4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Nicholas Ray Edition

Posted on August 7, 2026 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!

Director and screenwriter Nicholas Ray was born 115 years ago today, in Galesville, Wisconsin. He would go on to become one of the most influential American directors of all time, making independently-minded films that celebrated rebels and iconoclasts. The directors of the French New Wave loved him and for good reason.

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Nicholas Ray with….

4 Shots From 4 Nicholas Ray Films

In A Lonely Place (1950, dir by Nicholas Ray, DP: Burnett Guffey)

Rebel Without A Cause (1955, dir by Nicholas Ray, DP: Ernest Haller)

Bigger Than Life (1956, dir by Nicholas Ray, DP: Joseph MacDonald)

Party Girl (1958, dir by Nicholas Ray, DP: Robert J. Bronner)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Andy Warhol Edition

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

On this date, 98 years ago, Andy Warhol was born. Today, we mark this occasion with….

4 Shots From 4 Andy Warhol Films

Empire (1965, dir by Andy Warhol)

Vinyl (1965, dir by Andy Warhol)

Poor Little Rich Girl (1965, dir by Andy Warhol)

Chelsea Girls (1966, dir by Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special John Huston Edition

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

120 years ago today, the writer/director/actor John Huston was born in Nevada, Missouri. Today, we honor his life and films with….

4 Shots from 4 John Huston Films

The Maltese Falcon (1941, dir by John Huston, DP: Arthur Edeson)

The Night of the Iguana (1964, dir by John Huston, DP: Gabriel Figueroa)

The Bible (1966, dir by John Huston, DP: Giuseppe Rotunno)

Under the Volcano (1984, dir by John Huston, DP: Gabriel Figueroa)

4 Shots For 4 Films: Special Martin Sheen Edition

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to actor Martin Sheen. It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Martin Sheen Films

Badlands (1973, dir by Terrence Malick)

Apocalypse Now (1979, dir by Francis Ford Coppola)

The Dead Zone (1983, dir by David Cronenberg)

The Departed (2006, dir by Martin Scorsese)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Wes Craven Edition

Posted on August 2, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

87 years ago today, Wes Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Craven started his career as an academic, teaching high school English. However, realizing that there was more money to be made in the film industry, Craven changed careers. By his own admission, he started his career directing “hardcore, X-rated films” under a pseudonym and it has been rumored that he was a member of the crew of the first “porno chic” film, Deep Throat. Eventually, Craven broke into the mainstream with some of the most influential and often controversial horror films ever made. From being denounced for the original Last House On The Left to changing the face of horror with A Nightmare on Elm Street to becoming something of a revered statesman and a beloved pop cultural institution with the Scream franchise, Wes Craven had a truly fascinating career.

In honor his films and legacy, it’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 Wes Craven Films

The Hills Have Eyes (1977, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Eric Saarinen)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, dir. by Wes Craven, DP: Jacques Haitkin)

Deadly Friend (1986, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Philip H. Lathrop)

The People Under The Stairs (1991, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Sandi Sissel)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special J. Lee Thompson Edition

Posted on August 1, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

112 years ago today, the director J. Lee Thompson was born in Bristol, England. Thompson started his career making social realist films before he moved into making genre pictures. He was nominated for Best Director for his work on 1961’s The Guns of Navarone. That said, during his lifetime, Thompson was never exactly a critical favorite. When they were first released, critics were dismissive of his entries in the original Planet of the Apes franchise and they were downright hostile to his work with Charles Bronson. However, all of those films were better appreciated by audiences and they remain cult classics to this day. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, with its themes of protest and revolution, has especially been the subject of much recent critical reevaluation. Thompson may have been a genre director but that didn’t mean that his film were devoid of subtext. If anything, Thompson was a master of sneaking subversive themes into the least likely of works.

Thompson was a filmmaker who knew how to tell a story and who always did the best with whatever he had to work with. To be honest, many aspiring and working directors could learn a lot from spending a weekend watching some of Thompson’s films.

In honor of the man and his legacy, here are….

4 Shots From 4 J. Lee Thompson Films

Cape Fear (1962, dir by J. Lee Thompson, DP: Sam Leavitt)

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972, dir by J. Lee Thompson, DP: Bruce Surtees)

Happy Birthday To Me (1981, dir by J. Lee Thompson, DP: Miklos Lente)

10 To Midnight (1983, dir by J. Lee Thompson, DP: Adam Greenberg)

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions For July

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

As you look over my latest Oscar predictions, you may notice that I’ve dropped two films that I originally had listed as major contenders. Disclosure Day opened to mixed reviews and it really seems to have vanished from the cultural conversation in the wake of the release of The Odyssey. Digger has not opened yet but I just get the feeling that this is going to be another pretentious Alejandro Iñárritu film. Whenever anyone mentions the previous victory of Birdman, it always seems to be done with a slight bit of embarrassment. I think Iñárritu’s time as an Oscar favorite might be over.

These predictions below are based on what’s been released, what will be playing at the major festivals, which trailers generated excitement (hello I Play Rocky!), which films are most likely to appeal to the Academy’s political biases (hello Ink and The Social Reckoning) and, as always, a lot of wishful thinking on my part. (Hello I Play Rocky again!)

To see how my thinking has or has not evolved, check out my picks for March, April, May, and June!

Best Picture

The Adventures of Cliff Booth

Being Heumann

The Debut

Dune: Part Three

Fjord

Ink

The Odyssey

Project Hail Mary

The Social Reckoning

Wild Horse Nine

Best Director

David Fincher for The Adventures of Cliff Booth

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for Project Hail Mary

Cristian Mungiu for Fjord

Christopher Nolan for The Odyssey

Denis Villeneuve for Dune: Part Three

Best Actor

David Corenswet in Mr. Irrelevant

Ryan Gosling in Project Hail Mary

Anthony Ippolito in I Play Rockly

John Malkovich in Wild Horses

Robert Pattinson in Primetime

Best Actress

Ellen Burstyn in Place To Be

Sandra Huller in Fatherland

Ruth Madeley in Being Heumann

Julianne Moore in The Debut

Renate Reinsve in Fjord

Best Supporting Actor

Steve Buscemi in Wild Horse Nine

Matt Dillon in I Play Rocky

Paul Giamatti in The Debut

Guy Pearce in Ink

Jeremy Strong in The Social Reckoning

Best Supporting Actress

Pamela Anderson in Place To Be

Anne Hathaway in The Odyssey

Samantha Morton in The Odyssey

Parker Posey in Wild Hose Nine

AnnaSophia Robb in I Play Rocky

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Mario Bava Edition

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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.

112 years ago today, the most important Italian filmmaker of all time was born. Today is Mario Bava’s birthday! And, as we often do here at the Shattered Lens, it’s time to celebrate with…

4 Shots From 4 Mario Bava Films