Today’s song of the day comes from Ennio Morricone’s score for Once Upon A Time In The West.
RIP, Claudia Cardinale.
Tag Archives: Lisa Marie Bowman
Scenes That I Love: Coyote Shivers and Renee Zellweger perform “Sugar High” in Empire Records
It’s not Rex Manning Day but it is Coyote Shivers’s birthday!
Here, he and Renee Zellweger do their part to save the store by performing Sugar High on the roof.
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Bert I. Gordon Edition
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, the Shattered Lens celebrates would have been the 103 birthday of director Bert I. Gordon! Known as Mr. BIG, both because of his initials and the fact that his films often dealt with things becoming bigger than they should, Gordon made his directorial debut in 1954 and continued to work all the way through 2014. And that means that it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Bert I. Gordon Films
King Dinosaur (1955, dir by Bert I. Gordon, DP: Gordon Avil)
Beginning of the End (1957, dir by Bert I. Gordon, DP: Jack A. Marta)
Village of the Giants (1965, dir by Bert I. Gordon, DP: Paul Vogel)
The Mad Bomber (1973, dir by Bert I. Gordon, DP: Bert I. Gordon)
Late Night Retro Television Review: Pacific Blue 2.21 “The Last Ride”
Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Pacific Blue, a cop show that aired from 1996 to 2000 on the USA Network! It’s currently streaming everywhere, though I’m watching it on Tubi.
This week, wild things are happening in Malibu.
Episode 2.21 “The Last Ride”
(Dir by Michael Levine, originally aired on April 13th, 1997)
Mahmoud (Shaun Toub) has promised everyone that he will be going straight as soon as he completes his community service. However, we all know better than to trust Mahmoud! It turns out that he’s gotten involved in an elaborate con job to sell Malibu Pier to some naive investors. Oh, that Mahmoud!
What was that? What did you ask? Oh, who is Mahmoud?
I asked that exact same question when I watched this episode. I had no idea who Mahmoud was or why exactly he was at the center of an episode of a show about bicycle cops. Chris and Cory did show up occasionally to harass him but, still, it really did seem like Mahmoud belonged on a different show. After this episode ended, I did a search of my previous reviews and discovered that Mahmoud actually has appeared on the show before. As a vendor on the beach, he sold Chris a necklace that made her neck turn green. But that was about eight episodes ago and it was a rather minor subplot, all things considered.
As for Mahmoud in this episode, he was annoying. His dialogue was overwritten, his story felt cartoonish, and Shaun Taub’s overacting didn’t help things. Still, it’s interesting to think that the regular characters were so boring that the show’s writers decided they would rather do a show about a minor supporting character than actually try to come up with anything for Chris and Cory to do.
The episode’s other subplot actually does feature the bicycle cops. Victor’s childhood friend has been released from prison and is now the head of a violent car theft ring. Victor is forced to deal with his own guilt over being a juvenile delinquent as he and TC try to take down the car thieves. This was pretty standard stuff but it did feature one scene that was just stupid enough to be entertaining. With the car thieves opening fire on them, Victor and TC ride their bikes straight toward the thieves. Eventually they both stand up on their still-moving bikes and, leaning forward against the handle bars, they start shooting their guns back at the bad guys. Somehow, they’re able to do this and aim well-enough to take out the car thieves while also keeping their bikes rolling forward. (TC does get shot but it turns out the bullet only grazed his forehead. “He’ll just have a headache for a while,” Chris says. Yeah, I would think so.) This is one of those moments that would have been really badass if not for the fact that Victor and TC were still wearing their dorky bike cop uniforms during it. The blue shorts, the white polo shirts, the bicycle helmets — sorry, you just can’t look cool when you’re wearing all that. Nice try, guys!
Next week, season 2 ends!
Retro Television Review: Fantasy Island 7.11 “Games People Play/The Sweet Life”
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing the original Fantasy Island, which ran on ABC from 1977 to 1984. Unfortunately, the show has been removed from most streaming sites. Fortunately, I’ve got nearly every episode on my DVR.
“Smiles, everyone …. SMILES, DAMMIT!”
