Tag Archives: Lisa Marie Bowman

Live Tweet Alert: Join #FridayNightFlix for The Mechanic!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

 

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly watch parties.  On Twitter, I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday and I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday.  On Mastodon, I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We tweet our way through it.

Tonight, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix!  The movie?  1972’s The Mechanic!

If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, find The Mechanic on Prime, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag!  I’ll be there happily tweeting.  It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

See you there!

 

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Richard Donner Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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 would have been the 96th birthday of director Richard Donner.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Richard Donner Films

The Omen (1976, dir by Richard Donner, DP: Gilbert Taylor)

Superman (1978, dir by Richard Donner, DP: Geoffrey Unsworth)

Lethal Weapon (1987, dir by Richard Donner, DP: Stephen Goldblatt)

Scrooged (1988, dir by Richard Donner, DP: Michael Chapman)

Late Night Retro Television Review: Hunter 1.2 “Hard Contract”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night 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 Hunter, which aired on NBC from 1984 to 1991.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi and several other services!

This week, Hunter breaks rules and shoots people.

Episode 1.2 “Hard Contract”

(Dir by Bruce Kessler, originally aired on September 28th, 1984)

When McCall calls in sick and says that she’s taking the week off, Capt. Cain (now played by Arthur Rosenberg) assigns Hunter to work with bowtie-wearing Bernie Terwilliger.  Cain sees this as an opportunity to get rid of Hunter.  He tells Bernie to write down every policy that Hunter breaks throughout the day.

Terwilliger wants to spend the day tracking down whoever is leaving graffiti in the park.  Hunter’s not interested in that.  He wants to know what’s going on with McCall.  Mostly, Hunter wants to find an excuse to draw his gun.  The only thing he gets out of the trip to the park is a chance to arrest a man trying to rob a hot dog vendor.  Hunter gets a hot dog, of course.

Eventually, Hunter drags Terwilliger to a bar where they discover McCall hanging out.  After a bar fight, Hunter and McCall abandon Terwilliger and go after Gus (David Ackroyd), McCall’s former partner.  Gus was McCall’s mentor and she’s still close to Gus and his wife.  However, Gus has fallen on hard times and now, he’s looking for work as a contract killer.

The most interesting thing about this episode is that, even though Gus and McCall are old friends, they’re still totally willing to shoot each other.  That seems to be a recurring theme with Hunter.  Everyone likes to shoot everyone else.

I enjoyed this episode.  It was very, very simple but Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer got to show off their chemistry and there was plenty of humor involving poor old Bernie.  Sometimes, it’s enjoyable to watch something that doesn’t require you to do much thinking and that was certainly the case here.

Retro Television Review: Decoy 1.28 “Ladies Man”

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 Decoy, which aired in Syndication in 1957 and 1958.  The show can be viewed on Tubi!

Episode 1.28 “Ladies Man”

(Dir by Stuart Rosenberg, originally aired on April 21st, 1958)

A man named (Michael Tolan) approaches Pearl Dillard (Chris Kane) at a subway station and gives her a box that he claims is an x-ray camera.  The man claims to be an insurance investigator and he says that he’s pursuing a woman (Lois Nettleton) who has stolen some diamonds.  He says that he needs Pearl to take a picture of the woman.  Because it’s an X-ray camera, it will reveal that she has the diamonds on her.  While the woman waits for her train, Pearl points the box at her and pushes a button.  However, it turns out that the box is not hiding a camera but a gun!  Pearl shoots the woman in the back.

The woman is named Lois and the man was her husband, Mike.  The police get a tip that Mike is hiding out at an upstate hunting lodge.  Casey, who pretends to be a lost tourist, heads up to the lodge.  Mike is indeed there.  With Mike is his new girlfriend (Joan Harvey), who refuses to believe that Mike could have done anything wrong.

