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 would have been Wes Craven’s 82nd birthday. I have to admit that I was shocked to be reminded that Craven was 76 years old when he tragically passed away in 2015. I always assumed that he was much younger, perhaps in his late 50s. Perhaps that’s because Craven himself always seemed so energetic and enthusiastic about both horror and cinema. He was one of the best ambassadors that the horror genre could have asked for.
Today, in honor of Wes Craven, we present to you….
6 Shots From 6 Wes Craven Films
The Hills Have Eyes (1977, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Eric Saarinen)
Swamp Thing (dir by Wes Craven, DP: Robbie Greenberg)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Jacques Haitkin)
The People Under The Stairs (1991, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Sandi Sissel)
New Nightmare (1994, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Mark Irwin)
It’s that time of the month again! It’s time for me to make my early Oscar predictions.
This year, the Cannes Film Festival really didn’t clear much up. TheFrenchDispatch was acclaimed but, in every review, there was an admission that, for everyone who absolutely loved it, there would probably be someone else who would absolutely hate it. I did decided to include RedRocket on my list of predictions, based on the Cannes reaction. I’m still not a 100% convinced that it’s going to be a contender, of course. But the idea of a Simon Rex movie being nominated for best picture was just too wonderfully strange for me to ignore. That’s the same logic that led to me including Pig as a best picture nominee, by the way.
On the Ridely Scott front, the overacting in the trailer for HouseofGucci really turned me off so I dropped it from all of my predictions. TheLastDuel looks like it might have a chance, however.
Anyway, the main thing to remember when looking at these predictions is that the majority of them are just random guesses, based on hunches and past Academy behavior. So, as always, take them with several grains of salt.
If you’re curious to see how my thinking has developed, check out my predictions for March and April and May and June!
When it comes to Cannes, it’s often a fool’s errand to try to predict what will win. The critics and the viewers will definitely have their opinions of the films that they see but, in the end, it all comes down to the members of the Jury and the Jury almost always seems to go their own way. Probably the easiest way to sabotage a film’s chances at Cannes is to announce, early-on, that the film is a lock for Palme.
For all of the acclaim that greeted TheFrenchDispatch, RedRocket, FlagDay. and a few others, the 2021 Cannes Jury, led by Spike Lee, gave the Palme d’Or to Julia Docournau’s Titane. I can’t wait to see Titane as I absolutely loved Ducournau’s previous film, Raw. Annette, which was kind of the love it or hate it film of the festival picked up the award for Best Director. As much fun as some of us had imagining a world where Simon Rex was named Best Actor for RedRocket, the jury went with Caleb Landry Jones for Nitram.
What does this mean for the Oscars? Probably not much. Of course, winning at Cannes can help a film’s Oscar chances. Most recently, it probably helped out both TreeofLife and Parasite. I could imagine Caleb Landry Jones maybe getting a boost as far as a possible Best Actor nomination is concerned, depending on how Nitram is received in the States. But, in the end, Cannes is usually viewed as being a bit too quirky and unpredictable for it to be a dependable precursor. When it comes to film festival acclaim, the Oscars tend to pay more attention to Telluride and Venice. In the end, it’ll probably be films like TheFrenchDispatch and RedRocket that benefit the most from being acclaimed (if not awarded) at Cannes.
With all that in mind, here are the winners!
