligan’s Island!  He also reviewed A Locked Room III.
  5. Jeff paid tribute to John Ford and shared the histories of NFL SuperPro and the Second Pro Bowl.
  6. Erin reviewed Boys’ Ranch and wished everyone a happy Groundhog Day!
  7. Erin Shared Hot Dam, Last February, Day Into Night, Snowslide, Movie Humor, South Sea Stories, and Law and Order, Unlimited.  She also profiled artist Carlo Jacona!

More From Us:

  1. Ryan has a patreon!  You should subcribe!
  2. On her photography site, Erin shared: Collection, waiting, Invite, Lava Lamp, Winter Weather, Tunnel, and Blue Eyes!
  3. For Big Brother Blog, I wrote about Celebrity Big Brother!
  4. At Reality TV Chat Blog I reviewed the latest episode of the Amazing Race!
  5. At my music site, I shared songs from: Jefferson Airplane, Kylie Minogue, Yazoo, Charli XCX, Cream, Lynard Skynard, and Yvonne Elliman!

Want to see what I did last week?  Click here!

8 Things That I Am Looking Forward To In February

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Ah, February!

February is usually one of my favorite months of the year.  Not only do we usually have a lot of Oscar scenarios to which to look forward but it’s also the month of Valentine’s Day!  This is the month of love, people!  Admittedly, pre-COVID, this was also the month when I would usually take my vacation and get out of town for a while.  My vacation’s going to be a little bit later this year, though.

What am I looking forward to this month?  Well, there’s always a chance of snow!  Of course, last year, it snowed in February and we ended up going without power for a week.  That was a difficult time for a lot of people down here in Texas.  It really wasn’t that difficult for me, though.  I kind of enjoyed the snow.  Even without the lights, I could still read a book late at night because of the light reflecting off of all the snow.  That was kind of fun.  But I should probably be careful about admitting that too loudly.

Anyway, here are eight things to which I am looking forward in February!  What are you looking forward to?  Let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll send some snow your way.  (And by snow, you mean cocaine, right?  No, I mean metaphorical snow.  Wait a minute, who am I talking to?)

  1. The Oscar Nominations

The Oscar nominations will finally be announced on February 8th!  With any luck, I will be posting my personal nominations on the 7th.  I have a lot of movies left to watch and I know I’m probably going to miss out on a few because there’s only so many hours during the day.  That sucks but I’m going to do my best, I promise.

2. The Winter Olympics

Am I looking forward to the Olympics?  On the one hand, I am because I’m love ice skating and curling and all of that good stuff.  On the other hand, I’m like, “This is the most problematic Olympics of my lifetime.”  I know that some people believe that we should have totally boycotted the Olympics this year.  I don’t agree with that because that wouldn’t accomplish much beyond punishing our athletes.  Instead, as a proud Irish-Italian-Spanish-American, I will be cheering on all of our athletes, even the really obnoxious ones and I will also be hoping that the coverage of the games will be honest when discussing why they are so controversial this year.

3. Death on the Nile

Speaking of controversy ….. Death on the Nile is finally getting released!  First, it was delayed by COVID.  Then it was delayed by Armie Hammer.  I’m just curious to see how it does at the box office.  Personally, I like the idea of Kenneth Branagh playing Poirot and solving murders.  To me, it’s interesting that he directed this film before Belfast but it’ll be opening at a time when it’s success or failure could effect Belfast’s Oscar campaign.

4. Cyrano

Cyrano is apparently going to finally get a wide release on February 25th.  I guess the hope is that it’ll pick up some Oscar nominations and, when it opens, everyone will be like, “Finally!  We can see what the Academy is so excited about!”  I hate platform releases but I’m still looking forward to finally seeing Cyrano.

5. Marry Me

This looks like the best romantic comedy of 2004!  Seriously, sometimes you see a trailer for a movie that is so destined to be bad that you just have to watch it.

6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

My Marry Me comments apply here as well, except for the romantic comedy part.  Don’t worry. If this latest reboot/sequel doesn’t work, they’ll just try again in 2024.  Many years ago, someone got mad at me because I pointed out that no one would care about a Vermont Chainsaw Massacre.  I stand by that opinion.

7. Super Bowl Sunday

Yes, I watched a bit of football in January.  It was an experiment to see if I could get into the sport.  It turns out that I can’t.  But I’m still looking forward to the Super Bowl commercials and the trailers and the tweets!  Always, the tweets….

8. Valentine’s Day

I love Valentine’s Day and I never quite get the bitterness that it seems to inspire in some people.  Of course, I don’t think I’ve ever been single on Valentine’s Day, either.

