4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Vilmos Zsigmod Edition

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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, we pay tribute to the legendary cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond. Born 90 years ago today in Hungary, Zsigmond got his start in the 60s with low-budget films like The Sadist but he went on to become one of the most in-demand cinematographers around. In fact, of all the people who started their career working on a film that starred Arch Hall, Jr., it’s hard to think of any who went on to have the type of success that Zsigmond did.

Zsigmond won one Oscar, for his work on Close Encounters of Third Kind. He was nominated for three more. He also received a BAFTA award for his work on The Deer Hunter and was nominated for an Emmy for his work on Stalin. He’s considered to be one of the most influential cinematographers of all time.

In honor of the memory of Vilmos Zsigmond, here are….

4 Shots From 4 Films

The Long Goodbye (1973, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Vilmos Zsigmond)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, dir by Steven Spielberg, DP: Vilmos Zsigmond)

The Deer Hunter (1978, dir by Michael Cimino, DP: Vilmos Zsigmond)

Blow Out (1981, dir by Brian DePalma, DP: Vilmos Zsigmond)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Morgan Freeman Edition

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is Morgan Freeman’s 83rd birthday!

Morgan Freeman is one of my favorite actors but then again, I think he’s one of everyone’s favorite actors. He’s an icon, not just for that famous voice but also because he’s a damn good actor. Though he seems to get cast in a lot of mentor roles, he’s shown that he’s capable of playing a wide variety of roles, from heroes to villains to Gods.

(I have to admit that I would be so intimidated if I ever met Morgan Freeman, if just because I know that if I accidentally said something stupid, he’d probably give me a look of such utter disappointment that it would probably haunt me for the rest of my life.)

Here are….

4 Shots From 4 Films

Seven (1995, dir by David Fincher)

The Dark Knight (2008, dir by Christopher Nolan)

Invictus (2009, dir by Clint Eastwood)

Now You See Me (2013, dir by Louis Leterrier)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Clint Eastwood Edition

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Clint Eastwood in Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Today is Clint Eastwood’s 90th birthday!

Though Clint famously had to go to Italy to really get his film career going, he’s gone on to become an icon of American film. While his early films were often criticized as glorifying violence and of being reactionary, his later films have — more often than not — been meditations on aging, moral ambiguity, and what a lifetime of violence does to a person’s soul. Though Eastwood has fallen out-of-favor with a few critics as a result of the speech he gave at the 2012 Republican Convention (Film Twitter, to the shock of no one, had a particularly over-the-top reaction to it as many of them discovered, I guess for the first time, that not every artist is a Leftist), he’s a filmmaker whose legacy will be rediscovered and probably appreciated in the future.

Here are….

4 Shots From 4 Films

For A Few Dollars More (1965, dir by Sergio Leone)

Dirty Harry (1971, dir by Don Siegel)

Unforgiven (1992, dir by Clint Eastwood)

Gran Torino (2008, dir by Clint Eastwood)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Howard Hawks Edition

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is the 124th anniversary of cinematic pioneer Howard Hawks! Whether it’s gangster film, a western, or a screwball comedy, it’s hard to think of a single cinematic genre that doesn’t owe a debt of gratitude to Howard Hawks!

Here are….

4 Shots From 4 Films

Scarface (1932, dir by Howard Hawks)

Bringing Up Baby (1938, dir by Howard Hawks)

Red River (1948, dir by Howard Hawks)

Land of the Pharaohs (1955, dir by Howard Hawks)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Josef von Sternberg Edition

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today we celebrate the 126 anniversary of the birth of cinematic pioneer, Josef von Sternberg! That means that it’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Films

An American Tragedy (1931, dir by Josef von Sternberg)

The Scarlet Empress (1934, dir by Josef von Sternberg)

The Devil is A Woman (1935, dir by Josef von Sternberg)

Jet Pilot (1957, dir by Josef von Sternberg)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Christopher Lee Edition

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

98 years ago today, the greatest actor of all time, Christopher Lee, was born in London! Today, we honor a legacy of iconic performances, in films that were both good and bad. Lee worked with everyone from Terence Fisher to Peter Jackson to Martin Scorsese to Laurence Olivier to John Huston to ….. well, if they were an important director, they probably made at least one movie with Christopher Lee! He was Dracula. He was Saruman. He was one of the best Bond villains and it’s been rumored that, during World War II, Lee was a bit of a James Bond himself.

Today, we honor a brilliant career with….

4 Shots From 4 Films

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972, dir by Alan Gibson)

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974, dir by Guy Hamilton)

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

Hugo (2011, dir by Martin Scorsese)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Peter Cushing Edition

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is a very special day for fans of horror cinema. It’s Peter Cushing’s birthday! Peter Cushing was born 107 years ago today, in Surrey. As an actor, Cushing appeared in a wide variety films but he’s probably destined to be forever remembered for playing Baron Frankenstein and Prof. Van Helsing in several Hammer films. (He also apparently played a villain in an obscure sci-fi film in the 70s.)

By most accounts, Cushing was the kindest of men and quite a contrast to the villains that he often played. My favorite Peter Cushing performance is his definitive interpretation of Van Helsing in The Horror of Dracula. Cushing brought so much authority to the role that he not only made you believe in vampires but he also made you believe that he was the only person who could possibly defeat them.

One final nice note: Cushing and Christopher Lee were often at odds on screen but they were the best of friends in real life. Lee, in fact, often said that he never recovered emotionally from Cushing’s death in 1994.

In honor of Peter Cushing, here are….

4 Shots From 4 Films

Hamlet (1948, dir by Laurence Olivier)

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957, dir by Terence Fisher)

The Horror of Dracula (1958, dir by Terence Fisher)

Scream and Scream Again (1970, dir by Gordon Hessler)

14 Shots From 14 Films: Special Roger Deakins Edition

Posted on May 24, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Usually, we only do 4 shots from 4 films but today is the birthday of our greatest living cinematographer, Roger Deakins! And it’s impossible to only pick 4 when it comes to Deakins.

So, it’s time for….

14 Shots From 14 Films

Marquis De Sade’s Justine (1977, dir by Chris Boger, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984, dir by Michael Radford, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Barton Fink (1991, dir by the Coen Brothers, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Fargo (1996, dir by the Coen Brothers, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Kundun (1997, dir by Martin Scorsese, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

House of Sand and Fog (2003, dir by Vadim Perelman, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

No Country For Old Men (2007, dir by the Coen Brothers, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

A Serious Man (2009, dir by the Coen Brothers, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Skyfall (2012, dir by Sam Mendes, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Prisoners (2013, dir by Denis Villeneuve, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Sicario (2015, dir by Denis Villeneuve, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Hail Caesar! (2016, dir by the Coen Brothers, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Blade Runner 2049 (2017, dir by Denis Villeneuve, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

1917 (2019, dir by Sam Mendes. cinematography by Roger Deakins)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Bill Paxton Edition

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Bill Paxton would have been 65 years old today. One of the greatest of the modern character actors, Bill Paxton passed away three years ago and the loss is still felt. Paxton was one of those actors who was often taken for granted but who was capable of bring almost any character to life. He was an exciting actor to watch, not to mention being one of the best actor to ever come out of Ft. Worth, Texas. He is definitely missed.

Today, we pay tribute to the great Bill Paxton with….

4 Shots From 4 Films

Near Dark (1987, dir by Kathryn Bigelow)

Pass the Ammo (1988, dir by David Beaird)

A Simple Plan (1998, dir by Sam Raimi)

Frailty (2001, dir by Bill Paxton)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Henry Fonda Edition

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we celebrate the birthday of Henry Fonda! Fonda was born 115 years ago today and, over the course of his long career, he was often cast in role the epitomized everything great about America. It’s rare to find a Henry Fonda film in which he played an out-and-out villain, though he did just that in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time In The West. (Leone, in fact, cast Fonda as the evil Frank because he knew audiences would be shocked to see Fonda coldly gunning down settlers and their families.)

In honor Henry Fonda’s legacy, here are….

4 Shots From 4 Films