Hanna was my favorite film of 2011 so I’m really hoping that the Amazon Prime adaptation does it justice. Here’s the Super Bowl spot which, if nothing else, is far more exciting than the game that is currently being played in Atlanta.
Hanna will be available to Amazon Prime subscribers, right after the game ends.
This might be nice!
Our Planet is a new Netflix series where Sir David Attenbourgh explores never-before-seen habitats. I always get a little bit worried about nature documentaries because they always seem to lead up to a bunch of tigers eating a gazelle but, judging from this Super Bowl spot, it looks like the show features some really impressive footage.
Plus, I can’t resist anything that feature animals looking quizzically at a camera.
Here’s the Super Bowl spot for Our Planet!
Did you know there’s a new Twilight Zone coming out?
Yes, again.
There’s actually been quite a few Twilight Zone revivals but this latest one involves Jordan Peele, who is a certified superfan of the show. I mean, Get Out basically was a feature length Twilight Zone episode and Us was apparently inspired by the show.
Plus, the new Twilight Zone is going to be online which, in theory, means a bit less censorship. That’s always a good thing.
Here’s the Super Bowl spot for Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone!
Okay, I nearly missed this commercial because I don’t like beer. In fact, if Leonard hadn’t said something on twitter, I totally would have missed it. That would have been a shame because this might be the best commercial of this year’s Super Bowl.
Basically, it starts out like a Bud Light commercial. But then suddenly …. well, just watch it:
Game of Thrones will be returning to HBO soon. The Bud Knight, meanwhile, appears to be gone forever….
Here’s the sure-to-be controversial teaser for Season 3 of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
Moving right along with my look back at 2018, here are 10 good things that I saw on television.
Please note, I did not say that these were the ten “best” things on television in 2018. Instead, these are ten things that I enjoyed enough that, in January of 2019, they still pop to my mind whenever I ask myself, “What did I enjoy last year?” As always, this is just my opinion and you’re free to agree or disagree.
Got it? Okay, let’s go!
Okay, so maybe I’m cheating a little here. Twin Peaks: The Return originally aired in 2017. You may remember that, for about 6 months, the Shattered Lens essentially became a Twin Peaks fan site. Still, I can’t begin to describe how excited I was to discover that, over the course of a weekend, Showtime would be reairing the entire series. I binged every episode and I discovered that, even with the benefit of hindsight, it’s still one of the greatest shows of all time. Unfortunately, the Emmy voters did not agree. Bastards.
2. The Alienist
It took me a little while to really get into The Alienist but, once I did, I found myself growing obsessed with not only the sets and the costumes but the mystery as well! Daniel Bruhl, Luke Evans, and Dakota Fanning all did excellent work and I can’t wait for the sequel!
3. Jesus Christ Superstar Live
I was skeptical. I had my doubts. I thought I’d spend the entire two and a half hours rolling my eyes. Jesus Christ Superstar proved me wrong.
4. The Americans
One of the best shows on television went out on a high note.
5. Barry
Barry premiered on HBO and it quickly became a favorite of mine. While I agree that Bill Hader and Henry Winkler deserve all of the attention that they’ve received, I’d also say that Stephen Root continues to prove himself to be one of our greatest character actors.
6. Big Brother
The reality show that so many love to hate finally had another good season. Since I get paid to write about the show for another site, that made me happy. Seriously, some of the previous seasons were painful to watch so Big Brother 20 was a huge relief. (Plus, BB 20 inspired everyone’s favorite twitter game: “Will Julie Chen Moonves show up tonight?”)
7. Maniac
As much fun as it is to complain about Netflix, occasionally they justify the price of their existence by giving us something like Maniac.
8. You
Sometimes, I loved this show. Sometimes, I absolutely hated it. However, I was always intrigued and never bored. I can’t wait to see what happens during season 2.
9. Trust
For all the attention that was given to The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Trust was the best FX true crime series of 2018. Along with an intriguing story, it also featured great performances from Donald Sutherland, Hillary Swank, and Brendan Fraser. (Yes, Brendan Fraser.)
10. Westworld
I know a lot of people didn’t care much for the latest season of Westworld. I loved it and, in the end, isn’t that what really matters?
That’s it for television! Coming up next, it’s the entry in Lisa’s look back at 2018 that we’ve all been waiting for, my picks for the best 26 films of the year!
Lisa Looks Back At 2018
Tonight, before the premier of the 3rd season of True Detective, HBO aired the teaser for eighth and final season of Game of Thrones.
Now, I’m not even going to try to pretend like I have some sort of special insight into what this teaser means. To be honest, I always struggle a bit when it comes to keeping up with who is plotting against who on Game of Thrones. Whenever I try to speculate about what’s happening on the show, I’m always proven wrong. Back during the first season, I even used to get Robb Stark confused with Jon Snow. Just try living that down….
Here’s what I will say. The trailer has a lot of atmosphere and it’s all appropriately ominous. If anyone’s still alive by the end of the show, I’ll be surprised. And, really, that’s the way it should be. The teaser takes place in a crypt and features a lot of death statues so even the teaser seems to be warning us that nobody’s going to get out of this season untouched.
Here’s the teaser:
In the past, HBO show have occasionally struggled during their final seasons. I’m never going to get over what happened to True Blood during its final season. Hopefully, Game of Thrones will be the exception to that rule.
As always, we’ll see what happens!
Has it ever bothered you that, at the end of It’s A Wonderful Life, Mr. Potter basically gets away with nearly destroying George’s life? It’s certainly bothers me!
Well, fortunately, the lost ending of It’s A Wonderful Life has been uploaded to YouTube! Broadcast on a 1986 episode of Saturday Night Live and introduced by William Shatner (who, it must be said, really gets into introducing the clip), this clip gives George the revenge that he deserves!
As George Bailey put it: “You double-crossed me and left me alive!”
(Incidentally, I love the fact that Uncle Billy says that he talked to “Clarence at the bank.” Obviously, Clarence put those wings to good use!)
Enjoy!
Now, before anyone asks, this is not the Oscar-nominated original with Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood. Nor is it the 90s remake with Richard Attenborough and that girl who gives a hundred interviews a year about how she doesn’t care about being famous.
Instead, this is a 46-minute made-for-TV production from 1955! It stars the one and only Thomas Mitchell (you’ll remember him as Uncle Billy from It’s A Wonderful Life) as the man who might be Santa Claus!
Even though this version may not be quite the holiday masterpiece that the original is, I still like it. You really can’t go wrong with Thomas Mitchell as Santa.
Enjoy!
And remember….
THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS!
Can you believe that Halloween and Horrorthon are both nearly over!? I’ve got tears in my mismatched eyes.
Originally, I was planning on posting the final episode of Kolchak tonight but I miscounted and, to make a long story short, I ran out of episodes of Kolchak before I ran out of days in October!
So, for our final Horror on TV of the 2018 Horrorthon, I’m going to share an old favorite of mine, The Curse of Degrassi!
Originally airing on October 28th, 2008, The Curse of Degrassi features Degrassi’s main mean girl, Holy J Sinclair (Charlotte Arnold), getting possessed by the vengeful spirit of deceased school shooter, Rick Murray (Ephraim Ellis). Chaos follows! Fortunately, Spinner (Shane Kippel) is around to save the day. As any true Degrassi fan can tell you, only Spinner has a chance against the forces of the undead.
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens 