4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Roger Deakins Edition

Posted on May 24, 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 wishes a happy birthday to the legendary cinematographer, Roger Deakins! It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Roger Deakins Film

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984, dir by Michael Radford, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Fargo (1996, dir by the Coen Brothers, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

Kundun (1997, dir by Martin Scorsese, cinematography by Roger Deakins)

1917 (2019, dir by Sam Mendes. cinematography by Roger Deakins)

4 Shots from 4 Films: Special Ryan Coogler Edition

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to director Ryan Coogler! With just three feature films and a handful of shorts, Ryan Coogler has made a star out of Michael B. Jordan, redeemed the acting career of Sylvester Stallone, introduced the rest of the world to Wakanda, and changed the way that film viewers talk about race in cinema. With all that in mind, it’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 Ryan Coogler Films

Locks (2009, dir by Ryan Coogler, DP: Francisco Kosterlitz)

Fruitvale Station (2013, dir by Ryan Coogler, DP: Rachel Morrison)

Creed (2015, dir by Ryan Coogler, DP: Maryse Alberti)

Black Panther (2018, dir by Ryan Coogler, DP: Rachel Morrison)

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Frank Capra Edition

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

125 years ago, on this date, Frank Capra was born in Sicily. Capra was six years old when his family immigrated to the United States and, for the rest of his long life, he would often talk about seeing the Statue of Liberty from the deck of a boat sailing to Ellis Island. Capra went on to become a director whose work celebrated the ideals and the promise of America. He not only gave us the holiday classic, It’s A Wonderful Life, but he also directed one of the few political films that matteed, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. And let us not forget that the first two comedies to win the Oscar for Best Picture were directed by Capra, It Happened One Night and You Can’t Take It With You.

In honor of a great career and legacy, here are….

6 Shots From 6 Films

Ladies of Leisure (1930, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

It Happened One Night (1934, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker and Joseph Biroc)

State of the Union (1948, dir by Frank Capra, DP: George J. Folsey))

6 Classic Trailers For May 13th, 2022 (RIP, Fred Ward)

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Originally, I was going to devote this latest edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse Trailers to all of the Friday the 13th films but then I heard the sad news that the great character actor Fred Ward had passed away at the age of 79. Needless to say, I changed my plans. There will be many Friday the 13ths but there was only one Fred Ward.

Fred Ward lived a life that could have been a movie. He ran away from home at a young age. He spent three years in the Air Force. He spent some time as a boxer. He worked as a lumberjack in Alaska. He worked as a cook. He worked as a janitor. He spent some time in Rome, dubbing Italian films for the American market. Much like Lance Henriksen, someone from Fred Ward’s tough background may have seemed like an unlikely actor but he proved himself to be one of our most memorable. Ward brought an authenticity to even the wildest of parts. He was a smart actor who could play dumb and, by most accounts, a down-to-Earth nice guy who could be totally intimidating on screen. He was one of the best. Here are 6 Fred Ward trailers.

Time Rider (1983)

After appearing in a few supporting roles (most memorably as a trigger-happy redneck in Southern Comfort), Fred Ward had his first starring role in Time Rider. In this film, Ward plays a dirt bike rider who travels through time.

2. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

After playing tragic astronaut Gus Grissom in 1983’s The Right Stuff, Ward was cast as Remo Williams in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. Ward performed all of his own stunts and, if the film had been a success, he would have had a chance to be an American James Bond. Unfortunately, Remo Williams bombed at the box office and was only later appreciated by fans of action cinema.

3. Tremors (1990)

Perhaps the most beloved of all of Fred Ward’s films, this horror comedy featured Ward, Kevin Bacon, and a bunch of killer worms. What could have been a standard B-movie was elevated by a witty script, energetic direction, and Bacon and Ward’s playful performances. The way that Ward and Bacon bounced dialogue off of each other was almost as fun as all the monster mayhem.

4. Miami Blues (1990)

The same year that Tremors came out, Ward co-starred with Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Miami Blues, a film that showed all three of those performers at their best.

5. Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)

In this film, which was made for HBO, Fred Ward plays a role that was perfect for him. He’s a tough, hard-boiled P.I. working the mean streets of Los Angeles in 1948. The catch? In this version of 1948, everyone uses magic! This is a fun movie and I recommend it to everyone.

6. Full Disclosure (2001)

Even though Ward’s career as a leading man slowed down a bit in recent years, he still appeared in movies and often, he was the best (any maybe only) reason to watch them. I’ve never seen Full Disclosure but if I ever do track it down, it will be because of Fred Ward.

Fred Ward, R.I.P.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Orson Welles Edition

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today we celebrate what would have been the 106th birthday of the great Orson Welles! It’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 Orson Welles Films

Citizen Kane (1941, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Gregg Toland)

Touch of Evil (1958, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Russell Metty)

F For Fake (1974, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Gary Graver)

The Other Side of the Wind (2018, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Gary Graver)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Audrey Hepburn Edition

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today would have been the 93rd birthday of one of my favorite actresses, the wonderful Audrey Hepburn!

