Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to the one and only Erik Estrada!
Here he is in 1990’s Guns, blowing stuff up with style.
Tag Archives: Film
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Bernardo Bertolucci 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, the Shattered Lens celebrates Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Bernardo Bertolucci Films
The Conformist (1970, dir by Bernardo Betrolucci, DP: Vittorio Storaro)
The Last Emperor (1987, dir by Bernardo Bertolucci, DP: Vittorio Storaro)
The Sheltering Sky (1990, dir by Bernardo Betrolucci, DP: Vittorio Storaro)
Stealing Beauty (1996, dir by Bernardo Bertolucci, DP: Darius Khondji)
Scenes that I Love: Marlon Brando as Mark Antony in Julius Caesar
Beware the Ides of March!
The scene below is from the 1953 film, Julius Caesar. This Oscar-nominated Shakespearean adaptation had a cast that was full of distinguished actors. James Mason played Brutus. The great John Gielgud played Cassius. Louis Calhern was Caesar while other roles were filled by Deborah Kerr, Greer Garson, Edmond O’Brien, George Macready, John Hoyt, Edmund Purdom. and a host of other distinguished thespians. And yet, the best performance in the film came from an actor who, at the time, no one considered to be a Shakespearean. Marlon Brando brought his method intensity to the role of Mark Antony and the result was a performance that is still electrifying today.
On YouTube, someone referred to this as being “the world’s greatest speech delivered by the world’s greatest actor.” Sounds good to me!
Here is Marlon Brando in Julius Caesar:
Live Tweet Alert: Join #ScarySocial for Food of the Gods!
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, at 9 pm et, Deanna Dawn will be hosting #ScarySocial! The movie? Food the Gods, from director Bert I. Gordon!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! I’ll be there tweeting 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.
Food of the Gods is available on Prime!
See you there!
The underrated RED SUN (1971) – Charles Bronson & Toshiro Mifune in an East meets Western!
Every so often I’m going to throw out a movie that I don’t think gets enough love, and that just doesn’t set right with me. Today’s movie is RED SUN.
In RED SUN, two of the most macho actors in the history of world cinema team up in a western where train robber Link (Bronson) is forced to lead the honorable samurai Kuroda (Mifune) on a cross country trek to reclaim a stolen sword that was intended to be a gift from the Empire of Japan to the US President. If the two men can’t get the sword back in a week’s time, honor demands that the two men will lose their lives out of shame. Link isn’t really down with this plan, but he doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter due to the power and skill of Kuroda. Charles Bronson & Toshiro Mifune command the screen, with Charlie showing a likable sense of humor in his role as the bad / good cowboy. The two must find the evil Gauche (French superstar Alain Delon). Gauche is Bronson’s old train robbing partner who stole the sword and killed a samurai in the process, providing even more motivation for Kuroda. Add in Ursula Andress as a sexy woman who has a history with both Link and Gauche, and it doesn’t get much better than this!
RED SUN is not a perfect movie, but I couldn’t imagine anyone being disappointed by this enjoyable East meets Western that features true international superstars. In my book, it’s highly recommended!
Enjoy the trailer below:
Scenes That I Love: Michael Caine says, “I Won’t Bury You” in The Dark Knight Rises
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 92nd birthday to Sir Michael Caine.
With 177 acting credits listed on the imdb, Michael Caine started his regular acting career in 1956 and only recently retired. (He actually made his acting debut, at the age of 10, in a made-for-TV movie in 1946.) There are many great Michael Caine performances and scenes to choose from but, for today, I decided to go for a scene from 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.
Caine was 79 when he played Alfred in this film and he showed that, after decades of work, he hadn’t lost a step as a performer. As well, he also showed his ability to take a character who could have been ridiculous — the loyal butler of a superhero — and instead make him surprisingly poignant. With this scene, Caine proved himself to be the heart of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
Happy birthday to one of the greatest actors of our age or any age for that matter.
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Wolfgang Petersen Collection
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, the Shattered Lens celebrates German director Wolfgang Petersen. It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Wolfgang Petersen Films
Das Boot (1981, dir by Wolfgang Petersen, DP: Jost Vocano)
The NeverEnding Story (1984, dir by Wolfgang Petersen, DP: Jost Vocano)
In The Line of Fire (1993, dir by Wolfgang Petersen, DP: John Bailey)
The Perfect Storm (2000, dir by Wolfgang Petersen, DP: John Seale)
Live Tweet Alert: Join #FridayNightFlix For Get Shorty!
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on Twitter and Mastodon. 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, at 10 pm et, #FridayNightFlix presents the original 1995’s Get Shorty!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag! It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
Get Shorty is available on Prime and Tubi! See you there!
Happy Birthday in heaven to the great Paul Fix! A “4 Shots From 4 Films” special edition…
If you love movies, then there’s no doubt you’ve seen the work of the great movie and TV character actor Paul Fix. With over 340 acting credits to his name, including 26 with John Wayne, Fix co-starred in some of the best movies and TV shows ever made. Born on March 13th, 1901, Fix passed away on October 14th, 1983, leaving behind a tremendous legacy of superior performances. I just wanted to take a moment to remember this amazing actor who’s provided me with so much great entertainment over the years!!
THE RIFLEMAN T.V. Series (1958-1963)
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
STAR TREK: WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE (1966)
EL DORADO (1967)
Song of the Day: Fargo, North Dakota by Carter Burwell
Since it’s William H. Macy’s birthday, it only makes sense that today’s song of the day should come from a film that is not only one of Macy’s best but which also features one of the best score ever recorded. From Carter Burwell, here is Fargo, North Dakota.
Through the Shattered Lens