׉?ׁB!בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://AajWgb7ghcs10sctDbaigHQIE5bVl4fmDcWALpN1uXo`׉ 7cassandra://eIDcwBJuKYa_ZBjFdNR8RXs01GuqVRN0U0n8b6xLcOAr~`s׉ 7cassandra://O571ThIYK3QoiIUhzsWOcgrv6ojLDU-Po70ne4vVkZA&`j\^D^<ט(u׈Sנj\^D^:Y29׉Hhttps://www.filmospheric.comGׁ ׁ rנj\^D^;̒9׉Hhttps://www.filmospheric.comGׁ ׁ rנj\^D^D̒ 9ׁHhttp://www.filmospheric.comׁ ׁ Ј׈Ej\^D^+׉E Volume 1, Issue 4 May 2026 Filmphernalia Your New Entertainment Bud From the Editor’s Desk The new issue of Filmphernalia is here just in time for Mother’s Day. Nothing better than moms and their nurturing spirit! Lines Immortal “Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.” Sunset Boulevard (1950) April was buy, rather packed, for me as I didn’t take a break after the publication of ScreenScope with Ernie; instead, I worked on adapting my feature screenplay Out There into a novel. So yeah, I’m excited about its publication later this year. And there’s more on the way along these tracks, so stay tuned. This issue too has no Q&A in it, and for lack of time again. But there’s a short piece on page 3 that I hope you enjoy and may like to share your take on it. Inside this issue: Screenopticals: The Silence of the Lambs and Genres by Zodiac FilmBuzz — Usual, Unusual, and Unheard Scripter’s Haven — Lab 7:10 Storytelling Residency in Georgia Adaptations of Classics — The Big Barriers 2 2 2 The Fabulous 3 Retro Fandom — ‘70s Sci-Fi Flicks 3 Film Quiz 3 Been There, Seen It! 4 April was busier than busiest and I what time for just a few movies. And counting in those I got to see in early May, each one was special in its genre. So here are the golden five flicks of my past thirty days. 1. Psychic Killer (1975) 2. The Night of the Iguana (1964) 3. The Miracle of Marcelino (1955) 4. Murder on the Orient Express (1974) 5. The Andromeda Strain (1971) Horror Drama Faith/Spiritual Mystery Sci-fi The Retro Network published my article about some good dystopian sci-fi movies from the ‘70s, that are included in my ScreenScope book. So it opens one more venue to share views on cinematic works. Two new screenopticals were posted on Filmospheric since the previous issue came out. The first relates The Silence of the Lambs, and the second my response to an online article that we can watch movies based on what genres go well with our zodiac sign. For screenwriters, there is an opportunity of writer’s residency in Georgia (the East European country). Entering the contest is free. So why sit back? In the news section, there is a mix of sad and happy. Sam Neil having cancer and new Chinese cars with built-in projectors in the headlights were news that hit me with some impact. Thank you for your time and feel free to reach out via the Contact Form on https:// www.filmospheric.com. Ernest Dempsey May 09, 2026 ׉ 7cassandra://O571ThIYK3QoiIUhzsWOcgrv6ojLDU-Po70ne4vVkZA&`j\^D^,j\^D^+(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://NauNYd-_FFCZIpcI0taJz-ZJSq2dDtEtbC6QqSGqzOsLB`׉ 7cassandra://wV9X65m21ubFYhjbdDroe7Yw5mzf2mqElQaMi1NMmckic`s׉ 7cassandra://J_oeYNPpRBCE1Eo5s45QuN2xmfJBwa6tVDdJVmUYa8Y"B`j\^D^Eט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://sjXc0M7cgZ58LBKv9aEYS5eZyAl_sdGmz09GjTtZEooGr`׉ 7cassandra://uK61mVZxBdlMRUyeP__uyrhdUZWqUAjwWBWa6sU5ckYaA`s׉ 7cassandra://AS2IqIUWrIW2sg89lJFgAphYQb7Ro64E-R007jajG-s`j\^D^Fנj\^D^?̨9׉Hhttps://www.lab-710.com/Gׁ ׁ rנj\^D^@[̴9׉Hmailto:editor@ernestdempsey.comGׁ ׁ rנj\^D^A$̽9׉HMfile:///C:/https:/theretronetwork.com/two-way-deja-vu-with-70s-sci-fi-flicks/Gׁ ׁ rנj\^D^B59׉HMfile:///C:/https:/theretronetwork.com/two-way-deja-vu-with-70s-sci-fi-flicks/Gׁ ׁ rנj\^D^CF+9׉HMfile:///C:/https:/theretronetwork.com/two-way-deja-vu-with-70s-sci-fi-flicks/Gׁ ׁ rנj\^D^P]̴ 9ׁHmailto:editor@ernestdempsey.comׁ ׁ Јנj\^D^O&̽ 9ׁHhttps://theretronetwork.com/ׁ ׁ Ј׉E Page 2 Filmphernalia Screenopticals: The Silence of the Lambs and Genres by Zodiac One of my all-time favs The Silence of the Lambs has been accused by some in the LGBTQ group of transphobia. These claims got a little reboot in some media when Ted Levine, who played serial killer Buffalo Bill in the movie, repeated the allegation in an interview. So a clarification, or a reasonable rebuttal, was due. A writer, I found out, had already done it in California Globe. So I added my thoughts to what had been on my mind, penning down the article “Buffalo Bill: Laying the Transphobia Noise to Rest.” Another interesting topic landed on my desk when I came across an advice column suggesting what film genres would be best for viewers according to their zodiac sign. As someone who is not into horoscopes, but surely into genres, I found it interesting enough to take a quick look and see if any convincing reason was offered. Well, let’s say that I wasn’t thrilled. But I did find the thought entertaining. So I put my two cents in my article “Of Zodiac Signs and Movie Genres.” Read these screenopticals on Filmospheric.com (carousel). FilmBuzz — Usual, Unusual, and Unheard Manzano is the subject of a documentary called “Street Smart: Lessons from a TV Icon.”  Sony’s Tom Rothman Slams Theaters for Endless Pre-Show Ads. (Nerdist, April 14)  Documentary tells the story of actress Sonia Manzano. (KJZZ, April 20)  Justine Bateman's No-AI film festival now available online. (The Hollywood Reporter, April 28)  Chinese EVs Can Now Project Entire Movies From Their Headlights. (InsideEVs, April 28)  Sam Neill Reveals He Has Cancer. (Parade, April 29)  Goodfellas actor Beau Starr dead at 81. (Page Six, May 2)  Anthony Mackie’s Desert Warrior suffers $596K flop. (Rolling Out, May 3) Scripter’s Haven — Lab 7:10 Storytelling Residency in Georgia Deadline: May 25, 2026 This writer residency contest invites submissions of projects in development, including: - A written concept or treatment The story begins here and now... for a script - A short film screenplay you wish to develop into a featurelength project - A feature screenplay that you are willing to rework, rewrite, or further develop. The residency is open to filmmakers and writers of all nationalities and experience levels. The residency for select applicants will be in Georgia (the European country) in July. To learn more, visit: https://www.lab-710.com. ׉ 7cassandra://J_oeYNPpRBCE1Eo5s45QuN2xmfJBwa6tVDdJVmUYa8Y"B`j\^D^2׉E Page 3 Adaptations of Classics — The Big Barriers Many movies based on classic novels turn out as disappointing in one or more ways if one has already read the book and more so if the book is long and full of silent moments of emotion. Feelings without words are not easy to convey on the screen and it takes a team of great director and actors to pull it off. One example of such successful adaptations in my opinion is The Age of Innocence (1993) by Martin Scorsese. The movie brings out the essence of Edith Wharton’s classic novel on the big screen. Catch-22 (1970) by Mike Nichols is another one, adapted from Joseph Heller’s celebrated novel. Then there are literary works like War and Peace, The House of Mirth, Great Expectations, and many others that haven’t seen equally great adaptations into films. Several elements can be marked as shortcomings in the film versions of such works – a few of them named below. First, filmmakers tend to heavily focus on romance between the lead characters often at the expense of the novel’s crux. Second, film adaptations take lots of liberties with the original work and change it to their own taste, damaging the spirit of the book. Finally, the length of some works alone is a barrier hard to cross without hurting the originality. Hence serialized TV adaptations appear to be more