Originally, I was planning on doing Rambo (2008) for tonight’s #TubiThursday but, unfortunately, the film has been removed from Tubi. So, instead, join us for SPACE MUTINY (1988), starring Reb Brown! We start at 10 pm et!
#TubiThursday is a weekly watch party that meets over Thursday at 10 pm et and watches a movie, preferably one that is on Tubi. If you join us, use the #TubiThursday hashtag.
Hi there and welcome to October! This is our favorite time of the year here at the Shattered Lens because October is our annual horrorthon! For the past several years (seriously, we’ve been doing this for a while), we have celebrated every October by reviewing and showing some of our favorite horror movies, shows, books, and music. That’s a tradition that I’m looking forward to helping to continue this year!
First released in 1925, The Phantom of the Opera is today best known for both Lon Chaney’s theatrical but empathetic performance as the Phantom and the iconic scene where Mary Philbin unmasks him. However, the film is also a perfect example of early screen spectacle. The Phantom of the Opera was released during that period of time, between Birth of the Nation and the introduction of sound, when audiences expected films to provide a visual feast and Phantom of the Opera certainly accomplishes that. Indeed, after watching this film and reading Gaston Leroux’s original novel, it’s obvious that the musical was inspired more by the opulence of this film than by the book.
This film is also historically significant in that it was one of the first films to be massively reworked as the result of a poor test screening. The film’s ending was originally faithful to the end of the novel. However, audiences demanded something a little more dramatic and that’s what they got.
(IMPORTANT UPDATE BELOW)
Hi, everyone! Tonight, on Mastodon, I will be hosting the #TubiThursday watch party! Join us for the 2008 Stallone masterpiece, Rambo!
You can find the movie on Tubi and you can join us on Mastodon at 9 pm central time! (That’s 10 pm for you folks on the East Coast.) We will be using #TubiThursday hashtag! See you then!
UPDATE: Well, it appears that Tubi has removed Rambo from its service. So, instead, we will be watching SPACE MUTINY (1988), starring Reb Brown! Sorry for any inconvenience!
The opening of Dario Argento’s 1977 masterpiece, Suspiria, is about as perfect an opening as one could hope for. American ballet student Suzy Banyon (Jessica Harper) arrives in Freiburg, Germany. Both Argento and Harper perfectly capture Suzy’s confusion as she makes her way through the airport and, as torrential rain drenches her, attempts to hail a taxi and get a ride to the dance academy. (What Suzy doesn’t know, of course, is that the dance academy is home to the ancient witch known as The Mother of Sighs.)
With this opening scene, Argento both immediately establishes the off-center, nightmarish atmosphere of Suspiria and establishes Suzy as a character who we, as the audience, relate to and care about. Suspiria is a great film and it all begins with this brilliant opening.
(And just as Suzy is starting her journey to the school, we are just starting Horrothon! Get ready for the best 31 days of the year!)
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!
4 Shots From 4 Horror Films
Suspiria (1977, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Luciano Tovoli)
The Shining (1980, dir by Stanley Kubrick, DP: John Alcott)
The Thing (1982, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)
Day of the Dead (1985, dir by George Romero, DP: Michael Gornick)
Welcome to October! October is a big month here at the Shattered Lens. It’s the month when we devote the majority of our time to the horror genre. It’s time for our annual Horrorthon! Last year, we had a record number of Horrorthon posts. I’d love to break that record this year! A thousand posts? Hey, why not? Mostly, though, I just want this year’s Horrothon to be fun for both our writers and our readers!
Here’s what I’m looking forward to this October!
October’s going to be a great month and those of us at TSL can’t wait to celebrate it with you! What are you looking forward to in October?
We are just a few hours away from the start of our annual October Horrorthon but, before we do that, I do have one last bit of business to attend to. Here are my Oscar predictions for the month of September! If you want to see how my thinking has evolved, be sure to check out my predictions for March, April, May, June, July, and August!
As for my latest set of predictions, they’re largely shaped by the news coming out of the festivals. Digger is no longer a contender for anything. And, just as last month, I continue to suspect that Dune Part Three will not be the Oscar powerhouse that some are expecting. The first two Dune films were both nominated but it just doesn’t feel like there’s a huge sentiment out there that’s saying, “We simply have to keep honoring each new installment!”
Here are my latest predictions!
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
What better way to observe Michael Powell’s birthday than with the ballet from the classic 1948 film, The Red Shoes?
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.
Today, TSL celebrates the 121st anniversary of the birth of Michael Powell, the British visionary who changed the face of cinema, both on his own and through his collaboration with Emeric Pressburger. It seems appropriate that we pay tribute to Powell on the day before October, as his 1960 film Peeping Tom is considered by many to be the first slasher film. (It’s not but it’s influence on the genre cannot be overstated.)
In honor of Michael Powell, TSL is proud to present….
4 Shots From 4 Michael Powell Films
I Know Where I’m Going (1945, dir by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, DP: Erwin Hillier)
Black Narcissus (1947, dir by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, DP: Jack Cardiff)
The Red Shoes (1948, dir by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, DP: Jack Cardiff)
Peeping Tom (1960, dir by Michael Powell, DP: Otto Heller)
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.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 56th birthday to Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn! Drive was one of the first films to really be celebrated on this site, receiving reviews from several contributors. Personally, I preferred The Neon Demon.
In honor of of the man and his work, it’s time for….
4 Shots from 4 Nicolas Winding Refn Films
Bronson (2008, dir by Nicolas Winding Refn, DP: Larry Smith)
Drive (2011, dir by Nicolas Winding Refn, DP: Newton Thomas Sigel)
Only God Forgives (2013,dir by Nicolas Winding Refn, DP: Larry Smith)
The Neon Demon (2016, dir by Nicolas Winding Refn, DP: Natasha Braier)