As for what I’m not looking forward to in February …. the return of Celebrity Big Brother.  Ugh.  I’ll watch it but that doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to it.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Review: 1/24/22 — 1/30/22

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

And so another week comes to a close.

I’ve still got a handful of movies that I need to watch before I can post my best films of 2021 list.  I know that February is probably way too late to post such a list but …. well, I’m going to give it a try anyways!  I may not be the first person to post her best of 2021 list but, at the rate I’m going, I’ll probably be the last.  It’ll get done some time over this upcoming week!

For now, here’s what I watched, read, and listened to this week!

Film I Watched:

  1. Being the Ricardos (2021)
  2. Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster (2021)
  3. The Boy In The Plastic Bubble (1976)
  4. Enter the Ninja (1981)
  5. Final Account (2021)
  6. Found (2021)
  7. The Harder They Fall (2021)
  8. Indigenous (2014)
  9. The Lost Daughter (2021)
  10. The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021)
  11. The Night Strangler (1973)
  12. Shiva Baby (2021)
  13. Summit of the Gods (2021)
  14. Tick …. Tick …. Boom! (2021)
  15. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

Television Shows I Watched:

  1. Allo Allo
  2. The Amazing Race
  3. The Bachelor
  4. Bar Rescue
  5. Football Game: Bengal vs Chiefs
  6. Football Game: 49ers vs Rams
  7. Full House
  8. King of the Hill
  9. Open All Hours
  10. Parking Wars
  11. Seinfeld
  12. Silk Stalkings

Books I Read:

  1. Bronson’s Loose: The Making of the Death Wish Films (2006) by Paul Talbot
  2. My Ox is Broken (2006) by Adam-Troy Castro

Music To Which I Listened:

  1. Adi Ulmansky
  2. The Chemical Brothers
  3. DJ Snake
  4. Grimes
  5. Icona Pop
  6. Katy Perry
  7. Kedr Livanskiy
  8. Lana Del Rey
  9. Public Service Broadcasting
  10. Purity Ring
  11. Saint Motel
  12. Tash
  13. Toni Collette & The Finish
  14. Trentemøller
  15. Upsahl

Awards Season:

  1. Costume Designers Guild Nominations
  2. Producers Guild Nominations
  3. Eddie Nominations
  4. Writers Guild Nominations
  5. Directors Guild Nominations
  6. American Society of Cinematographers Nominations
  7. Music City Film Critics Association Winners
  8. Cinema Audio Society Nominations
  9. Online Film Critics Society Winners
  10. Golden Reel Nominations
  11. Art Directors Guild Nominations

News From Last Week:

  1.  Woman who jumped from NYC high-rise identified as Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst
  2. Actor Howard Hesseman Dies At 81
  3. Actor Donald May Dead At 94
  4. Actor Morgan Stevens Dead At 70

Links From Last Week:

  1. Oscar Winners! Phantoms! Gumshoes Too! 3 Neglected 70’s Films You Must See!
  2. The World’s Common Tater’s Week in Books, Movies, and TV 1/28/22

Links From The Site:

  1. Erin shared Naked In The Night, Death Turns The Tables, The Gallows Garden, Hangman’s Harvest, Blackmail Inc., Contrary Pleasure, and Dead on the Level.  She reviewed The 5th Quarter and she shared The Exciting Covers of Dime Western Magazine!
  2. Jeff reviewed Mason of the Mounted, Honor of the Range, Across The Plains, Death Rides the Range, Ten Wanted Men, Sierra Stranger, and Gunfire!  He also reviewed Locked Door Part II, shared a moment from comic book history, and paid tribute to Howard Hesseman!
  3. I shared an AMV of the Day and my week in television and a scene from Damsels in Distress and a short film called A Question of Judgment!
  4. I shared music videos from Tash, Public Service Broadcasting, Toni Collette & The Forward, Grimes, Adi Ulmansky, Upsahl, and Trentemøller!
  5. I reviewed Bolero, Don’t Look Up, Being the Ricardos, and The Boy In The Plastic Bubble!
  6. Ryan reviewed Krania and Blood Horn!

More From Us:

  1. Ryan has a patreon!  Consider subscribing!
  2. At her photograph site, Erin shared: Dolls on Strike, Separate Table, Cross, Red Skies, Leaning Tree, Another Time & Place, and Fountain in Black-and-White!
  3. At Reality TV Chat Blog, I reviewed the latest episode of The Amazing Race!
  4. At my music site, I shared songs from DJ Snake, Public Service Broadcasting, Saint Motel, Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry, Icona Pop, and Purity Ring!