We’re all Audrey Hepburn fans here at the Shattered Lens. How could we not be? Long before she made her film debut, Audrey Hepburn literally risked her life as a part of the Dutch Resistance during World War II. After she retired for regularly appearing in the movies, she devoted herself to humanitarian causes and served as a UNICEF ambassador. She was one of the greats and, for that reason, we honor Audrey Hepburn today with….

4 Shots From 4 Audrey Hepburn Films

Roman Holiday (1953, dir by William Wyler, DP: Henri Alaken and Franz Planer)

Sabrina (1954, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: Charles Lang)

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961, dir by Blake Edwards, DP: Franz Planer)

Two For The Road (1967, dir by Stanley Donen, DP: Christopher Challis)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Wes Anderson Edition

Posted on May 1, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Texas’s own Wes Anderson! It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Wes Anderson Films

Moonrise Kingdom (2012, dir by Wes Anderson, DP: Robert Yeoman)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014, dir by Wes Anderson, DP: Robert Yeoman)

Isle of Dogs (2018, dir by Wes Anderson, DP: Tristan Oliver)

The French Dispatch (2021, dir by Wes Anderson, DP: Robert Yeoman)

Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions for April

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s that time of the month again!

At this point, the big news about the Oscar race is that there are a lot of contenders and there’s probably even more on the way. We’re still far away from being able to make any definite predictions, though Scorsese and Spielberg always seem like good bets. Everything Everywhere All At Once is also emerging as a possibility, despite it’s early release date. Could it be another Mad Max: Fury Road? It all probably depends on whether or not the precursors are willing to do their part.

Anyway, here are my predictions for April. Be sure to check out my predictions for February and March as well!

Best Picture

Babylon

Empire of Light

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Fabelmans

I Want To Dance With Somebody

Killers of the Flower Moon

Next Goal Wins

Rustin

She Said

Till

Best Director

Damien Chazelle for Babylon

Chinoyne Chukwa for Till

Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon

Steven Spielberg for The Fabelmans

Taika Watitti for Next Goal Wins

Best Actor

Colman Domingo in Rustin

Brendan Fraser in The Whale

Tom Hanks in A Man Called Otto

Joaquin Phoenix in Disappointment Blvd.

Brad Pitt in Babylon

Best Actress

Naomi Ackie in I Want To Dance With Somebody

Cate Blanchett in Tarr

Danielle Deadwyler in Till

Margot Robie in Babylon

Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Supporting Actor

John Boyega in The Woman King

Leonardo DiCaprio in Flowers of the Killer Moon

Tom Hanks in Elvis

David Lynch in The Fabelmans

Tobey Maguire in Babylon

Best Supporting Actress

Jessie Buckley in Women Talking

Tantoo Cardinal in Flowers of the Killer Moon

Li Jun Li in Babylon

Samantha Morton in She Said

Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Uli Edel Edition

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 75th birthday to German director, Uli Edel! It’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 Uli Edel Films

Christiane F. (1981, dir b Uli Edel, DP: Justus Pankau and Jürgen Jürges)

Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989, dir by Uli Edel, DP: Stefan Czapsky)

Body of Evidence (1993, dir by Uli Edel, DP: Douglas Milsome)

The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008, dir by Uli Edel, DP: Rainer Klausmann)

Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For March

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Now that the awards for last year’s films have been given out and everyone has already started to forget who won, we can start to concentrate on the next batch of Oscar contenders….

Oh, stop yelling. It’s not that early!

Well, actually, it is way too early. I mean, we’re still not really sure what is even going to be released this year. Due to all the COVID delays, we went into 2021 knowing which films we could look forward to, mostly because all of those films were originally supposed to be released in 2020. Compared to 2021, we’re going into 2022 blind. The majority of the films that we do know about don’t really sound like Oscar contenders, either.

So, really, the only solution to how to predict the Oscar nominees when you know nothing is to guess. The films and actors listed below are not there because I have any inside information. Instead, they are there as a result of some wishful thinking and some educated guesses. Killers of the Flower Moon was directed by Martin Scorsese, so of course it’s there. The Fabelmans is there because a lot of people feel that the Academy didn’t show Spielberg and West Side Story enough love this year and I think the fact that the film is autobiographical will make it irresistible to same voters who nominated Belfast. Napoleon is there because there might be some lingering guilt over how both Ridley Scott and The Last Duel were utterly ignored this year. Rustin is there because it’s an Obama production and Hollywood loves the Obamas. Chris Rock is listed as a supporting actor nominee because it would be the perfect conclusion to the saga of the Oscar Slap. David Lynch is listed because …. well, I like David Lynch. Personally, it’s doubtful that Tom Hanks will be able to pull off two nominations in one year but if anyone could do it, it’s Tom!

In other words, don’t take any of these predictions too seriously. As of now, there are no definite contenders. These are just some guesses.

Be sure to check out my even more random predictions for February as well!