Happy Eclipse Day!
In honor of the eclipse that I will probably not be able to see because of the clouds and the rain, today’s scene that I love comes from 2014’s A Field In England. This film may (or may not) take place during a solar eclipse. I won’t try to explain everything that is happening in the scene, beyond stating that this particular field in England is home to some interesting mushrooms. I encourage you see to watch the film for yourself.
For my final scene that I love of this year’s horrorthon, I’m going with the trippy conclusion of 2013’s A Field In England. A Field in England is one of the best films of the past ten years and I will never stop encouraging people to see it and discover its mysteries for themselves.
This scene may seem strange when viewed without context. It’s even stranger when viewed with context.
For today’s Halloween edition of Lisa’s Marie Favorite Grindhouse Trailers, I present to you, without comment, 6 trailers for six horror films that I feel are unfairly overlooked. If you’re still looking for something to watch this Halloween night, I recommend any of the films below!
Happy Halloween!
1. Lisa (1989)
2. A Field in England (2013)
2. Two Orphan Vampires (1996)
3. Scream and Scream Again (1970)
4. Messiah of Evil (1973)
6. Lisa Lisa (1977)
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 start of a new year and it’s also a day to start thinking about which film you’re going to discover over the course of the next 12 months! Below are my suggestions for 8 films that, if you haven’t already watched them, you should definitely make time to watch before 2023 rolls around!
8 Shots From 8 Film For 2022
It (1927, dir by Clarence Badger, DP: H. Kinley Martin)
The Rules of Game (1939, dir by Jean Renoir, DP: Jean Bachelet)
Portrait of Jennie (1948, dir by William Dieterle, DP; Joseph H. August)
Chappaqua (1966, dir by Conrad Rooks, DP: Etienne Becker, Robert Frank, and Eugene Schufftan)
An American Hippie in Israel (1972, dir by Amos Sefer, DP: Ya’ackov Kallach)
Strange Behavior (1981, dir by Micahel Laughlin, DP: Louis Horvath)
The Two Orphan Vampires (1997, dir by Jean Rollin, DP: Norbert Marfaing-Sintes)
A Field in England (2013, dir by Ben Wheatley, DP: Laurie Rose)
For today’s Halloween edition of Lisa’s Marie Favorite Grindhouse Trailers, I present to you, without comment, the trailers for my 12 favorite horror movies.
Happy Halloween!
2. Suspiria (1977)
3. A Field in England (2013)
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
5. Zombi 2 (1979)
6. The Exorcist (1973)
7. Halloween (1978)
8. Two Orphan Vampires (1996)
9. Near Dark (1987)
10. Scream and Scream Again (1970)
11. Horror of Dracula (1958)
12. Messiah of Evil (1973)
Concluding our look at good films that were not nominated for best picture, here are 6 films from the 2010s.
Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010, dir by Banksy)
This wonderfully subversive documentary was my second-favorite film of 2010, right behind Black Swan. Was it real or was it all a hoax? In then end, does it matter? This brilliant film definitely deserved to be the first documentary to be nominated for best picture. Instead, sadly enough, it was only nominated for Best Documentary Feature and it lost to the rather boring Inside Job.
Upstream Color (2013, dir by Shane Carruth)
Shane Carruth’s haunting and enigmatic Upstream Color was a film unlike any others. This brilliant film was my favorite of 2013 but, sadly, it was totally snubbed by the Academy.
A Field In England (2014, dir by Ben Wheatley)
Speaking of haunting and enigmatic, A Field In England may not be for everyone but it’s still one of the most memorable films released over the past 6 years. Was it a horror story? Was it a historical heist film? Was it all a hallucination, inspired by eating mushrooms found in the field mentioned in the title? Your guess is as good as mine but you’ll never forget about it, even if the Academy saw fit to snub it.
Calvary (2014, dir by John Michael McDonagh)
This Irish meditation on sin and salvation featured one of Brendan Gleeson’s best performances, a brilliant script, and an unforgettable ending. Sadly, not only was Gleeson snubbed but the Academy ignored the rest of the film as well. Still, it’s one of the best films ever made about being Catholic and Irish in the 21st Century.
Carol (2015, dir by Todd Haynes)
How this film was not nominated for best picture, I’ll never understand. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have never been better. This is a moving and poignant film about two women who, in the end, refuse to allow society to dictate who they are and who they love.
American Honey (2016, dir Andrea Arnold)
In American Honey, Andrea Arnold creates an unforgettable portrait of life on the fringes and she gets a star-making performance from Sasha Lane, as well. Even Shia LaBeouf is tolerable in this film! American Honey was perhaps too long and, narratively, too loose for the Academy’s a taste. That’s a shame because American Honey is a film that future historians will look at when they want to know what America was like in 2016.
And that concludes our look at good films that were not nominated for best picture! Enjoy the Oscars, everyone!
It’s October, which means that it’s horror month here at the Shattered Lens! Can you believe that we’ve been doing this for six years? I figured what better way to celebrate the start of October than by listing my picks for the ten best horror and supernatural-themed films to have been released since the founding of Through the Shattered Lens!
(Whoops! Derrick Ferguson of the Ferguson Theater just reminded me that House of the Devil came out in 2009. Though I haven’t reviewed House of the Devil on this site — though I did take time to praise this dance scene — it is a film that definitely belongs on this list. So, I’m adding it and another film as well. So now, we have a list of the 12 best horror films of the past six years!)
Check them out below!
Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!
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 is all about letting the visuals do the talking.
Inland Empire (2006, dir by David Lynch)
Borgman (2013, dir by Alex van Warmerdam)
A Field in England (2013, dir by Ben Wheatley)
Goodbye to Language (2014, dir by Jean-Luc Godard)
With the Oscar nominations due to be announced tomorrow, now is the time that the Shattered Lens indulges in a little something called, “What if Lisa had all the power.” Listed below are my personal Oscar nominations. Please note that these are not the films that I necessarily think will be nominated. The fact of the matter is that the many of them will not. Instead, these are the films that would be nominated if I was solely responsible for deciding the nominees this year. Winners are listed in bold.
(You’ll also note that I’ve added four categories, all of which I believe the Academy should adopt — Best Voice-Over Performance, Best Casting, Best Stunt Work, and Best Overall Use Of Music In A Film.)
(Click on the links to see my nominations for 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010!)
Best Picture
Best Director
Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler
Jonathan Glazer for Under the Skin
James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy
*Richard Linklater for Boyhood*
Jean-Marc Vallee for Wild
Best Actor
Macon Blair in Blue Ruin
Nicholas Cage in Joe
Ralph Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hotel
*Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler*
Tom Hardy in Locke
Michael Keaton in Birdman
Best Actress
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin
Angelina Jolie in Maleficent
Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
Emmanuelle Seigner in Venus In Fur
Shailene Woodley in The Fault In Our Stars
*Reese Witherspoon in Wild*
Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin in Inherent Vice
Steve Carell in Foxcatcher
Ethan Hawke in Boyhood
*Gary Poulter in Joe*
Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons in Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress
Patrica Arquette in Boyhood
Laura Dern in Wild
Emma Roberts in Palo Alto
Rene Russo in Nightcrawler
Emma Stone in Birdman
*Mia Wasikowska in Only Lovers Left Alive*
Best Voice Over Performance
Scott Adsit in Big Hero 6
Bradley Cooper in Guardians of the Galaxy
Kate del Castillo in The Book of Life
*Vin Diesel in Guardians of the Galaxy*
Morgan Freeman in The LEGO Movie
Chris Pratt in The LEGO Movie
Best Original Screenplay
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Animated Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Casting