Want to see what I did last week?  Click here!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Review 1/17/22 — 1/23/22

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, I got caught up on a lot of movies.  I have a lot more that I still need to see because, at the end of the upcoming week, I plan on posting my picks for the best and the worst of 2021!

Films I Watched:

  1. American Ninja 3 (1989)
  2. American Revolution 2 (1969)
  3. Another Round (2020)
  4. Ape vs Monster (2021)
  5. Assault on VA-33 (2021)
  6. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
  7. Breezy (1973)
  8. Cicero March (1966)
  9. The Courier (2021)
  10. Dear Comrades! (2020)
  11. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
  12. The Fan (1996)
  13. Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
  14. The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971)
  15. The Night Stalker (1972)
  16. Nobody (2021)
  17. The Octagon (1980)
  18. Patty Hearst (1988)
  19. Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021)
  20. Summer of Soul (2021)
  21. Swan Song (2021)
  22. The Urban Crisis and the New Militants Module 6 – Black Moderates and Black Militants (1969)
  23. Wall Street (1987)

Television Shows I Watched:

  1. The Amazing Race
  2. B Positive
  3. Football Game: Buccaneers vs Rams
  4. Full House
  5. Ghosts
  6. The United States of Al

Books I Read:

  1. The 103rd Ballot (1976) by Robert K. Murray
  2. Scarface (1930) by Armitage Tail

Music To Which I Listened:

  1. Ava Max
  2. Blondie
  3. Calvin Harris
  4. Carly Simon
  5. The Chemical Brothers
  6. Chromatics
  7. Dillon Francis
  8. DJ Snake
  9. Fatboy Slim
  10. Grimes
  11. The Heavy
  12. Julee Cruise
  13. Lindsey Stirling
  14. Muse
  15. O-Town
  16. The Prodigy
  17. Rita Coolidge
  18. Saint Motel
  19. Spice Girls
  20. Susie van der Meer
  21. Tiesto
  22. Underworld

Awards Season:

  1. Set Decorators Society Nominations
  2. Denver Film Critics Society Winners
  3. Visual Effects Society Nominations
  4. Houston Film Critics Society Winners
  5. Seattle Film Critics Society Winners
  6. North Dakota Film Society Winners
  7. African-American Film Critics Association Winners

News From Last Week:

  1. Top editorial staff leaving A.V. Club entertainment site after refusing to relocate from Chicago to new offices in LA
  2. Actress Yvette Mimieux Dies
  3. French actor Gaspar Ulliel dies in skiing accident
  4. German actor Hardy Kruger Dies
  5. Singer and actor Meat Loaf Dies 
  6. Comedian Louie Anderson Dies
  7. Dylan Dog Creator Michelangelo La Neve Dies
  8. Film Producer Mace Neufeld Dies
  9. EXCLUSIVE: Alec Baldwin Sued by Fallen Marine Family for $25 million
  10. Kings of the Hill, Again: Greg Daniels, Mike Judge Discuss Their New Animation Company

Links From Last Week:

  1. The Undoing of Joss Whedon
  2. “The Godfather” Turns 50! Here’s A New Trailer For The Upcoming Re-Release!
  3. The World Common Tater’s Week In Books, Movies, and Television

Links From The Site:

  1. I shared music videos from Tiesto and Ava Max, Meat Loaf, Muse, Julee Cruise, O-Town, Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow, and Blondie!
  2. I shared my week in television and an AMV of the Day and a short film from David Lynch!
  3. I paid tribute to Jim Jarmusch and David Lynch!
  4. I shared a scene from Twin Peaks: The Return!
  5. I reviewed Armitage Trail’s Scarface, Revenge of the Ninja, Mass, Assault on VA-33, and Stillwater!
  6. Erin shared Martin Luther King, A House In The Uplands, Spicy Adventure Stories, Find My Killer, Feeling No Pain, Shame, and the Night Thorn!
  7. Erin took a look at The Fan and the Covers of Variety Detective!
  8. Jeff reviewed Desolation Canyon, The Bravos, Romance of the West, Black Hills, Tumbleweed Trail, Frontier Marshal, and The New Frontier!  He took a look at The A-Team, Locked Room, and Spider-Man and the Dallas Cowboys!
  9. Ryan reviewed Jinx Freeze, Methods of Dyeing, and The Maspeth Witch!

