4 Shots From 4 Films: The Goddess, Last Year at Marienbad, Berlin Alexanderplatz, Raise the Red Lantern


Four beautiful and talented actresses.

Ruan Lingyu in The Goddess (1934, dir. Yonggang Wu)

Ruan Lingyu in The Goddess (1934, dir. Yonggang Wu)

Delphine Seyrig in Last Year at Marienbad (1961, dir. Alain Resnais)

Delphine Seyrig in Last Year at Marienbad (1961, dir. Alain Resnais)

Barbara Sukowa in Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980, dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

Barbara Sukowa in Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980, dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

Gong Li in Raise the Red Lantern (1991, dir. Zhang Yimou)

Gong Li in Raise the Red Lantern (1991, dir. Zhang Yimou)

4 Shots From 4 Films: A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut


These 4 shots from 4 films are in honor of Stanley Kubrick’s birthday.

4 Shots From 4 Films

A Clockwork Orange (1971, directed by Stanley Kubrick)

A Clockwork Orange (1971, directed by Stanley Kubrick)

The Shining (1980, directed by Stanley Kubrick)

The Shining (1980, directed by Stanley Kubrick)

Full Metal Jacket (1987, directed by Stanley Kubrick)

Full Metal Jacket (1987, directed by Stanley Kubrick)

Eye Wide Shut (1999, directed by Stanley Kubrick)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999, directed by Stanley Kubrick)

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: The Big Sleep, The Lady In The Lake, The Long Goodbye, The Big Sleep


Happy belated birthday, Raymond Chandler.  These four shots from four films show four different versions of Chandler’s most famous creation, P.I. Philip Marlowe.

Four Shots From Four Films

The Big Sleep (1946, directed by Howard Hawks)

The Big Sleep (1946, directed by Howard Hawks)

The Lady In The Lake (1947, directed by Robert Montgomery)

The Lady In The Lake (1947, directed by Robert Montgomery)

The Long Goodbye (1973, directed by Robert Altman)

The Long Goodbye (1973, directed by Robert Altman)

The Big Sleep (1978, directed by Michael Winner)

The Big Sleep (1978, directed by Michael Winner)

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Thriller, Switchblade Sisters, Death Has Blue Eyes, Ms. 45


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 is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

4 Shots From 4 Films

Thriller, A Cruel Picture a.k.a. They Call Her One Way (1973, dir by Bo Arne Vibenius)

Thriller, A Cruel Picture a.k.a. They Call Her One Eye (1973, dir by Bo Arne Vibenius)

Switchblade Sisters (1975, dir by Jack Hill)

Switchblade Sisters (1975, dir by Jack Hill)

Death Has Blue Eyes (1976, dir by Nico Mastorakis)

Death Has Blue Eyes (1976, dir by Nico Mastorakis)

Ms. 45 (1981, dir by Abel Ferrara)

Ms. 45 (1981, dir by Abel Ferrara)

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Summer Wars, Redline, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki


Typically, site anime expert pantsukudasai56 would be the one to recommend anything and everything anime. Anime in its series form, OVA (original video animation) and/or straight up film. I like to think my knowledge of anime is second only to his.

While I’ve had an off and on love affair with anime throughout the years I have seen my fair share of anime film. From pantsukudasai56’s viewpoint, only those anime that were produced from beginning to end with the intent of having a film release qualifies as anime film. OVA productions he sees as a sort of straight-to-video releases and shouldn’t qualify. his own initial 4 Shots From 4 Films entry were all anime films.

With his example as a guide I have chosen four anime films that veteran and burgeoning fans of the art form should check out. Two come from the heir apparent to the great Satoshi Kon. Another is a hyperkinetic (even for an anime) traditional hand-drawn anime which has had a major influence on the more recent Fast and Furious films. The fourth is a film from the late 80’s which rekindled my love for anime during my high school years.

