Music Video of the Day: Aurora Sogna by Subsonica (2018, dir by FOREVER DATA)

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This music video has kind of an end of the world feel to it. I found myself suspecting that a comet probably crashed into Earth after filming stopped.

Enjoy!

Si sveglia che fa buio ormai d’abitudine
La notte le regala un’aria più complice

Detesta il vuoto dei rumori della realtà (Aurora sogna)
Ma col volume a stecca può sopravvivere (Aurora sogna)
Sogna una carne sintetica
Nuovi attributi e un microchip emozionale
Sogna di un bisturi amico che faccia di lei
Qualcosa fuori dal normale
Qualche gelato al giorno forse la nutrirà
Non crede nell’amore in cio’ è molto semplice
Come si chiama questa voglia di vivere (Aurora sogna)
Che nel suo corpo ha bisogno di espandere (Aurora sogna)
Sogna una carne sintetica
Nuovi attributi e un microchip emozionale
Occhi bionici più adrenalina
Sensori e cibernetica neurale
Sogna una carne sintetica
Nuovi attributi e un microchip emozionale
Labbra cromate ricordi seriali
Emozioni e un nuovo impianto sessuale

Senza più mangiare, senza più dormire
Senza più mangiare, senza più dormire

Sogna una carne sintetica
Nuovi attributi e un microchip emozionale
Sogna di un bisturi amico
Che faccia di lei qualcosa fuori dal normale
Sogna una carne sintetica
Nuovi attributi e un microchip emozionale
Occhi bionici più adrenalina
Sensori e cibernetica neurale
Le stesse facce che ogni giorno fanno male
Le stesse voci recitanti giudicare
Posa l’orecchio sul bicchiere e sente il mare
Ma non il suono della musica che piace a lei
La solitudine che indossa è più normale
Di una prudente saggia e isterica morale
Aurora sogna e nei suoi sogni sa cercare
Senza paura un’esclusiva felicità

Sogna una carne sintetica
Nuovi attributi e un microchip emozionale
Sogna di un bisturi amico che faccia di lei
Qualcosa fuori dal normale
Sogna una carne sintetica
Nuovi attributi e un microchip emozionale
Occhi bionici più adrenalina
Sensori e cibernetica neurale
Sogna una carne sintetica
Nuovi attributi e un microchip emozionale
Labbra cromate ricordi seriali
Emozioni e un nuovo impianto sessuale
Sogna una carne sintetica

Book Review: Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic by Glenn Frankel

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

As you can probably guess from the title, Glenn Frankel’s Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic is all about the making of one of the darkest films to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture, Midnight Cowboy.

Released in 1969 and based on a novel by James Leo Herlihy, Midnight Cowboy stars Jon Voight as Joe Buck. Joe is a simple-minded but handsome man from a small-town in Texas. After both he and his girlfriend are raped by some local rednecks, Joe puts on his cowboy hat, hops in a bus, and heads for New York City. Joe figures that he can make a lot of money as a hustler but he soon discovers that New York is a far more dangerous, nightmarish, and depressing place than he ever realized. Not only is he not smart enough to make it as a hustler but he’s not even the only cowboy hanging out around Times Square. Eventually, Joe meets Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), who has a bad leg, a hacking cough, and the worst apartment in New York. Joe and Rizzo become unlikely roommates and eventually, they even become friends. (And depending on how you interpret certain scenes and lines of dialogue, they might even become more.) Rizzo helps Joe to survive in New York but Rizzo himself is dying. Not even a chance to hang out with a group of Warhol superstars can cure Rizzo of what ails him. Rizzo wants to see Florida and Joe wants to get out of New York. How far will Joe go to escape and save his only friend?

Midnight Cowboy was controversial when it was first released, with some critics calling it a masterpiece and other claiming that the film was a symbol of America’s cultural and moral decay. It went on to become the first and only X-rated film to win Best Picture. Midnight Cowboy‘s victory over films like Hello Dolly! and Anne of the Thousand Days was seen as a sign that mature and adult-themed films could actually find both acclaim and an audience. Midnight Cowboy‘s success helped to bring Hollywood into the modern era. For many, it was also responsible for establishing New York as being the dirty and heartless city that would appear in so many of the films that followed. Indeed, there’s many different lessons that one can take from Midnight Cowboy but the main one seems to be that everyone should stay the heck out of New York. Seen today, Midnight Cowboy is no longer all that shocking and director John Schlesinger occasionally seems to be trying too hard to establish his auteur credentials. But the film’s story still remains effective, as do the lead performances of Hoffman and Voight. Though being very much a film of its time, Midnight Cowboy is still watchable today. It’s not only an effective film but it’s also a milestone in Hollywood history.

As for Shooting Midnight Cowboy, it tells you pretty much everything you need to know about both the film and the controversy that has surrounded it over the years. Starting with the novel that was written by James Leo Herlihy, Shooting Midnight Cowboy meticulously follows the production of the film, exploring not only how both Voight and Hoffman came to star in the film but also how these two very competitive actors came together to create an unforgettable portrait of an unlikely friendship. It also explores everything from director John Schlesinger’s efforts to bring his vision to life to the concerns that mainstream audiences would refuse to see the film because of its adult context to the writing of the film’s famous theme song, Everybody’s Talkin’. Perhaps the most harrowing chapter deals with the ordeal that Jennifer Salt suffered through while playing the small role of Joe Buck’s Texas girlfriend, Annie. Shooting Midnight Cowboy puts the movie into its proper historical and cultural context, showing how the film commented on the issues of the time while also telling a story that remains effective even when viewed outside of the 60s. It makes for an interesting and informative read, for both the film lover and the cultural historian.

Film Review: Icahn: The Restless Billionaire (dir by Bruce David Klein)

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Before I actually talk about Icahn: The Restless Billionaire, I should probably confess something. Well, actually, this is a reconfession because I explain this every time that I review any movie or documentary the deals with stocks and investments and big shorts and corporate takeovers and all the rest. The Stock Market confuses the heck out of me.

Seriously, I have no idea how it works. Everything that I hear about it just confuses me. How can you invest money that you don’t have in order to make or lose money that might not actually exist? How can people keep buying stock in the same company? It just seems like a company should eventually run out of stock. And what is stock anyways? And don’t even get me started on this whole thing where people can apparently secretly buy everyone’s stock and then force a company’s founder to resign or sell the company itself. That’s just weird to me.

I will also admit that I actually do own stock. I didn’t buy any of it. Some of it, I inherited. Some of it was gifted to me. Some of it, I got through work. Off the top of my head, I really couldn’t tell you much about any of the stock that I own. I’ve been told that my stock’s doing well, which is fine with me. Nobody ever tells me if my stocks aren’t doing well, which is also fine with me. I don’t really need that pressure.

Some people, however, love the pressure. Carl Icahn, for instance, has made billions by playing with the stock market and by taking over struggling companies and then selling them for a profit. Icahn’s detractors call him a pirate or a raider. Icahn claims that he’s an activist, taking over poorly managed companies and then selling them for a profit so that people, like me, who have no idea how any of this works can also make a profit. (And, of course, Icahn makes a huge amount of money off of it as well.) Carl Icahn is thought to have been one of the role models for Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko. Consider that Wall Street was released in 1987 and you can see just how long Carl Icahn has been doing this.

Icahn: The Restless Billionaire is a documentary about both the man and his controversial career. It delves a little into his childhood and features plenty of scenes of Icahn at his mansions and in his ornate office. For the most part, though, it’s a collection of scenes of Icahn and some of his associates discussing the various takeovers and battles that Icahn has been involved with over the years. The documentary is unapologetically pro-Icahn. If you’re expecting to see AOC or Bernie pop up and start going on about taxing the rich or condemning billionaires, you’re out of luck. In fact, the documentary is so pro-Icahn that it almost feels like a relic from a different era. For that matter, so does Carl Icahn. Icahn is happily pro-capitalism and he makes no apologies for that. A lot of viewers aren’t going to be used to seeing that in a contemporary documentary, especially not one produced by HBO. Myself, I’m a fan of capitalism and free enterprise so it didn’t bother me and the documentary, at the very least, worked as a change of pace. Still, I can’t help but imagine that a lot of my friends would have ended up throwing something at the TV.

Carl Icahn is obviously a smart guy and he’s made a lot of money. I enjoyed looking at the house. At the same time, he’s not exactly the most charismatic billionaire in the world and the scenes that attempt humanize him come across as being stiff and staged. The documentary is probably at its best when its just Icahn and his associates talking about the battles that he’s fought. I honestly couldn’t follow what they were talking about but I also couldn’t deny that they all seemed to be having fun.

Music Video of the Day: Somehow You Do, performed by William Shatner (2021, dir by John Ottman)

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 91st birthday to William Shatner! Not only is William Shatner an actor, a director, a writer, a famed wit, and a legendary Canadian but he’s also a singer!

Here is William Shatner performing Somehow You Do. This song was written by Diane Warren and the video was directed by John Ottman.

Enjoy!

Novel Review: Oath of Office by Steven J. Kirsch

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last week, I returned to exploring my aunt’s old collection of paperback books and I read Oath of Office, a political thriller that was originally published way back in 1988.

U.S. Sen. Jonathan Starr has just been elected to the presidency of the United States of America. As the first Jewish person to win the presidency, Starr is set to make history as soon as he’s sworn in. However, there’s a problem. Starr’s been kidnapped! The morning after his upset victory, Starr finds himself in the trunk of a car and later confined to a cell. With no knowledge of who has kidnapped him or what his ultimate fate is going to be, Starr can only wait and have numerous flashbacks to the events that led to him winning the presidency.

Meanwhile, the man that Starr defeated, President Sutherland, is trying to figure out who is behind the kidnapping. Was Starr abducted by the Russians? Or perhaps the kidnapping is the work of one of the Middle Eastern terrorist groups who is trying to thwart Sutherland’s efforts to bring peace to region? Maybe it’s the senator from Texas whose dialogue consists of stuff like, “Ah’ve been workin’ on this deal …. we’ll git it through befo’ the election.” (That’s an actual quote from the book, by the way. It seems like it would have been simpler just to say that the man had an accent but some writers just have to be cute about things.) There’s a lot of possibilities but we know that Starr’s kidnapping was masterminded by an imprisoned mobster, largely because the book tells us early on. I personally would have dragged out the suspense but no matter!

While secret service agent Andy Reynolds is trying to track Starr down, the Speaker of the House is plotting to take power for himself. He and his people have come across what they believe to be a loophole in the Constitution, which will keep the electoral college from being able to vote for either Starr or his running mate. In which case, the Speaker will automatically become president as soon as the incumbent’s term expires. So, yes, this is another political thriller where the plot largely hinges on a reading of the Constitution that any halfway experienced attorney would easily be able to shoot down.

As you can probably guess, this book has its flaws. According to the blurb on the back, this was the author’s first novel and I have no idea if he ever wrote a second one. There are a lot of points in the story that don’t ring true, especially in the flashbacks to Starr’s early political career and the author has a bad habit of telling us things as opposed to showing them. And, of course, there’s that terrible attempt to capture the Texas accent. Don’t even get me started on that.

That said, the idea behind the book is an interesting one. Only two people of Jewish descent have ever been nominated by a major political party. Barry Goldwater was an Episcopalian while Joseph Liebermann found himself being opposed by the anti-Semites in his own party. Of course, neither one of those men made it to the White House. Oath of Office does make an attempt to seriously consider the challenges that would face the first Jewish president and it’s also honest about how anti-Semitism is a prejudice that is often overlooked by even those who brag about their progressive credentials. As I said, the book has an interesting idea but the plot just keeps getting in the way.

Film Review: Lucy and Desi (dir by Amy Poehler)

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

If you were as disappointed with Being the Ricardos as I was but you still want to learn something about the lives and the marriage of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, might I suggest checking out Lucy and Desi?

Directed by Amy Poehler, Lucy and Desi covers much of the same material as Being the Ricardos but it does so in a far more authentic way. This is because Lucy and Desi is a documentary, one featuring actual interviews and recordings from Lucy, Desi, and the people who worked with them through the years. As a result, we get to hear the story in their own words as opposed to Aaron Sorkin’s words. I’m hardly the first person to point out that Aaron Sorkin is incapable of writing dialogue that doesn’t sound like something that Aaron Sorkin himself would say. In Being the Ricardos, Lucy and her writers all spoke in Sorkinese and it all felt rather false. Watching Lucy and Desi, you quickly realize that both Lucy and Desi were intelligent and articulate people. Their own words are strong enough, without needing a polish from a screenwriter who, by his own admission, never found I Love Lucy to be all that funny.

Lucy and Desi covers the early lives of both Lucy and Desi as well as detailing how they first met, how they married, and how they went on to revolutionize television with I Love Lucy. More than just being portrayed as being a talented but somewhat volatile couple, both Lucy and Desi emerges as fascinating individuals in their own right. Both of them survived childhood difficulties, both of them remade themselves in Hollywood, and, most importantly, both of them had an instinctive understanding of what audiences wanted to see.

They were also very much in love, even after their divorce. That love was missing from Being the Ricardos but it’s very much present in Lucy and Desi. It was that love that led to the marriage that led to the partnership that made them a success but it was that same success that eventually led to the end of their marriage. And yet, even after divorcing, Lucy and Desi remained close. Their daughter, Lucie Arnaz, talks about the last few times that Lucy saw Desi before Desi’s succumbed to lung cancer. They watched old episodes of I Love Lucy and they laughed together. It’s an incredibly touching moment.

And if sentimentality isn’t your thing, Lucy and Desi also explores just how important their partnership was to the development of modern television. I Love Lucy was the first “modern” sitcom but their company, Desilu Productions, had a hand in producing several other classic shows as well. Star Trek was a Desilu production. So were Mission Impossible and The Untouchables. So much of what we take for granted about pop culture started with Lucy and Desi.

Perhaps the most shocking revelation in the Lucy and Desi documentary is that the J. Edgar Hoover story was true! You may remember that, when I reviewed Being the Ricardos, I scoffed at the scene where Hoover called the studio and personally cleared Lucy of being a communist. But apparently, this actually did happen! I’m as stunned as anyone.

Lucy and Desi is a good and heartfelt tribute to Lucy and Desi, their talent and their love and their lasting influence. It can be viewed on Prime.

TV Review: The Walking Dead 11.13 “Warlords” (dir by Loren Yaconelli)

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, The Walking Dead introduced yet another community and also show us the darker side of the way that the Commonwealth does things.

Aaron and, for some reason, Father Gabriel were recruited to accompany the Commonwealth’s Toby Carlson (played by Jason Butler Harner) to a community that was based in an old apartment complex. Toby told Aaron and Gabriel that their mission was one of recruitment. They wanted to check out the Apartment People, learn about their customs and way of doing things, and then bring them into the Commonwealth. Of course, it actually turned out that Toby just wanted to kill everyone in the apartment building because Lance Hornsby believed that the Apartment People were responsible for attacking a Commonwealth caravan.