More From Us:

  1. Ryan has a patreon!  Consider subcribing!
  2. For Reality TV Chat Blog, I reviewed the latest episode of The Amazing Race!
  3. At my music site, I shared songs from The Heavy, Grimes, Fatboy Slim, Julee Cruise, Susie Van Der Meer, Blondie, and The Brady Bunch!
  4. At Days Without Incident, Leonard shared a song from Queens of the Stone Age!
  5. At Pop Politics, Jeff shared Looking Ahead, More Retirements, That Was Really Something, Overhyped Chuck, Borrowed Credibility, Ignore Gene Wu, and Bucs vs Rams!
  6. At her photography site, Erin shared Rocks in the Water, Speed Hump Ahead, Kiss, Cross, The Old Regal, and Looking Out!

Want to see what I did last week?  Click here!

Scenes That I Love: The Ending of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time In America

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

(SPOILERS BELOW)

The final moments of Sergio Leone’s epic 1984 gangster film, Once Upon A Time in America, are filed with questions and mysteries.

In 1968, who did Noodles (played by Robert De Niro) see standing outside of Max’s mansion?  When the garbage truck pulled up, did the mysterious man get in the truck or was he thrown in by some unseen force?

Why, in 1968, did Noodles see a car from the 1920s, one that was full of people who appeared to be celebrating the end of prohibition?  Was the car really there, in 1968, or was it an element of Noodles’s past as a gangster suddenly popping into his mind?

When we then see a young Noodles in an opium den, are we flashing back to the 1920s?  Is Noodles remembering the past or is it possible that we’ve been in the 20s the whole time and all of the scenes set in 1968 were actually only a drug-induced dream?

Why, with men looking to kill him and all of his friends apparently dead, does Noodles suddenly smile at the end of the film?  Is that sudden smile a result of the drugs or is there something else going on?

Once Upon A Time In America was Sergio Leone’s final film.  It’s one that he spent decades trying to get made and, once it was finally produced, it was butchered and re-edited by a studio hacks who demanded that the film tell its story in a linear style.  Leone was reportedly heart-broken by how his film was treated.  Some have speculated that his disappointment may have even contributed to the heart attack that eventually killed him.  It was only after Leone passed that his version of Once Upon A Time In America became widely available in the U.S.  This enigmatic epic continues to spark debate.  One thing that can’t be denied is that it’s a brilliant film.

As today is Leone’s birthday, it only seems appropriate to share a scene that I love, the ending of Once Upon A Time In America.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Review: 12/27/21 — 1/2/22

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy New Year!

I spent most of this week visiting my sister Megan in Fort Worth.  That’s been a Bowman holiday tradition from 2008.  Pity my brother-in-law and my nephew as they had to spend a week listening to us carry on.  We watched a lot of TV, as I already mentioned.  We listened to a lot of music.  I lost track of how many times we danced along to the soundtracks of Saturday Night Fever, Boogie Nights, and Dazed and Confused.  It was a 70s type of week.

Well. I’m back home now and I’m feeing very proud of this site at the moment.  I want to say thank you to all of our writers and all of our readers.  You make all of the work worth it and I’m looking forward to seeing where 2022 takes all of us.

Here’s what I watched, read, and listened to this week.

Films I Watched:

2021:

  1. After We Fell (2021)
  2. Dazed and Confused (1993)
  3. The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
  4. The Godfather, Part III (1990)
  5. The Green Knight (2021)
  6. Monster (2003)
  7. Old (2021)
  8. Road House (1989)

2022:

  1. East of the Mountains (2021)
  2. House on Haunted Hill (1958)
  3. The Next Karate Kid (1994)
  4. Robot Monster (1953)
  5. Saved By The Bell: Hawaiian Style (1992)
  6. Stillwater (2021)

Television Shows I Watched:

  1. Allo Allo
  2. The Bold and the Beautiful
  3. California Dreams
  4. Dance Moms
  5. Days of our Lives
  6. Dexter: New Blood
  7. General Hospital
  8. Hang Time
  9. The Love Boat
  10. The Office
  11. Open All Hours
  12. Parking Wars
  13. Sabrina, The Teenage Witch
  14. Saved By The Bell
  15. Silk Stalkings
  16. The Steve Wilkos Show
  17. The Tribe
  18. The Twilight Zone
  19. The Young and the Restless

Books I Read:

  1. The Godfather (1969) by Mario Puzo
  2. Monster (1997) by John Gregory Dunne
  3. The Power Exchange (1979) by Alan R. Erwin
  4. Things I’ve Said, but Probably Shouldn’t Have : An Unrepentant Memoir (2007) by Bruce Dern

Music To Which I Listened:

  1. Above & Beyond
  2. Adi Ulmansky
  3. Alice Cooper
  4. Apollo 100
  5. Armin van Buuren
  6. Avicii
  7. Barry Adamson
  8. The Beach Boys
  9. Bee Gees
  10. Big Data
  11. Black Oak Arkansas
  12. Black Sabbath
  13. Blondie
  14. Bob Dylan
  15. Britney Spears
  16. California Dreams
  17. Calvin Harris
  18. Carly Simon
  19. Chakachas
  20. Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
  21. Charli XCX
  22. The Chemical Brothers
  23. The Crystal Method
  24. Daft Punk
  25. David Shire
  26. Deep Purple
  27. Del Shannon
  28. Dillon Francis
  29. DJ Judaa
  30. DJ Snake
  31. Donna Summer
  32. Dr. John
  33. Edgar Winter Group
  34. Edge of Forever
  35. Electric Light Orchestra
  36. Elvin Bishop
  37. The Emotions
  38. Fatboy Slim
  39. Foghat
  40. Franka Potente
  41. George Harrison
  42. Gloria Gaynor
  43. Goblin
  44. Haim
  45. Hans Zimmer
  46. Head East
  47. Hot Chocolate
  48. The Hues Corporation
  49. Icona Pop
  50. James Brown
  51. John Carpenter
  52. Katy Perry
  53. KC and the Sunshine Band
  54. KISS
  55. The KLF
  56. Kool & The Gang
  57. Led Zeppelin
  58. Lionrock
  59. Lou Reed
  60. Lynrd Skynard
  61. M/A/R/R/S
  62. Marc Collin
  63. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
  64. Marvin Gaye
  65. Melanie
  66. McFadden and Whitehead
  67. Michael Fredo
  68. The Move
  69. MSFB
  70. Muse
  71. Nazareth
  72. Night Ranger
  73. Ohio Players
  74. Pet Shop Boys
  75. Peter Frampton
  76. Phantogram
  77. The Prodigy
  78. Public Service Broadcasting
  79. Ralph McDonald
  80. Rick Derringer
  81. Rick Springfield
  82. Rita Coolidge
  83. The Runaways
  84. Saint Motel
  85. Seals & Croft
  86. Shirley Bassey
  87. Sleigh Bells
  88. Sniff ‘n The Tears
  89. Sound Experience
  90. The Steve Miller Band
  91. Sweet
  92. Tavares
  93. Taylor Swift
  94. Ted Nugent
  95. Three Dog Night
  96. Tiesto
  97. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  98. The Trammps
  99. UPSAHL
  100. Van McCoy
  101. Walter Egan
  102. War
  103. Yvonne Elliman
  104. ZZ Top

Best of 2021:

  1. Top Ten Vintage Collections (Ryan C.)
  2. Top Ten Contemporary Collections (Ryan C)
  3. Top Ten Original Graphic Novels (Ryan C.)
  4. Top 25 Albums (Necromoonyeti)

Awards Season:

  1. Lisa Marie’s December Oscar Predictions
  2. Columbus Film Critics Association Nominations 
  3. Greater Western New York Film Critics Winners
  4. North Carolina Film Association Nominations

Trailers:

  1. 6 Classic Trailers for January 1st, 2022

News From Last Week:

  1. Betty White has died at age 99.
  2. Max Julien, Blaxploitation Icon and Star of ‘The Mack,’ Dies at 88
  3. Writer/Attorney Andrew Vachss Dies
  4. Jean-Marc Vallée Dies: Director Of ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ ‘Big Little Lies’ & ‘Sharp Objects’ Was 58; Heart Attack Believed To Be The Cause
  5. ‘Comic Book Men’ star Robert Bruce found dead in NJ storage facility
  6. Ryan Reynolds, Ellen DeGeneres, Henry Winkler and More Remember Betty White: “She Lived the Best Life Ever”
  7. Jean-Marc Vallée Tributes Pour In: “My Heart Is Broken. My Friend. I Love You,” Reese Witherspoon Writes; Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Mourns Passing
  8. Kamala Harris: Heated Charlamagne tha God exchange was result of ‘frustration’
  9. Britney Spears says music hiatus is a ‘fuck you’ to her family
  10. ‘Karen’ who slapped Delta passenger is ex-‘Baywatch’ actress Patricia Cornwall
  11. L.A.’s Arms Race of the Affluent
  12. ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Continues Box Office Domination, Crosses $600 Million in North America

Links From Last Week:

  1. What Was Good in Tater Town in 2021
  2. RIP Max Julien…An Appreciation Of “The Mack” And Blaxploitation Cinema!
  3. December 2021 Viewing Recap + Movie(s) Of The Month
  4. Our favorite performances of 2021
  5. Critic’s Appreciation: Betty White Was as Important as She Was Beloved
  6. From Dr. Seuss to Chrissy Teigen: The stars who got canceled in 2021
  7. Life Lessons From My Aunt Joan Didion 
  8. Even if Modern Star Trek Doesn’t Think So, the World Is Getting Better
  9. A YouTube Film Critic Said Raya Was Avatar “Redux.” Then All Hell Broke Loose.
  10. Why so much Obama-era pop culture feels so cringe now
  11. ¡Hola Oscars! Don’t Forget to Consider These Latino Actors and Filmmakers From 2021
  12. The Black Neo-noirs of the ’90s
  13. Cold case murder that inspired ‘Twin Peaks’ solved 100 years later: Book

Links From The Site:

  1. Necromoonyeti shared his picks for the Top 25 albums of 2021!
  2. Ryan shared his picks for the top Vintage Collections, Contemporary Collections, and Graphic Novels of 2021!
  3. Erin shared Just A Picture of a Park in the Rain, The Education of Lydia, The Day After, Continental Touch, The Palace of Love, Worlds Beyond, The Parissienne, and Love Story!  She also reviewed Epiphany and shared The Covers of Fantastic Universe!
  4. Jeff reviewed The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean and Norwood.  He also wrote about the Jamie Kennedy New Year’s Special, Captain America punching Hitler, and a game called A Blank Page!
  5. I shared music videos from Van McCoy, Yvonne Elliman, Edge of Forever, Phantogram, Fatboy Slim, George Harrison, and Saint Motel.
  6. I reviewed the latest episode of Dexter, After We Fell. Saved By The Bell Hawaiian Style, The Next Karate Kid, Purple Noon, All The King’s Men, The Irishman, Penitentiary, The Last Don, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, And Now For Something Completely Different, The No Hope With Dope Episode of Saved By The Bell, and Lost Horizon!
  7. I read The Books of Rachel, The Lives of Rachel, Behind the Bell, and The Godfather!
  8. I shared my week in television.  I shared 8 shots from 8 Films You Should Watch In 2022.  I also shared an AMV of the Day and resolution encouragement from Monty Python.  I shared an educational film about making Better Use of Your Leisure Time.  I also listed 6 things that I’m looking forward to seeing in 2022!
  9. I wrote about the making of The Godfather Part II.
  10. I shared a scene from The Godfather Part II.
  11. I paid tribute to Oscar Micheaux.
  12. Doc welcome everyone to 2022!

More From Us:

  1. Ryan has a patreon!  You should subscribe!
  2. On her photography site, Erin shared Arboretum Path, Lovely Walk, Another Lovely Walk, Armadillos, Happy New Year’s Eve, Happy New Year, and The Past!
  3. At Pop Politics, Jeff shared Welcome to 2022 and Weather Report!
  4. For Horror Critic, I posted reviews of 10 Minutes to Midnight and Mulberry Street!
  5. At my dream journal, I shared: Christmas Decorations Dream, Shopping With My Sisters Dream, Beach Detective Dream, Parking Lot Dream, Dream About My Aunt, Happy New Year, and My Recurring High School Dream!
  6. At my music site, I shared songs from Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Del Shannon, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Michael Fredo, Donna Summer, James Brown, and the Hues Corporation!
  7. At SyFy Designs, I shared: Sympathy For My Brother-In-Law and Nephew, 2022: It’s In the Numbers, and A New Year’s Prayer!

Want to see what I did last week?  Click here!

Happy 2022 From All The Writers (and the Cat) at the Shattered Lens!

Posted on by Doc Bowman

It’s a new year.  Meh!

(Meh, by the way, is the way that cats say, “Yay!”)

You did it!

You survived 2021!

Though my expression may remains neutral and unimpressed, please know that I am very proud of you.

2021 was a year when humans everywhere proved that they should just be quiet and let cats run the planet.  Well, 2021 is over now.  It’s 2022 and hopefully, everyone will try to do better over the upcoming 12 months….

Of course, they probably won’t.  I mean, they never do.  I’ve been telling humans to do better for close to 13 years now and it still doesn’t seem to make any difference.  People don’t listen to the cats and that is their loss.  This is going to be a crazy year, because the humans in America are having an election in November and it seems like 60% of them have already climbed up to the top of the tree and decided to try to jump back down to the patio without even bothering to estimate the distance of their fall!  Cats know better, whereas humans always end up with broken bones and sprained ankles.  Not only do the humans have elections to worry about that, but there’s also the risk of runaway inflation, social media drama, bad weather, and the danger of vampire wombats.  Seriously, if you haven’t started to prepare for the vampire wombats, I don’t know what to tell you.  You better get started!

