This was filmed in 2016. Not only do we have Harry Dean Stanton, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Depp but David Lynch puts in an appearance early on in the video as well.
Tag Archives: review
Late Night Retro Television Review: CHiPs 5.26 “K-9-1”
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, Baker watches in awe as Ponch saves the day once again.
Episode 5.26 “K-9-1”
(Dir by Leslie H. Martinson, originally aired on May 9th, 1982)
While two thieves calling themselves “the new James gang” are busy hijacking city buses and robbing the passengers, Ponch and Baker work with a group of deputy sheriffs who are a part of the K-9 unit. When one of the sheriffs is injured and her dog blinded by an explosive, Ponch steps in and proves to the crusty old supervisor (John Vernon) that the dog can still do its job.
(The dog, needless to say, is adorable!)
This episode felt like a callback to the early seasons of CHiPs, in which the emphasis was on all of the different divisions of law enforcement working together. At the same time, it was verry much a season 5 episode in that, despite the fact that Baker had always been portrayed as the one who liked and was good with animals, it was Ponch who was assigned to work with the dogs. Indeed, Baker is pretty much reduced to a cameo in this episode.
In other words, it’s….
In fact, CHiPs was about to become even more The Ponch Show. With the fifth season coming to an end and contracts coming up for renegotiation, Larry Wilcox left the show because he felt that the producers always favored Erik Estrada over him. (Judging from what I’ve seen, he was right.) As well, Randi Oakes, Brodie Greer, and Michael Dorn (who all played other members of the Highway Patrol) left as well because they were dissatisfied with their contracts. Of the old regulars, only Estrada, Robert Pine, Lou Wagner, and Paul Linke returned for the sixth and final season.
However, before we get to that season, we have one more fifth season episode to go. Next week, season 5 ends with an episode that doesn’t feel like CHiPs at all. See you then!
Retro Television Review: Crime Story 1.10 “For Love Or Money”
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 Crime Story, which ran on NBC from 1986 to 1988. The entire show can be found on Tubi!
This week, the Major Crimes Unit follows a ring of things from Chicago to Iowa!
Episode 1.10 “For Love Or Money”
(Dir by Bobby Roth, originally aired on December 5th, 1986)
An investigation into a new Chicago robbery crew leads the Major Crimes Unit to the small town in Iowa that the crew calls home. After the MCU busts the crew, the Mayor is so thrilled that he gives them all the key to the city and invites them to party at the local bar, which turns out to be a surprisingly happening place. Torello, who has just signed his divorce papers, gets drunk, steals a car, and sleeps with the mayor’s wife. That’ll teach him to hand out keys to the city!
Meanwhile, Danny feels sorry for one of the thieves. Howie Dressler (a very young Gary Sinise) is not a ruthless criminal. Instead, he’s someone who has lost his job and who is desperately trying to pay the bills His wife (Moira Sinise) is a victim of polio and lives in an iron lung. Danny wants to cut a deal with Howie.
Unfortunately, though the thieves don’t fully realize it, the thieves work for Ray Luca’s organization. Luca and Paulie take Howie for a ride to a warehouse, where they tie him to a chair. Howie swears to them that he’s not going to rat them out. He says that he’ll take the fall and that the only reason he talked to the MCU was to protect his wife. Howie says that he did what any real man would do in the situation. Luca seems to be sympathetic and motions at Paulie to let Howie go.
Or does he?
Later, Torello, Danny, and the boys are called to another warehouse where the bodies of the thieves have been found. The majority of them were beaten to death. Howie was hanged.
Yikes!
Back at the bar, Danny gets drunk. When Torello shows up to take him home, Danny says that he should have let Torello execute Ray Luca when he had the chance. Torello nods and then says, “I will kill Ray Luca.”
This episode really gave us a look into the mentality of Torello and the other members of the Major Crimes Unit. We’ve always known that Torello is obsessed with Luca but, in this episode, we saw just how obsessed. Torello seems to feel that he’s now on a holy mission to personally kill Luca. The members of MCU obsess over the criminals they chase and, when they don’t have a criminal to chase, they end up losing control, getting drunk, and impulsively stealing cars. Say what you will about Ray Luca, he’s at least a little bit more disciplined.
I get the feeling none of this is going to lead to a happy ending.
Song of the Day: Dayton, Ohio — 1903, performed by Sam Neill
In today’s song of the day, Sam Neill sings a song from Randy Newman. He apologizes before he begins but no apology was necessary.
Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi: The Next Generation 3.1 “Father Figure: Part One”
Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Sunday, I will be reviewing the Canadian series, Degrassi: The Next Generation, which aired from 2001 to 2015! The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi.
This week, we start season 3!
Episode 3.1 “Father Figure: Part 1”
(Dir by Bruce MacDonald, originally aired on September 17th, 2003)
The third and fourth seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation were Degrassi at its best so, over the upcoming year, we’ve got a lot to look forward to. Unfortunately, though, we have to start things off with some Emma drama.
The season premiere finds Emma in a bad mood. Yeah, that’s a shock, right? Emma was always in a bad mood. This time, she does have a somewhat legitimate grievance, even if, as usual, she seems to be totally unaware that other people have lives that don’t necessarily revolve around whatever she’s upset about at the moment. Her mother has always refused to tell Emma much about Shane McKay. Emma’s only memory of her father is visiting him in a clinic and Spike telling him that he couldn’t be a part of Emma’s life. Emma thinks that Shane was a doctor. Of course, all of us veteran Degrassi watchers know the truth. Shane McKay was a flakey high school student who suffered brain damage when he dropped acid and fell off a bridge.
Sean, quite sensibly, says that maybe Emma should just let it go for a bit, seeing as how she actually has a nice home and mother and stepfather who love her. (Emma often seems to forget that Sean has essentially been abandoned by his entire family.) Sean also points out that Spike is pregnant and doesn’t need the extra pressure of Emma constantly losing her temper. Realizing that Sean is making too much sense, Emma instead partners up with Craig and tracks down Shane. As the episode ends, she discovers that Shane (played by Jonathan Torrens) is living in an assisted living facility,
While all of that is going on, Paige is freaking out because of the location of her locker. Spinner makes a series of deals which leads to him eventually convincing new student Chris Sharpe (Daniel Keith Morrison) to trade lockers. Chris’s locker is located in Degrassi’s best hallway. Paige is happy about that. But the locker still looks old and dingy. Paige would rather have Jimmy’s locker. Good luck with that, Paige. Despite agreeing to set aside their differences at the last school dance, Jimmy is back to hating Spinner.
This episode also features the return of Caitlin Ryan, who comes back Toronto for Spike’s baby shower. (The creepy Farrell twins show up too. AGCK!) Caitlin meets Joey’s new girlfriend, realtor Sydney (Elisa Moolecherry). Before realizing who Sydney is, Caitlin rambles on about how she and Joey have such a complicated romantic history. This was the episode in which Caitlin was suddenly changed from being a level-headed professional woman to a neurotic klutz who continually got into awkward situations.
This is a two-part episode. We’ll conclude the story of Shane McKay next week!
Brad reviews THE SPECIALIST (1994), starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, and James Woods!
When THE SPECIALIST came out back in ‘94, Sylvester Stallone was on a pretty good run of films, with his prior two movies being CLIFFHANGER and DEMOLITION MAN. I’m a fan of Stallone, but he wasn’t the main reason I went to see THE SPECIALIST at the movie theater. I went to see it because James Woods is in it. I’ve always been drawn to actors who are little different than your traditional Hollywood leading men. That’s why I’m especially fond of actors like Charles Bronson, Roy Scheider, and Woods. This was a point in Woods’ career where he seemed to be transitioning from a leading man to more supporting roles, but he still always brought his best to every performance. And anytime one of my favorite actors was in a movie, I was going to see it on the big screen.
Stallone plays Ray Quick, a former CIA explosives expert who now uses his unique set of skills to kill bad guys. His latest client is the extremely beautiful May Munro (Sharon Stone), who enlists his assistance in ridding the earth of Thomas Leon (Eric Roberts), a Miami mobster who murdered her parents when she was a girl. The problem… his former friend and now mortal enemy, Ned Trent (James Woods), works for the mobsters, led by patriarch Joe Leon (Rod Steiger). Nobody understands Quick like Trent, and with Munro having her own set of secrets, this job is going to be much more difficult than he imagined!
I won’t sit here and pretend that THE SPECIALIST is an incredible film. It’s very much a thriller of its time… with the humid Miami locations, oversized set pieces, lots of slo-mo, and even more double-crosses. It’s more melodramatic than I remember, but I probably appreciate that more now than I did then. It’s also impossible to look back on THE SPECIALIST and not remember where Sharon Stone was at that point in her career. Two years earlier, BASIC INSTINCT had made her one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. It felt like the pairing with Stallone was trying to recapture that magic, but it didn’t really work. There are a couple of sex scenes between the two, but director Luis Llosa is no Paul Verhoeven, so the scenes don’t share the same power.