4 SHOTS FROM 4 FILMS

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (dir. by Hiroyuki Yamaga)

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (dir. by Hiroyuki Yamaga)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Sister Stella L., White Sun of the Desert, 17th Parallel: Vietnam in War, A Colt Is My Passport


Another four films worth checking out.

Sister Stella L. (1984, dir. Mike De Leon)

Sister Stella L. (1984, dir. Mike De Leon)

White Sun of the Desert (1970, dir. Vladimir Motyl)

White Sun of the Desert (1970, dir. Vladimir Motyl)

17th Parallel: Vietnam in War (1968, dir. Joris Ivens & Marceline Loridan Ivens)

17th Parallel: Vietnam in War (1968, dir. Joris Ivens & Marceline Loridan Ivens)

A Colt Is My Passport (1967, dir. Takashi Nomura)

A Colt Is My Passport (1967, dir. Takashi Nomura)

4 Shots From 4 Films: The Seventh Seal, Persona, Scenes From A Marriage, Fanny And Alexander


Happy birthday, Ingmar Bergman.

4 Shots From 4 Films

 

The Seventh Seal (1957, directed by Ingmar Bergman)

The Seventh Seal (1957, directed by Ingmar Bergman)

Persona (1966, directed by Ingmar Bergman)

Persona (1966, directed by Ingmar Bergman)

Scenes From A Marriage (1973, directed by Ingmar Bergman)

Scenes From A Marriage (1973, directed by Ingmar Bergman)

Fanny and Alexander (1982, directed by Ingmar Bergman)

Fanny and Alexander (1982, directed by Ingmar Bergman)

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Inland Empire, Borgman, A Field In England, Goodbye to Language


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 is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

Inland Empire (2006, dir by David Lynch)

Inland Empire (2006, dir by David Lynch)

Borgman (2013, dir by  Alex van Warmerdam)

Borgman (2013, dir by Alex van Warmerdam)

A Field in England (2013, dir by Ben Wheatley)

A Field in England (2013, dir by Ben Wheatley)

Goodbye to Language (2014, dir by Jean-Luc Godard)

Goodbye to Language (2014, dir by Jean-Luc Godard)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Omar Sharif Edition


Today the film world received news that legendary actor Omar Sharif passed away at the age of 83. The acclaimed Egyptian actor would make quite an entrance with his very first English-language film: David Lean’s epic Lawrence of Arabia.

Omar Sharif would go on to star in such film as Dr. Zhivago, MacKenna’s Gold, Funny Girl and Behold a Pale Horse to name a few. He might be recognized by the younger generation in such films as The 13th Warrior and Hidalgo. He would be the vision of the noble romantic whether it was as a warrior, a poet or a leader. He would bring a bearing on-screen that exuded steadfast nobility yet still with a streak of roguish charm.

With each passing year we lose more and more of our classic performers. Now Omar Sharif joins the others who have gone before him but will always live on in our memories of him up on the screen.

4 SHOTS FROM 4 FILMS

Lawrence of Arabia (dir. by David Lean)

Lawrence of Arabia (dir. by David Lean)

Dr. Zhivago (dir. by David Lean)

Dr. Zhivago (dir. by David Lean)

MacKenna'sGold

MacKenna’s Gold (dir. by J. Lee Thompson)

Hidalgo (dir. by Joe Johnston)

Hidalgo (dir. by Joe Johnston)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Douce, War and Peace, Rocker, Under The Bridges


Since it’s likely that many of my posts will be about films that come from the bottom, or near to it, of the barrel. I thought I would occasionally direct you to four films worth checking out simply through showing you a screenshot. Some may be difficult to find, but that’s part of the fun.

Douce (1943, dir. Claude Autant-Lara)

Douce (1943, dir. Claude Autant-Lara)

War and Peace (1966, dir. Sergey Bondarchuk)

War and Peace (1966, dir. Sergey Bondarchuk)

Rocker (1972, dir. Klaus Lemke)

Rocker (1972, dir. Klaus Lemke)

Under The Bridges (1946, dir. Helmut Käutner)

Under The Bridges (1946, dir. Helmut Käutner)