4 Shots from 4 Films: Special George Pan Cosmatos Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, we celebrate the birth of director George Pan Cosmatos!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 George Pan Cosmatos Films

The Cassandra Crossing (1976, dir by George Pan Cosmatos, DP: Ennio Guarnieri)

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985, dir by George Pan Cosmatos, DP: Jack Cardiff)

Cobra (1986, dir. George Pan Cosmatos, DP: Ric Waite)

Leviathan (1989, dir by George Pan Cosmatos, DP: Alex Thomson)

January Positivity: Tapestry (dir by Ken Kushner)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Oh, how I have struggled with Tapestry.

Seriously, I have lost track of the number of times that I’ve tried to watch 2019’s Tapestry, just to give up on it as I realized that it was next to impossible to actually follow the film’s story.  Earlier today, I tried to watch it again and I finally made it all the way to the end.

It’s the story of a family.  Ryan (Stephen Baldwin) is an executive who loses his job but doesn’t tell his wife about it.  She doesn’t find out until his former place of employment calls the house.  “He’s at work,” she says.  “Oh, he got another job already?” is the response.  Awkward!  What’s even more awkward is that Ryan is eventually hired back at his company but now he’s just a lowly salesman, with a boss who is several years younger than him.

Throughout this, we hear narration from his mother (Tina Louise) and the first part of the film is so haphazardly edited that I have to admit that I was frequently confused as to whether or not his mother was dead or alive.  Having now watched the entire film, I now know that his mother was alive but dying for the majority of the film, though her narration was still coming from beyond the grave.  Ryan’s father was played by Burt Young and I’ll say right now that I am a Burt Young fan.  I’ve seen the Rocky movies.  Burt Young’s performance as the always-drunk Paulie was always spot on, even if Paulie himself wasn’t always the most likable character.  That said, I also spent the first part of the movie confused as to whether or not the father was meant to be alive or not.  The film is so weirdly edited that it’s hard to keep track of who anyone is or where they are at any particular moment.

As Ryan, Stephen Baldwin mopes through the film, which I guess is understandable considering that his parents may or may not have been dead.  I mean, if it was confusing to me as a viewer, I can only imagine what it was like for him as a child.  It’s hard to really get a handle on who Ryan is supposed to be as a person or how we’re supposed to feel about him.  In many ways, he seems as depressed when his life is going well as he is when his life is falling apart.  Baldwin seems to be disconnected from the film, which is a polite way to say that he doesn’t really seem to be making much of an effort.

And that’s a shame because Stephen Baldwin is actually not a bad actor.  Back in the day, when he was actually invested in a role and making an effort, he was a consistently good actor, even if he did have a tendency to appear in terrible movies.  Like Alec, he could do both comedy and drama but he didn’t have Alec’s tendency to overact.  With this film, Stephen just glumly goes through the motions.  It’s a bit boring to watch.

That said, I will say that, now that I’ve actually seen it, the end of the film is effective.  Maybe it’s because I’ve lost both my parents but I did find the film’s final thought — that Ryan’s mother was heading to a better place even as she kept an eye on her family — to be a comforting one.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 12/28/25 — 1/3/26

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Bar Rescue (Fave TV, weeknights and weekends)

I watched two episodes on Friday night.  One took place at a champagne bar in Philadelphia.  The other was at a Detroit jazz club.  I’m never surprised to learn that most of these places ended up closing, even after Jon Taffer’s makeover.  Would you want to eat or drink at a place that was featured as being incredibly dirty and vermin-infested on television?

On Saturday, I watched an episode in which Jon Taffer helped out a surly sports bar owner.  Why are the owners of sports bars always so surly?  I then watched another episode featuring a bar that was home to a wild racoon.  After that episode, I then discovered that Fave TV was doing a Bar Rescue marathon and I ended up watching several episodes that followed.  As I watched, I was reminded that I would be both a terrible bartender and a terrible waitress.  It’s a good thing that I decided to spend my life watching movies instead.

