Hot Shots! (1991, directed by Jim Abrahams)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

There are a lot of reasons why it’s hard to take Top Gun seriously but, for me, the biggest problem is that I’ve seen Hot Shots!  Directed by Jim Abrahams, Hot Shots! does for Top Gun what Airplane! did for disaster movies.

Charlie Sheen plays Topper Harley, the hot shot Navy Pilot who is haunted by the death of his father.  (“I’ve even got my father’s eyes,” Topper says before revealing that he carries them around in a cigarette case.)  Topper has left the Navy and is living in a teepee with the Old One.  Command Block (Kevin Dunn) asks Topper to return to the Navy to take part in Operation Sleepy Weasel.  Topper puts on a leather jacket and hops on a motorcycle.  The Old One tells Topper to pick up some batteries for his walkman.

Cary Elwes plays Kent Gregory, who says that Topper is not safe in the air.  Valeria Golino plays Ramada, the psyciatrist who helps Topper deal with his father issues.  Jon Cryer is Washout, who has wall-eyed vision.  Kristy Swanson is Bo, the only female pilot.  William O’Leary is the pilot who has the perfect life and wife but who everyone calls “Dead Meat.”  And finally Lloyd Bridges is Admiral Tug Benson, who has never successfully landed a plane and who has suffered and recovered from almost every war wound imaginable.  Tug is clueless but he loves America and his admiral’s hat.

Hot Shots! is one of the better parody films to come out in the wake of Airplane!  Charlie Sheen’s limitations as a dramatic actor actually made him a good comedic actor and Cary Elwes does a decent Val Kilmer imitation.  Some of the jokes have definitely aged better than others.  In 1991, Valeria Golino singing on a piano automatically brought to mind Michelle Pfieffer in The Fabolous Baker Boys but does anyone remember that film (or that scene) in 2025?  (The 9 1/2 Weeks scene is even more of a distant memory to most but Valeria Golino is so appealing in those scenes that most viewers — well, most male viewers — won’t mind.  In this case, the parody is far more successful than the original.)  Hot Shots! is at its best when imitating Top Gun‘s kinetic, music video-inspired style.  The mix of quick-cut editing and ludicrous dialogue is hard to resist.  After watching Charlie Sheen dance on his motorcycle and Cary Elwes explain what a chafing dish is for, it’s hard to take Top Gun seriously ever again.

Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.25 “The Yacht”

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 Malibu CA, which aired in Syndication in 1998 and 1999.  The entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!

This week, Jason and Scott do something stupid!

Episode 1.25 “The Yacht”

(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on May 16th, 1999)

Because they’re dumbasses, Scott and Jason accidentally destroy their father’s new watch.  At first, they try to do the right thing and buy him a new watch.  But it turns out that watch cost $2,000!

How can they possibly raise $2,000?

Hey, here’s an idea!  Maybe they can just borrow Murray’s yacht and throw a casino night!  (Actually, the yacht belongs to Murray’s father but whatever.)  Surely, that’ll be enough to raise $2,000!

Uhmm …. hey, guys?  Let’s think about this logically.  It’s a casino night.  Now, admittedly, you’ve got the yacht for free because it belongs to Murray’s Dad.  Still, you have to rent (or buy) all of the slot machines, roulette wheels, and poker tables that are necessary for a casino night.  You have to pay the dealers at each table.  You probably have to pay security to keep an eye on all the money that’s floating around.  You have to pay for all the refreshments.  If you have the money to put on a casino night then guess what?  YOU’VE GOT THE MONEY TO REPLACE YOUR DAD’S WATCH!

Good Lord, this show is stupid!

Anyway, Murray shows up at casino night wearing a white captain’s uniform and for once, I agreed with the audiences applause.  Murray looked good!  Brandon Brooks has been this season’s saving grace and he was the best thing about this episode.  Unfortunately, Murray panics when he hears that his father is coming home early.  He tries to steer the yacht back to the docks and instead, he accidentally hits a reef.  The $2,000,000 yacht sinks!

We have spent this entire season hearing about what a monster Murray’s Dad is.  This is the first episode in which he actually appears and he turns out to actually be a pretty cool guy.  Yes, he’s upset that his yacht sank.  And yes, Murray’s in some trouble.  But Murray’s dad says he’s still proud of Murray for taking responsibility.  Awww, what a great guy!