Episode 7.11 “Games People Play/The Sweet Life”
(Dir by Cliff Bole and Don Weiss, originally aired on January 14th, 1984)
Three women who all work for a toy company come to Fantasy Island. Nora Leonard (Lynda Day George) has closed off her heart after getting hurt in too many past relationships. Barbara Jessup (Jenilee Harrison) wants her boss to look past her appearance and realize that she really does have a brain to go with her beauty. Sandy Hoffman (Berlinda Tolbert) wants to have the courage to present her ideas….
Oh hey, it’s a Wizard of Oz thing! Except it’s not. There’s no Dorothy and there’s no Toto. There’s a corporate spy named Steven Curry (John McCook), who wants the details of the company’s new video game and who also falls for Nora. And there’s Dick York as Mr. Sutton, who wears a bowtie as all toy company execs do.
What there is not is an interesting fantasy. Even with three separate fantasies in one, this storyline was pretty blah. Everyone seemed a bit bored, even the usually dependable Lynda Day George.
The other fantasy was slightly more interesting, but only because it featured the great character actor Kevin McCarthy as Daniel Koster. Daniel wanted to give his wife and his children the lifestyle they could have had if Daniel had been rich. In fact, Daniel sent his family to Fantasy Island ahead of him so that they could enjoy being rich without him around. (What?) I was always under the impression that guests at the Island only stayed for a weekend. Daniel comes to the Island and discovers that his family appears to be very happy, even if his son is still writing bad poetry. (There’s no money in poetry, Daniel gruffly explains and, as a poet, I can say that’s very true.) Along with his son’s rhyming habits, Daniel has other things to deal with, like his bad heart.
In fact, Daniel dies of a heart attack while on the Island but not before realizing that his family always loved him, even if they weren’t rich. Having Daniel die was depressing. What made it even worse is that Roarke apparently knew Daniel was probably going to die on the Island but he didn’t really seem to do anything to try to prevent it from happening. Instead, he just made a bunch of cryptic comments to Lawrence about how Daniel’s weekend on Fantasy Island could be his last. Lawrence looked concerned but didn’t do anything to help. Why is Lawrence even there?
Eh, this episode. I always enjoy watching Kevin McCarthy and he gives a typically solid performance but otherwise, this was a disappointing trip to the Island.
Song of the Day: Sweetly, Oh Sweetly by Riz Ortolani and Diana Corsini
Today’s song of the day comes from the soundtrack of Ruggeo Deodato’s The House On The Edge of the Park. Composed by Riz Ortolani and sung by Diana Corsini, Sweetly Oh Sweetly may sound like an innocent song but its use in Deodato’s controversial film is anything but that.
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special 2005 Edition
4 Shots From 4 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 pay tribute to the cinematic year of 2005. It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 2005 Films
The New World (2005, dir by Terrence Malick)
Mirrormask (2005, dir by Dave McKean)
Land of the Dead (2005, dir by George Romeo)
The Call of Cthulhu (2005, dir by Andrew Leman)
Scenes That I Love: Giovanni Lombardo Radice Dances in The House on The Edge of the Park
Today, the Shattered Lens celebrates what would have been the 71st birthday of the great Italian actor, Giovanni Lombardo Radice!
I’ve shared this scene before but I’ll happily share it again. In Ruggero Deodato’s The House On The Edge of the Park, Giovanni Lombardo Radice shows a bunch of rich jerks how he can dance. Dancing with Radice is his frequent co-star, Lorraine De Selle. And, wearing the yellow suit, is David Hess.
Late Night Retro Television Review: CHiPs 4.14 “Ponch’s Angels: Part 1”
Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Mondays, I will be reviewing CHiPs, which ran on NBC from 1977 to 1983. The entire show is currently streaming on Prime!
This week, Ponch protests having to do his job.
Episode 4.14 “Ponch’s Angels: Part 1”
(Dir by John Florea, originally aired on February 28th, 1981)
It’s a busy week for the Highway Patrol! The marina is full of tourists and carnival-goers. A group of escaped convicts are trying to get out of town. A man and his partner are stealing purses. But all of that pales in comparison to what Jon and Ponch are having to do.
Jon and Ponch are having to train rookies!
Even worse, from their perspective …. the rookies are women!
Ponch protests when he’s given the assignment to train enthusiastic and blonde Melanie Mitchell (Trisha Townsend). He tells Getraer that Melanie is attractive and that Getraer knows what happens when Ponch gets around attractive women. Getraer replies that he wants Ponch to train Melanie precisely because Ponch has so many girlfriends. A man with many girlfriends will be less likely to be tempted. Okay, Getraer, that’s interesting logic….
And it turns out that Getraer doesn’t know what he’s talking about because this episode ends with Ponch and Melania passionately locking lips. “TO BE CONTINUED” flashes on the screen so I guess we’ll get to the disciplinary hearing and the subsequent lawsuit next week.
As for Jon, he trains Paula Woods (Barbara Stock), who is as cool and reasonable as Melanie is enthusiastic and impulsive. Paula tries to flirt with Jon but Jon keeps it all business because Jon is capable of actually doing his job in a professional manner.
What’s odd about this episode is that it’s called Ponch’s Angels, even though Ponch is only training one of the new motorcycle cops. This season, even the episode titles were all about erasing Jon Baker!
Anyway, as I mentioned, this is the first part of a two-parter. Apparently, this episode was actually a backdoor pilot for a series that would have focused on Melanie and Paula and it’s easy to see that Melanie was created to be another Ponch while Paula was created to be a female Jon. Next week, we’ll see if Paula and Melanie can make use of the lessons they were taught by Jon and Ponch.
Retro Television Review: Miami Vice 4.21 “Deliver Us From Evil”
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Mondays, I will be reviewing Miami Vice, which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989. The entire show can be purchased on Prime!
This week, Caitlin makes a fateful return to Miami, an old enemy emerges from the shadows, and Crockett crosses a line that he never thought he would cross. Will he ever be able to come back?
Episode 4.21 “Deliver Us From Evil”
(Dir by George Mendeluk, originally aired on April 29th, 1989)
At the end of this week’s episode, Crockett executes a man in cold blood!
Whoa!
Now, I should note that the guy that Crockett killed was really, really bad. Frank Hackman (Guy Boyd) was a hitman who was previously on Death Row for killing one of Crockett’s former partners. Hackman, who was pretending to be born again and seeking redemption, tricked Crockett into “proving” his innocence and getting his conviction overturned. Only as Frank left the prison did he smirk at Crockett and reveal that all of the “new” evidence was faked. It was one of Miami Vice’s darkest episodes.
Frank went back to his old ways, committing crimes and killing families. Crockett made it his mission to take down Frank but, during a shootout with Frank’s gang, Frank’s wife was caught in the crossfire. Crockett blamed himself, even though the bullet that killed her came from Frank’s gun. Frank also blamed Crockett and, while Crockett was struggling with whether or not he wanted to remain a member of the Vice Squd, Frank plotted his revenge.
Caitlin Davies, Crockett’s wife, returned from her European tour. Unfortunately, her homecoming concert was abruptly ended when she was shot by a sniper. She died in Crockett’s arms, bringing to an end a marriage that never really made much sense to begin with.
Crockett spent a few days drinking on his boat and then rejoined the Vice Squad, determined to track down Frank. Castillo did that thing where he narrowed his eyes and looked vaguely concerned but he still allowed Crockett to work the case. After Crockett and Tubbs learned that Frank was living on a nearby island, Crockett confronted him alone.
“You wouldn’t shoot an unarmed man,” Frank said, smiling while lounging by the pool.
BANG!
Frank was wrong.
It was a powerful moment but one that was diminished by one final shot that showed Frank had been holding a gun in his hand when he was shot. From what I’ve been able to uncover online, this was apparently added at the insistence of the network, who did not want Crockett to become a cold-blooded killer. I doubt that would be an issue for the networks today.
Season 4 has been pretty uneven but this was a powerful episode. As it ended, it definitely seemed as if Crockett had crossed a line and that he would never again be the same. Who knows what that might mean for next week’s season finale?
We’ll find out!
Through the Shattered Lens 