Official awards
In Competition
The following awards were presented for films shown In Competition:
Palme d’Or: Titane by Julia Ducournau
Grand Prix:
A Hero by Asghar Farhadi
Compartment No. 6 by Juho Kuosmanen
Jury Prize:
Ahed’s Knee by Nadav Lapid
Memoria by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Best Director: Leos Carax for Annette
Best Actress: Renate Reinsve for The Worst Person in the World
Best Actor: Caleb Landry Jones for Nitram
Best Screenplay: Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe for Drive My Car
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard Award: Unclenching the Fists by Kira Kovalenko
Un Certain Regard Jury Prize: Great Freedom by Sebastian Meise
Un Certain Regard Ensemble Prize: Bonne mère by Hafsia Herzi
Un Certain Regard Prize of Courage: La Civil by Teodora Mihai
Un Certain Regard Prize of Originality: Lamb by Valdimar Jóhannsson
Un Certain Regard Special Mention: Prayers for the Stolen by Tatiana Huezo
Golden Camera
Caméra d’Or: Murina by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović
Short Films
Short Film Palme d’Or: All the Crows in the World by Tang Yi
Special Mention: August Sky by Jasmin Tenucci
Cinéfondation
First Prize: The Salamander Child by Théo Degen
Second Prize: Cicada by Yoon Daewoen
Third Prize:
Love Stories on the Move by Carina-Gabriela Daşoveanu
Cantareira by Rodrigo Ribeyro
Honorary Palme d’Or
Honorary Palme d’Or: Jodie Foster and Marco Bellocchio
Independent awards
FIPRESCI Prizes
In Competition: Drive My Car by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Un Certain Regard: Playground by Laura Wandel
Parallel section: Feathers by Omar El Zohairy (International Critics’ Week)
Ecumenical Prize
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury: Drive My Car by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Special Mention: Compartment No. 6 by Juho Kuosmanen
International Critics’ Week
Nespresso Grand Prize: Feathers by Omar El Zohairy
Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film: Lili Alone by Zou Jing
Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award: Sandra Melissa Torres for Amparo
Directors’ Fortnight
Europa Cinemas Label Award for Best European Film: A Chiara by Jonas Carpignano
SACD Award for Best French-language Film: Magnetic Beats by Vincent Maël Cardona
Carrosse d’Or: Frederick Wiseman
L’Œil d’or
L’Œil d’or: A Night of Knowing Nothing by Payal Kapadia
Queer Palm
Queer Palm Award: The Divide by Catherine Corsini
Prix François Chalais
François Chalais Prize: A Hero by Asghar Farhadi
Special Mention: Freda by Gessica Généus
Cannes Soundtrack Award
Cannes Soundtrack Award:
Ron Mael & Russell Mael for Annette
Rone for Paris, 13th District
Palm Dog
Palm Dog Award: Rosie, Dora and Snowbear for The Souvenir Part II
Trophée Chopard
Chopard Trophy: Jessie Buckley and Kingsley Ben-Adir
It’s the end of the month and that means that it’s time for me to post my monthly predictions!
What has chanced since I last made my predictions in May? Though it was acclaimed by critics, the box office failure of InTheHeights has probably ended that film’s time as an Oscar contender. For all the musicals that are coming out this year, only Spielberg’s WestSideStory really seems like a good bet to emerge as a major contender. DearEvanHansen was pretty much eliminated from consideration as soon as its trailer dropped. Tick, Tick….Boom seems to be destined to be loved by theater kids while being dismissed by everyone else. I’d love to see Joe Wright and Peter Dinklage nominated but my instincts are telling me that Cyrano will probably not be a huge contender. In the end, WestSideStory seems like the most likely musical nominee.
I’ve been reading up on Jane Campion’s ThePoweroftheDog, which is set to premiere at Venice and then be released via Netflix. Based on a novel by Thomas Savage, this sounds like the type of film that could potentially be a strong contender, depending on what approach Campion takes the story. The main character of Phil Burbank is the type of bigger-than-life role that could lead to Oscar glory. (The closest recent equivalent to Phil would probably be Daniel Day-Lewis in ThereWillBeBlood.) Phil is a sharply intelligent but cruelly manipulative Montana rancher, the type who brags about castrating cattle while quoting Ovid and who goes out of his way to bully anyone who he considers to be effeminate. Of course, there’s a secret behind all of Phil’s cruelty and how the film handles that secret will have a lot to do with how strongly the film comes on during awards season. Phil is being played by Benedict Cumberbatch, which is …. interesting casting. (Personally, I probably would have begged Michael Fassbender to take the role.) Still, it seems like Phil could be the type of change-of-pace role that, should Cumberbatch’s casting pay off, could lead to Oscar glory.
Coming up in July, we’ve got Cannes and we’ll be getting our first look at contenders like Wes Anderson’s TheFrenchDispatch. Though Cannes is hardly a reliable precursor, the Oscar race should start to become a bit clearer as the festival start up and the contenders — many of which we’ve been waiting to see for over two years — will finally start to be released. Until then, take all predictions with a grain of salt!
If you’re curious to see how my thinking has developed, check out my predictions for March and April and May.
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.
