4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More 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!
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to the legendary cinematographer, Roger Deakins! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Roger Deakins Film
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984, dir by Michael Radford, cinematography by Roger Deakins)
Fargo (1996, dir by the Coen Brothers, cinematography by Roger Deakins)
Kundun (1997, dir by Martin Scorsese, cinematography by Roger Deakins)
1917 (2019, dir by Sam Mendes. cinematography by Roger Deakins)
The trailer for this upcoming Netflix spy thriller had the misfortune to drop as the same time as the trailer for the new Mission: Impossible film. Needless to say, The Gray Man has been a bit overshadowed, despite being directed by the Russo Brothers and starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas.
As for the trailer itself, it looks like a standard Netflix action flick but, if you’ve seen The Iceman, you know that Chris Evans can be an entertainingly eccentric villain. And I think the Russo Brothers do have the potential to be a force outside of the MCU, even if Cherry did fall a bit flat. So, we’ll see!
The 2nd trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder has been dropped! In this trailer, we get to see a bit more of Thor’s reunion with Jane and we also meet the film’s villain, a creepy-looking god slayer who sounds a lot like Christian Bale.
One thing I’ve noticed about the Thor films is that someone is always trying to destroy Asgard and kill all of the Gods. Maybe the Asgardians need to work on their image or something. Invest in foreign trade. Export a really funny television sitcom. Just do something that will give the rest of the universe something positive to associate with Asgard. When America was getting a bad reputation, it produced its own version of a British show called The Office and totally won the hearts of the world. Maybe Asgard needs its own Steve Carell.
Today is the birthday of German filmmaker Tom Tykwer. Tykwer directed one of my favorite films of all time, 1998’s Run, Lola, Run! As such, it only seems appropriate that today’s scene that I love should come from that film.
In this scene, Lola shows us all how to win at roulette. Do not try this in Vegas.
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More 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!
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to director Ryan Coogler! With just three feature films and a handful of shorts, Ryan Coogler has made a star out of Michael B. Jordan, redeemed the acting career of Sylvester Stallone, introduced the rest of the world to Wakanda, and changed the way that film viewers talk about race in cinema. With all that in mind, it’s time for….
4 Shots from 4 Ryan Coogler Films
Locks (2009, dir by Ryan Coogler, DP: Francisco Kosterlitz)
Fruitvale Station (2013, dir by Ryan Coogler, DP: Rachel Morrison)
Creed (2015, dir by Ryan Coogler, DP: Maryse Alberti)
Black Panther (2018, dir by Ryan Coogler, DP: Rachel Morrison)
Today’s music video of the day was directed by Zalman King, who would have turned 82 years old today. King started his career as an actor and appeared in some fairly strange films in the 70s but, in the 80s, he reinvented himself as cinema’s number one purveyor of extremely pretentious yet oddly sincere erotica.
This video came out a year before King’s death in 2012 and everything about it — from the visual style to the star of the show — is easily identifiable as having been done in King’s signature style.
Most of this week has been spent up at Lake Texoma. After five months of working, I took a week off and got even more work done than usual. Seriously, though, it was good to relax. I’m proud of the reviews I wrote this week and I’m looking forward to giving you more next week!
In other news …. CANNES! Yes, the Cannes Film Festival has begun. Cannes is always kind of fun to follow because the big hits at Cannes hardly ever seem to become big hits once they’re released in the U.S. That said, I usually find myself agreeing more with the Cannes jury than with the American audiences.
Anyway, here’s what I watched and listened to and wrote about this week!
115 years ago today, Laurence Olivier was born in Surrey. The son of a clergyman, Olivier would go on to become one of the greatest stage actors of the 20th Century. He would also have a distinguished film career, one that led to him frequently being described as being the world’s greatest living actor.
He is perhaps best-known for his Shakespearean performances. He won multiple Oscars for directing and starring in 1948’s Hamlet. Before his turn in Hamlet, he was similarly nominated for his film version of Henry V. That said, for me, his best cinematic Shakespearean performance was as Richard III in the 1953 film of the same title.
Though acclaimed, Richard III was not quite the Oscar favorite that Olivier’s previous two adaptations of Shakespeare had been. Henry V was released at a time when its portrayal of a determined British ruler could be viewed as a metaphor for the UK’s role in the second world war. Hamlet was released at a time when the world was still rebuilding and trying to adjust to the new atomic age and its dark, noirish style captured those anxieties. Richard III was released in the 50s, at a time when Americans perhaps weren’t as receptive to films that suggested that leaders should not be trusted. As a result, Richard III received only one nomination, for Olivier’s performance in the title role.
Today, in honor of his birthday, here is a scene that I love from 1953’s Richard III:
Today’s music video of the day is the latest from Upsahl. Monica Lewinsky is not so much about Monice as its about wanting to be famous like Monica …. and Lindsay …. and Britney. It’s all about wanting to make history. Who doesn’t want to do that? With this video Upshal and her director create a viral video about wanting to star in a viral video.
Enjoy!
LYRICS: I wanna make, wanna make history (like who?) Like Britney Like Lindsey Stunna like Monica Lewinsky (so cute) No really That stone cold hot girl feeling Unapologetic with a fucked up mind Doing all the crazy like it’s lady like like woo History I wanna make, wanna make history
On the year that I was born Girls were fucking presidents in the residence Then when I was four Shaving all their heads and toying with the press Yea I just gotta know where’d bad bitches go Who’s gonna do it like they did back then? 1 2 3 check
Wanna make, wanna make history (like who?) Like Britney Like Lindsey Stunna like Monica Lewinsky (so cute) No really That stone cold hot girl feeling Unapologetic with a fucked up mind Doing all the crazy like it’s lady like like woo History I wanna make, wanna make history
All of these songs gone viral But when’s the last time you saw a pop star spiral Too many tits with a blurred out face I just dropped an album, so I think I’ll drop a tape Hannah raised me, Miley made me Pulled some psycho on the daily I’ll make you love me till you hate me Cause baby lately
I wanna make, wanna make history (like who?) Like Britney Like Lindsey Stunna like Monica Lewinsky (so cute) No really That stone cold hot girl feeling Unapologetic with a fucked up mind Doing all the crazy like it’s lady like like woo History I wanna make, wanna make history
Through the Shattered Lens 