Normally, I would be opposed to such wanton death and destruction but, in all honesty, the Apartment People were really annoying. They were so annoying that I’m not even bothering to refer to them by the name of their community. Oceanside deserves a name. Hilltop deserves a name. Alexandria and the Commonwealth deserve a name. There’s been a lot of different groups that have wandered through The Walking Dead and they all earned the right to be known by the name that they selected for their community. But the Apartment People were just jerks and, as such, I don’t care what they call their big, ugly home. To me, they’re just the Apartment People. From the minute that Aaron and Carlson showed up, the Apartment People were acting like jerks. Are there any communities in the world of The Walking Dead that aren’t run by some overly loquacious Negan wannabe?

In this case, the Apartment People were ruled by Ian, the Warlord. The Warlord was played by Michael Biehn, so at least he had that going for him. The Warlord had a nice, dark office and a cool display case of skulls. He claimed that all of the skulls came from the enemies of the Apartment People. I’m not sure if I believed him but I guess it’s always good to have a display of some sort. A good leader always used their decorating skills to make their office their own. (Seriously, that’s on page 19 of Somehow I Manage by Michael Scott.)

I appreciated the fact that The Warlord was immediately suspicious of Father Gabriel because I’ve never really felt that Gabriel adds much to the show. Gabriel started out this season as a newly confirmed atheist but now, suddenly, he’s back to being a fire-and-brimstone holy warrior. Pick a persona and stick with it, Gabriel! And, seriously — if you survived the zombie apocalypse, would you really feel like spending all of your Sundays sitting in church? The fact that Gabriel even has a congregation is just weird to me.

As for the Apartment People, it turned out that Negan is living with them! That’s probably good news for the Apartment People because the Warlord was dead by the end of the episode and someone is going to have to step in and be the new guy who gives long monologues while standing in front of a display case of skulls.

The episode ended with Maggie and her crew showing up, set to do battle with the Commonwealth. I guess this is how the war gets started, over a shabby apartment complex that’s populated by some of the most unlikable people to ever appear on the show. If Negan does’t want to take the Warlord’s place, I guess Maggie can take over the Apartment People and make them as miserable as she’s made everyone at Hilltop.

Anyway, this episode probably would have had more impact if we didn’t already know about the darkness at the heart of the Commonwealth. Still, Michael Biehn was an effective Warlord and Jason Butler Harner was effectively fanatical as Toby Carlson. At least now, we know just why exactly Hilltop and the Commonwealth are going to go to war.

Next week is the mid-season finale!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 3/13/22 — 3/19/22

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I probably watched too much television this week. It happens. But, on the plus side, I finally finished the first season of Baywatch Hawaii and I’m making progress on Silk Stalkings. Plus, The Bachelor is over and I’m finally going to get a break from that franchise. It’s always good to find the positive in things.

Here are some thoughts on what I watched this week:

American Idol (Sunday Night, ABC)

Despite having announced last week that they had found the next great superstar in that girl who played the piano, the American Idol judges were back for more auditions this week. As I’ve been saying ever since this season began, American Idol could use a little more negativity. I know that we’re all supposed to be super supportive nowadays but these shows are more fun when some obnoxious dude who can’t carry a tune gets his dreams shattered by a snarky Brit. Maybe Katy should bring Orlando with her to the next set of auditions. He seems like he could handle the role.

That said, I did like the gospel singer because he seemed to be a genuinely nice person and I just hope the show doesn’t ruin him. If he says he wants to sing gospel, let him sing gospel and let America decide whether or not to keep him around. Personally, I’m not a huge gospel music fan but whatever. It obviously meant a lot to him.

The Bachelor (Monday and Tuesday Night, ABC)

Mostly because I found Clayton to be rather dull (hence, why I called him the Claytonbot), I didn’t watch much of the latest season of The Bachelor. (It didn’t help, of course, that the Bachelor was scheduled opposite both Celebrity Big Brother and the Olympics.) However, I did join my BFF Evelyn to watch the two-part finale on Monday and Tuesday nights.

Wow, what a mess. The Claytonbot finally learned what love is and then promptly told three separate women that he was in love with them. He then slept with two of them, which led the third one — Susie — to leave the show. Then, at the Rose Ceremony, Claytonbot informed Gabby and Rachel that 1) he loved both of them and 2) that he had slept with both of them. This caused Gabby to walk off the show. Claytonbot, however, convinced Gabby to come back and accept the rose. The next day, Gabby and Rachel both had a nice meeting with the Claytonbot’s human family. After Gabby and Rachel left, Claytonbot informed everyone but the two women that he had decided that actually was in love with Susie and that he wanted a chance to try to convince her to return to the show. It didn’t seem to occur to the Claytonbot that Gabby and Rachel might not be happy with the idea of going through all of this emotional turmoil just so he could then track down the woman who had previously dumped him. The Claytonbot’s human family looked deeply disappointed in him and somewhat embarrassed to be associated with him on national television. That was all on Monday’s episode.

