My Oscar Predictions


Okay, let’s do this!  Here are my predictions of what will win at the big show tonight!

Best Picture — Anora

Best Directing — Sean Baker, Anora

Best Actor — Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

Best Actress — Mikey Madison, Anora

Best Supporting Actor — Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Best Supporting Actress — Ariana Grande, Wicked

Best Original Screenplay — A Real Pain

Best Adapted Screenplay — Conclave

Best Animated Feature — The Wild Robot

Best Production Design — Wicked

Best Cinematography — Nosferatu

Best Costume Design — Wicked

Best Film Editing — Conclave

Best Makeup and Hairstyling — Wicked

Best Sound — Dune Part II

Best Visual Effects — Dune Part II

Best Original Score — The Brutalist

Best Original Song — Never Too Late from Elton John: Never Too Late

Best Documentary Feature — Sugarcane

Best International Feature: I’m Still Here

Best Animated Short: Yuck!

Best Documentary Short: The Only Girl In The Orchestra

Best Live Action Short: The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

4 Shots From 4 Films – Hong Kong super-actor Lau Ching-Wan!


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!

Today I want to share my love of the great Hong Kong actor Lau Ching-Wan! I’ve been a huge fan going back to the time when I bought the book, “Hollywood East: Hong Kong Movies and the People Who Make Them,” sometime around 2000 or so. I was already hooked on the films of Chow Yun-Fat, but it was in this book that I really discovered the special connection between director Johnnie To and Lau Ching-Wan. Of course I was immediately obsessed, and I soon would see some movies that I still consider my very favorites. At 61 years of age, Lau is still very much in demand and at the top of his game. In 2023, he won his third Hong Kong Film Award for the film DETECTIVE VS. SLEUTHS. In January of this year, the Hong Kong Film Critics Society named him their Best Actor for a record fifth time for his performance in the film PAPA (2024). He’s a truly incredible talent. Enjoy! 

C’EST LA VIE, MON CHERI (1993)

THE LONGEST NITE (1998)

THE WHITE STORM (2013)

DETECTIVE VS. SLEUTHS (2022)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Ania Pieroni Edition


Today is the birthday of Italian actress Ania Pieroni.

You may not recognize the name but, if you’re a fan of Italian horror, chances are that you’ve seen Ania Pieroni at least once.  Even though she only has 11 credits listed on the imdb and apparently made her last film over 30 years ago, Ania Pieroni achieved screen immortality by playing key roles in three of the greatest Italian films ever made.

In Dario Argento’s Inferno, she was the first actress to play the mysterious Mother of Tears.

In Lucio Fulci’s The House By The Cemetery, she played the mysterious housekeeper and nanny who, in one of the film’s most memorable scenes, nonchalantly mops up a huge pool of blood before subsequently losing her head in the house’s basement.

And then, in Argento’s Tenebrae, she played the unfortunate shoplifter who pays a steep price for not paying for Peter Neal’s latest novel.

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Ania Pieroni with….

4 Shots From 4 Ania Pieroni Films

Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)

The House By The Cemetery (1981, dir by Lucio Fulci)

Tenebrae (1982, dir by Dario Argento)

Fracchia vs Dracula (1985, dir by Neri Parenti)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Elizabeth Taylor Edition


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!

Today is the birthday of one of the greatest films stars ever, Elizabeth Taylor!  And you know what that means.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Elizabeth Taylor Films

A Place in the Sun (1951, dir by George Stevens, DP: William C. Mellor)

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959, dir by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, DP: Jack Hildyard)

Cleopatra (1963, dir by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, DP: Leon Shamroy )

Boom! (1968, dir by Joseph Losey, DP: Douglas Slocombe)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special James Wan Edition


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!

Today, we wish a happy birthday to one of the directors who brought the horror genre back to box office life in the aughts and 2010s, James Wan!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 James Wan Films

Insidious (2011, dir by James Wan, DP: John Leonetti))

The Conjuring (2013, dir by James Wan, DP: John Leonetti)

Aquaman (2018, dir by James Wan, DP: Don Burgess)

Malignant (2021, dir by James Wan, DP: Michael Burgess)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Neil Jordan Edition


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!

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Irish director Neil Jordan!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Neil Jordan Films

The Company of Wolves (1984, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Bryan Loftus)

Interview With A Vampire (1994, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Philippe Rousselot)

In Dreams (1999, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Darius Khondji)

Byzantium (2012, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Sean Bobbitt)

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Twins Peaks Edition


6 Shots From 6 Films is just what it says it is, 6 shots from 6 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 6 Shots From 6 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

It is Twin Peaks Day, after all.

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Twin Peaks Edition

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992, dir by David Lynch, DP: Ron Garcia)

Twin Peaks: The Pilot (1989, dir by David Lynch, DP: Ron Garcia)

Twin Peaks 2.7 “Lonely Souls” (1990, dir by David Lynch, DP: Frank Byers)

Twin Peaks The Return Part Three (2017, dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Deming)

Twin Peaks: The Return Part 15 (dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Deming)

Twin Peaks: The Return Part 18 (2017, dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Deming)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Terence Fisher Edition


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!

Today, we celebrate the 121st anniversary of the birth of the great British film director, Terence Fisher.  Though Fisher worked in all genres, he is best remembered for the horror films that he directed for Hammer Studios.  Along with proving that there was still an audience for horror, he also helped to make stars out of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Terence Fisher Films

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The Horror of Dracula (1958, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The Curse of the Werewolf (1961, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Arthur Grant)

Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1973, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Brian Probyn)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Jonathan Demme Edition


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!

The late, great director Jonathan Demme was born 81 years ago today.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Jonathan Demme Films

Stop Making Sense (1984, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Jordan Cronenweth)

Something Wild (1986, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Tak Fujimoto)

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Tak Fujimoto)

Rachel Getting Married (2008, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Declan Quinn)

4 Shots From 4 Sam Peckinpah Films


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 would have been Sam Peckinpah’s 100th birthday.  Here are 4 shots from 4 of my favorite Peckinpah films.

4 Shots From 4 Sam Peckinpah Films

The Wild Bunch (1969, directed by Sam Peckinpah, Cinematography by Lucien Ballard)

Straw Dogs (1971, directed by Sam Peckinpah, Cinematography by John Coquillon)

The Getaway (1972, directed by Sam Peckinpah, Cinematography by Lucien Ballard)

Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974, directed by Sam Peckinpah, Cinematography by Alex Phillips, Jr.)