4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Gus Van Sant 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 the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to one of the pioneers of American independent cinema, Gus Van Sant!

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Gus Van Sant Films

Drugstore Cowboy (1989, dir by Gus Van Sant, DP: Robert Yeoman)

To Die For (1995, dir by Gus Vant Sant, DP: Eric Alan Edwards)

Gerry (2002, dir by Gus Van Sant, DP: Harris Savides)

Elephant (2003, dir by Gus Van Sant, DP: Harris Savides)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Paul Schrader 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 is the birthday of the one and only Paul Schrader!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Paul Schrader Films

Blue Collar (1978, dir by Paul Schrader, DP: Bobby Byrne)

American Gigolo (1980, dir by Paul Schrader, DP: John Bailey)

Cat People (1982, dir by Paul Schrader, DP: John Bailey)

First Reformed (2018, dir by Paul Schrader, DP: Alexander Dynan)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Monte Hellman 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!

94 years ago today, the great director Monte Hellman was born in New York City.  Though Hollywood never quite understood Hellman or his idiosyncratic vision, he and his films have inspired a countless number of independent filmmakers.  Hellman started his career with Roger Corman and was one of the first directors to recognize the talent of actors like Jack Nicholson and Warren Oates.  When Monte Hellman passed away in 2021, he was eulogized as one of the key figures of the Hollywood counterculture.  Today, we celebrate Hellman and his films with….

4 Shots From 4 Monte Hellman Films

The Shooting (1966, dir by Monte Hellman, DP: Gregory Sandor)

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971, dir by Monte Hellman, DP: Jack Deerson)

Cockfighter (1974, dir by Monte Hellman, DP: Nestor Almendros)

China 9, Liberty 38 (1978, dir by Monte Hellman, DP: Guiseppe Rotunno)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Jean Cocteau 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, the Shattered Lens celebrates the 134th anniversary of the birth of the great French surrealist Jean Cocteau!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Jean Cocteau Films

The Blood of a Poet (1932, dir by Jean Cocteau, DP: Georges Perinal)

Beauty and the Beast (1946, dir by Jean Cocteau, DP: Henri Alekan)

Orpheus (1950, dir by Jean Cocteau, DP: Nicolas Hayer)

Testament of Orpheus (1960, dir by Jean Cocteau)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Gangs of New York, V For Vendetta, The Great Gatsby


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!

Because it’s the fourth, this edition of 4 Shots From 4 Films features some classic cinematic moments involving fireworks!

4 Shots From 4 Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, dir by Peter Jackson, DP: Andrew Lesnie)

Gangs of New York (2002, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Michal Ballhaus)

V for Vendetta (2005, dir by James McTeigue, DP: Adrian Biddle)

The Great Gatsby (2013, dir by Baz Luhrmann, DP: Simon Duggan)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Michele Soavi 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, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 66th birthday to one of our favorite directors, Michele Soavi!  In other words, it’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 Michele Soavi Films

Stage Fright (1987, dir by Michele Soavi, DP: Renato Tafuri)

The Church (1989, dir by Michele Soavi, DP: Renato Tafuri)

The Sect (1991, dir by Michele Soavi, DP: Raffaele Mertes)

Dellamorte Dellamore (1994, dir by Michele Soavi, DP: Mauro Marchetti)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Sydney Pollack 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!

88 years ago today, Sydney Pollack was born in Indiana.  Though Pollack got his start as an actor, he soon moved into directing and was one of the key television directors of the 1960s.  He eventually branched out into film, making a name for himself as a director of intelligent and sensitive comedies and dramas.  Though he only directed 21 films over the course of his career, his films received a total of 48 Oscar nominations and 11 wins.  1982’s Tootsie and 1985’s Out of Africa were both nominated for Best Picture.  Out of Africa won.

Pollack also returned to acting in the 90s, making a name for himself as a skilled character actor.  I’ll always remember him from Eyes Wide Shut, intimidating Tom Cruise while playing pool.

When he passed away in 2008, Pollack was remembered as one of the best directors of Hollywood’s second golden age.

In honor of Sydney Pollack, here are….

4 Shots From 4 Sydney Pollack Films

Jeremiah Johnson (1972, dir by Sydney Pollack, DP: Duke Callaghan)

Three Days of Condor (1975, dir by Sydney Pollack, DP: Owen Roizman)

Out of Africa (1985, dir by Sydney Pollack, DP: David Watkin)

The Firm (1993, dir by Sydney Pollack, DP: John Seale)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Paul Thomas Anderson Edition


4 Shots From 4 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 is the birthday of one of our greatest filmmakers, Paul Thomas Anderson!  This edition of 4 Shots From 4 Films is dedicated to him and his brilliant career!

4 Shots From 4 Paul Thomas Anderson Films

Boogie Nights (1997, dir by Paul Thomas Anderson, DP: Robert Elswit)

The Will Be Blood (2007, dir by Paul Thomas Anderson, DP: Robert Elswit)

The Master (2012, dir by Paul Thomas Anderson, DP: Mihai Mălaimare Jr.)

Phantom Thread (2017, dir by Paul Thomas Anderson)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Billy Wilder Edition


4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.

117 years ago today, Billy Wilder was born in what was-then Austria-Hungary and what is today Poland.  Having started his film career as a screenwriter in Germany, Wilder fled to the United States after the rise of Hitler.  (Many members of Wilder’s family would subsequently die in the Holocaust.)  He went on to establish himself as one of the great studio directors, a filmmaker who could seemingly master any genre and whose films were often distinguished by an irreverent wit and a welcome skepticism when it came to accepting any sort of conventional wisdom.  He made the type of films that could only be made by someone who had seen humanity at its worst but who also understood what people were capable of at their best.  Wilder made dramas that could make you laugh and comedies that could make you cry.  He was a master filmmaker, one whose work continues to influence directors to this day.

Today, in honor of Billy Wilder’s legacy, the Shattered Lens presents….

4 Shots From 4 Billy Wilder Films

Double Indemnity (1944, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: John Seitz)

Sunset Boulevard (1950, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: John F. Seitz)

The Apartment (1960, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: Ernest Laszlo)

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: Christopher Challis)

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Lucio Fulci Edition


4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.

96 years ago today, Lucio Fulci — the maestro of Italian genre filmmaking — was born in Rome.  Fulci would go on to direct some of the most visually stunning (and, occasionally, most narratively incoherent) films ever made.  Fulci worked in all genres but he’ll probably always be best remembered for launching the Italian zombie boom with Zombi 2.  His subsequent Beyond trilogy continues to fascinate and delight lovers of both horror and grindhouse filmmaking.

Lucio Fulci, needless to say, is a pretty popular figure here at the TSL.  In honor of the date of his birth, it’s time for….

6 Shots From 6 Lucio Fulci Films

Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971, dir by Lucio Fulci, DP: Luigi Kuveiller )

Don’t Torture A Duckling (1972, dir by Lucio Fulci, DP: Sergio D’Offizi)

Zombi 2 (1979, dir. Lucio Fulci, DP: Sergio Salvati)

The Beyond (1981, dir by Lucio Fulci, DP: Sergio Salvati)

The House by The Cemetery (1981, dir by Lucio Fulci, DP: Sergio Salvati)

Murder Rock (1984, dir by Lucio Fulci, DP: Guiseppe Pinori)