All the covers below were done by Paul Stahr, a New York City-born illustrator who began his career in 1913 and who, from 1924 to 1934, was the exclusive cover artist for Argosy Magazine. He also did paperback covers and posters, like the patriotic one above. This is just a small sampling of his pulp work:
Prom Night … everything is alright…
Since today is technically still Canada Day, I figured why not share one of the greatest dance scenes ever filmed? This scene is from the classic 1980 film, Prom Night, and it features Jamie Lee Curtis and Casey Stevens showing what they can do on the dance floor!
Well, actually, it shows Jamie Lee Curtis showing what she could do. According to David Grove’s Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queen, Casey Stevens claimed that he could dance but, when it came time to shoot the scene, he turned out to be rather awkward and the responsibility for selling the scene pretty much fell completely on Jamie Lee Curtis’s shoulders. As Prom Night co-star MaryBeth Rubens put it, it was impossible to imagine Casey and Jamie Lee ever being a couple in real life, despite the fact that they were during the making of this film.
Interestingly enough, Prom Night would later bring Jamie Lee Curtis her first acting nomination when she was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Foreign Actress. (Indeed, one of the interesting thing about the early history of the Genie Awards is just how many slasher films were nominated. Apparently, during the early 80s, the Canadian film industry was a bit less robust than it is today.) That said, Jamie Lee does give a really good performance in this film and dammit, she deserved the award!
(Or, at the very least, I assume she did. I’m not really sure to whom she lost and I’m too lazy to look it up on Wikipedia.)
(Okay, screw it. I felt guilty for being lazy so I decided to look it up. Jamie Lee Curtis lost to Susan Sarandon, who won for her performance in Atlantic City. Since Sarandon’s role was actually a supporting one to Burt Lancaster’s, I still say that Curtis should have won.)
The song’s great too.
So, enjoy this scene and just try not to dance!
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.
For a second time, Happy Canada Day!
Actually, Canada Day was yesterday but, because it fell on a Sunday, it’s not being officially observed in Canada until today. So, technically, it still is Canada Day and I can still honor Canada by offering up 4 shots from 4 films directed by one of the Canada’s greatest directors, David Cronenberg.
That’s right! It’s time for…
4 Shots From 4 Canadian David Cronenberg Films
Stereo (1969, dir by David Cronenberg)
Shivers (1975, dir by David Cronenberg)
Scanners (1981, dir by David Cronenberg)
Videodrome (1983, dir by David Cronenberg)
Unknown Artist
If you want to feel old, consider that this video is nearly 10 years old!
If you want to make those of us at the Shattered Lens Bunker feel really old, remind us that this song came out that same year that this site started!
This video features dancer Mori Koichiro and was filmed in Tokyo.
Enjoy!
Love you, Canada!
First off, Happy Canada Day! And happy birthday to TSL contributor, Patrick Smith!
This week, I started my summer job as a writer over at the Big Brother Blog so, for the next few weeks, it’s going to be a struggle for me to balance my duties over there with my writing over here. That’s not a complaint, of course. I love the struggle. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t still be doing all of this.
Anyway, we are halfway through 2018 and I really need to get caught up. I’ve been taking it easy for the first six months.
Here’s what I accomplished this week:
Movies I Watched
Television Shows I Watched
Books I Read
Music to Which I Listened
Links From Last Week:
Links From The Site:
Want to see what I accomplished last week? Click here!
Have a great week, lovers!
Lisa already wrote about the new trailers for The Predator and Zoe. Here are some of the other trailers that were released last week.
First up, there’s Beautiful Boy. Based on the memoirs of both David Sheff and his son, Nic, this movie is based on the true story of David’s struggle to understand and deal with his son’s drug addiction. It stars Oscar nominees Steve Carell, Timothee Chalamet, and Amy Ryan. It will be released on October 12th by Amazon Studios, who are hoping that they’ll have the same success with this film that they had with Manchester By The Sea.
And now, to quote the poet Python, for something completely different. Mile 22 is the latest action film from star Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg. Mile 22 is due to be released on August 17th.
Also due to be released on August 17th is Juliet, Naked. This Nick Hornby adaptation is about a rock star (Ethan Hawke) and the couple (Rose Byrne and Chris O’Dowd) who are obsessed with his music. We can expect this one to inspire many comparisons to High Fidelity.
On July 20th, Denzel Washington returns as retired CIA assassin Robert McCall in The Equalizer 2. In the sequel, he’s investigating the death of a friend from the first film.
The House With A Clock In Its Walls is the latest fantasy film to be based on a children’s book. It looks like a change of pace for director Eli Roth, if not star Jack Black, and is set to be released on September 21st.
Also based on a young adult novel is The Hate U Give. Amanda Stenberg plays Starr, a young African-American woman who finds herself at the center of protest and controversy after she witnesses the fatal police shooting of her best friend. The Hate U Give will be released on October 19th.
King of Thieves is the latest film from The Theory of Everything‘s director, James Marsh. Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, and Ray Winstone are over-the-hill thieves. (Didn’t Caine already do this in Going In Style?) This British film does not yet have an American release date.
In Assassination Nation, the citizens of suburbia become outraged and violent when a data hack leads to all of their darkest secrets being exposed. (This would never have happened if they had just taken part in the Annual Purge like they were supposed to.) Assassination Nation will be released on September 21st.
Finally, in Mandy, Nicolas Cage plays a man who seeks revenge on the cultists and demons that killed the woman he loved. Mandy will be released on September 14th.
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking. Hollywood royalty Olivia de Havilland is alive & well, and celebrating her 102nd birthday today! In her honor, here are 4 shots from the films of Olivia de Havilland:
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938; D: Michael Curtiz)
Gone With The Wind (1939; D: Victor Fleming)
The Snake Pit (1948; D: Anatole Litvak)
Lady in a Cage (1964; D: Walter Grauman)
by Erin Nicole
Happy Canada Day!
Through the Shattered Lens 