6 Things That I Am Looking Forward To In January

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Ah, January.

Traditionally, as far as pop culture goes, January doesn’t get much respect. If a studio has a film that they knew isn’t going to be a hit with critics or audiences, January is where they usually dump it. The same can often be said of publishers. Everyone is so busy getting caught up on what they missed during the last few months of the previous year, chances are that they won’t notice a few bombs dropped on the cultural landscape. That’s the theory anyways.

But, you know me! I’m an optimist. And I remain convinced that, even in January, there are things to which we can look forward, And here’s six of those things!

(Why six? Because Lisa doesn’t do odd numbers.)

Morbius

Morbius stars Jared Leto as a “living vampire” and it’s scheduled to be released at the end of January. This seems like one of those comic book adaptations that could be fun in a goofy sort of way. The whole question is whether or not Jared Leto will take himself too seriously in the title role. I’m hoping that he will.

2. Scream

Is it Scream or is it Scream 5? On the one hand, this film is being promoted as a “reboot” of the series but, at the same time, it’s also being described as a direct sequel to Scream 4, with Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell all returning. Personally, I’m expecting to be disappointed but I’m still interested in seeing for myself. Scream opens on January 14th.

3. Sundance Film Festival 2022

Sudance! Hey, who doesn’t love Sundance? Over the past few years, it seems as if at least one Sundance hit always emerges as an Oscar contender. Minari was a hit at Sundance, for instance. Brooklyn was first discovered at Sundance. It’s always tempting to kind of make fun of Sundance because it really is indie filmmaking at its most Hollywoodish but it’s still the first important event of the year in cinema. This year, Sundance will run from January 20th to January 30th.

4. Sinclair Lewis Is In The Public Domain

As of today, the work of Sinclair Lewis is now in the public domain! So, I’ll be looking forward to new cinematic versions of Babbitt, Main Street, Arrowsmith, and It Can’t Happen Here! Get on it, Asylum!

5. Awards Season Continues

Yay! We’re now about to enter the actual important part of Awards Season. The Guilds will be announcing their picks for the best of 2021. As far as precursors go, the Guilds are far more useful than the critics groups. Of course, sometimes the guilds mislead us. Remember when everyone thought Deadpool was going to get a best picture nomination? Thanks a lot, Producers Guild!

6. Grammy Awards

Actually, I don’t care about the Grammy Awards but I needed something to list in the sixth slot. What can I say? It’s January! Anyway, I know that some people are looking forward to the Grammy Awards and there will undoubtedly be some sort of silly twitter controversy about the ceremony so I guess we can all get behind that. The Grammy Awards are scheduled to be handed out on January 31st.

What are you looking forward to in January? Anything? Nothing? Let us know.

Artwork of the Day: Just A Picture Of A Park In The Rain

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Dazzling Erin

by Erin Nicole

Happy New Year!

I know that this is a simple picture, especially considering that it’s the first artwork of the day of 2022. I took it at the Shops at Legacy in Plano, Texas on one rainy afternoon. I got soaked taking the picture but I think it was worth it. It’s a picture that anyone could have taken but it’s also a picture that fill me with hope and peace, which is what we should all start the new year with. Looking at this picture reminds me that there will always be storms but they will be temporary. And sometimes, the rain can be beautiful.

Music Video of the Day: The Hustle by Van McCoy (dir by ????)

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

“Do the Hustle!”

And may all the scolds go to Hell!

Well, it’s a new year and what better way to ring it in than by dancing and celebrating the Hustle? Van McCoy’s The Hustle is a song that’s been heard by anyone who has ever watched a movie about the disco era. It’s pretty much appeared on almost every soundtrack ever compiled. If it’s a disco film, you’re going to hear The Hustle. It’s a song that just makes you think about dancing, disco balls, and cocaine. Lots and lots of a cocaine. From what I understand, copies of this song were originally sold with their own souvenir coke spoons. That may or may not be true but you get the idea.

Interestingly enough, the dance came before the song. Van McCoy was at Adam’s Apple, a New York City nightclub, in 1975 when he saw that the patrons were dancing a new dance that they called The Hustle. He was so taken with the dance that he wrote a song about it. He had three lyrics and a beat you could dance to and that was all he needed to create the soundtrack of the late 70s. The Hustle was a hit and it came to define an era. Sadly, it was an era that McCoy himself would not survive. He died of a heart attack in 1979, while in New Jersey. He was only 39 years old.

