This past week was long but ultimately rewarding.  I didn’t watch as many movies as I should have and I’m going to have to make up for that over the course of this upcoming week but, at the same time, I hosted the I Like To Watch live tweet on Saturday night and, as a result of also hosting both the Friday Night Flix and the Scary Social live tweets, I was also able to introduce a whole new group of people to both Ninja III: The Domination and Messiah of Evil.  Introducing people to new and old things is always a good feeling.

Anyway, here’s what I watched, listened to, and read this week!  I know that I said I was going to start posting my best-of-2020 lists during this upcoming week but it’s going to have to wait for just a little bit longer while I spend the next 7 days catching up on the last few films of the previous year.  (Fear not, time is eternal.)

Films I Watched:

1. Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
2. His Girl Friday (1940)
3. Inception (2010)
4. Mank (2020)
5. Messiah of Evil (1973)
6. Ninja III: The Domination (1984)
7. The Social Dilemma (2020)
8. Tormented (1960)

Television Shows I Watched:

1. A Football Game — I have no idea who was playing or who won.  I just know it was on TV this afternoon, I watched a little of it with Jeff, and I had to stop watching because everyone kept colliding head-to-head and it was totally freaking me out.
2. ‘Allo ‘Allo
3. The Bachelor
4. Bar Rescue
5. The Bold and the Beautiful
6. The Chase
7. Cold Case Files
8. The District
9. Days of our Lives
10. Dr. Phil
11. General Hospital
12. Hell’s Kitchen
13. Hill Street Blues
14. The Love Boat
15. The Masked Dancer
16. Mister Winner
17. Night Stalker
18. The Office
19. Open All Hours
20. The Vicar of Dibley
21. Yes, Minister
22. The Young and the Restless

Books I Read:

1. Taking Shape: Developing Halloween From Script to Scream (2018) by Dustin McNeil and Travis Mullins
2. Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels (2020) by Dustin McNeil and Travis Mullins

Messiah of Evil (1973, directed by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz)

Music To Which I Listened:

1. Afrojack
2. Armin van Buuren
3. Avicii
4. Big Data
5. The Brady Bunch
6. Britney Spears
7. Cage the Elephant
8. Calvin Harris
9. Carter Burwell
10. The Chemical Brothers
11. The Crystal Method
12. Coldplay
13. Daft Punk
14. Dillon Francis
15. DJ Judaa
16. Donna Summer
17. Fatboy Slim
18. Franka Potente
19. Gwen Stefani
20. Hans Zimmer
21. Hounds
22. Icona Pop
23. Jakalope
24. Jake Bugg
25. Jessica Simpson
26. John Carpenter
27. The KLF
28. M/A/R/R/S
29. Muse
30. No Doubt
31. Odyssey
32. Phantogram
33. The Prodigy
34. Public Service Broadcasting
35. Saint Motel
36. Sleigh Bells
37. Steve Aoki
38. Taylor Swift
39. Tiesto
40. Universal Honey
41. UPSAHL

Awards Season Links:

1. St. Louis Film Critics Association Nominations
2. Music City Film Critics Winners
3. San Diego Film Critics Winners
4. Gotham Winners
5. Hawaii Film Critics Winners
6. Houston Film Critics Society Nominations
7. North Dakota Film Society Winners
8. San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle Nominations
9. St. Louis Film Critics Winners

Links From Last Week:

1. Just Turn It Off

News From Last Week:

1. CNN announces it is pulling network from airports, Twitter rejoices
2. Hollywood Prepares to Delay Another Slew of Blockbusters
3. Netflix’s Massive 2021 Film Slate Will Deliver New Movies Every Week This Year
4. Ray Fisher, WarnerMedia Offer Dueling Accounts of ‘Flash’ Exit
5. Phil Spector, Wall of Sound Music Producer and Murderer, Dies at 81

Links From The Site:

1. Erin shared: Too Much Woman, Up To Her Neck, The Country School, Glamour Photography, Tom Swift In The Nuclear Caves, I Fear You Not!, and Swamp Nymph!
2. Jeff shared music videos from Bob Seger, Thomas Dolby, Iron Maiden, KISS, AC/DC, Bart Simpson, and Bart Simpson again!
3. Ryan reviewed If On Account of Sunday, Horrorscopes, Brick Breaks Free, and Brick By Brick!
4. I reviewed The Social Dilemma, Mank, and Hillbilly Elegy!  I wished a happy birthday to John Carpenter!