With Stallone’s controlled, some might say comatose, performance, the movie truly belongs to James Woods. His Ned Trent is cocky, sadistic, and entertaining. He attacks every scene with so much intensity that you can’t take your eyes off him and he easily steals the film. I also enjoyed the strong supporting cast. Rod Steiger doesn’t have that much screen time, but he brings an unmistakable energy to the role of crime boss Joe Leon. Then there’s Eric Roberts, whose sleazy performance as Tomas Leon adds another layer of intensity that tries to match Woods. The scenes involving Woods, Steiger, and Roberts are some of the best of the film.
Is THE SPECIALIST one of Stallone’s action classics? Definitely not, but looking back at the kind of movies we get served these days, I’d say it’s pretty darn entertaining. Stallone and Stone could have brought more personality to their characters, but James Woods just about makes up for them by delivering one of his most delightfully over-the-top villains. And it’s just fun seeing veterans like Rod Steiger and Eric Roberts bring their own talents to the proceedings. I miss the times when movies were full of big stars and unique character actors. Whether you love it or not, THE SPECIALIST is one of those movies that you took home from the video store on a Friday night, popped in the VCR, and proceeded to have a good weekend. I miss that era of movies, and I especially miss those interesting stars!
Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 5.16 “Valentine’s Day”
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Sundays, I will be reviewing Homicide: Life On The Street, which aired from 1993 to 1999, on NBC! It can be viewed on Peacock.
This week, Brodie gets a storyline, Luther Mahoney continues to destroy lives, and Pembleton’s marriage collapses. It’s a busy few days in Baltimore.
Episode 5.16 “Valentine’s Day”
(Dir by Clark Johnson, originally aired on February 14th, 1997)
When a man is found dead in the apartment of Alan Schack (Neil Patrick Harris), Detective Munch assume that it was a case of suicide. However, Brodie went to school with Schack and is convinced that he’s the murderer. Munch refuses to take Brodie serious but, luckily, Sgt. Howard is more open-minded. After Alan beats up Brodie and leaves him on a snowy street, Brodie leaves Baltimore because he knows he’ll never get over the shame of being beaten up Neil Patrick Harris. Just kidding! Instead, Brodie doctors a tape to make it seem as if the police have evidence of Alan killing the victim. Alan falls for it because …. I guess he’s just really stupid. Like seriously, wouldn’t Alan have — at the very least — noticed that he was dressed totally different on videotape than he was on the day he committed the murder? Or does Alan just wear the same outfit day after day?
When two seemingly unrelated bombs go off, Kellerman and Bayliss find themselves investigating a — all together now! — “red ball!” Their investigation eventually leads them to the son of the grocer who was murdered by Luther Mahoney a few episodes ago. The bombs are being sent to the people who the son blames for Luther getting away with murder. One bomb is sent to the courthouse. “Lewis is at the courthouse!” Bayliss exclaims. “So is Julianna!” Kellerman says. Well, that’s convenient.
Frank and Mary Pembleton attend marriage counseling. It doesn’t go well. Frank finally agrees to allow their newborn daughter to be baptized despite the fact that he’s still struggling with his faith. Mary, however, still leaves Frank afterwards. She takes their daughter with her. Frank is left alone in their home, staring at an empty crib.
And finally, due to budget cutbacks, Giardello has to dust his own office!
On the plus side, I related to Giardello’s need to dust. As a sometimes struggling Catholic, I appreciated that the show took seriously Mary’s concerns about their daughter dying outside of a State of Grace.
Unfortunately, the rest of the episode just felt off. Neil Patrick Harris as a tough guy drug dealer? Nope. Sorry. I loved NPH as Dr. Horrible but I’m still not buying it. As for the bombing storyline, it felt almost like a parody of an episode of Homicide. Oh no! There’s a bomb at the courthouse and Lewis and Dr. Cox just happen to be standing right outside the doorway!
I regret to say it but this episode just didn’t work for me.
Song of the Day: Live by Jonathan Clarke
I’ve starting my summer job of writing about Big Brother at Reality TV Chat Blog. In honor of that, today’s song of the day is the little-remembered theme song from the first season of Big Brother!
After listening to this, you’ll understand why they’ve gone with an instrumental theme song from season two on.
Late Night Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell 2.9 “Jessie’s Song”
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 Tubi!
This week, Jessie’s so excited!