So you know what?

When the outside world gets too insane or annoying or whatever, we want to provide a place for you to escape.  This year, the TSL is 12 years old and the Shattered Lens humans have got a lot planned!  They’re going to make 2022 a great, great year, even with the danger of the vampire wombats.

So, remember — when things get crazy and when everything just seems to be too weird to deal with, TSL is here for you!

Here’s what we have to look forward to in 2022: the Oscars!  New films from some of your favorite human directors!  Even more debate about the the MCU!  Arleigh and Lisa will undoubtedly disagree about Avatar 2!  A thousand streaming services!  More Baby Yoda memes!  Pam and Tommy!  Cyrano!  Cannes!  Sundance!  Theme months!  Vampire wombats!  Embracing the Melodrama!  Back to School!  Shattered Politics!  18 Days of Paranoia!

Welcome to 2022!  Let’s make it great one and, when in doubt, look to the cats for wisdom!  If cats ran the country, there were be no war.  There would be no vampire wombats.  In fact, there would be no government.  In fact, it would probably work better as a sitcom than a reality.  Cats already run the world. You can have your government and your wombats and all the rest.  Just leave the music and the movies and all of the streaming services for the cats. It’s not too much to ask.

Anyway, here’s hoping that all of you have a great 2022!  As the cat likes to say, “Meh.”

6 Things That I Am Looking Forward To In January

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Ah, January.

Traditionally, as far as pop culture goes, January doesn’t get much respect.  If a studio has a film that they knew isn’t going to be a hit with critics or audiences, January is where they usually dump it.  The same can often be said of publishers.  Everyone is so busy getting caught up on what they missed during the last few months of the previous year, chances are that they won’t notice a few bombs dropped on the cultural landscape.  That’s the theory anyways.

But, you know me!  I’m an optimist.  And I remain convinced that, even in January, there are things to which we can look forward,  And here’s six of those things!

(Why six?  Because Lisa doesn’t do odd numbers.)

  1. Morbius

Morbius stars Jared Leto as a “living vampire” and it’s scheduled to be released at the end of January.  This seems like one of those comic book adaptations that could be fun in a goofy sort of way.  The whole question is whether or not Jared Leto will take himself too seriously in the title role.  I’m hoping that he will.

2. Scream

Is it Scream or is it Scream 5?  On the one hand, this film is being promoted as a “reboot” of the series but, at the same time, it’s also being described as a direct sequel to Scream 4, with Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell all returning.  Personally, I’m expecting to be disappointed but I’m still interested in seeing for myself.  Scream opens on January 14th.

3. Sundance Film Festival 2022

Sudance!  Hey, who doesn’t love Sundance?  Over the past few years, it seems as if at least one Sundance hit always emerges as an Oscar contender.  Minari was a hit at Sundance, for instance.  Brooklyn was first discovered at Sundance.  It’s always tempting to kind of make fun of Sundance because it really is indie filmmaking at its most Hollywoodish but it’s still the first important event of the year in cinema.  This year, Sundance will run from January 20th to January 30th.

4. Sinclair Lewis Is In The Public Domain

As of today, the work of Sinclair Lewis is now in the public domain!  So, I’ll be looking forward to new cinematic versions of Babbitt, Main Street, Arrowsmith, and It Can’t Happen Here!  Get on it, Asylum!

5. Awards Season Continues

Yay!  We’re now about to enter the actual important part of Awards Season.  The Guilds will be announcing their picks for the best of 2021.  As far as precursors go, the Guilds are far more useful than the critics groups.  Of course, sometimes the guilds mislead us.  Remember when everyone thought Deadpool was going to get a best picture nomination?  Thanks a lot, Producers Guild!

6. Grammy Awards

Actually, I don’t care about the Grammy Awards but I needed something to list in the sixth slot.  What can I say?  It’s January!  Anyway, I know that some people are looking forward to the Grammy Awards and there will undoubtedly be some sort of silly twitter controversy about the ceremony so I guess we can all get behind that.  The Grammy Awards are scheduled to be handed out on January 31st.

What are you looking forward to in January?  Anything? Nothing?  Let us know.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Review: 12/20/21 — 12/26/21

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I hope everyone had a good holiday!