This episode was a bit more melodramatic than the typical episode of Decoy.  I found it hard to believe that anyone would fall for Mike’s camera-box lie but I guess there are probably people out there who would be naive enough to believe him.  (I might accept the box from Mike but I would throw it away the first chance I got.)  Unfortunately, once Casey tracked Mike down, Michael Tolan’s performance was so over-the-top that it became difficult to take him or the episode seriously.

Decoy worked better as a low-key, melancholiac show.  I usually love melodrama but this episode didn’t work for me.

Join #TubiThursdasy For Predator!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi, everyone!  Tonight, on Mastodon, I will be hosting the #TubiThursday watch party!  Join us for Predator (1987)!

You can find the movie on Tubi and you can join us on Mastodon at 9 pm central time!  (That’s 10 pm for you folks on the East Coast.)  We will be using #TubiThursday hashtag!  See you then!

Predator (1987, directed by John McTiernan, DP: Donald McAlpine)

Scenes that I Love: Laura Palmer Will See You Again In 25 Years

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since yesterday was Sheryl Lee’s birthday, here’s one of the best all-time examples of foreshadowing.

From the 1991 finale of Twin Peaks:

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special William Castle 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!

Tomorrow, the Shattered Lens will celebrate the 112th anniversary of the birth of director and showman, William Castle!  It’s time for for an early edition of….

4 Shots From 4 William Castle Films

House on Haunted Hill (1959, dir by William Castle, DP: Carl E. Guthrie)

13 Ghosts (1960, dir by William Castle, DP: Joseph F. Biroc)

Strait-Jacket (1964, dir by William Castle, DP: Arthur E. Arling)

Shanks (1974, dir by William Castle, DP: Joseph F. Biroc)

Late Night Retro Television Review: 1st & Ten 3.11 “Land of the Free (Agent)”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing 1st and Ten, which aired in syndication from 1984 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on Tubi.

The playoffs continue!

Episode 3.11 “Land of the Free (Agent)”

(Dir by Bruce Seth Green, originally aired on December 2nd, 1987)

The Bulls are in the playoffs but they need a new running back.  Jill decides to sign Brian Bozworth (Brian Bosworth), a player who was drafted by Arizona but who refused to sign his contract because he felt he wasn’t being offered enough money.  TD Parker (OJ Simpson) tells Jill that it would be highly irregular for the Bulls to sign Bozworth because, technically, he still “belongs” to Arizona.  Jill tells TD to take a knife to the rules and sign Bozworth.

And it’s a good thing that she did because, after some opening jitters, Bozworth plays a key role in getting the Bulls a win over Arizona in the playoffs.  Recognizing what the Arizona defense is going to do, he gives Yinessa a heads up.  Yinesa throws Bozworth the ball, Bozworth gets the Bulls into good field position, and Zagreb kicks the game-winning field goal.

Zagreb is only able to make that kick because Mad Dog lied to him and told him that Anna had called and agreed to marry him.  The next day, at the wedding ceremony, Anna is a no-show.  Or, at least, she is until Mad Dog breaks into her house, forces her to put on a wedding gown, and then carries her to the ceremony.  She arrives just in time to hear Zagreb giving a speech about how much he loves her.  Anna and Zagreb marry.

Finally, Jethro is upset when Bubba is offered a commercial contract with Squelch Sports Drink.  Squelch doesn’t want Jethro in its commercials.  But when Bubba can’t find the strength to lift a drum of Squelch and pour it over Coach Grier’s head, his contact is canceled.

This was a weird episode.  A lot of stuff was going on but none of it really added up too much.  At first, Bozworth seemed like a bad player and then, suddenly, he was a good player.  Jethro and Bubba were arguing and then suddenly they weren’t.  Zagreb got married and good for him.  Zagreb is perhaps the most cartoonish character on the show but then again, 1st & Ten is rather cartoonish in general.

Anyway, the Bulls are one step closer to the Championship Game.  We’ll see if they make it next week.