Continuing our celebration of Bruce Campbell’s birthday, today’s song of the day comes from 1992’s Army of Darkness. Here is Danny Elfman’s March of the Dead!
Category Archives: Film
A Blast From The Past: The Fake Blood Simple Trailer Starring Bruce Campbell
Way back in 1984, the Coen Brothers were trying to raise the $75,000 that they would need to produce and direct their first film, Blood Simple. Sam Raimi, with whom the Coen Brothers had worked on Evil Dead, suggested that they put together a fake trailer to draw the interest of investors.
The Coens and their cinematographer, Barry Sonnenfeld (who would later go on to have his own directorial career), took Raimi’s advice and put together a trailer that, to be honest, has more in common with Evil Dead than with Blood Simple. Then again, that was a smart move on their part. Evil Dead made a lot of money.
Bruce Campbell appears in the trailer, playing the role that was later played by Dan Hedaya in the actual film. (It’s hard to imagine Campbell playing that role, just because Hedaya gave such a perfect performance as Julian Marty. That said, I could very well see Campbell in the role played by John Getz.)
Here is the fake Blood Simple Trailer, featuring Bruce Campbell! (Admittedly, because of the way the trailer is shot, you don’t actually see Bruce’s face. But you’ll recognize the hair immediately.)
And, for the sake of comparison, here’s the trailer for the actual film:
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Bruce Campbell Edition
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, we celebrate Bruce Campbell’s birthday! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Bruce Campbell Films
Evil Dead II (1987, dir by Sam Raimi, DP: Peter Deming)
Army of Darkness (1992, dir by Sam Raimi, DP: Bill Pope)
Escape From L.A. (1996, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Gary B. Kibbe)
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002, dir by Don Coscarelli, DP: Adam Janiero)
Scenes I Love: Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to the one and only Bruce Campbell!
A true American success story, Bruce Campbell first met and befriended Sam Raimi when the two of them were high school students in Michigan. Campbell first gained attention in Raimi’s Evil Dead films and he’s been a mainstay in Raimi’s films ever since. He’s also been a favorite of the Coen Brothers, Don Coscarelli, William Lustig, and scores of other director. Few actors can balance both drama and comedy with the adroitness of Bruce Campbell.
Campbell, of course, is best-known for his performance as Ash Williams, the S-Mart store clerk who lost his hand while spending the weekend at a cabin, spent some time in the past, and later earned the right to tell us all to say “hail to the king, baby.” Campbell’s ability to do often violent slapstick comedy, along with his ability to deliver the most absurd of dialogue with a straight face, came together to make him into a true pop cultural icon. Though Campbell has since announced his retirement from playing Ash (saying that, at his age, he can no longer physically spends hours a day getting beaten up), he remains a beloved actor to horror fans everywhere.
Today’s scene that I love comes from 1992’s Army of Darkness and it features Bruce Campbell at his best. All Ash has to do is remember three simple words and say them before taking the Necronomicon from its place. Of course, Ash being Ash, things don’t quite work out that simply….
Brad’s “Trailer of the Day” – THE NAKED GUN (2025), starring Liam Neeson!
When I first heard that Liam Neeson would be playing Frank Drebin, Jr. in a reboot of THE NAKED GUN series, I thought it might be a joke. Turns out it was the absolute truth! I’ll admit that I love the original NAKED GUN movies starring Leslie Nielsen. I watched every one of them at the movie theater and proudly own the DVD box set. Based on that love, I certainly hope that Neeson’s version will be a fun movie, and I’ll probably watch it at the movie theater sometime after it opens on August 1st as well. Check out the trailer for THE NAKED GUN (2025) below!
Bedazzled (2000, directed by Harold Ramis)
Elliot (Brendan Fraser) has a go-nowhere job at a computer company and an unrequited crush on Alison (Frances O’Connor), a co-worker who doesn’t even know who he is. One night, at a bar afterwork, he’s approached by the Devil (Elizabeth Hurley), who offers Elliot seven wishes in return for his soul. Elliot agrees but then he discovers that the Devil is tricky and his wishes always have an complication. Elliot wants to be powerful so the Devil turns him into a Columbian drug lord. Elliot wants to be sensitive and the Devil turns him into a whiny crybaby. Elliot wants to be president and suddenly, he’s Abraham Lincoln being told to get ready for the theater. Whenever things start to get too dangerous, the Devil brings Elliot back to reality so that she can continue to taunt him.
An Americanized remake of a British comedy that starred Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, Bedazzled was unfairly savaged by the critics when it was first released. While it can’t match the wit and heart of the original and not all of the wishes are equally effective, the remake has its charms. When Bedazzled first came out, most people talked about Elizabeth Hurley’s sexy performance of the Devil. When she appears as a school teacher, it’s not a surprise that every student brings her an apple at the start of the day. Hurley is so sexy that it’s easy to miss that she’s also giving a really good performance. Hurley’s Devil is a prankster. She likes to steal souls but mostly, she’s just having fun ruining all of Fraser’s wishes. Brendan Fraser is likable as Elliot and the way he responds to each wish gives him a chance to show off his comedic skills. Finally, the movie has a good ending, with Elliot growing up and realizing the truth about his crush on Alison.
Bedazzled may not be up to the level of some of director Harold Ramis’s other films but it’s still better than its reputation.
A Scene That I Love: Jack Chan and Jackie Chan Fight Bandits In Twin Dragons
Last night, I watched the #FridayNightFlix presentation of Twin Dragons. Jack Chan played twin brothers who shared a psychic link. One of them is a composer and the other is street racer and martial artist. In this scene, the two brothers team up to fight off a group of bandits. Double the Jackie means double the action!
4 Shots From 4 Summer 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!
Yesterday was the first day of summer! That means that it will be 103 degrees in no time! Here are 4 shots from 4 “summer” films.
4 Shots From 4 Summer Films
Summertime (1955, Dir. by David Lean)
Smiles Of A Summer Night (1955, Dir. by Ingmar Bergman)
The Endless Summer (1966, Dir. by Bruce Brown)
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997, Dir. by Jim Gillespie)
Live Tweet Alert: Join #ScarySocial for A Quiet Place: Day One!
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, at 9 pm et, Deanna Dawn will be hosting #ScarySocial! The movie? A Quiet Place: Day One!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
The film is available on Prime!
Brad’s “Hero of the Day” – Audie Murphy!
Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier in World War II, was born on June 20th, 1924. After performing unimaginable acts of bravery in the war, Audie Murphy came back to America and became a respectable actor while battling PTSD. He starred in the story of his own life, TO HELL AND BACK (1955), a movie that my son watched on repeat when he was growing up. Back in 2010, we visited Arlington National Cemetery and specifically looked up Murphy’s gravesite. Based on cemetery records, the only site visited more than Murphy’s is that of John F. Kennedy. Also, every time I drive through Greenville, TX on my way to Dallas, I’m sure to look at the monument to Audie Murphy along interstate 40. I never miss making sure I spot the monument and think of Audie Murphy. Sadly, Murphy would die at just 46 years of age in a plane crash in Virginia.
Enjoy this trailer for TO HELL AND BACK!
Through the Shattered Lens 