Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to actor Steve Carell. This scene that I love is from Foxcatcher and it features Carell cast against type, as the sociopathic John du Pont. (Carell received his first and — to date — last Oscar nomination for his performance as Du Pont.) In this scene, Du Pont corrupts a young wrestler played by Channing Tatum.
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, for #ScarySocial, I will be hosting 1977‘s End of the World, starring Christopher Lee!
If you want to join us on Saturday night, just hop onto twitter, start the film at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! The film is available on Prime and Tubi! I’ll be there co-hosting and I imagine some other members of the TSL Crew will be there as well. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy!
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly watch parties. On Twitter, I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday and I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday. On Mastodon, I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix! The movie? 1988’s Masquerade!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag! I’ll be there happily tweeting. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
Masquerade is available on Prime and Tubi!
See you there!
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 would have been the 97th birthday of the great and enigmatic director, Nicolas Roeg. As both a cinematographer and a director, Roeg was responsible for some of the most visually striking films ever made. Today, we honor his legacy with….
4 Shots From 4 Nicolas Roeg Films
Walkabout (1971, dir by Nicolas Roeg, DP: Nicolas Roeg)
Don’t Look Now (1973, dir by Nicolas Roeg, DP: Anthony Richmond)
The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976, dir by Nicholas Roeg, DP: Anthony Richmond)
Insignificance (1985, dir by Nicolas Roeg, DP: Peter Hannan)
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to one of the best actresses of her generation, Jennifer Lawrence. This scene that I love comes from 2009’s Winter’s Bone. I still think this is Lawrence’s best performance.
Today would have been the 80th birthday of actress Brenda Benet, a beautiful and talented woman whose life was cut short with tragedy. Born Brenda Ann Nelson in Los Angeles, California on August 14th, 1945, Benet had a career spanning over 16 years, mostly on TV. She’s probably best known for playing the character of Lee DuMonde in 298 episodes of Days Of Our Lives, but she appeared in episodes of many other classic TV series, and even in the Elvis Presley movie HARUM SCARUM (1965). In her personal life, she was married to actor Bill Bixby from 1971 to 1980, and they had one child, Christopher Sean Bixby. Tragically, Christopher died in 1981 during a ski vacation in California. Devastated and in the grip of depression after her son’s death, Brenda took her own life on April 7th, 1982. A very sad end for a very beautiful woman.
Today, I choose to celebrate her beauty and talent in this scene from WALKING TALL (1973). This is not her character’s most revealing scene in the film, but her exotic beauty at the beginning is quite the contrast to a situation that’s about to get real ugly. Rest in peace, Brenda.
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 78th birthday to the great German director, Wim Wenders! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Wim Wenders Films
The American Friend (1976, dir by Wim Wenders, DP: Robby Muller)
Paris, Texas (1984, dir by Wim Wenders, DP: Robby Muller)
Wings of Desire (1987, dir by Wim Wenders, DP: Robby Muller)
Until the End of the World (1991, dir by Wim Wenders, DP: Robby Muller)
Have y’all been to Mt. Rushmore? My wife and I stopped by in 2023 on the way home from Yellowstone. It was pretty cool stuff!
I remember as I was driving up to Mt. Rushmore, I saw a sign that mentioned the Alfred Hitchcock movie NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) being filmed there. I hadn’t seen the movie in many years, so I decided to watch it again when I got home to celebrate the trip. I enjoyed seeing Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint hanging out near the giant rock faces of some of America’s great presidents. In celebration of Hitchcock’s 126th birthday in cinema heaven, I thought I would share that scene with all of you!
Happy 86th birthday to George Hamilton, also known as Zorro the gay blade in some circles!
One of the great things about movies is the way they ask us to suspend our disbelief in service of the story they are presenting. Most of the time we’ll go right along with the filmmakers, but sometimes they do go a little too far. For example, did y’all know there is a movie where George Hamilton beats up Charles Bronson?!! I’m not kidding! It’s true! The movie is called A THUNDER OF DRUMS (1961), and I’m including video evidence!! Enjoy my friends!
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!
On this date, 113 years ago, Samuel Fuller was born in Massachusetts. Before he became a filmmaker, Fuller was a crime reporter and a pulp novelist. His films were often melodramatic and unapologetically sordid. They were also often dismissed when they were initially released but almost all of them were subsequently rediscovered by audiences who appreciated Fuller’s striking visuals and the often subversive subtext to be found underneath the surface of his genre films.
Today, we celebrate Fuller’s legacy with….
4 Shots From 4 Sam Fuller Films
Forty Guns (1957, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Joseph Biroc)
Shock Corridor (1963, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Stanley Cortez
The Naked Kiss (1964, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Stanley Cortez)
The Big Red One (1980, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Adam Greenberg)
Through the Shattered Lens