Entertainment
Disturbing, R-Rated 70s Thriller Sees Evil Before It Happens
By Robert Scucci
| Published
If you ever found yourself wondering what it would be like if a Precog from Minority Report made a living shooting smut, 1978’s Eyes of Laura Mars has the answer you’ve been looking for. We’re not getting the sci-fi treatment here, however, but rather a neo-noir murder mystery centered on exploitation and sensationalism, anchored by a screenplay written by John Carpenter and directed by Irvin Kershner. As the mystery unravels, so does the film’s titular protagonist, who finds herself caught between her controversial occupation, an escalating criminal investigation tied to the deaths of her friends and colleagues, and a pool of suspects who are just a little too close for comfort.
Never afraid to go fully mental with its premise, Eyes of Laura Mars checks off all the boxes for a compelling psychological thriller, and it’s largely thanks to the on-screen chemistry between Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones.
A Suspicious Amount Of Precognition
Eyes of Laura Mars tells the tale of its eponymous heroine (Faye Dunaway), a fashion photographer who’s made quite the name for herself with her risqué images. Her work centers on staging violent scenes involving assault and exploitation, often echoing the kinds of compositions you’d expect to see in crime scene photography. Laura’s work is the talk of New York City, and she lives the high life, especially now that her photography book The Eyes of Mars is about to hit shelves.
The night before her book release, Laura begins experiencing disturbing visions. She witnesses murders, but from the first-person perspective of the assailant committing the crimes. Nightmares alone wouldn’t be cause for alarm, but Laura quickly realizes that these visions are tied to real events. She’s watching her friends and colleagues get killed, without knowing whose eyes she’s actually seeing through.
After crossing paths with Laura, Lieutenant John Neville (Tommy Lee Jones) is tasked with investigating the grisly murders before the killer strikes again. He suspects that Laura’s ex-husband Michael (Raul Julia) may be involved, largely because the timeline of his return to New York City lines up with the rising body count.
What troubles John most is how many images from Laura’s upcoming book bear a striking resemblance to unpublished crime scene photos connected to murders that haven’t yet been solved. Either Laura is blacking out and killing people herself, or she possesses some inexplicable ability to witness murders moments before they occur. As John and Laura grow romantically involved and the killer escalates, Laura begins pushing everyone away, realizing she no longer knows who she can trust.
Neo-Noir Beats And A Classic Twist
If you’ve spent any amount of time watching psychological thrillers, you’ll likely clock the guilty party in Eyes of Laura Mars before the credits roll. That doesn’t make the film hack or derivative, but it does rely on a logic that many modern, second-rate thrillers have turned into a familiar template for cranking out neo-noir mystery fare. Even with what I’d consider a fairly predictable third-act twist, the film remains engaging, especially during Laura’s violent visions, when she knows another one of her friends is about to be killed and she’s powerless to act quickly enough to stop it.
Tommy Lee Jones’ portrayal of Lieutenant John Neville stands out because the clear conflict of interest between his growing affection for Laura and the case itself threatens to cloud his judgment. John is aware of this and remains committed to solving the murders, even as his investigative instincts become compromised. For all he knows, he could be dating the killer, unknowingly putting himself directly in harm’s way.
Faye Dunaway’s take on Laura Mars walks a fine line between a hysterical damsel in distress and a woman who’s had enough and is ready to take control of the situation. It’s a performance that adds depth to a character who could easily fall apart under a more one-dimensional approach.
Eyes of Laura Mars is equal parts glamorous and violent, but what really pulled me in is how it leans into classic slasher beats without ever fully committing to that lane. Most of the violence happens off screen, allowing the mystery to take center stage while the tension remains intact. Things only get worse before they get better in Eyes of Laura Mars, and you can see for yourself by streaming the title for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
Get Ankers 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $60 less at Amazon
SAVE 15%: As of April 22, you can get the Anker Prime 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $339.99, down from $399.99, at Amazon. That’s a 15% discount or $60 savings.
$339.99
at Amazon
$399.99
Save $60
Working off a laptop is great until you realize you only have two ports and need to plug something in. If you’re hooked up to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, you’re pretty much out of luck on the rest. Not only that, but your previously uncluttered desk will most likely look like a Best Buy exploded (a rat’s nest of cords isn’t cute or helpful for anyone getting work done).
If you literally hate mess and cords as much as I do, you need a docking station to hide all that chaos and protect your aesthetic. Right now, Anker’s Prime TB5 Docking Station is on sale for $339.99 at Amazon, down from $399.99. (That’s a $60 price cut.)
Mashable Deals
Are you going to use all 14 ports at the exact same time? Probably not, but you’ll never have to dig through your bag for a specific adapter again. You just plug a single cable into your laptop, and the dock handles the rest. It features a Thunderbolt 5 upstream port, two Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, two USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, SD and TF card readers, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, an audio jack, and your choice of HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 2.1. It’s also fast enough to transfer a 150GB file in 25 seconds.