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One
Best Editing
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
“Lost Stars” from Begin Again
“The Apology Song” from The Book of Life
“Split the Difference” from Boyhood
“Yellow Flicker Beats” from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One
*”Everything is Awesome” from The LEGO Movie*
“Sister Rust” from Lucy
“Mercy” from Noah
“Hal” from Only Lovers Left Alive
“Rock Star” from Palo Alto
“Summer Nights” from Under the Electric Sky
Best Overall Use Of Music
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
*Fury*
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Best Sound Mixing
*Captain America: The Winter Soldier*
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Best Stunt Work
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
*Dawn of the Planet of the Apes*
Best Visual Effects
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Number of Nominations by Film
14 Nominations — Guardians of the Galaxy
9 Nominations — Boyhood
8 Nominations — Nightcrawler
7 Nominations — Wild
6 Nominations — Foxcatcher, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Lego Movie, Under the Skin
5 Nominations — A Field in England, Palo Alto
4 Nominations — X-Men: Days of Future Past
3 Nominations — Birdman, The Book of Life, Capt. America: The Winter Soldier, The Fault In Our Stars, Gone Girl, Inherent Vice, Into the Woods, Joe, Only Lovers Left Alive, Venus in Fur
2 Nominations — Begin Again, Big Hero 6, California Scheming, Dawn of the Planet of Apes, Fury, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One, Maleficent, Snowpiercer, Under the Electric Sky, Whiplash
1 Nomination — Art and Craft, Blue Ruin, Borgman, The Box Trolls, Chef, Divergent, Edge of Tomorrow, Godzilla, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Ida, If I Stay, Illiterate, In Secret, In the Blood, Interstellar, Jodorowsky’s Dune, The Last Patrol, Life Itself, Locke, Lucy, Noah, The One I Love, Pompeii, Private Violence, The Raid 2, Raze, We Are The Best!, Winter’s Tale
Numbers of Oscars By Film
5 Oscars — Guardians of the Galaxy
3 Oscars — Boyhood
2 Oscars — The LEGO Movie, Under the Skin, Wild
1 Oscar — Capt. America: The Winter Soldier, Dawn of the Plaent of the Apes, Jodorowsky’s Dune, Fury, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Into the Woods, Joe, Nightcrawler, Only Lovers Left Alive, Palo Alto, Venus In Fur
Well, here we are! This is my favorite part of the TSL’s look back at the previous year! Below, you’ll find my picks for the 26 best films of 2014!
(Why 26? Because Lisa doesn’t do odd numbers.)
Before looking at the list, there are two things that I would ask you to keep in mind. First off, these are my picks and my picks alone. There are 12 writers here at the TSL and we are all very opinionated individuals. Needless to say, we don’t always agree. Just because I love a film doesn’t mean that Arleigh, Leonard, Ryan, or anybody else here agree or disagrees. (Even my own sister occasionally disagrees with me…) When the other writers get around to posting their picks, I imagine that some of the films below will appear on those lists. And some of them most definitely will not. Vive la difference!
Also, it should be understood that, unlike some film critics, I only list movies that I’ve actually seen. Unfortunately, since I live in the middle of the country, that means that there are a few 2014 films that have yet to be released in my part of the world. Over the upcoming two weeks, I plan to see Inherent Vice, Selma, American Sniper, A Most Violent Year, and The Imitation Game. Any one of these films could potentially end up in my top 26, in which case I will update this post to reflect that.
(1/10/15 Update — I have updated the list to include Inherent Vice. And, since I don’t do odd numbers, I also added Blue Ruin so that the list is currently an even 28 films.)
As for my list, as I look over it, I have to admit that I’m a little bit surprised by some of the films that made the biggest impression on me this year. Whereas in previous years, my favorite films were far outside of the mainstream, my favorite film of 2014 was the epitome of blockbuster entertainment. The list is an interesting combination of spectacle and existential dread, featuring everything from the latest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a few neglected masterpieces of ennui.
(If you’d like to see my picks for 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, click on the links!)
And without further ado, here’s the list!
Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below!
Previous Entries In TSL’s Look Back At 2014
Through the Shattered Lens 