Category Archives: Film

I Re-Watched Anchorman (2005, Dir. by Adam McKay)

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

“Ron Burgundy was the balls.”

You got that right!  That’s one reason why I’ve lost track of the number of times that I’ve watched Anchorman.  Whatever’s going on in the world or my life, I know that Anchorman is going to make me laugh and make me feel better about things.  The adventures of anchorman Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his news team (Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Steve Carell) never cease to amuse me, whether they’re capturing the birth of a panda or getting involved in a street fight with their rival newsmen.

“Brick killed a guy.”

He did!  Where did Brick get a trident from?  When the street fight started, he only had a hand grenade.  Ron Burgundy suggests that Brick should find a safehouse and I hope Brick took his advice.  There’s a lot of funny people in Anchorman but Steve Carell, playing the weatherman with an IQ under 80, is my favorite.  Brick saying that he loves the lamp is so touching.

“Fare thee well, Baxter.  You shall always be a friend of the bears.”

The first time I saw Anchorman, I couldn’t believe it when Baxter was drop-kicked off that bridge.  I swore that I would never watch another movie featuring Jack Black!  Baxter was so cute!  When Ron broke down over the loss of his dog, I wanted to break down with him.  Later, when Baxter emerged from the river and barked, “I’m coming, Ron!,” I was so relieved.  Baxter lives!  Baxter’s conversation with the bears warmed my heart.

“Stay classy, San Diego.”

That’s right, San Diego!  Stay classy.  Anchorman is in a class all of its own.  Ron Burgundy makes beautiful music with his jazz flute.  Brian Fantana is a walking advertisement for Sex Panther.  Veronica Corningstone (Christine Applegate) strikes a blow for women’s liberation and teaches Ron an important lesson about teleprompters.  It’s the little moments that make me laugh the most, whether it’s Fred Willard talking to his son’s school about why his son has been expelled or Tim Robbins as the PBS anchor who smokes a pipe and chops off Luke Wilson’s arm or Vince Vaughn shouting about the ratings.  Best of all, Will Ferrell has never been better than as the pompous Ron Burgundy, so stupid but so committed to his job that you can’t help but love him.

“Wow, that really escalated.”

You bet it did, Ron!  Each moment of Anchorman is funnier than the last.  (I wish the same was true of Anchorman 2.)  That’s why Anchorman is a film that I watch and rewatch.  In fact, I think I’ll go watch it right now!

“Thanks for stopping by, San Diego.”

Live Tweet Alert: Watch Apollo 18 With #ScarySocial!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter.  I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We tweet our way through it.

Tonight, for #ScarySocial, I will be hosting Apollo 18!

If you want to join us on Saturday night, just hop onto twitter, start the film at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag!  The film is available on Prime!  I’ll be there co-hosting and I imagine some other members of the TSL Crew will be there as well.  It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy!

 

Song of the Day: Now You’re All Alone by David Hess

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s song of the day comes from Wes Craven’s infamous Last House On The Left.  Of course, many people might know it better from it’s use in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.

This haunting piece of music was composed by David Hess, who played the murderous Krug in Craven’s film.

Scenes I Love: Nancy’s School Dream From A Nightmare On Elm Street

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s scene that I love comes from 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street.  Directed by the great Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street remains a frightening and creepy masterpiece.  It’s ability to scare its audience has not been diminished by countless sequels and rip-offs.

In this scene, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) discovers that she’s not even safe from Freddy (Robert Englund) at school.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Wes Craven Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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!

86 years ago today, Wes Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio.  Craven started his career as an academic, teaching high school English.  However, realizing that there was more money to be made in the film industry, Craven changed careers.  By his own admission, he started his career directing “hardcore, X-rated films” under a pseudonym and it has been rumored that he was a member of the crew of the first “porno chic” film, Deep Throat.  Eventually, Craven broke into the mainstream with some of the most influential and often controversial horror films ever made.  From being denounced for the original Last House On The Left to changing the face of horror with A Nightmare on Elm Street to becoming something of a revered statesman and a beloved pop cultural institution with the Scream franchise, Wes Craven had a truly fascinating career.

In honor his films and legacy, it’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 Wes Craven Films

Last House on the Left (1972, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Victor Hurwitz)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, dir. by Wes Craven, DP: Jacques Hatikin)

New Nightmare (1994, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Mark Irwin)

Scream (1996, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Mark Irwin)

Brad’s Scene of the Day – Paul Kersey meets Machete!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

In honor of the 111th birthday in cinema heaven of director J. Lee Thompson, I’ve chosen to share a scene from one of his last few movies, the action packed sequel, DEATH WISH 4: THE CRACKDOWN (1987). Actors Charles Bronson and Danny Trejo crossed paths a couple of times in the late 80’s when Bronson was near the end of his legendary career and Trejo was at the very beginning of his. This scene is interesting as it presents Bronson using a wine bottle as a weapon instead of an huge gun! Enjoy my friends!

Broken Path (2008, directed by Koichi Sakamoto)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Jack Ellis (Johnny Yong Bosch) spends all of his time moving from town to town, never staying long enough to make lay down permanent roots.  His wife, Lisa (Pamela Walworth), finally convinces him to stop running and to move into a ranch house with her.  That turns out to be a mistake because the ranch house is soon overrun by ninjas who have some sort of grudge against Jack and who appear to have lascivious intentions towards his wife.

Once the movie deals with a few talky sequences at the beginning, Broken Path becomes one long fight sequences with Jack taking on the home invaders one-by-one.  The fight scenes are all exciting choreographed and appropriately brutal, with a lot of blood being spilled by both Jack and his enemies.  This is not one of those martial arts film where people somehow manage to survive the most brutal of beatings without having a scratch on them.  The entire home invasion plays out, more or less, in real time.  This is a movie with a 70-minute fight scene.  If that’s the sort of thing that you’re into, Broken Path is extremely exciting.  If you want more nuance than just people fighting, this might not be the film for you.

From what I understand, Broken Path never got a proper theatrical or video release in the United States but it can be found on YouTube.

 

Live Tweet Alert: Join #FridayNightFlix for Wild Thing!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly watch parties.  On Twitter, I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday and I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday.  On Mastodon, I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We tweet our way through it.

Tonight, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix!  The movie?  1987’s Wild Thing!

If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag!  I’ll be there happily tweeting.  It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

Wild Thing is available on Prime and Tubi!

See you there!

Scenes That I Love: The Underground Chaos From Skyfall

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to director Sam Mendes!

Now, it’s true that Sam Mendes won an Oscar for directing American Beauty and he probably came close to winning a second one for his work on 1917.  However, my favorite Mendes film remains Skyfall.  Skyfall is one of the best of the Bond films and I say this as someone who was never really a fan of Daniel Craig’s mopey interpretation of the character.  Based on his previous films, Sam Mendes may not have been the first name that come to mind when people talked about someone who could make a great Bond film but, with Skyfall, he did just that.

Here, in a scene that I love, James Bond pursues Silva (Javier Bardem) through the London Underground.  It’s very suspenseful, very droll, and, most importantly, very British.