8 Things I Am Looking Forward To In August

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi there! Welcome to the wonderful month of August!

August is traditionally one of my favorite months. August is when I plan out my final vacations of the year. Usually, at some point in August, I spend a few days up at the lake. August is hot but it’s usually not as hot as July and, perhaps most importantly, each passing day in August is another day closer to the holiday season! I imagine that I will be spending the majority of August getting ready for the holidays and especially for TSL’s annual Horrorthon! In order to try to give our readers the most reviews ever, I’ve started writing and scheduling my Horrorthon posts in July. I can’t wait for you to see them in October!

Here are a few things that I’m looking forward to in August:

1. A Thousand Years of Longing — Idris Elba! Tilda Swinton! George Miller, making his first film since Mad Max: Fury Road! Critical reviews that have run the gamut from hostile to reverent! How couldn’t I be looking forward to this?

2. Prey — It’s a new Predator film! For some reason, though, it’s called Prey. I guess the idea is that we’ll care more about the people being hunted than we’ll care about the creature hunting them. That really doesn’t sound like the Predator fans I know. Just about everyone that I know is Team Predator. Well, anyway, we’ll see how this one goes.

3. Spin Me Round — This film is due to be released on August 19th. It really hasn’t gotten much promotion but it’s directed by Jeff Baena and it stars Alison Brie and I really liked Horse Girl so I’m looking forward to seeing what their next collaboration will be like. Plus, my girl crush Aubrey Plaza is in it!

4. The Tenebrae Blu-ray Restoration — Synapse is celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of Dario Argento’s greatest films with three-disc 4K UHD/Blu-ray 6,000 piece Limited Edition boxed set! Invest in physical media, especially when it comes to the work of an artist like Argento because you just know that the latest group of moral scolds are going to come for him eventually.

5. The Better Call Saul Finale — Be careful, Jimmy/Saul/Gene! Seriously, I’m so nervous about how it’s all going to end.

6. Watching Lots and Lots of Horror Movies — October’s coming up, you know! It’s never too early to start getting ready!

7. Writing About Lots and Lots of Horror Movies — Again, it’s never too soon to start! In my perfect world, I would write all of my reviews for October, November, and December in August and September and then I would spend the last three months of the year on an island somewhere. But, that may not be a realistic goal. Still, I can’t wait to share this year’s Horrorthon with all of you!

8. I Am Groot — I Am Groot is set to premiere on Disney+ on August 10th. Oh, c’mon, Groot’s adorable!

What are you looking forward to in August?

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Mario Bava Edition

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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 pays tribute to the memory and the legacy of the maestro of horror himself, Mario Bava! Bava was born 108 years ago, today.

4 Shots From 4 Mario Bava Films

Black Sunday (1960, dir by Mario Bava)

Kill, Baby, Kill (1966, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Antonio Rinaldi)

Baron Blood (1972, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Antonio Rinaldi)

Shock (1977, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Alberto Spagnoli)

Scenes that I Love: The Low Rider Montage From Dazed and Confused

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 62nd birthday to Texas’s own Richard Linklater!

In order to celebrate this day, here’s one of my favorite scenes from Linklater’s 1993 film, Dazed and Confused. Not only does this montage introduce the viewer to the suburban Texas nightlife of 1976 but it’s also perfectly set to War’s Low Rider.

And, of course, it features that classic line, “It’d be a lot cooler if you did.”

4 Shots from 4 Scenes: Special Christopher Nolan Edition

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we celebrate the birthday of the great Christopher Nolan!

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Christopher Nolan Films

Batman Begins (2005, dir by Christopher Nolan, DP: Wally Pfister)

The Dark Knight (2008, dir by Christopher Nolan, DP: Wally Pfistser)

Inception (2010, dir by Christopher Nolan, DP: Wally Pfister)

Dunkirk (2017, dir by Christopher Nolan, DP: Hoyte van Hoytema)

Lisa Marie’s Early Oscar Predictions For July

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Little by little, the Oscar race is starting to become just a little bit clearer. It’s still early, of course. Really, it’s way too early to say anything for sure. But it’s also hard to deny that certain films are now much more in the conversation than others.

The biggest development this month was the announcement that Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon will not be released until 2023. That takes it out of Oscar contention …. for now. (For those who may have forgotten, it was originally announced, halfway through 2013, that The Wolf of Wall Street would not be ready until sometimes in 2014. Everyone dutifully updated their Oscar predictions, striking The Wolf of Wall Street from their lists of likely best picture nominees. Then, at the last minute, Scorsese announced that the film actually would be ready for 2013. If something similar happens this year, Killers of the Flower Moon will go right back to being a huge contender because it’s Scorsese and he’s one of the best, regardless of what certain Marvel fans would have you believe.) With Scorsese apparently out, it would now appear that Steven Spielberg is going to be the only member of the old guard with a film in the Oscar race. Considering that many people believe that Spielberg’s West Side Story was snubbed last year when it only took home one Oscar (out of a total of sever nominations), The Fabelmans seems like it will be a major contender. Admittedly, my hope that David Lynch will earn an acting nomination for playing John Ford in The Fabelmans may be a longshot but it can not be denied that it would be a cool development.