The video below was released in 2010 and, as you can tell, it was made up by clips of McCoy performing the song on various shows. You can debate whether this is a legitimate music video or just a compilation. That’s fine, though. We’re all about debate here at the Shattered Lens! Ultimately, what is truly important is that it’s a good song and it’s a new year! It’s 2022! Get out there and dance! Get out there and do the hustle! And you know what!? Don’t be afraid to use exclamation points! You’ve earned them and you’ve earned the right to use them as much as you want!

Personally, I think the attitudes of the 1920 and the 1970s are about to make a comeback. (Actually, the comeback has already started but only a few people are willing to acknowledge it. That will change soon.) After the past few years, people want to have a good time. They want to dance. They want to move to wherever the music takes them. The past few years have been dominated by people demanding that everyone else be as miserable as they are. You may not know it from reading twitter. You may not know it from watching the news. But most people want to enjoy themselves. Most people want to pursue their own pleasures and their own happiness in their own way. The 2020s are going to have a lot more in common with the 1920s and the 1970s than there are with the 1960s and the 2010s. Old Joe and Young Greta and the moralistic social media scolds can wag their fingers all they want. People are ready to do the hustle.

Enjoy!

Scene That I Love: A New Year In Cuba From The Godfather, Part II

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy New Year!

Well, the clock has now struck midnight on the West Coast and that officially means that it is 2022 in the United States! It’s a new year, which means that we have another chance to get things right or, at the very least, not repeat the mistakes of the previous year.

I’m looking forward to 2022 for a number of reasons. We’ve got a lot planned here at Through the Shattered Lens. So, what better way to start things off than by sharing a scene that I love from one of the greatest and most important films of all time, 1974’s The Godfather Part II?

The scene below takes place on New Year’s Eve. The scene starts in 1958 and it ends in 1959. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) and his brother Fredo (John Cazale) are in Havana at the invitation of Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg). Roth know that Cuba could be a gold mine for the American mob but Michael, from the start, realizes that the country’s corrupt government is on the verge of collapse. Tragically, it’s also in Havana that Michael realizes that Fredo betrayed him to his enemies.

On December 31st, 1958, as the corrupt and wealthy celebrate a new year in Havana, the communist rebels ride into the city. While the President of Cuba prepares to announce that he will be fleeing the country, Michael confronts his brother and tells him that he knows the truth. Later, as they both attempt to flee the country, Michael and Fredo see each other on the streets. Fredo runs from Michael, refusing his offer to help. Though Fredo would eventually return to the family, the film’s ending revealed Fredo’s first instinct was the correct one.

Much of the scene below is based on fact. The Cuban government did fall on New Year’s Eve and Fidel Castro and his rebels did triumphantly ride into Havana on January 1st. Before Castro came to power, the Mafia did have a major stake in Cuba and reportedly quite a few mobsters were in Havana when Castro took over. Meyer Lansky (on whom the film’s Hyman Roth was based) was one of the many mob officials who were rumored to have caught the last flight off of the island. Seeking to be the only mob boss in his country, Castro did force the Mafia out of Cuba, which led to an alliance between organized crime and the CIA to try to overthrow Castro. At the time that The Godfather Part II was released, the details of the CIA and the Mafia’s attempts to assassinate Castro were just starting to be revealed to the public. As powerful as the scene below is today, it probably resonated even more with audiences in 1974. In 1974, this was all still recent history and it undoubtedly brought to mind the still-fresh national trauma of the assassination of the Kennedy brothers.

Beyond the historical significance of the scene below, it also features brilliant work from two actors who will forever be linked together, Al Pacino and the late John Cazale. Cazale and Pacino first met while they were both working off-Broadway, years before Mario Puzo even started writing the novel that would become The Godfather. They were close friends and, along with co-starring in The Godfather films, they also played bank-robbing partners in Dog Day Afternoon. Tragically, John Cazale died of cancer at the age of 42. He only appeared in five films, every one of which was nominated for Best Picture and one could argue that the Academy’s failure to nominate Cazale for either Dog Day Afternoon or Godfather Part II is one of the most unforgivable oversights in Oscar history.

That said, it’s a new year. Save the arguing for later. Here’s a scene that I love: