I ran across a trailer for Jackie Chan’s latest movie today. It has a few things (other than Jackie) that really intrigue me…
This seems to be more hardcore than some of Chan’s more recent outings. Enjoy my friends!
Today would have been the 94th birthday of Tom Laughlin, the independent film pioneer who gave the world Billy Jack.
In honor of the day of his birth, here’s a scene that I love from Billy Jack. The townspeople think that they can get away with humiliating the students from the Freedom School. Well, Billy Jack’s got something to say about that and, as always, it starts with him taking off his shoes.
Robert Aldrich is a very important director in the career of my favorite actor, Charles Bronson. Bronson appeared in 4 films directed by Aldrich, including APACHE (1954), VERA CRUZ (1954) and 4 FOR TEXAS (1963). In 1967, just before Bronson would become the biggest star in the world, Aldrich would give him a significant role in the box office smash THE DIRTY DOZEN. In celebration of Aldrich’s 107th birthday in cinema heaven, I thought I’d share this fun scene from the World War II classic!
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Sam Elliott. In this scene from the classic film Road House, Sam Elliott and Patrick Swayze have a heart-t0-heart. Swayze’s Dalton has a past that can only be understood by Sam Elliott’s Wade Garrett.
Take it away, mijo.
Rory Calhoun was a star of movies and TV going all the way back to the 40’s, but as a kid of the 80’s, the movies I most remember him for are not classics like HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (1953) with Marilyn Monroe, or RIVER OF NO RETURN (1954) with Robert Mitchum. Rather, the movies I grew up watching Calhoun in have titles like ANGEL (1984), a B-movie crime thriller about a teenage hooker, and PURE COUNTRY (1992), the acting debut of country music superstar George Strait! One movie that I’ve always enjoyed, and even introduced my son to a decade or so ago, is the horror comedy MOTEL HELL (1980). My son loved it, and even though he’s married with children, whenever we’re together for the holidays he wants to know if I brought my blu ray of the film for us to watch. The amazing thing… I always have it!
In celebration of Rory Calhoun’s 103rd birthday in cinema heaven, I present this scene of Calhoun tending to his human garden in MOTEL HELL! Enjoy, my friends.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to the legendary Dustin Hoffman. This scene that I love comes from 1967’s The Graduate and it features Hoffman delivering one of the greatest lines of all time.
Since today is Nicholas Ray’s birthday, it seems appropriate to share a scene from Ray’s best-known film, 1955’s Rebel Without A Cause. In this scene, a group of teens who can barely find happiness or peace on their own planet are asked to consider the wonders of the universe.
In celebration of the August 6th birthday of the beautiful and talented Michelle Yeoh, I thought I would share this specific fight scene between Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000). It’s incredible, featuring a variety of swords and other assorted weapons. It’s one of the true highlights of the film, and I’m always glad to have any excuse to watch it! The arrival of my favorite living actor (Chow Yun-Fat) at the end of the scene is just the icing on a delicious cake of action! Enjoy, my friends!
The great Robert Mitchum was born, on this date, 107 years ago. Today’s scene that I love comes from one of my favorite Mitchum films, the classic 1947 noir Out of the Past.
In this scene, we are reminded that no one was cooler than Robert Mitchum. And no one threw a better punch.
Today, the Shattered Lens wises director James Gunn a happy 59th birthday!
My favorite James Gunn film remains 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Not coincidentally, that’s also my favorite comic book film. A good deal of that love has to do with the film’s absolutely brilliant introduction of Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord. In the scene below, both the film and Gunn announce that this is a comic book movie that actually has a sense of humor. Let the other franchises specialize in depressed heroes and grim themes. The Guardians of the Galaxy are all about dancing.
Here’s a scene that I love, directed by James Gunn:
Through the Shattered Lens 