Volume 1, Issue 2 February 2026 Filmphernalia Your New Entertainment Bud From the Editor’s Desk Lines Immortal “I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.” Blade Runner (1982) Welcome to the second issue of Filmphernaila. Hope you are all alive and kicking. I was hoping to get this issue out before Valentine’s Day, so I’m thrilled to have it out a tad early. Or maybe I could simply move the goalposts. :) Inside this issue: Screenopticals: Laura and the Return of Twin Peaks FilmBuzz — Usual, Unusual, and Unheard Scripter’s Haven — Kinolime Feature Script Competition Q&A: Mark L. Christensen — Indies in Brief 2 2 2 The Fabulous 3 Retro Fandom — The Retro Network 3 Film Quiz 3 Been There, Seen It! 4 Over the past two months, I’ve seen some really great movies from the yesteryears, making it a challenge to pick and choose for creating a short list of the best ones. It depends on one’s taste, mood, and other things. So here are my five picks for this month. 1. Born to Kill (1947) 2. When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950) 3. A Fistful of Dollars (1964) 4. Fearless Faith (2020) 5. Confessions: Two Faces of Evil (1994) Film Noir Comedy Western Faith/Spiritual True Crime January was busy and it was funny, but no fun, to see yet another guy posing as a filmmaker contacting me on Stage32 and ask for any ideas/ scripts I would like to share for possible production. I knew better since I had reported a few such “producers” to the site admin for trying to steal my work. They prey on starving screenwriters to steal their intellectual property so they pose as some filmmaker, using the filmmaker’s picture off some online site and list their IMDb page on the profile. But they would never list their own website and always use a suspicious Gmail address. Word of caution: on Stage32 or anywhere else, say Craigslist, don’t share your stuff with any random person pretending to be a filmmaker in need of scripts. For Filmospheric, the movie review count is almost there at the 100 posts mark. Expect me to brag about it next month. While I was able to review just 10 movies over the past month, some of them were really good. Find those in the Fabulous 5 list below. Enjoy the two new screenopticals and a short Q&A Ernest Dempsey February 11, 2026 with actual filmmaker Mark L. Christensen. Thank you for your time and feel free to reach out via the Contact Form on https:// www.filmospheric.com.
Page 2 Filmphernalia Screenopticals: Laura and the Return ofTwin Peaks Two news screenopticals have been posted to Filmospheric since the inaugural issue of Filmphernalia came out last month. Both have one name in common: Laura. The first article analyzes Otto Preminger’s Laura (1944) that has been widely rated as a great noir film. As a noir and mystery fan, I offer my two cents on the movie as a murder mystery with noir elements. My verdict sits on the mystery side of the movie, and I offer my reasons in the article. The second piece is about Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) by David Lynch and Mark Frost. It was evoked by the recent social media hype about the supposed third season of Lynch and Frost’s classic 1990 show Twin Peaks (my teenage crush). I contend that The Return is Twin Peaks in name only. It should have been called something else as it is really not the return to the original show. It was the return of the now late and ever great David Lynch, but not close to the original Twin Peaks. Read these screenopticals on Filmospheric site (carousel). FilmBuzz — Usual, Unusual, and Unheard Catherine O’Hara was battling cancer. She was being treated since March of last year. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban finalize their divorce. (KYMA, January 7) Timothy Busfield Charged with Child Sex Abuse. (Consequence, January 9) Kiefer Sutherland arrested over alleged altercation with rideshare driver. (USA Today, January 13) Larrain brothers launch transactional platform pijama for independent, undistributed films. (Screen Daily, January 15) Award-Winning Actress and Comedian Catherine O'Hara Passes Away at 71. (Broadway World, January 30) 'Faces of Death' remake film sets April release date. (Nerdist, February 5) Scripter’s Haven — Kinolime Feature Script Competition Kinolime has opened for its feature screenplay competition. Here’s how they describe it. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to put your script in front of a team that actually wants to make the movie, this is it. The story begins here and now... Submissions open January 23rd and remain open until March 15th. That window will close fast, and when it does, so does your shot this cycle. This isn’t just about winning. It’s about finding a script that we believe in and turning it into a real, produced feature. To enter, visit the link https://www.kinolime.com/.
