Way back in 1995, Jim Jarmusch gave Billy Bob Thornton a part in his film DEAD MAN. Well the next year, Billy Bob Thornton directed his own movie, SLING BLADE. He asked Jarmusch if he would do a small part in his movie. The resulting scene would be one of my favorites in the entire film. I still mention “French fried potaters” to this day, especially the “big ‘uns!” And I just love the fact that Jarmusch was right here in Benton, Arkansas.
The Frosty Cream is a McDonald’s now, but I love seeing the area how it was 30 years ago! Watch and enjoy!
Yesterday, I highlighted one of my more recent guilty pleasures, Timu Tjahjanto’s unhinged action thriller The Night Comes for Us, and today I highlight an action scene from an earlier film that helped propel Indonesia’s action film scene to most Westerners with a little sequence from Gareth Edwards’ The Raid 2. A sequel to his own earlier film, The Raid.
This sequence stars the character only known as Hammer Girl and played Julie Estelle who is also in The Night Comes for Us. I would’ve picked her scene from that film to highlight but it spoils a major part of the film so I decided on this scene in The Raid 2 that got her noticed with action film aficionados worldwide.
It’s a simple set-up. Girl with two claw hammers in a crowded train silently squares up against a train car full of yakuza members. What comes next is a masterclass in action choreography that induces many a visceral response form the viewer yet hard to look away from.
Today, we wish a happy birthday to actress Geena Davis. Today’s scene that I love comes from 1996’s The Long Kiss Goodnight and features Geena Davis as a badass action movie star!
The final scene of Twin Peaks: The Return has haunted me ever since I first watched it 2017. I’m still not sure what the ending meant or where Cooper and Laura were but somehow, as enigmatic as it all was, it felt like the only proper way to end the saga of Twin Peaks.
And really, this is a scene that only Lynch could have made work. Another director would have tried too hard to tell the audience what to think or how to react. Of course, many directors probably wouldn’t have had the guts to end things on such on open-ended note. But Lynch not only had the courage to stick to his vision but he also had the faith to trust his audience to figure it out for themselves. Courage and faith are two of the main reasons why David Lynch was one of the greatest directors of his time.
As today is the anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, today’s scene that I love features Poe’s most famous interpreter, Vincent Price, reciting and performing The Raven. This scene comes from a 1985 television special that was called The Teller and the Tale.
Diliverance (1972,dir by John Boorman, DP: Vilmos Zsigmond)
Today’s scene that I love comes from John Boorman’s 1972 film, Deliverance. For the longest time, I thought that this scene was improvised and the kid with the banjo just happened to be hanging out around the set. That makes for a nice story but I have recently read that this scene was actually scripted and the kid, while a local, was hired ahead-of-time to show up and play the banjo.
How many of you remember something specific that you did on February 9th, 1994? I do! I was sitting in a movie theater in Conway, Arkansas watching the goofy Jim Carrey comedy ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE. I already knew he was a funny guy based on his various appearances on the sketch comedy show IN LIVING COLOR. I also remember seeing him in that vampire comedy ONCE BITTEN (1985) with Lauren Hutton when I was in junior high. To be honest though, when I was watching ONCE BITTEN in the mid-80’s, I was much more interested in Lauren’s character than I was in Jim’s. On this particular day in February of 1994, I was more interested in being at the theater because I had a major crush on the girl that was there with me. I figured the movie would be pretty silly, but that’s okay because I don’t mind silly comedies when they’re done right. Admittedly, I was also curious to see if Jim Carrey could actually carry a film by himself, and if the film would be as funny as the trailers I had seen.
I had settled in and was enjoying this film, when the montage shared below appeared on-screen, accompanied by Aerosmith’s “Line Up.” At the very end of the montage, when Ace Ventura resorts to chloroform to slow down the Dolphin player on the track, I probably laughed harder in the theater than I ever had up to that point in my life. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard since either. The stars had all aligned and for that moment, I thought Jim Carrey was the funniest person on earth. Enjoy!
They Live (1988, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Gary B. Kibbe)
Today, we continue to wish John Carpenter a truly happy birthday! Needless to say, today’s scene that I love comes from a Carpenter film, 1988’s They Live. Though They Live was apparently not a huge box office success when it was first released, it’s a film that feels more relevant with each passing day. Carpenter is often described as being a great horror director but, with this film and The Thing, he shows that he’s a master of capturing cinematic paranoia.
There’s definitely a reason why They Live continues to find new fans over 30 years since it was originally released. Who hasn’t experienced that secret message of “OBEY!”
There’s something to say about an individual who follows a code of behavior and has a moral compass that may seem archaic for today’s sensibilities, but when one really thinks about it…well, they’re not wrong.
We may hate that such people may be correct in their way of thinking and that it may offend certain sensibilities but that doesn’t necessarily means its wrong.
And on that note let me introduce you to Ray Shoesmith aka Mr Inbetween. This scene of him attending an anger management class best describes not just who Ray is but sets the tone for what this series is all about.
The former child evangelist-turned-whistleblower-turned-recording-artist-turned-golf-tournmanet-organizer appeared in some of the most memorable exploitation films of the 70s and 80s, usually playing villains. (Personally, I’ve always liked his heroic performance in Starcrash.)
In today’s scene, from 1974’s Earthquake, Marjoe gives au unforgettably creepy performance as the type of character who, today, would probably be called an incel. Usually, no one takes him serious but, when an earthquake hits, he puts on his uniform and becomes a mini-tyrant. Few actors were as effective at playing crazy as Marjoe Gortner.
Through the Shattered Lens 