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making The Team (Fave TV, weeknights)

After Erin and I finished watching one of the Perry Mason movies on Friday, we watched an episode of this reality show on Fave TV.  Everyone was very smiley.  I was just happy because it was filmed in Dallas so I could spend the whole show going, “Hey, I was right outside that building earlier today!”

The Danny Thomas Show (MeTV+, Weekend Afternoons)

I watched an episode of this show on Saturday, largely because I was trying out the new remote control for the TV in my home office.  Danny Thomas was about to go on tour in Europe so comedian Jack Carter agreed to cover Danny’s nightclub show in the states.  Danny got jealous when he saw how much the audience loved Jack.  It made me laugh.

Dirty Pair Flash (Night Flight Plus)

On Friday night, I watched an episode of this often baffling anime.  The episode was about the pair playing beach volleyball.  I’m not sure why.  There was a lot of yelling involved.

Murder, She Wrote (Start TV, Weekend Mornings)

I woke up on Saturday and watched two episodes of this old show.  The first episode featured Elliott Gould arresting the wrong person and Angela Lansbury setting him straight.  The second episode featured Angela Lansbury speaking straight to the camera and telling us about some other detective, who was played by Ken Howard and who solved a murder involving a former football player.

New Year’s Eve Celebrations (Everywhere, Wednesday Night)

At my BFF Evelyn’s New Year’s Eve party, we flipped through and past many different televised celebrations.  We stopped to watch Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper get drunk on CNN.  For the most part, though, we didn’t stick with anything for very long.  We had celebrating of our own to do!

Rose Bowl Parade (NBC, Thursday Morning)

I watched a bit of the Rose Bowl parade.  Watching a parade on television is never as much fun as watching it in person.

Saved By The Bell: The New Class (Prime)

Seriously, this show is perfect for my insomnia.  It lulls me to sleep.

The National Society of Film Critics Honors One Battle After Another

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The National Society of Film Critics have announced their picks for the best of 2025.  And here they are:

Best Picture
Winner: ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (57 points)
Runners-up: SINNERS (29 points) & THE SECRET AGENT (27 points)

Best Director
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (54 points)
Runners-up: Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (48 points) & Richard Linklater, BLUE MOON and NOUVELLE VAGUE (39 points)

Best Actress
Winner: Kathleen Chalfant, FAMILIAR TOUCH (45 points)
Runners-up: Rose Byrne, IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU (39 points) & Renate Reinsve, SENTIMENTAL VALUE (37 points)

Best Actor
Winner: Ethan Hawke, BLUE MOON (57 points)
Runners-up: Wagner Moura, THE SECRET AGENT (43 points) & Michael B. Jordan, SINNERS (36 points)

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Teyana Taylor, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (56 points)
Runners-up: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, SENTIMENTAL VALUE (47 points) & Wunmi Mosaku, SINNERS (41 points)

Best Supporting Actor
​Winner: Benicio del Toro, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (54 points)
Runners-up: Delroy Lindo, SINNERS (37 points) & Stellan Skarsgård, SENTIMENTAL VALUE (30 points)

Best Screenplay
Winner: Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (53 points)
Runners-up: Robert Kaplow, BLUE MOON (50 points) & Kleber Mendonça Filho, THE SECRET AGENT (40 points)

Best Cinematography
Winner: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, SINNERS (50 points)
Runners-up: Adolpho Veloso, TRAIN DREAMS (36 points) & Michael Bauman, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (29 points)

Best Nonfiction Film
Winner: MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART I — LAST AIR IN MOSCOW (56 points)
Runners-up: THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR (22 points) & ORWELL: 2+2=5 (18 points)

Best Film Not In The English Language
Winner: THE SECRET AGENT (58 points)
Runners-up: IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (57 points) & SENTIMENTAL VALUE (38 points)

Best Experimental Film: MORNING CIRCLE (Basma al-Sharif)

Film Heritage Award: The late Ken and Flo Jacobs, an irreplaceable, gravitational center of the American avant-garde, with a shared artistic sensibility that helped define experimental cinema.