Episode 2.9 “Jessie’s Song”
(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on November 3rd, 1990)
This is it. This is the episode of Saved By The Bell that everyone knows.
Jessie gets hooked on caffeine pills!
“I’m so excited! I’m so excited! I’m so …. SCARED!”
Along with Running Zack, this is the episode that the show will never live down. In a 2o16 interview, Peter Engel stated that the script originally had Jessie getting hooked on amphetamines but NBC said they wouldn’t air the show if there were any references to “hard drugs.” The script was changed to have Jessie get hooked on over-the-counter caffeine pills.
I’m not sure the episode would have played any better if it had featured amphetamines. When I was younger, there were times when I accidentally took more of my ADHD meds than I should have and my behavior was nothing like Jessie’s in this episode. The scene where Jessie starts yelling in the Maxx about how she and Kelly and the show’s Lisa are going to beat out their competition for a record contract can only lead me to conclude that absolutely no one on the show had ever taken speed at any point in their life.
That’s the thing that makes this episode so memorable, though. Everyone remembers Zack waking up Jessie and Jessie screaming, “I’m so excited!” It’s a cringey moment but, honestly, the entire episode is a cringey moment. The only thing about his episode that feels in any way authentic is Mario Lopez’s performance as Slater.
(Seriously, Lopez was this show’s secret weapon. Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, and Lark Voorhies eventually developed into good actors towards the end of the show. Out of respect for the deceased, I won’t comment on Dustin Diamond’s talents. But Mario Lopez was strong and believable from the start of the series.)
How cringey is this episode?
Screech puts on a dress and a wig and speaks with a bad Irish accent and all of the girls in the locker room believe him when he says that he’s related to Sinead O’Connor. “You taught her everything she knows!?” the show’s Lisa exclaims.
Zack is somehow able to produce, in just one day, a professional music video for Jessie, Kelly, and Lisa’s group, Hot Sundae.
That music video — oh God, the music video! It couldn’t be more 80s if it tried. The girls dance while wearing workout outfits and singing. Who wrote the song that they’re singing? Did Zack come up with it? To be honest, the video’s not that bad. It just feels extremely …. suburban. Would there have been room for Hot Sundae in 1990? Probably not. I doubt MTV was going to switch to a grunge, rap, and Hot Sundae format.
What about Jessie’s fantasy about having to go to a party school? Actually, that made me laugh. I went to a party school and I had fun. Plus, Mr. Dewey says “Cowabunga.” Still, as a general rule, any Saved By The Bell fantasy sequence automatically qualifies as cringe.
But, in the end, this will always be the “I’m so excited!” episode. Poor Elizabeth Berkley is probably so sick of people quoting that line to her. In his dubious autobiography, Dustin Diamond poked fun at his co-stars for thinking they were all giving great performances in this episode. As was often the case with Diamond, this judgment says more about his flaws than those of his co-stars. Of course the actors though they were all giving great performances. They were teenagers! They had an excuse for not knowing better. The adults, however….
In the end, Hot Sundae misses its chance for stardom because of Jessie’s freakout. It’s a good thing they’ve all got Zack Attack to fall back on.
I love this episode.
Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 7/5/26 — 7/11/26
Big Brother 28 (24/7, CBS, Paramount+, Pluto TV)
Originally, I wasn’t going to watch Big Brother this season but I gave in. Watching this show and getting annoyed is pretty much a tradition around these parts and you know me. I’m all about tradition. You can read my thoughts (and Erin’s thoughts!) about the show over at RealityTVChatBlog.
The Contender (Prime)
I watched two episodes of this old reality show on Tuesday. A group of boxers competed to be …. THE CONTENDER! They weren’t bad. I actually remember when this show aired way back in the aughts. Sylvester Stallone was the host for the first two seasons. The episodes I watched were hosted by Sugar Ray Leonard.
Homicide: Life On The Street (Peacock)
My review of Homicide will drop tomorrow.
Saved By The Bell (Tubi)
My review of Saved By The Bell will drop later tonight.
Sledgehammer! (Prime)
I watched an episode of this 80s comedy show on Friday. A contract was put out on Sledgehammer’s life so he hid with with Amish. It was a funny episode.
Watched and Reviewed
- 1st & Ten,
- Baywatch,
- CHiPs,
- Crime Story,
- Decoy,
- Freddy’s Nightmares,
- Hunter,
- The Love Boat,
- Pacific Blue,
- Saved By The Bell: The New Class,
- St. Elsewhere
Through the Shattered Lens 