And what a stupid episode!

Actually, speaking of stupid, check out the B-plot.  Stads wants to star in a film about lifeguard training.  Since Traycee’s an actress, she agrees to teach Stads how to perform on camera.  Stads accepts Traycee’s help but doesn’t ever really seem to appreciate it.  As you can probably guess, Traycee ends up with the role and Stads gets even more upset.  At this point, I’m a little bit bored with episodes that center around Stads getting upset about stuff.  Stads is always upset about something.  Even when something good happens to her, Stads gets upset about it.  Stads started out as an interesting character but, halfway through the season, the show’s writers decided to just make her into a permanent killjoy.

Speaking of killing joy, this season is nearly over!  Next week, season one comes to a close.

The Films of 2024: Woman Of The Hour (dir by Anna Kendrick)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This morning’s Oscar nominations were dominated by Netflix’s Emilia Perez, which picked up a total of 13 nominations.  Though it has yet to win an Oscar for Best Picture, Netflix has definitely picked up its game over the past few years.  Every year, there’s a major contender that’s produced and released by Netflix.  The Irishman, Marriage Story, Power of the Dog, Maestro, they were all films that were heavily pushed by Netflix.  This year, Netflix actually had many potential contenders but, in the end, it put its full weight behind Emilia Perez and it paid off this morning.  Whether it will pay off on Oscar night had yet to be seen.

Unfortunately, that means there a few Netflix films that got pushed to the side.  As many mentioned this morning, Angelina Jolie’s performance in Netflix’s Maria was ignored, despite having been viewed as an Oscar lock just a few months ago.  The Piano Lesson also failed to pick up a nomination for Danielle Deadwyler.  Myself, I wish that Netflix would have just spent a bit more time pushing a film called Woman Of The Hour.

Woman of the Hour is the directorial debut of Anna Kendrick and it’s about as far from the light-hearted world of Pitch Perfect as one can get.  Based on a true story, the 70s-set film features Kendrick as Sheryl Bradshaw, an aspiring actress who goes on The Dating Game and asks questions to three contestants, not knowing that Bachelor #3 is actually a serial killer named Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto).

The film jumps back and forth in time, mixing Sheryl’s appearance on the tacky game show with the horrific crimes of Rodney Alcala.  On the show, Sheryl grows frustrated with the stupid, pre-written questions that she’s been handed and instead, she starts asking her own questions.  The three “bachelors” are taken by surprise but only Alcala is able to keep up with Sheryl.  Separated from Sheryl and just hearing her questions, Alcala manages to sound like an intelligent and interesting human being.  (As with most serial killers, Alcala is a master manipulator and knows what to say to put people at ease.)  It’s only after Sheryl selects him and they have a face-to-face meeting that Sheryl comes to realize that Alcala is not the man he presented himself as being.

The film’s style might seem disjointed to some.  Woman of the Hour is full of flashbacks and flashforwards.  The empty glitz of the Dating Game and Sheryl’s refusal to play dumb for the approval of the show’s producers is contrasted with the brutality of Alcala’s crimes.  It’s a technique that builds a sense of dread and inevitability.  Sheryl may not know who Bachelor #3 is but we do and it’s hard not to worry when it becomes obvious that he’s the bachelor she’s going to pick.  Even more importantly, the film contrasts the show’s casual misogyny with Alcala’s own hatred of women.  Kendrick uses the film to comment on the everyday fears women navigate, from the casual sexism of the show’s producers to the outright danger of a predator like Rodney Alcala.  There’s a poignant scene where Sheryl encounters a casting director’s crass comments about her body, undoubtedly reflecting the real-life experiences Kendrick herself has faced.  (“I’m sure they look fine,” one smarmy producer says after Sheryl explains that she doesn’t do nude scenes.)  This is a thriller but it’s also a critique wrapped in suspense.

Woman of the Hour is a compelling watch, not just for its thrilling narrative but for its heart-wrenching look at the vulnerability of women in a predatory world.  Kendrick proves herself as a director with a voice, one that’s both fresh and deeply personal.   Woman of the Hour is a film worth 94 minutes of your time.