More From Us:

1. I hosted the I Like To Watch live tweet this week!  Check out my playlist!
2. Ryan has a patreon and you should consider subscribing!
3. On her photography site, Erin shared: Afternoon, Crown, Together, Gathering, January 15th, January 16th, and January 17th!
4. On my music site, I shared songs from Hounds, Donna Summer, Odyssey, Gwen Stefani, Dillon Francis, Big Data, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson!

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

It snowed today!

I know that, compared to everything else that happened during this week, getting a little bit of snow in North Texas might not seem like a big deal but, for me, it was just what I needed.  It’s been at least two years since the last time it snowed here in Dallas and the fact that it’s finally happened again served as a valuable reminder that life is unpredictable and that’s not a bad thing.

It was earlier this week that it was announced that it would probably snow on Sunday.  Actually, it’s called a “wintery mix,” which is apparently a mix of rain and snow.  Not surprisingly, this led to a neighborhood-wide panic as everyone converged on every nearby grocery store and stocked up with a year’s worth of supplies.  I’m sure that my friends up north would have a good laugh at how we react to the possibility of snow down here.  Of course, we always have a good laugh at how they react to a 75-degree day up there.  Myself, I just can’t believe that houses up north actually have a specific room called “the mudroom.”  I mean, at least give it a better name.  Do they keep mud in there?  I mean, what the Hell?

This morning, it started snowing around 10 am.  It started out as just a few small flakes and then they turned into big white flakes and suddenly, some of it even started to stick to the ground!  (Actually, in the end, very little of it stuck to the ground but, at that moment, I was so excited to see even the barest dusting of snow on the grass that I was convince that the backyard would turn into a winter wonderland within the next 15 minutes or so.  I tend to think of snow as having magical powers.)  When it first started to come down, I was curled up on the couch and watching a movie and I was so excited to see the snow that I jumped straight up and I ran straight outside and stood in the back yard with my head thrown back and my arms spread.  Now, of course, I quickly learned that, when it’s snowing and the temperature is down to freezing, it’s not always a good idea to run outside when you’re only wearing a cotton nightshirt and a bathrobe.  Next time, I’ll at least remember to put on slippers!  (I probably should have already known that but seriously, I can’t put into words just how excited I get when I see actual snow.)

Once I went back inside and got dressed, I walked around in the snow for a while.  It was wonderful.  And before anyone asks, yes, I wore a mask and I took my inhaler and I resisted the temptation to try to start a snowball fight (not that there was really enough snow on the ground to make a snowball).  I played it safe and I managed to walk around the entire neighborhood without slipping on the slick sidewalk.  I also took the time to help one of my neighbor’s cats get inside of their garage.  The snow brought out the best in me, I think.

Unfortunately, the snow stopped falling after a few hours and most of it really didn’t stick to the ground.  (It was cold but just not quite cold enough.)  The towns nearby got a lot more snow than we did and yes, I was a little bit jealous.  But still, at least we got some snow!  It was unexpected and it was beautiful and it was wonderful and, to me, it was a reminder that there’s all sorts of great things out there and they deserve to be celebrated.

This upcoming week, I’ll be catching up with the films of 2020 and preparing my own best of the year lists.  I’ll be watching movies and listening to music and reading books.  I can’t wait to tell you all about it.  And who knows!  It might even snow again!  Hopefully, it’ll actually accumulate this time.

For now, here’s a list of what I watched, read, and listened to over the previous 7 days.  You know how much I love lists! For the record, I started out this weekend with one goal in mind — to watch 13 movies.  I managed to do it, despite taking several hours off so that I could marvel at the snow.  So, I’m a bit proud of myself for that.  Anyway, here we go:

Films I Watched:

1. The Beach Girls and the Monster (1965)
2. Behind Green Lights (1946)
3. Black Widow Killer (2020)
4. Bride of the Monster (1955)
5. Bubba Ho-tep (2002)
6. Degrassi Goes Hollywood (2009)
7. Degrassi Takes Manhattan (2010)
8. Detour (1945)
9. Fatal Fiance (2021)
10. FBI Girl (1951)
11. Horror of Party Beach (1964)
12. Invasion U.S.A. (1952)
13. Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
14. Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
15. The Midnight Sky (2020)
16. My Daughter’s Psycho Friend (2020)
17. Night Editor (1946)
18. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
19. Sorority Secrets (2020)
20. When A Stranger Calls (1979)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1956, dir by Edward D. Wood, Jr)

Television Shows I Watched:

(I spent a lot of time this week in my private office, watching retro TV stations — MeTV, Cozi TV, H&I, and a few others.  Don’t ask my why, I just did.  It wasn’t something that I necessarily planned but I still enjoyed it!  It’s always interesting to see what kept people entertained in the past.)