Tuesday’s episode was even messier as the Claytonbot dumped both Gabby and Rachel because he had decided that he was “most in love” with Susie. Gabby yelled, Rachel cried, and they both ended up leaving. Claytonbot proposed to Susie and Susie …. turned him down. Bachelor Nation rejoiced! But then host Jesse Palmer revealed that, after filming wrapped up, Susie slid into the Claytonbot’s DMs and now the two of them are dating. The live studio audience was not happy, especially when Claytonbot said that all of the emotional turmoil was worth it to end up with Susie. Try telling that to Gabby and Rachel, you dumbfug! (I gave up cursing for Lent.)

Anyway, this season of the Bachelor ended not with an engagement but instead a lot of pain and hostility. At least Gabby and Rachel will be the next bachelorettes.

Bar Rescue (Sunday and weekday mornings, Paramount)

I watched one episode on Sunday morning. The owner of an Irish pub was drinking too much so Jon Taffer called him a jerk in front of all of his friends. That probably helped with the alcoholism.

On Monday, I watched another episode. In this one, Taffer and the crew revealed that the bar was selling cheap beer at premium prices. This, of course, led to a Roadhouse-style bar brawl. If only Dalton had been there to break it up. Oh well!

On Tuesday, I again watched one episode. Why was I watching so much Bar Rescue? It’s kind of a fun show. Jon Taffer is amusing and the show itself has a sense of humor about itself. Anyway, Tuesday’s episode was about yet another bar owner who had a drinking problem. Why do so many drunks end up owning bars? I would never want to mix my hobbies with my day job. Taffer yelled at her to get sober and, by the end of the episode, the alcoholism had been vanquished and the bar was making a lot of money. Yay!

Baywatch Hawaii (Prime and Hulu)

On Tuesday night, I watched two episodes from the first season of Baywatch Hawaii. The first episode featured Jessie training for a triathlon and then abandoning the race as soon as she realized that the team needed her to help out with a rescue. Jessie put aside her personal goals for the good of the team. If I was in a similar situation, I cannot say that I would have done the same. This second episode that I watched featured Sean, Jenna, and the team heading to the Big Island for a conference on drowning. With Jenna’s help Sean came to terms with the drowning death of his son. Both episodes felt like they had been assembled from scenes that had been cut from previous episodes. There was an odd subplot during the first episode in which Jason was haunted by an apparently malicious water demon. That whole storyline got abandoned after 20 minutes and was never mentioned again. It was odd. Like, seriously, how do you just forget about a water demon?

On Wednesday afternoon, I finally finished up season 1 with the final two episodes of the season. Top-billed David Hasselhoff, who was absent for most of the season, finally returned as Mitch Buchanon. In the first episode I watched, he helped Jessie’s grandfather deal with the guilt that he felt over surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor. Awwww! Make fun of the Hoff all you want but sentimental stuff like this is what he’s good at and it was actually a pretty effective episode (by Baywatch Hawaii standards, of course). The 2nd episode and the season finale featured Mitch …. GETTING BLOWN UP BY ECO-TERRORISTS! Well, I guess that’s one way to get out of the show. (Reportedly, the Hoff felt that he had been typecast as a result of his work on Baywatch. Well, when you do a show for ten years, that will happen, I suppose.) From what I understand, though, there was later a Baywatch reunion movie that established that Mitch actually survived the explosion, though with a case of amnesia. That’s good because Mitch deserved better. Other than Mitch getting blown up, the most interesting thing about this episode was that it revealed that both he and Sean were apparently part-time CIA agents, along with being lifeguards. Good for them! It’s always interesting to me how many part-time CIA agents there are on shows like this.

On Friday afternoon, I watched the first episode of the second season of Baywatch Hawaii. There was no mention of Mitch or his sacrifice. No one even seemed to be in mourning. Instead, the episode introduced the viewers to a few new trainee lifeguards and also one new senior lifeguard, played by Brande Roderick. Quite a few members of the first season cast were gone without explanation. Jason Momoa was still there, however. He looked kind of embarrassed. As for the episode itself, it dealt with Sean and a former friend of his, an arrogant jet skier who didn’t care about stuff like teamwork. *GASP!*

Beyond the Edge (Wednesday Night, CBS)

In this new reality show, 9 celebrities spend two weeks in the jungle and compete to raise money for charity. Who will stay the entire two weeks!? I watched the first episode and I don’t really care. The celebs don’t really have any sort of personal stake in all of this so the competition aspect of it all is pretty dull. I’m just glad that they’ve never done a celebrity edition of Survivor. You know it’s going to happen someday, though.

The Bold and the Beautiful (Weekday Afternoon, CBS)

I watched an episode of the world’s greatest daytime drama on Tuesday afternoon. Not much happened in the episode but the clothes were to die for and everyone owned a really nice house. That’s the important thing. It’s still hard for me to accept anyone other than Ronn Moss as Ridge. Yes, I know it’s been ten years since Moss left the role but you have to understand that I don’t watch this show that often so, in my mind, it should still be exactly the same way that it was in 2009.