Scenes That I Love: “That’s Bird Seed!” from The Oscar

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Have you ever wondered what it takes to win an Oscar?  The 1966 film, The Oscar, revealed to audiences just how sleazy a world Hollywood can be.  Frankie Fane (Stephen Boyd) does everything he can to win an Oscar and he doesn’t care who he hurts!  But fear not — Hollywood may not be perfect but it has no room for someone like Frankie Fane!  At the end of the movie, a man named Frank does win the Oscar but his last name is Sinatra and Frankie Fane is left humiliated.  That’ll teach him to try to pull one over on the Academy!

The Oscar is an incredibly silly film but it’s also a lot of fun.  In this scene that I love, Frankie’s best friend — played by Tony Bennett, in both his first and final film — confronts Frankie about the type of star that he’s become.

“That’s birdseed!”

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Also-Ran 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!

Since today is Oscar nomination day, today’s edition of 4 Shots From 4 Films is dedicated to films that were nominated for Best Picture but which did not win.

4 Shots From 4 Best Picture Nominees

Citizen Kane (1941, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Gregg Toland)

High Noon (1952, dir by Fred Zinnemann, DP: Floyd Crosby)

Goodfellas (1990, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Michael Ballhaus)

Lost In Translation (2003, dir by Sofia Coppola, DP: Lance Acord)

Song of the Day: Ramblin’ Man (The Allman Brothers Band)

Posted on by Arleigh

The Allman Brothers Band, as accomplished and acclaimed as they were, seem to not have the garnered the same attention with the younger generations like their contemporaries such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kansas, Creedence Clearwater Revival, etc. It’s a shame really since they were probably the greatest band to come out of the southern rock scene.

Led by frontman Gregg Allman with the mythical Duane Allman and Dickey Betts bookending him as duo lead guitarists, The Allman Brothers Band came onto the scene with their mixture of blues-inspired rock and that southern flavor (almost a touch of the bluegrass and country) that left such a huge with rock listeners during the late 60’s and throughout the 1970’s. Their signature song will always be the ever-present “Whipping Post” where anyone wanting to take up the guitar will hear the genius slide-guitar playing of Duane Allman (dying at the age of 24 and cementing his spot in rock legend lore).

Yet, Dickey Betts also had his time to shine as Duane’s partner-in-crime and this is more than evident on his work in the band’s track “Ramblin’ Man” released in 1973 which in itself inspired by the Hank Williams song of the same name. “Ramblin’ Man” is one of the band’s more country-sounding song, but it’s blues rock foundation comes to the forefront with Dickey Betts performing the outro guitar solo to finish off the song.

While Duane Allman’s death in 1971 could’ve been the death knell to this rising band, it powered through this tragedy and more than a little help from Duane’s guitar-mate Dickey Betts.

Ramblin’ Man

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man,
Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I can.
And when it’s time for leavin’,
I hope you’ll understand,
That I was born a ramblin’ man.

My father was a gambler down in Georgia,
And he wound up on the wrong end of a gun.
And I was born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus
Rollin’ down highway 41.

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man,
Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I can.
And when it’s time for leavin’,
I hope you’ll understand,
That I was born a ramblin’ man.

[Interlude]

I’m on my way to New Orleans this mornin’,
Leaving out of Nashville, Tennessee,
They’re always having a good time down on the bayou, Lord
Them Delta women think the world of me.

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man,
Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I can.
And when it’s time for leavin’,
I hope you’ll understand,
That I was born a ramblin’ man.

[Repeat and Fade]
Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man…

[Guitar Solo]

Great Guitar Solos Series

Here Are The 2024 Oscar Nominations

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here they are!  The 2024 Oscar nominations!

There’s a few surprises, like I’m Still Here getting nominated for Best Picture.  I will say that if Kamala Harris had won in November, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong would not have been nominated for The Apprentice.  The same impulse that causes the Academy to honor the films of Adam McKay is responsible for the nominations of Stan and Strong.  Pamela Anderson getting a nomination for The Last Showgirl would have made for a great story but it didn’t happen.

After all the hype, the actual announcement of the nominations is always a bit of a let down.