1. Alfred Hitchcock Presents
2. Any Day Now
3. The Bachelor
4. Bar Rescue
5. The Bionic Woman
6. California Dreams
7. Charlie’s Angels
8. The Chase
9. C.H.i.Ps
10. Cobra Kai
11. Daily Mass
12. Degrassi
13. The Drew Barrymore Show
14. Dr. Phil
15. Emergency!
16. Friends
17. Ghost Whisperer
18. Hell’s Kitchen
19. Highway to Heaven
20. Hill Street Blues
21. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
22. King of the Hill
23. Knight Rider
24. Magnum P.I.
25. Mannix
26. The Masked Dancer
27. Medium
28. One Day At A Time
29. Parking Wars
30. Perry Mason
31. The Queen’s Gambit
32. The Ripper
33. Saved By The Bell
34. Seinfeld
35. The Six Million Dollar Man
36. South Park
37. Three’s Company
38. The Twilight Zone
39. Who’s The Boss?

Books I Read:

1. An English Affair: Sex, Class, and Power in the Age of Profumo (2013) by Richard Davenport-Hines
2. How To Talk To Your Cat About Gun Safety (2016) by Zachary Auburn

Music To Which I Listened:

(As you might notice, I’m still kind of on a 70s disco kick right now)

1. Above & Beyond
2. Andrea True Connection
3. Ashford and Simpson
4. Bee Gees
5. Big Data
6. Blondie
7. Britney Spears
8. Cage the Elephant
9. Calvin Harris
10. The Chemical Brothers
11. Chic
12. Coldplay
13. The Commodores
14. Dave Mason
15. David Shire
16. Donna Summer
17. Edgar Winter Group
18. Edwin Starr
19. Fiona Apple
20. Fitz & The Tantrums
21. Florence and the Machine
22. Foghat
23. Giorgio Moroder
24. Goblin
25. Gwen Stefani
26. The Hues Corporation
27. I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
28. Instant Funk
29. Jakalope
30. Jake Bugg
31. Jigsaw
32. John Carpenter
33. John Paul Young
34. Joywave
35. KC and the Sunshine Band
36. Kedr Livanskiy
37. Kelly Clarkson
38. Lady Gaga
39. Lindsey Stirling
40. Linkin Park
41. Lynard Skynard
42. Mary Griffin
43. Maxine Nightingale
44. The Miracles
45. Muse
46. Musique
47. Neon Indian
48. Pattie Brooks
49. The People’s Choice
50. Phantogram
51. Rebecca Black
52. The Robber Who Robbed The Town
53. Rolling Stones
54. Saint Motel
55. Steve Aoki
56. Steve Miller Band
57. Sunshine
58. Taylor Swift
59. Thelma Houston
60. Walter Murphy
61. War
62. The Who
63. Yvonne Elliman

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959, dir by Ed Wood)

Trailers:

1. WandaVision

Best of 2020:

1. My Top 20 Albums of 2020 (Necromoonyeti)
2. 25 Best, Worst, and Gems That I Saw In 2020 (Valerie Troutman)
3. Top 10 Vintage Collections (Ryan C)
4. Top 10 Contemporary Collections (Ryan C)
5. Top 10 Original Graphic Novels (Ryan C)

Awards Season Links:

1. The National Society of Film Critics Winners
2. San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations
3. North Dakota Film Society Nominations
4. Columbus Film Critics Circle Winners
5. Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Winners
6. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists Winners
7. North Carolina Film Critics Winners

Links From Last Week:

1. RIP Tanya Roberts…A Sad End To A Great Career…Here’s An Appreciation Of This “Bond Girl” And “Beastmaster”…
2. Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret — The Masterwork That Almost Got Away
3. The 16th Annual Better Than List

News From Last Week:

1. Tanya Roberts, Bond Girl and ‘That ’70s Show’ Star, Dies at 65
2. Tanya Roberts Still Alive, Rep Confirms
3. Tanya Roberts Dead at 65 Following False Death Announcement
4. The Daily Wire Makes First Foray Into Film & TV With School Shooting Movie ‘Run Hide Fight’
5. Michael Apted, British filmmaker and documentarian, dies at 79

Links From The Site:

1. Erin shared Lover Boy, Sea Nymph, Cockpit, Invaders of Earth, Woman Chaser, Backwater Woman, and The Arrival!
2. Jeff reviewed Hooper and the further adventures of Smokey and the Bandit and he shared music videos from The Ramones, Berlin, Adam and the Ants, Shaquille O’Neal, Squeeze, Phil Collins, and Johnny Hates Jazz!
3. I reviewed The Midnight Sky, Sorority Secrets, Fatal Fiance, and My Daughter’s Psycho Friend!  I shared an AMV of the Day!

More From Us:

1. Ryan has a patreon!  Consider subscribing!
2. On her photography site, Erin shared: End of the Holidays, Rain, This Tree Has Seen A Lot, Up, Backyard Rain, Sunset, and Without Leaves!
3. On my music site, I shared songs from: Andrea True Connection, Giorgio Moroder, John Paul Young, Jigsaw, David Shire, Pattie Brooks, and Dave Mason!

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

Have a good and, needless to say, a safe week!  Here’s hoping that we’re graced with a little more snow!

Just a few more days to go and 2020 is over!

Films I Watched:

1. A Christmas Story (1983)
2. All the Right Moves (1983)
3. The Burnt Orange Heresy (2020)
4. Die Hard (1988)
5. Die Hard 2 (1990)
6. Driveways (2020)
7. Elf (2003)
8. I’ll Name The Murderer (1936)
9. I’m Your Woman (2020)
10. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
11. Less Than Zero (1987)
12. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
13. Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs (2020)
14. Silent Night Bloody Night (1972)

Television Shows I Watched:

1. A Teacher
2. The Andy Griffith Show
3. The Bachelorette
4. California Dreams
5. Cheers
6. Community’
7. Court Cam
8. Degrassi
9. The Dick Van Dyke Show
10. Frasier
11. King of the Hill
12. Happy Days
13. The Love Boat
14. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
15. The Office
16. Parks and Recreation
17. The Ripper
18. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
19. Seinfeld
20. Taxi
21. Vengeance: Killer Lovers

Books I Read:

1. Apropos of Nothing (2020) by Woody Allen
2. Cinema 62 (2020) by Stephen Farber and Michael McClellan
3. The Sister In Law (2020) by Sue Watson

Music To Which I Listened:

1. Armin van Buuren
2. Bob Dylan
3. Chuck Berry
4. Coldplay
5. Cornershop
6. Daft Punk
7. Electric Feel
8. Goo Goo Dolls
9. Haim
10. Katy Perry
11. Kodaline
12. The Pretty Reckless
13. The Ramones
14. Saint Motel
15. Si Crastoun
16. Skrillex
17. Taylor Swift

TSL Year-End Lists:

1. Top Ten Single Issues (Ryan C)

Live Tweets:

1. Christmas Eve
2. Christmas Day

Trailers:

1. Desert Strike
2. Coming 2 America
3. WandaVision
4. The Village in The Woods
5. Land
6. The Human Voice
7. The Little Things

Award Season Links:

1. Lisa’s Oscar Predictions for December
2. The Chicago Film Critics Association
3. Indiana Film Journalists
4. Greater Western New York Film Critics Association
5. Music City Film Critics Association
6. Florida Film Critics Circle

More Links From The Site:

1. Erin reviewed Overcomer and An Unlikely Weapon.  She shared scenes from A Christmas Story and A Charlie Brown Christmas.  She shared the Covers of Science Fiction Quarterly.  She also shared: Planet Stories, Unknown, Homicide at Yuletide, Christmas Eve, Merry Christmas, The Day After Christmas, and The City!
2. Doc wished everyone a happy Christmas Eve and a merry Christmas!
3. Jeff wished everyone a Happy Festivus.  He shared music videos from Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.  He wrote about both the Black Widow and the time Big Crosby met David Bowie.  He reviewed A Midnight Clear, Hickey & Boggs, Stroker Ace, Destroy All Humans, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales!
4. Ryan reviewed Sludgy!
5. I shared music videos from The Pretty Reckless, Armin van Buuren, Si Cranstoun, The Ramones, and the Goo Goo Dolls!
6. I reviewed Maid in Manhattan, The Mystery of D.B. Cooper, The Rhythm Section, Driveways, Money Plane, My Psychedelic Love Story, Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, Valley Girl, Shooting Heroin, Olympic Dreams, Mighty Oak, Possessor, and Ava!
7. I paid tribute to Humphrey Bogart and Michael Curtiz!
8. I shared Treevenge, Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, and Santa Claus Conquers The Martians!  I also shared an AMV, 4 Shots From 4 Holiday Classics, and a scene from It’s A Wonderful Life!