The Brady Bunch (Sunday Afternoon, MeTV)

MeTV showed four driving-related episodes of The Brady Bunch on Sunday. Greg bought a car, without talking to his father about it first. Carol had an accident and was sued by the other driver, who was faking his injuries. Greg was told that he would not be allowed to drive his car for a week after nearly having an accident and then outsmarted his father by driving someone else’s car. Marcia tried to get her license and this, of course, led to her and Greg getting into a fight over whether men were naturally better drivers than women.

I’m a bit disappointed that MeTV did not show the controversial episode were Mr. Brady ran over the homeless guy and then forced Alice to take the blame. (Fortunately, Alice got out of prison just in time to appear on The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.)

Children’s Hospital (Hulu)

Yay! My favorite medical show is on Hulu! I rewatched season one on Sunday night. Fortunately, since there were only five 11-minute episodes in that season, it only took me an hour. But what an hour! How great it was to see the early days of Children’s Hospital, when Dr. Cat Black was narrating her thoughts and Dr. Lola Spratt was pretending to have a brain tumor so she could break up with Owen. And let’s not forget Dr. Blake Downs, curing people with the power of laughter!

Court Cam (Wednesday, A&E)

I only watched one episode on Wednesday evening. This episode featured too much true crime footage for me. I prefer when the episode focuses on lawyers acting strangely and judges speaking sarcastically. Watching the actual crimes that led to people ending up in court in the first place just isn’t as much fun.

The Dropout (Hulu)

I reviewed the latest episode of The Dropout here!

Full House (Sunday Afternoon, MeTV)

Things continued to get heated at the Tanner household. First, Joey and Jesse had to write a jingle together. Then, the Beach Boys mysteriously showed up. This was followed by Joey trying to be an authority figure as opposed to just a second-rate comic with an angry ex-girlfriend. Finally, Danny was frustrated to discover that there apparently wasn’t a single woman in San Francisco who hadn’t already dated Jesse. Poor DJ and Stephanie, it had to be traumatic growing up in that household! That said, everything always worked out in the end. The sentimental music would play. Danny would say something wise. The audience would respond with, “Awwwwwww!”

Happy Days (Weekday Evenings, MeTV)

I’m never quite understood the popularity of this old show but I did watch one episode on Tuesday evening. The Fonz had to convince his cousin, Spike, not to be a delinquent. Ron Howard only appeared for a few minutes at the start of the episode. I guess it was largely filmed during his week off.

Inventing Anna (Netflix)

On Friday, I finally decided to return to watching Inventing Anna. It’s not so much that Inventing Anna is any good (it’s not) as much as it’s just a case of me not wanting to leave anything unfinished. I started watching this show and dammit, I’m going to finish it! Even if it takes me until 2024.

Anyway, I finally watched the 6th episode, which was all about Anna and her friends traveling to Morocco and Anna apparently committing credit card fraud in order to pay for the whole vacation. To be honest, though, the episode was really about the character of Vivian Kent bulging her eyes and going overboard with the facial expressions while listening to everyone’s story. After spending an hour presenting Anna as being a terrible and manipulative friend, the episode suddenly shifted gears and had people talking about how, “I felt so sorry for Anna, in Morocco all alone.” It was kind of annoying and didn’t make much sense. Nothing about the way Anna has been portrayed on this show makes it believable that she would inspire that type of loyalty. Maybe I’ll finish this show next year.

King of the Hill (Hulu and weekday afternoons on FXX)

I watched one random episode on Hulu on Monday evening. Kahn mortgaged his house to be buy Scrubby’s Car Wash, which was apparently an Arlen institution despite having never been mentioned on the show before this episode. Needless to say, Kahn’s abrasive management style was not a hit with the redneck customers and eventually, Mr. Strickland had to step in. It was an okay episode, if not one of the show’s best. The highlight of the episode was the introduction of infomercial huckster Dr. Money. Dr. Money promised to make his customer so rich that they would have “champagne for breakfast and caviar for your cat!”

On Tuesday, I watched four episodes on FXX. I watched as Peggy attempted to run a used bookstore and end up instead running a gun shop. I watched the classic Halloween episode where Louanne ended up a prisoner of insane pork product industrialist Trip Larsen. This was followed by the episode in which Dale was hired to kill the rats at the Mega-Lo Mart and instead discovered that jazz trumpeter Chuck Mangione was secretly living in the store. Finally, I watched an episode in which Louanne became a boxer and ended up fighting George Foreman’s daughter. Hank nearly got into a fight with Foreman himself over whether or not the Foremen Grill was a novelty product or not. Luckily, George’s son broke up the fight. “No, Daddy! He ain’t worth it!” still makes me laugh every time that I hear it.

Law & Order (Thursday Night, NBC)

On this week’s “ripped from the headlines” Law & Order, a tennis player who was definitely not meant to be one of the Williams sisters stood accused of murdering a family court judge. The tennis player went with an insanity defense, claiming that she was suffering from a manic episode at the time of the murder and that only her father’s conservatorship could keep her from losing control. So, just like that, the episode went from being about the Williams sisters to being about Britney Spears. In short, this episode was so ripped from the headlines that it was actually kind of dumb.