Best Picture
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“I’m Still Here”
“Nickel Boys”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”

Best Director
Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
Sean Baker, “Anora”
Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”

Best Actress
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
Demi Moore, “The Substance”
Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”

Best Supporting Actress
Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”
Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”

Best Actor

Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”

Timothee Chalament, “A Complete Unknown”

Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”

Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”

Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov, “Anora”
Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”
Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”

Original Screenplay:
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Real Pain”
“The Substance”
“September 5”

Adapted Screenplay
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nickel Boys”
“Sing Sing”

International Feature
“I’m Still Here”
“The Girl with the Needle”
“Emilia Pérez”
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
“Flow”

Animated Feature
“Flow”
“Inside Out 2”
“Memoir of a Snail”
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
“The Wild Robot”

Documentary Feature
“Black Box Diaries”
“No Other Land”
“Porcelain War”
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
“Sugarcane”

Best Editing
“Anora”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Brutalist”

Best Original Score in a Motion Picture
“The Brutalist”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Conclave”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”

Production Design
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”

Best Costume Design
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Gladiator II”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”

Best Sound
“A Complete Unknown”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Wicked”
“Emilia Perez”
“The Wild Robot”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“A Different Man”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nosferatu”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”

Animated Short
“In the Shadow of Cypress”
“Wander to Wonder”
“Yuck”
“Magic Candies”
“Beautiful Men”

Live Action Short
“Anuja”
“The Last Ranger”
“A Lien”
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
“I’m Not a Robot”

Documentary Short
“Death by Numbers”
“I Am Ready, Warden”
“Incident”
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
“Instruments of a Beating Heart”

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez”
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing”

 

Happy Birthday in heaven to RUTGER HAUER – a personal reflection.

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Quite simply, Rutger Hauer has been one of the most important actors in my life. I write about his movies every Sunday here on The Shattered Lens.

I first saw him in THE HITCHER when I was around 13 years old or so. I spent the night at a friend’s house where we watched the movie, and it scared the crap out of me. I will never, ever, ever pick up a hitchhiker I do not know because of this movie. Although I kept up with him after that fateful night, my next real meaningful memory of Hauer was from 1990 when, as an incoming senior in High School, I attended a six week summer program called Arkansas Governor’s School. We would watch movies every Sunday evening, and one of those movies was BLADE RUNNER (1982). After the movie, we would get together with an instructor to discuss the film. We all thought that Hauer had stolen the film from Harrison Ford, and we had a good time sharing theories about the doves and his character sticking the nail through his hand. I believe this was the first time I ever analyzed a film with a group of film lovers. None of my friends or family members in my “real life” cared about movies like I did.

I think it’s fair to say that I’ve been somewhat obsessed with Rutger Hauer from that point forward. I searched out his history of Dutch films and discovered important works like TURKISH DELIGHT (1973 -not one of my favorites) and SOLDIER OF ORANGE (1977 – one of my very favorites). I always wished Hauer would have worked with Director Paul Verhoeven again after 1985’s FLESH AND BLOOD. How cool would it have been to see Hauer as Robocop?! I delighted in seeing him steal the film NIGHTHAWKS (1981), his American debut, from Sylvester Stallone. After 1990, any time Rutger Hauer had a movie playing in a theater near me, I would be there. This included his early 90’s movies like SPLIT SECOND (1992 – where I was the only person in the theater), BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1992), and SURVIVING THE GAME (1994), to his character roles in the 2000’s in movies like CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND (2002), SIN CITY (2005), and BATMAN BEGINS (2005). The last time I saw him on the big screen was in THE RITE (2011), where he co-starred with Anthony Hopkins.

Rutger Hauer has so many credits. Aside from his big screen credits, he worked on so many low budget direct to video features, made-for-TV films, as well as quite a few TV series. And I tried to watch them all. I saw some good films and some not so good films, but I always found Hauer interesting no matter what the material was. I remember being excited when it was announced that he would be joining the cast of the hit HBO series TRUE BLOOD (2008-2014), a series that I watched faithfully. The last two films of his that I was truly excited about were HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN (2010) and DRACULA 3-D (2012). It was satisfying to see him getting a lot of attention that late in his career.

I was sitting on the beach in Perdido Key, FL in 2019, when I got a notification on my phone that Hauer had passed away. It made me sad, as I had no idea he had been sick. It was also fitting that I was sitting in such a beautiful place, because Rutger Hauer had brought such joy to my life for over 30 years. Rest in peace, Mr. Hauer!

Music Video of the Day: Head Down by Cher Lloyd (2025, dir by Raja Virdi)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hey, you know what would be fun?  How about a music video shot in the middle of a really depressing city?  For whatever reason, depressing music videos have been an important component of more than a few music videos.  In this one, it adds a layer of meaning to the song, a layer that probably was not there before.

Enjoy!