Just one more week and this year is over!  We’ve got a lot of good things in store for this site in 2022.  I can’t wait for our readers to see them and tell us what they think!

Here’s what I did this week.

Films I Watched:

  1. Big Sur (2013)
  2. A Christmas Story (1983)
  3. Die Hard (1988)
  4. Die Hard 2 (1990)
  5. Don’t Look Up (2021)
  6. Elf (2003)
  7. Goodfellas (1990)
  8. Holiday Affair (1949)
  9. It’s A Wonderful Life (1947)
  10. Lethal Weapon (1987)
  11. Nebraska (2013)
  12. Paradise Cove (2021)
  13. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
  14. The Shop Around The Corner (1940)
  15. Staying Alive (1983)

Television Shows I Watched:

  1. A Very Boy Band Holiday
  2. The Brady Bunch
  3. Dexter: New Blood
  4. Football
  5. Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around
  6. The Love Boat
  7. The Office
  8. Santa Claus is Coming To Town
  9. Saved By The Bell

Books I Read:

  1. Night of Camp David (1965) by Fletcher Knebel

Music To Which I Listened:

  1. Bee Gees
  2. Bob Dylan
  3. Broken Peach
  4. Britney Spears
  5. Camila Cabello
  6. Darlene Love
  7. Jake Bugg
  8. Idina Menzel
  9. Katy Perry
  10. Lindsey Stirling
  11. Norah Jones
  12. Norman Greenbaum
  13. Saint Motel
  14. Taylor Swift
  15. Yvonne Elliman

Awards Season:

  1. St. Louis Film Critics Association Winners
  2. Indiana Film Journalists Association Winners
  3. DFW Film Critics Winners
  4. Online Association of Female Film Critics Winners
  5. Nevada Film Critics Society Winners
  6. Florida Film Critics Circle Winners
  7. Black Film Critics Circle Winners
  8. North Texas Film Critics Winners
  9. Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Nominations

Trailers:

  1. The Northman

Best of 2021:

  1. Top Ten Single Issue Comics (Ryan C)
  2. Top Ten Comics Series (Ryan C)
  3. Top Ten Special Mentions (Ryan C)
  4. Top Ten Vintage Collections (Ryan C)

News From Last Week:

  1. Jean-Marc Vallée Has Died; Director Of ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ ‘Big Little Lies’ & ‘Sharp Objects’ Was 58
  2. Joan Didion dies at 87
  3. Hamptons cops pull over Alec Baldwin, Hilaria after warrant issued for his phone
  4. Emmy Rule Changes: Dramas and Comedies Will No Longer Be Determined By Hour or Half-Hour Length
  5. Britney Spears’ Father, Who Was Suspended From Conservatorship, Requests Daughter Pay Legal Fees
  6. Jagged Little Pill’ Will Not Reopen on Broadway Due to Omicron Surge
  7. Chris Noth Dropped From CBS’ ‘The Equalizer’ After Sexual Assault Allegations
  8. Palm Springs Film Awards Ceremony Canceled Due to COVID Concern

Links From Last Week:

  1. My Traumatizing Years With Bryan Singer
  2. What really happened to Ronald Hunkeler, who inspired ‘The Exorcist’
  3. Tater’s December 2021 in Books
  4. The World’s Common Tater’s Week in Books, Movies, and TV 12/17/21
  5. Santa Smokes! Hilarious Cigarette Ads! Celebrities Hawking Holiday Products!

Links From The Site:

  1. Erin shared Universe Science Fiction, The Sensualists, Amazing Stories, Fantastic Adventures, Welcome, Star, and the Day After!  She also shared a scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas!
  2. Leonard reviewed Licorice Pizza!
  3. Jeff wished everyone a happy Festivus!
  4. Doc wished everyone a Merry Christmas!
  5. I shared music videos from Saint Motel, Norman Greenbaum, Frank Sinatra, Norah Jones, Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel, and Darlene Love!  I shared my week in television!  I reviewed Wild Indian and Fear and Loathing in Aspen.  I shared scenes from Goodfellas, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s A Wonderful Life, and Less than Zero!  I shared Treevenge!

More From Us:

  1. Ryan has a patreon!  Subscribe!
  2. At her photography site, Erin shared Purple, Yellow, Cowboy, Inside the Dollhouse, Merry Christmas Eve, Merry Christmas, and Squirrel!
  3. At Days Without Incident, Leonard shared The Family Madrigal!
  4. At my music site, I shared songs from Norman Greenbaum, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Bob Dylan, Katy Perry, Lindsey Stirling, and Broken Peach!

Want to see what I did last week? Click here!