The Love Boat (Sunday Afternoon, MeTV)

On this week’s cruise: Sharon Gabet, Laurence Lau, Denise Miller, Taylor Miller, Robert Pine, Janine Turner, and Ruth Warrick. Admittedly, that’s not exactly the most memorable list of passengers and it was a bit of a silly episode. Somehow, Gopher got trapped in a suit of armor while a preacher was romantically pursued by two of his followers. And then, out of nowhere, there was this huge dramatic storyline, in which Warrick tried to forgive the son of the man who killed her husband in a drunk driving accident. It was an odd cruise but the scenery was nice.

M*A*S*H (Hulu and Weekday Evenings, MeTV)

Like Happy Days, this is another old show that I usually don’t really care for but I did watch two episodes on Tuesday. Both of them featured Alan Alda talking about how much he hates the war and basically getting in everyone else’s way. Like, seriously, Hawkeye — EVERYONE HATES WAR! It’s not all about you.

On Friday, I discovered that M*A*S*H is on Hulu and I decided to give the show another shot, mostly because people really do tend to rave about it. Jeff suggested that I check out a later episode called “Dreams” and oh my God, was it effective! While dealing with a seemingly never-ending amount of wounded soldiers, each of the main characters tried to get an hour or two of sleep and everyone ended up having a dream about what the war was doing to them, mentally. It was a bit heavy-handed but it was undeniably effective. Who knows? I may have to give this show another shot next week.

Saved By The Bell (Saturday, E!)

E! did a Saved By The Bell marathon on Saturday. I watched as Kelly broke up with Zack, Zack solved the mystery weekend, and Johnny Dakota tried to get all the students at Bayside hooked on the weed with roots in Heck. Bad Johnny Dakota!

(Yes, I said “roots in Heck.” I gave up cursing for Lent. I realize that I probably could have gotten away with not using Heck because it’s a name of place, as opposed to an actual exclamation. But I decided that it’s best not to get cutesy with Lent.)

Savoring Our Faith (Sunday Afternoon, EWTN)

Fr. Leon Patalinghug talked about St. Patrick and why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day while preparing a meal. I watched this with Erin on Sunday and, somewhat unexpectedly, I enjoyed it. It’s an Irish Catholic thing.

Silk Stalkings (Tubi)

On Monday, I returned to Silk Stalkings. I watched the show’s 41st episode, in which Chris got shot at after witnessing yet another fight between a man, his mistress, and his wife. Chris literally couldn’t leave his apartment without witnessing a fight. Once again, the no-funsters at the police department were trying to get Chris in trouble but luckily, Rita was there to solve the crime. To be honest, it was kind of a confusing episode but, as I’ve said before, this isn’t show that you watch for the plots. You watch it for the frequently unclothed people committing crimes and having melodramatic conversations. It’s a lot of fun.

On Tuesday, I watched episode #42. A serial killer was stalking women who had sought the advice of a fake astrologer. Chris not only flirted with every woman he met (even if he happened to meet them at a crime scene) but he also tossed the killer into the ocean. Way to go, Chris!

On Friday morning, I watched episode #43, in which Chris and Rita investigated a murder connected to phone sex and prostitution. Can you guess what happened next? If you guessed, “Chris goes undercover as a client and Rita goes undercover as a phone sex operator,” you are correct! This was a supremely silly episode, largely because there was only one suspect so it was pretty easy to guess who was going to end up getting shot at the end of it all. Still, Chris and Rita! How can you not love them?

I followed this with Episode #44 (entitled “Crime of Love”), which was also the first episode of the show’s third season! Rita suspected that an author that she had previously arrested was responsible for murdering the wife of his publisher. She was certain that there was no way that he could have reformed but it turned out that he wasn’t the murderer. Sometimes you have to give people a second chance, Rita!

Since I was on a bit of a Chris & Rita roll, I decided to to watch two more episodes. The first was Episode #45 (entitled “Team Spirit”), in which Chris and Rita investigated a serial killer who was targeting wealthy men. However, the most interesting thing about the episode was the B-plot, in which Chris was audited by the IRS after he attempted to write off his wardrobe as a business expense! Even while being audited, Chris couldn’t help but flirt with the IRS agent. Oh, Chris!

Episode #46 (“The Perfect Alibi”) found Chris and Rita investigating a hot tub murder that was linked to a gang of video tape bootleggers. It was all very 90s but the main bad guy was named Sorkin so that was kind of amusing. As usual, every suspect that Chris visited was just getting out of shower when Chris arrived at the apartment. This happened every single episode but anyone who has watched the show knows that it didn’t matter how many half-naked people tried to come between them, Chris and Rita were always meant to be together.

Survivor (Wednesday Night, CBS)

I wrote about this week’s episode at Reality TV Chat Blog!

Talking Dead (Sunday Night, AMC)

Yay! For the second week in a row, Talking Dead was broadcast from the studio as opposed to Chris Hardwicke’s living room. Nature is healing.

Vaticano (Sunday Afteroon, EWTN)

It’s news for Catholics! It’s also Lent so I watched this with Erin on Sunday afternoon. I couldn’t help but remember the time that we visited Italy and took a tour of the Vatican. It was, needless to say, beyond amazing.

The Walking Dead (Sunday Night, AMC)

I reviewed this week’s episode here!

Film Review: Deep Water (dir by Adrian Lyne)

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Just released on Hulu, Deep Water is the funniest film of the year so far.

Ben Affleck stars as Vic Van Allen. (Even his name is funny!) Vic made a fortune by inventing a computer chip that is used to help drones track people down and blow them up. Now, Vic is retired, living in a nice and small town, and publishing a photography/poetry magazine. He enjoys going to parties with his friends, joking about committing murder, and riding the heck out of his bike. Seriously, the shots of Affleck riding that bike are comparable to Will Ferrell playing the flute in Anchorman.

Ana de Armas plays Vic’s wife, Melinda. Everyone, including Vic, knows that Melinda cheats on Vic with almost every man that she meets. Vic accepts Melina’s infidelities on the condition that she not leave him and their daughter, Trixie (Grace Jenkins). Of course, Vic does still get upset. When Melinda’s former lover vanishes, Vic jokes to Melinda’s current lover that he killed the previous lover. Everyone in town gets a good laugh out of that one. Everyone, that is, but for Melinda and local busybody Don Wilson (Tracy Letts).

Both Melinda and Don think that Vic is capable of murder. As far as Don is concerned, Vic is responsible for the death of every single person who has ever been blown by a drone. Meanwhile, Melinda knows that there’s something strange about the way that Vic spends all of his time taking care of the hundreds of snails that he keeps in the basement. Vic, of course, insists that he was just making a joke when he said that he was a murderer. But then Vic actually does murder someone and things get complicated….

From what I understand, Deep Water is supposed to be a serious thriller but I absolutely refuse to believe that it’s not actually meant to be a parody of the genre. It’s director Adrian Lyne’s first film in 20 years. Lyne is best know for directing movies like 9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction. Indecent Proposal, and Unfaithful and so many of the scenes in Deep Water feel as if they’ve been specifically designed as a way to poke fun at Lyne’s previous films that one can’t help but suspect that at least a few of the film’s laughs are meant to be intentional. This is a film that features Ben Affleck, on a bicycle, chasing a car while the driver rants about how autocorrect is always ruining his text messages. I absolutely refuse to accept that this was truly meant to be taken seriously.

That said, Affleck wanders through the film with a glum expression on his face, one that suggests that he wasn’t let in on the joke ahead of time. Ana de Armas is ultimately defeated by a script that refuses to allow her character to behave with any consistency but she’s still smart enough to play Melinda as being a character who is at least partially aware that she’s in a movie. As for Tracy Letts, I have never seen any reputable actor overact quite as much as Tracy Letts does towards the end of Deep Water. It’s a sight to behold.

Adrian Lyne makes sure that the film looks good but he never manages to strike a consistent tone and the film’s plot is full of holes. Affleck spends a lot of time gazing at snails while Ana de Armas throws a fit when her daughter keeps insisting that Alexa play Old MacDonald. Tracy Letts, at one point, sees Affleck riding his bicycle and starts cursing like Linda Blair in The Exorcist. Deep Water doesn’t really work as a thriller but, as a comedy, it’s a lot of fun.

Music Video of the Day: Compliance by Muse (2022, dir by Jeremi Durand)

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yay! It’s a new music video from Muse!

Enjoy!

Compliance
We just need your compliance
You will feel no pain anymore
And no more defiance
We just need your compliance
Just give us your compliance
We won’t let you feel lost anymore
No more self-reliance

Fall into line, you will do as you’re told
No choice fatigue, your blood is running cold
We lose control, the world will fall apart
Love of your life, we’ll mend your broken heart

Life lived in fear, you need protection
You’re all alone, too much rejection
We have what you need, just reach out and touch
We can save you

We just need your compliance
We just need your compliance
You will feel no pain anymore
No more defiance
Just give us your compliance

Cover your tracks, we know what’s best for you
You’ve bitten off, much more than you can chew
You’re running scared, you’ll run into our arms
Come join our clique, we’ll keep you safe from harm
Our toy soldier, you’ll do the dirty work
Stay loyal to us, we’ll take away the hurt
We have what you need, just reach out and touch
We can save you

Just give us your compliance
We just need your compliance
You will feel no pain anymore
No more defiance
Just give us your compliance

Com com com. Com compliance
Com com com. Com compliance
We can save you

Compliance
We just need your compliance
You will feel no pain anymore
And no more defiance
We just need your compliance
We just need your compliance
We won’t let you feel lost anymore
No more self-reliance

Compliance
We just need your compliance
You will feel no pain anymore
No more defiance
We just need your compliance
Oh fear is controlling you
It’s time to give it up
And give in to us
We can save you
Give us your Compliance