In honor of the late Norman Jewison, today’s scene that I love comes from my favorite film to have been directed by him.
In this scene from 1973’s Jesus Christ Superstar, Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman) attempts to comfort Jesus (Ted Neeley) while Judas (Carl Anderson) tries to pull Jesus away from her. This scene showcases both Elliman’s angelic voice and Anderson’s ferocious intensity as Mary and Judas present two very different sides of a spiritual journey.
Apollo 13 (1995, dir by Ron Howard, DP: Dean Cundey)
Today we have an absolutely beautiful scene from 1995’s Apollo 13. In this scene, astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) takes a look at the moon and, for a minute, thinks about what could have been, if only a malfunction hadn’t scuttled Apollo 13’s moon landing and left Lovell and his two crewmates apparently stranded in space. Though Lovell may dream of walking on the moon, he knows it won’t happen and that his only concern now is getting both himself and his crew back home.
Some critics have a tendency to dismiss Ron Howard as just being a director who makes middlebrow films but this scene shows him to be a director who instinctively understands not only what it’s like to dream but also what it’s like when reality intrudes on those dreams. This scene features both Howard and Tom Hanks at their best.
Today’s scene is from Abel Ferrara’s 1990 gangster epic, King of New York. Featuring Christopher Walken and a host of familiar faces, it’s one of those scenes that simply just has to be seen.
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!”
Well everyone has to start somewhere! Today I celebrate Alex Winter’s 60th birthday by watching a scene from DEATH WISH 3, the insane Charles Bronson vigilante classic, where Alex earned his first big screen credit as gang member Hermosa! What an honor it must have been for Alex to get smashed in the head with a tire tool by the legend in his signature series of revenge. If you haven’t seen DEATH WISH 3 before, you may never see “Bill” in quite the same light again!
(Note – the scene below features taunts and threats of an extreme sexual nature. Do NOT hit play if that offends you!)
Today 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!”
When I was a kid, I loved Corey Feldman. This love was mainly based on three movies, THE GOONIES (1985), STAND BY ME (1986), and THE LOST BOYS (1987). Corey is only two years older than me, so it always felt a little bit like he could have been a friend of mine when I watched his movies. I also thought he was so funny! One of my favorite things about Corey in STAND BY ME is the fact that he’s funny, but he also gives a solid dramatic performance in the film. His character Teddy isn’t scared of anything either, and for a kid who was maybe five feet tall and scrawny when he first watched this movie, that meant something to me! I just love STAND BY ME, and Corey is a big reason for that.
Join me in wishing Corey Feldman a happy 54th birthday, and while you’re at it, check out this scene:
I’m an American League girl so I wasn’t happy that they lost last night’s MLB All-Star Game. I was happy that, after spending most of the game down by six runs, they managed to tie things up and force the game to go into the “swing off.” It just goes to show you that, until that final out is called, you’re never out of a game.
Today, everyone is talking about the swing off but my favorite part of the night happened earlier in the game, when the lights went down and tribute was paid to Hank Aaron. Here’s that moment:
Last night reminded me of why, even when my team losing, I love baseball!
Happy Birthday in cinema heaven to 1970’s heartthrob, Jan-Michael Vincent. It’s arguable that a 70’s Vincent was as good looking as a 1990’s Brad Pitt. In the 1980’s, Vincent would play Stringfellow Hawke in the iconic TV series AIRWOLF, where he was the highest paid actor on American television, bringing in $200,000 per episode. As a kid of the 80’s, I loved that show. My own extensive collection of physical media is filled with films starring Jan-Michael Vincent, especially his work from the 70’s and early 80’s. A few of my favorites are WHITE LINE FEVER (1975), HOOPER (1979 – with Burt Reynolds), and DEFIANCE (1980). Unfortunately, severe drug and alcohol abuse ultimately took its toll on Vincent’s career and his post AIRWOLF years were filled with straight-to-video B movies and walk on TV roles. Still, you couldn’t browse the inventory of Mom and Pop video rental stores in late 80’s and early 90’s without seeing loads of films with Vincent on the cover. A true cautionary tale of the damage that intoxicants will ultimately do to the human body and mind, Vincent’s final years were hard to watch, but his great work as a younger man still remains, and that’s what I’m choosing to focus on today.
In honor of what would have been Jan-Michael Vincent’s 80th birthday, I’m going to celebrate here on The Shattered Lens by sharing a scene from my favorite Jan-Michael Vincent movie, THE MECHANIC, co-starring Charles Bronson. Vincent holds his own with the veteran star in one of his most iconic roles!
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 98th birthday.
From Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, here’s Jack Nicholson and Joe Turkel:
Through the Shattered Lens 