Entertainment
How I scored ad-free Paramount+ Premium for only 99 cents
SAVE $26: As of April 22, returning subscribers can score two months of ad-free Paramount+ Premium for only 99 cents per month with the code N8C27L. Usually $13.99 per month, that’s $26 in savings. Just note that your mileage may vary.
$0.99/month for 2 months (save $13/month) with code N8C27L
If you’re looking to save some money on your streaming lineup, my number one recommendation is to cancel your subscriptions. While it doesn’t work for every streamer, many will offer you a special discount to come back. Not to mention, you’ll be eligible for any new deals that may appear that are marketed to “new and returning customers.” Case in point: as of April 22, returning subscribers can get two months of ad-free Paramount+ Premium for just 99 cents per month.
I’ve tested this out myself, so I can vouch for it. When you navigate to Paramount+ and sign in to your existing account, you’ll be prompted to pick a plan. Select the Paramount+ Premium monthly plan for $13.99 per month. On the “Welcome back!” page, scroll down to the box that says “Have a promo code?” and enter N8C27L. Once you hit “apply” the price should drop to just 99 cents per month.
Credit: Paramount+
That’s all, folks. You can take advantage of two full months of ad-free Paramount+, Showtime, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CBS live TV, UFC fights, and more for less than two bucks. That’s $26 total in savings.
Mashable Deals
Paramount+ has a surprisingly hefty library. Subscribers can enjoy Paramount+ Originals like Landman and RuPaul Drag Race All Stars, Showtime series like Dexter Resurrection and Yellowjackets, CBS hits like Survivor and NCIS, and nostalgic shows from Nickelodeon and MTV. Not to mention, there’s a lineup of movies that’ll keep you fully entertained for your two-month promotional period. Just be sure to cancel again before the second month is over if you want to avoid paying full cost. You can always sign up again when another deal arises. I know I will.
Entertainment
How Stargate SG-1 Used A Classic Trope To Emotionally Wreck Its Fans
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Garfield and Friends said it best: “Oh no, we’ve resorted to an evil twin storyline.” Star Trek: The Original Series did it the best with Mirror Universe Spock, and ever since, it’s been a lazy excuse for every series to use when they run out of ideas. The exception is Stargate SG-1’s sixth episode, “Cold Lazarus,” which plays with the trope by making the twin less evil and more confused.
When fans say they skip this episode when rewatching, it’s not because it’s a lazy, poorly written episode. In fact, it’s the opposite. The ending of “Cold Lazarus” is a pivotal character moment for Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and a gut punch to the audience.
Stargate SG-1’s First Evil Twin
“Cold Lazarus” opens with the SG-1 team on a planet that doesn’t look like Vancouver (it was a giant pile of sulfur at the port of Vancouver). The desert landscape is dotted with shattered blue crystals that look like the remnants of a civilization until we see a crystal eye-view of O’Neill, a mysterious light knocks him out, and all of a sudden, a second O’Neill is looking down at the first. Turns out, the crystals are the civilization.
Fake O’Neill is trying to figure out who O’Neill is and what SGC is all about. When he pulls out photos of his family, it takes Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) by surprise. O’Neill’s never mentioned his wife, Sara, or his son, Charlie. Confused, the Fake O’Neill goes to the home, where Sara is disgusted he’d come by and thinks it’s a sick joke that he’s asking about Charlie. If you’re wondering if you missed a key part of O’Neill’s backstory, don’t worry, this is the first time that either Sara or Charlie is mentioned, and tragically, we soon learn why.
No One Ever Dies
Charlie shot himself with O’Neill’s gun. Fake O’Neill starts to piece this together when he goes into Charlie’s old room and breaks down, prompting Sara and him to finally have the conversation about their shared grief. Back in SGC, the crystal’s nature is revealed to be an energy alien calling itself Unity, which accidentally killed a Jaffa, and the Goa’uld shattered them in retribution. That’s when O’Neill stumbles back through the Stargate, and the team realizes the mistake they made.
The Fake O’Neill is soon captured at a local hospital, suffering from Earth’s radiation, where he explains that he sensed O’Neill’s pain after he took his form and wanted to help ease the suffering, as nothing ever truly dies to Unity. To prove its point, Unity transforms into Charlie, giving O’Neill and Sara one last chance to see their child. Fans who haven’t lost a child can understand the emotion, but for fans who have, this scene is emotional torture, in the best way possible.
Jack knows this isn’t Charlie, but he talks to him like he is, and then they walk together through the Stargate back to Unity’s planet. It’s a beautiful moment that explains so much about O’Neill’s throwing himself into work and how even his friendships remain professional. “Cold Lazarus” may have started out with the “evil twin” trope in full effect, but the ending is proof that even early during its run, Stargate SG-1 was going to be the greatest.
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