More From Us:

1. Ryan has a patreon!  Consider subscribing!
2. On her photography site, Erin shared: Fog, Santa, The Grinch, Santa’s Here, Merry Christmas To All, Number 5, and Swans!
3. At my music site, I shared songs from Kodaline, Bob Dylan, Katy Perry, Chuck Berry, Coldplay, Saint Motel, and Cornershop!

Want to check out last week?  Click here!

Die Hard (1988, directed by John McTiernan)

Christmas is almost here!

And you know what that means …. it’s time to rob the money plane!

No, no — actually, it means that it’s time to start preparing for a new year!  We’ve finally got a COVID vaccine, we’ve got an extended awards season, and …. well, 2021 will have to be an improvement, right?  My hope is that — after nonstop drama and spending the past 20 years or so being told what to do — 2021 will be the year that people say, “Screw it!” and start doing whatever the Hell they want.

It’s time to bring about the 1920s and the 1970s, my friends.  And the best way to do that is to …. rob the money plane!

Anyway, ’til then, here’s what I watched and listened to this week:

Films I Watched:

1. The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
2. Burden (2020)
3. The Call of the Wild (2020)
4. Cape Canaveral Monsters (1960)
5. Friday the 13th (1980)
6. Howard the Duck (1986)
7. Maid in Manhattan (2002)
8. Money Plane (2020)
9. My Psychedelic Love Story (2020)
10. Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020)
11. Office Space (1999)
12. Peyton Place (1957)
13. Robot Monster (1953)
14. Shooting Heroin (2020)
15. Trilogy of Terror (1975)
16. Valley Girl (2020)

Television Shows I Watched:

1. A Teacher
2. The Amazing Race 32
3. The Bachelorette
4. Bar Rescue
5. The Bob Newhart Show
6. The Bold and the Beautiful
7. The Brady Bunch
8. Cold Case Files
9. Coronation Street
10. Days of Our Lives
11. Friends
12. General Hospital
13. Industry
14. The Mandalorian
15. The Office
16. Parking Wars
17. Saved By The Bell
18. Seinfeld
19. The Voice
20. The Young and the Restless

Music To Which I Listened:

1. Annie Lennox
2. Armin van Buuren
3. Backstreet Boys
4. Britney Spears
5. The Chemical Brothers
6. Chuck Berry
7. DJ Judaa
8. Dropkick Murphys
9. Frank Sinatra
10. Kodaline
11. Rick Astley
12. Saint Motel
13. Saxon
14. Sharon den Adel
15. Taylor Swift
16. Tim Agaye

Awards Season:

1. Indiana Film Journalist Association
2. Florida Film Critics Circle
3. Chicago Film Critics
4. New York Film Critics Circle
5. Boston Online Film Critics
6. Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Links From The Site:

1. I shared music videos from DJ Judaa, Annie Lennox, Kodaline, Chuck Berry, Annie Lenox again, Tim Agaye, and Rick Astley!
2. Erin shared the Holiday Covers of Galaxy Science Fiction and Faith of Tarot, Demon in the Mirror, Fantastic Adventures, The Castle of Iron, Avon Fantasy, Thongor and the Dragon City, and Rebel of Antares!
3. Ryan reviewed Malarkey, 1956, and Burning Hotels!

More From Us:

1. For Reality TV Chat Blog, I wrote about The Amazing Race!
2. Ryan has a patreon!  You should consider subscribing!
3. At Days Without Incident, Leonard shared Hearing Damage by Thom Yorke!
4. On my music site, I shared songs from Saxon, Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, Dropkick Murphys, Armin Van Buuren,  Taylor Swift, Frank Sinatra, and Britney Spears!
5. On her photography site, Erin shared; Ice, More Ice, Stuck in the Parking Lot, Sundown, Bike, Winter, and Christmas Is Coming!

Click here to check out last week!