Film Heritage Award: The Film Desk, for releasing key movies from all over the world, in 35mm prints and on home video, and publishing books that have enriched the public’s knowledge of cinema.

Film Heritage Award: Cinema Tropical, for its tireless efforts to distribute, program and promote Latin American cinema in the U.S.

Special Citation for a Film Awaiting U.S. Distribution: LANDMARKS (Lucrecia Martel)

So, I Watched Perry Mason: The Case Of The Shooting Star (1986, Dir. by Ron Satlof)

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Actor Robert McCay (Joe Penny) decides that it would be hilarious to shoot talk show host Steve Carr (Alan Thicke) on live television.  McCay thinks that the gun is loaded with blanks but, before he goes on the show, someone slips a live round into the gun.  McCay kills Steve Carr and there are a million witnesses who see him do it.  Time to call in Perry Mason (Raymond Burr)!

The third Perry Mason movie isn’t as good as the first two.  Shooting someone on television as a joke and then leaving the studio immediately afterwards is a really stupid thing to do.  As my sister pointed out while we were watching, even if Robert McCay wasn’t guilty of premeditated murder, he was probably guilty of negligent homicide for not bothering to double check whether or not there was a live round in the gun.  McCay goes right back to shooting his movie, even while he’s on trial for murder.  As for the trial, it was ridiculous.  How many people can confess under cross examination in one trial?  “Mistrial!” my sister yelled whenever Perry pulled one of his stunts and I agreed.

Paul (William Katt) teams up with a photojournalist (Wendy Crewson) and his investigation somehow leads to him playing a priest in a cheap vampire movie.  For once, Perry didn’t give Paul a hard time about anything.  Maybe he realized Paul’s scenes were the best part of The Case of the Shooting Star.

The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994, directed by Peter Segal)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Mad bomber Rollo Dillon (Fred Ward) has been hired by terrorists to bomb a major American institution.  Captain Ed Hocken (George Kennedy) and Detective Nordberg (O.J. Simpson) know that there’s only one man who can handle this job and his name is Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen).  Frank, however, has retired from Police Squad and promised his wife, Jane (Priscilla Presley), that he is through with police work.

At heart, Frank remains a cop.  He even dreams of shoot-outs.  When he tries to do police work without Jane noticing, it backfires on him.  Even though Frank lies and claims that he’s just having an affair, Jane leaves him.  Frank, with nothing better to do, goes into prison undercover to gain Rollo’s confidence.  After Rollo and Frank escape, Frank discovers that Rollo and his girlfriend (Anna Nicole Smith) is planning on bombing the Academy Awards!

The Naked Gun 33 1/3 is the weakest of the original Police Squad films, which is to say that it’s still pretty funny, even if some of the jokes no longer feel as fresh as they did in the previous films.  It opens with a brilliant send-up of the shoot-out from The Untouchables and it ends with a perfect parody of the Academy Awards.  (Pia Zadora singing This Could Be The Start Of Something Big is funny because it’s exactly the sort of thing that used to happen at the Oscars.)  It’s in the middle section that the film drags, though there are still things that made me laugh, like a flashback to Frank, Ed, and Nordberg in the 70s.  David Zucker did not return to direct this installment and his absence is definitely felt.

Leslie Nielsen is as funny as ever and he’s well-matched with George Kennedy and Priscila Presley.  (OJ Simpson’s presence is as awkward as ever.)  Fred Ward plays his villainous role straight, a smart move.  But then you’ve got Anna Nicole Smith, who was such a terrible actress that her presence in the film doesn’t even work as a joke.  Whenever Smith shows up, the film grinds to a halt.  It’s the worst type of stunt casting.

This was Leslie Nielsen final performance as Frank Drebin.  Even in a lesser film, he was still a comedic treasure.