Page 3 Q&A: Mark L. Christensen — Indies in Brief Architect, screenwriter, and director Mark L. Christensen – the talent behind the indie films Box Head Revolution (BHR), American Flyer, and North by El Norte – shares his directorial playbook. Do you hold acting auditions? Yes I do hold auditions. When directing, what makes you more self-conscious? Hmm. It’s how actors treat my process. The fleeting atmosphere in BHR owes to filming or editing? The visual atmosphere is due to Home Telicini giving that planet a unique visual experience. How valuable is using original music in your movies? Original music, has kept the film in a Holey original universe. What directors, current or past, fascinate you most? Above all, David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick. What’s the biggest challenge for an indie filmmaker in today’s movie market? Finding a starting budget . *** Mark Christensen’s filmmaking work is showcased at his site https://findartfoundation.org. Mark L. Christensen Retro Fandom — The Retro Network There’s nothing better than retro entertainment, except one thing – stumbling upon a cool retro resource. The one for this issue is The Retro Network. They describe themselves as: the home of Wax Pack Flashback, Thrift Store Horde, Jay Plays, VHS archive, cartoons, and more retro content! On their website, you find articles, podcasts/videos, images, and more about retro movies, TV, sports, and even food. And they are open to possible collaboration with fans of retro paraphernalia on submitting articles or starting a podcast idea etc. I’m thinking of reaching out to them already. So check them out at https:// theretronetwork.com. Retro is simply inseparable from Fandom. Film Quiz — Can You Name the Beauty? Okie, so back here at the Quiz corner let’s see what the previous quiz was about – a collage of three images that would create the movie’s name when put together in words. It was: 1. An eye 2. A dent (tooth), and 3. Spielberg’s celebrated E.T. Put together, it’s eye-dent-E.T. And spoken in one breath, Identity. I meant the 2003 psychological thriller/slasher directed by James Mangold. For this quiz, I simply ask that you recognize (and name) this actress from the ‘80s. Tough one I know. But the real TV and movie buffs will tell. Send your answers to: editor@ernestdempsey.com.
https://www.twinpawsproductions.com Twin Paws Productions made some short films and plans to resume production on small indie projects. Filmospheric is a manifestation of the same passion for movies and filmmaking that led to the creation of Twin Paws Productions. If you are an indie filmmaker open to collaborating on projects where we won’t need any real funding, because we can do all the needed work ourselves, feel free to connect with me on Stage32. My profile URL on the site is: https://www.stage32.com/profile/178458/about. Down the road, this section may be open for any special messages or advertisements. So keep your scanners peeled for it! Visit and bookmark https://www.filmospheric.com. Been There, Seen It! — The John Wayne Museum I didn’t know where the Duke was born or that his birthplace had a museum in his honor – that is until I visited Iowa in September 2021. My buddy Josh was showing me around and asked if I wanted to see the John Wayne Birthplace Museum in Winterset, the town where he was born. I was game! The small museum matches the small town look of Winterset. It is Wayne-themed A to Z and makes you feel like stepping inside Duke’s westerns. Posters, wearables, books, accessories - all the items sold at the museum reflect John Wayne’s unmatched legacy as the ultimate star in the world of western movies. Also included in the ticket to the museum is a tour inside the house where the Duke was born with newspaper clippings of the time announcing his birth and pictures of his younger days adorning the walls. It’s a lifetime of experience sitting in the gazebo in the backyard. A must see for all Duke fans and lovers of classic Hollywood! So what’s your favorite location in connection with movies? How many times have you visited it? Want to share your pics and/or travel tale? Write to Us Send us your two cents on cinema/movies/TV and Filmphernalia will publish along with your name and location (city/state/country). Write to: edtor@ernestdempsey.com
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