successful in recreating these long classics on the screen. Retro Fandom — Two-Way Déjà Vu with ‘70s Sci-Fi Flicks . The Retro Network published my article “Two-Way Déjà Vu with ‘70s Sci-Fi Flicks” in April. Listing five of the sci-fi movies that I discuss in detail in my book ScreenScope with Ernie, the article was the first in my series of articles for The Retro Network, an incredible asset of retro nostalgia for all things entertainment and culture from the classic Hollywood era to the late 90s. The movies selected for the article include: 1. The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler 2. The Mind Snatchers 3. Soylent Green 4. Embryo 5. The Cassandra Crossing Read the full article at: https://theretronetwork.com/ two-way-deja-vu-with-70s-sci-fiflicks/. Retro — aka traveling back in time, and there are several ways. Film Quiz — Debut Role of an A-Lister career trivia question. So the last quiz asked about a famous role in a thriller that Michelle Pfeiffer declined and the actress who did it won an Oscar for it. Will it surprised you to learn the role was that of FBI Agent Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)? Imagine Pfeiffer as Clarice and meeting Dr. Lecter in prison! For this quiz, it’s a movie star’s What Hollywood A-lister, who died a year ago, made his debut lead role in a comedy movie in 1984? Send your answers to: editor@ernestdempsey.com. ׉ 7cassandra://AS2IqIUWrIW2sg89lJFgAphYQb7Ro64E-R007jajG-s`j\^D^3j\^D^2(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://_Ftl8fcYKLVQtMmzBJCGfWdfSD3T2UfPXllZu8JDy_Y`׉ 7cassandra://txM2KE_5y06urfjHjAds7Ds_ZdiIkdhTyjahQPYP3UYb`s׉ 7cassandra://0Gs4EyLf8MoVJTRtLvJmClWz0RnrwYd5cYHsJANl7Dc!`j\^D^Qנj\^D^I"̺9׉HFhttps://www.traveliowa.com/places/jesse-james-train-robbery-site/7555/Gׁ ׁ rנj\^D^J"Ձ̠9׉HFhttps://www.traveliowa.com/places/jesse-james-train-robbery-site/7555/Gׁ ׁ rנj\^D^K"9׉HFhttps://www.traveliowa.com/places/jesse-james-train-robbery-site/7555/Gׁ ׁ rנj\^D^LP 9׉Hhttps://www.filmospheric.com/Gׁ ׁ rנj\^D^V>̬ 9ׁHmailto:edtor@ernestdempsey.comׁ ׁ Јנj\^D^U"Ɓ̹ 9ׁHhttps://www.traveliowa.com/ׁ ׁ Јנj\^D^TT9ׁHhttps://www.filmospheric.comׁ ׁ Јנj\^D^S̞_9ׁHhttp://LuLu.comׁ ׁ Ј׉EtThe book is here! Order at LuLu.com Movie reviewer and critic Ernest Dempsey takes fans of sci-fi, horror, mystery, and thriller movies on a reading tour through his critique of 50 movies from Hollywood and international cinema. These essays offer analysis and/or assessment of movies in these genres in relation to essential elements of filmmaking and their literary, cultural, moral, and philosophical implications. ISBN: 9798896561040 Pages: 216 Paperback Perfect Bound/Black & White/US Trade (6 x 9 in) https://www.filmospheric.com Been There, Seen It! — The Jesse James Robbery Site On our way to Villisca (IA), in summer 2023, my buddy Josh stopped by the Jesse James Historical Site in Adair. The site has railway tracks and a train wheel with a plaque that reads: Site of the first train robbery committed by the notorious Jesse James and his gang of outlaws – July 21, 1873. While I yet have to see any of Jesse James movies featuring the robbery, the site has such a feel of a western to it that you could bet Jesse’s spirit was still hanging out there somewhere. The Jesse James train robbery site connects the past to the present and one can’t help wonder how these bad guys still contributed to the history of a place and immortalized it as well as themselves in the pages of history. So what Jesse James movie you think best depicts his 1873 train robbery? The place has a website: https://www.traveliowa.com/ places/jesse-james-trainrobbery-site/7555/. 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 ׉ 7cassandra://0Gs4EyLf8MoVJTRtLvJmClWz0RnrwYd5cYHsJANl7Dc!`j\^D^8׈Ej\^D^9j\^D^8(,May 2026 (Vol. 1 Issue 4)jSI