Overland Mail (1939, directed by Robert F. Hill)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Jack Mason (Jack Randall) has the most important job on the frontier.  He delivers the mail.  After he’s chased by the members of the local Indian tribe, he learns that an uprising is imminent because a young brave has been murdered and the tribe blames the citizens of a nearby town.  Of course, the murder was actually committed by a gang of counterfeiters led by saloon owner Pollini (Tristram Coffin).  Pollini is not only a counterfeiter but he also lies to sweet Mary Martin (Jean Joyce), telling her that he’s hiring her to be a waitress when he’s actually looking for a dance hall girl.  Jack has to bring Pollini to justice before a full scale war breaks out.

This is not a bad B-western.  It’s short and quick but the story is slightly better than the average Monogram oater and Jack Randall and co-star Dennis Moore are both believable as cowboys and gunslingers.  Fans of the genre will be happy to see Glenn Strange as the sheriff and Iron Eyes Cody as the chief of the tribe.  I’ve always liked westerns where the heroes were just trying to keep the peace so that they could deliver the mail.  We take mail for granted nowadays but in the 1800s, delivering mail was almost as dangerous as delivering money.  If you’re not into westerns, Overland Mail won’t change your mind but, if you’re already a fan of the genre, Overland Mail makes for an entertaining 50 minutes.

 

Miss You After Goodbye, ReelShort Film, Dir. Ruixi Royce Gao

Posted on by casewright

Happy New Year! I am always on the cutting edge of everything that is both terrible or great. Over Horrorthon, I reviewed A LOT of AI generated short films. I believe that we not far out to seeing a total change in how films are made. We are also seeing a change in how films are consumed- especially terrible ones. Reel Shortz and Dramabox (Dramabox might be a pirate outfit) is part of that transition. Reel Shortz is a Chinese company where they make TERRIBLE movies and break them up into bits and charge tokens that you buy with real money to keep watching the story. How you watch the film is just as different as how you pay for it: it’s designed to be watched on your phone- no letterbox. It sounds stupid, but stupid can make money- Just look at Francis Beto.

Does this sound like Temu Warner Bros.? Yes it does and YES IT IS! Also, if the title “Miss You After Goodbye” sounds like google translate- it is! The movie is terrible from the p@rn quality acting to the clunky/stupid dialogue, but they generated 700 Million in 2025; so, we will see A LOT more of this! I’m not saying whether I watched this film by buying their tokens or saw it on dailymotion, but I did watch it and howled with laughter at the unintentional comedy while I was on the elliptical!
With this lead up, you’re wondering how bad was this film? Oh, this film made Birdemic look like a masterpiece.

The plot is that Neil Wade an astrophysicist/astronaut marries his mentor’s daughter, Keira Thorne for five years, in exchange for his college tuition. His mentor believed that Keira needed a husband because her boyfriend broke up with her and she was sad. Keira does not know this transaction took place and marries Neil and treats him like garbage from day one. For some reason, he wears this outfit from 18th Century Cobblers Weekly – Ed Gein collection.

Neil falls for Keira, but she is so awful that he leaves her and accepts a mission to mars with NASX. Yes, NASX!

The main villain of the story is Simon who is Keira’s first love. Simon looks like what China believes our villains look like.

Keira does not believe that Neil has left her for real. She does not understand that Neil is not some boring house husband! No, Neil’s a ROCKETMAN!!!

Yes, Neil is the next Neil Armstrong! The first man to set foot on Mars, but no one knows what he looks like, which is both normal and possible. Keira keeps looking for Neil on Earth, but he’s gone Far…. Far… Away… Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap…..

When Neil returns, Keira goes insane, Simon tries to kill Neil, there is no security at NASX, and Neil marries Elon Musk’s daughter. Yes, that all takes place in the last 4 minutes of the film.

The future is not always bright, but this shows that there is a market for serialized feature length storytelling; so, a mediocre script would be like Apocalypse Now by comparison to what is being churned out! How people make and consume films is changing and the days of the movie theater are OVER! Hollywood is likely over. One positive for Reel Shortz is this: the film used living actors and not AI generated ones.