Song of the Day: This is Prom Night by Paul Zazza and Carl Zittrer


Today’s song of the day comes from the greatest Canadian film ever, 1980’s Prom Night!

Seriously, try to get this tune out of your head!  This should be the new national anthem.

Scenes That I Love: Peter Fonda Takes The Trip


Today would have been Peter Fonda’s 86th birthday.

This scene is from Roger Corman’s 1967 film, The Trip. Corman dropped acid himself before filming Peter Fonda doing the same thing in this film. Regardless of how one views Corman’s cinematic recreation of Fonda’s experience with acid, The Trip is considered to be one of the first nuanced drug films. While it doesn’t endorse drug use, it also doesn’t descend into the hysterics of a film like Reefer Madness. Interestingly enough, the script was written by Jack Nicholson.

Here is Peter Fonda, exploring the city on LSD, in The Trip:

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Terence Fisher 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 celebrate the 122nd anniversary of the birth of the great British film director, Terence Fisher.  Though Fisher worked in all genres, he is best remembered for the horror films that he directed for Hammer Studios.  Along with proving that there was still an audience for horror, he also helped to make stars out of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Terence Fisher Films

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The Horror of Dracula (1958, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The Mummy (1959, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

Monday Live Tweet Alert: Join Us For Prom Night!


As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in hosting a few weekly live tweets on twitter and occasionally Mastodon.  I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of Mastodon’s #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We snark our way through it.

Tonight, for #MondayActionMovie, the film will be 1980’s Prom Night, the greatest Canadian film ever! I picked it so you know it’ll be good.

It should make for a night of fun viewing and I invite all of you to join in.  If you want to join the live tweets, just hop onto Mastodon, find the movie on YouTube, Tubi, or Prime hit play at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag!  The  watch party community is a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.   

See you soon!

Song of the Day: Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynard


I’m not even a hockey fan and I’m cheering right now!  3 Days ago, the U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Canada and won a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.  Today, the men’s hockey team did the same thing.

I have tears in my eyes and you better believe I have a song of the day.

Sing it!

(Arleigh picked this for Song of the Day back in 2015 and did a much better job than me explaining why this song is the unofficial national anthem of the United States.)

Free Bird

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now
‘Cause there’s too many places
I’ve got to see

But, if I stayed here with you, girl
Things just couldn’t be the same
‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now
And this bird, you’ll can not change
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

And the bird you cannot change
And this bird you cannot change
Lord knows, I can’t change
Bye, bye, baby it’s been a sweet love

Yeah, yeah
Though this feeling I can’t change
But please don’t take it so badly
‘Cause the Lord knows
I’m to blame

But, if I stayed here with you girl
Things just couldn’t be the same
‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now
And this bird, you’ll can not change
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

And this bird you cannot change
And this bird you cannot change
Lord knows, I can’t change
Lord help me, I can’t change
Lord I can’t change

Won’t you fly high, free bird, yeah?

(commence awesome triple guitar solos)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Jonathan Demme 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!

The late, great director Jonathan Demme was born 82 years ago today.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Jonathan Demme Films

Stop Making Sense (1984, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Jordan Cronenweth)

Something Wild (1986, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Tak Fujimoto)

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Tak Fujimoto)

Rachel Getting Married (2008, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Declan Quinn)

Music Video of the Day: Trucks Don’t Lie by Tyler Rich (2023, dir by ????)


It’s true, they don’t!

Today, as we celebrate America’s success in the Winter Games and as we get ready for what will hopefully be a big 250th birthday celebration in July, a song about trucks just feels appropriate.

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell 1.13 “The Babysitters”


Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Saturdays, I will be reviewing Saved By The Bell, which ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993.  The entire show is currently streaming on Prime and Tubi!

This week, Kelly is irresponsible.

Episode 1.13 “The Babysitters”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on December 1st, 1990)

This episode stresses me out.

Kelly’s parents go off on a ski vacation and leave Kelly with the responsibility of taking care of her infant brother.  (Really?)  When they get stranded at the lodge, Kelly has to bring the baby to school.  She asks her idiot friends to help look after him.

Of course, Zack loses the baby.  Fortunately, Mr. Belding finds him but still…

Seriously, I hate this episode.  I hate that Kelly’s parents are irresponsible enough to abandon their baby so that they can go skiing.  I hate that Kelly has to find someone to take care of the baby while she goes to cheerleader practice.  I hate that Zack is dumb enough to lose the baby.  I hate that no one ever says, “Wow, this whole situation is really messed up.”  This is the one episode that I always turned off whenever I came across it on TV.

This episode, I just can’t take it.