Today would have been the 89th birthday of actor Richard Jordan. Jordan was an excellent actor who died way too soon back in 1993. I’ve always liked him though, and he’s been in some excellent movies including CHATO’S LAND (1972), THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973), THE YAKUZA (1974), and LOGAN’S RUN (1976).
Today, I share one of his great scenes from THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, where he accurately portrays a politician. Enjoy my friends!
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to director Paul Verhoeven. This scene that I love is from Verhoeven’s 1997 sci-fi epic, Starship Troopers. Over-the-top, satirical, and violent, this scene epitomizes the aesthetic of Verhoeven’s American films.
“I’m doing my part!”
This has always made me laugh. It’s exactly what would have happened on both the show and real life, as well.
Tomorrow would have been Donald Sutherland’s birthday. Today’s scene that I love comes from one of my favorite Sutherland performances, as the professor who dislikes John Milton in Animal House.
“This is my job!”
The scene below is, of course, from Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece, The Shining.
In this scene, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) stumbles into the Overlook Hotel’s ballroom, still fuming over having been accused of abusing his son. A recovering alcoholic, Jack sits at the bar and thinks about how he would give up his soul for just one one drink. And, on cue, Lloyd (Joe Turkel) appears.
As I was watching this scene, it occurred to me that, way back in 1980, there probably was some guy named Lloyd who saw this movie in a theater and was probably totally shocked when Jack suddenly stared straight at him and said, “Hey, Lloyd.”
The brilliance of this scene is that we never actually see Lloyd materialize. We see him only after Jack has seen him. So, yes, Lloyd could be a ghost. But he could also just be a figment of Jack’s imagination. Jack very well could just be suffering from cabin fever. Of course, by the end of the movie, we learn the truth.
Everyone always talks about Jack Nicholson’s performance as Jack. Some people love it and some people hate it. (I’m in the first camp.) However, let’s take a minute to appreciate just how totally creepy Joe Turkel is in this scene. Turkel was a veteran character actor and had appeared in two previous Kubrick films, The Killing and Paths of Glory. Two years after appearing in The Shining, Turkel played what may be his best-known role, Dr. Eldon Tyrell in Blade Runner. Today, incidentally, would have been Joe Turkel’s 99th birthday.
From Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, here’s Jack Nicholson and Joe Turkel:
Today would have been the 100th birthday of the great character actor, Harry Dean Stanton.
My scene that I love for the day comes from Wim Wenders’s Paris, Texas. This 1984 film gave Stanton a rare starring role as Travis, a man searching for Jane (Nastassja Kinski), the mother of his son. In this scene, physically separated and hidden from Jane by a one-way mirror, Travis talks about their relationship and their son.
It’s hard for me to believe, but THE DEAD POOL was released 38 years ago on July 13th, 1988. Back in those days (and now), a 14 year old Brad was completely obsessed with action movies, especially those starring Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood. I especially loved Eastwood’s portrayal of tough San Francisco detective Harry Callahan, and you can be sure that we rented this film as soon as it hit the video shelves!
Today, I’m sharing a scene that I’ve always enjoyed. It perfectly encapsulates Harry’s dry wit, his disdain for bureaucrats, and his continual desire to work alone. Happy anniversary DEAD POOL, and enjoy my friends
Today’s scene is the finale of John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness. Sam Neill watches the movie that he’s just starred in and finds it to be hilarious.
In honor of Monte Hellman’s birthday, today’s scene of the day is the conclusion of his enigmatic, 1971 masterpiece, Two-Lane Blacktop.
The film is 1968’s Danger Diabolik! The music is courtesy of Morricone. The direction is courtesy of Mario Bava. Does the scene make any sense? Does it have to? This film is all about pure style and it’s hard to think of any place as stylish (by 1968 standards) as Valmont’s Nightclub.