As for the other contenders, Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis, and Everything Everywhere All At Once all seem poised to ride a combination of critical acclaim and box office success into the Oscar race. Todd Field has finally returned with Tar. The Whale has the potential to be a comeback vehicle for the always likable Brendan Fraser. She Said, Till, and Women Talking all stand to take advantage of the current political climate. And Babylon will presumably give Hollywood a chance to celebrate itself.

The Oscar picture is still a bit cloudy but, with so many major festival on the horizon, those clouds should be parting soon.

Be sure to check out my predictions for February, March, April, May, and June!

Best Picture

Babylon

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All At Once

The Fabelmans

She Said

Tar

Till

Top Gun: Maverick

The Whale

Women Talking

Best Director

Damien Chazelle for Babylon

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (The Daniels) for Everything Everywhere All At Once

Todd Field for Tar

Sarah Polley for Women Talking

Steven Spielberg for The Fabelmans

Best Actor

Austin Butler in Elvis

Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick

Adam Driver in White Noise

Brendan Fraser in The Whale

Harry Styles in My Policeman

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett in Tar

Viola Davis in The Woman King

Ana de Arms in Blonde

Danielle Deadwyler in Till

Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Supporting Actor

Tom Hanks in Elvis

Woody Harrelson in Triangle of Sadness

David Lynch in The Fabelmans

Tobey Maguire in Babylon

Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Supporting Actress

Jessie Buckley in Women Talking

Patricia Clarkson in She Said

Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Sally Field in Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies

Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Enzo G. Castellari Edition

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens whishes a happy 82nd birthday to the legendary Italian director, Enzo G. Castellari! Here are….

4 Shots From 4 Enzo G. Castellari Films

Keoma (1976, dir by Enzo G. Castellari, DP: Aaice Parolin)

1990: Bronx Warriors (1982, dir by Enzo G. Castellari, DP: Sergio Salvati)

Escape From The Bronx (1983, dir by Enzo G. Castellari, DP: Blasco Giurato)

Light Blast (1985, dir by Enzo G. Castellari, DP: Sergio D’Offizi)

Scenes That I Love: Clara Bow Prepares For Her Date In 1927’s It!

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It (1927, directed by Clarence Badger)

Today, we celebrate the birthday of my pre-code, silent film role model, the amazing Clara Bow! Clara was born 115 years ago, on this date, in Brooklyn, New York. As an actress, she was one of the biggest stars of the silent era. She came to represent the the Roaring 20s in all of their glory. She also co-starred in the first film to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture, Wings!

Below is a scene from my favorite Clara Bow film, 1928’s It. Playing a poor but confident shopgirl who falls in love with her wealthy boss, Bow was so popular with audiences that she became known as the “It Girl.”

In the scene below, she prepares for a date with her boss. She may not be as rich as her romantic rivals but she doesn’t let that stand in her way. She’s Clara Bow. She’s got it and she knows it.

Here’s The Trailer For Blonde!

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

There are some people out there (mainly on Twitter) who are convinced that Andrew Dominik’s film adaptation of Blonde will be the first NC-17 film to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

Well …. maybe. If I’m skeptical, it’s because I can still remember suffering through Dominik’s previous non-documentary film, Killing Them Softly. That said, Ana de Armas seems like she’s destined to be nominated some day and playing the lead role of Marilyn Monroe in a controversial film adapted from a controversial Joyce Carol Oates novel seems like the sort of thing that will get the Academy’s attention.

Here’s the trailer for Blonde:

Here’s The Trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Every few years, we get a new version of Pinocchio. Walt Disney was responsible for the best-known version. And then there were a few live action versions that were made in Europe in the 50s and 60s. There was a pornographic version in the 70s that featured the immortal tag line, “This time, it isn’t his nose that grows!” If I remember correctly, there were a few made-for-television versions. Roberto Begnini did a version that I’ve never seen but many people have told me that it’s terrifying.

Well, it’s 2022 and that means that were due a new version. This time, it’s Guillermo del Toro’s turn to bring the tale of a wooden boy to life. His animated version will be released on Netflix in December and, given how much the Oscars have recently embraced del Toro, it seems likely that it will be a contender for Best Animated Feature Film. That’s fine, by me. I like del Toro. Of the latest crop of Best Picture nominees, Nightmare Alley is the one that has really stuck with me. Certainly, it’s stuck with me more than whatever it was that actually won.

(Seriously, what did win?)

Here’s the trailer for Pinocchio!