115 years ago today, Billy Wilder was born in what was-then Austria-Hungary and what is today Poland. Having started his film career as a screenwriter in Germany, Wilder fled to the United States after the rise of Hitler. (Many members of Wilder’s family would subsequently die in the Holocaust.) He went on to establish himself as one of the great studio directors, a filmmaker who could seemingly master any genre and whose films were often distinguished by an irreverent wit and a welcome skepticism when it came to accepting any sort of conventional wisdom. He made the type of films that could only be made by someone who had seen humanity at its worst but who also understood what people were capable of at their best. Wilder made dramas that could make you laugh and comedies that could make you cry. He was a master filmmaker, one whose work continues to influence directors to this day.
Today, in honor of Billy Wilder’s legacy, the Shattered Lens presents….
4 Shots From 4 Billy Wilder Films
Double Indemnity (1944, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: John Seitz)
Sunset Boulevard (1950, dir by Billy Wilder, DP; John F. Seitz)
The Apartment (1960, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: Ernest Laszlo)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: Christopher Challis)
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.
94 years ago today, Lucio Fulci — the maestro of Italian genre filmmaking — was born in Rome. Fulci would go on to direct some of the most visually stunning (and, occasionally, most narratively incoherent) films ever made. Fulci worked in all genres but he’ll probably always be best remembered for launching the Italian zombie boom with Zombi2. His subsequent Beyond trilogy continues to fascinate and delight lovers of both horror and grindhouse filmmaking.
Lucio Fulci, needless to say, is a pretty popular figure here at the TSL. In honor of the date of his birth, it’s time for….
It’s that time of the month again! It’s time for me to go out on a limb and attempt to predict what will be nominated for the Oscars. Of course, trying to do this early in the year is a fool’s errand. We all know that. That’s actually part of the fun.
As of right now, the list below is full of familiar names, a few films that were acclaimed at Sundance, and a few random guesses. A lot of the predicted nominees are films that were expected to be Oscar contenders last year but which were delayed due to the pandemic. (Looking at you, West Side Story.) Some of them are contenders that I personally would just like to see nominated, even though it probably won’t happen. (I’m not going to jinx anything by pointing out which nomination about which I’m specifically thinking. You’ll probably be able to guess for yourself.) Over the next few months, the Oscar picture will become a bit clearer. Many of the contenders listed below will be forgotten about. Meanwhile, new contenders will emerge. My point is, take it all with a grain of salt and don’t put down any money just yet.
Two big developments to keep in mind:
First off, the Academy is officially going back to having a set a number of nominees. Next year, ten films will be nominated for best picture. Not seven. Not nine. Ten. Personally, I’m thrilled by this development. Nothing irritated me more than when they used to announce those weird, seven-picture lineups. (As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t like odd numbers.)
Secondly, the Academy is going back to the old eligibility dates. Yay! What that means is that only films that are released between March and the end of this year will be eligible to compete for the Oscars. More importantly, it means that the best film of 2021 will not be released in 2022.
Anyway, here are my predictions for this month! Don’t take them too seriously. If you want to see how my thinking has evolved, check out my predictions for March and April.
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.
109 years ago today, Richard Brooks was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He would go on to become an iconoclastic director, making films that challenged taboos and often dealt with the social issues that most mainstream Hollywood filmmakers refused to touch. With In Cold Blood, he launched the entire true crime genre. With Elmer Gantry, he was one of the first American directors to examine how religion became a big business. Throughout his long career, Brooks was a consistent opponent of bigotry, censorship, and hate. As one of the few independent directors to regularly work and achieve prominence during the studio era, he was a trailblazer for many today’s best directors.
In honor of the date of his birth, it’s time for….
6 Shots From 6 Richard Brooks Films
Blackboard Jungle (1955, dir by Richard Brooks, DP: Russell Harlan)Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958, dir by Richard Brooks, DP: William Daniels)Elmer Gantry (1960, dir by Richard Brooks, DP: John Alton)In Cold Blood (1967, dir by Richard Brooks, DP: Conrad Hall)Bite The Bullet (1975, dir by Richard Brooks, DP: Harry Stradling, Jr.)Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977, dir by Richard Brooks, DP: John A. Fraker)
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.
85 years ago, Dennis Hopper was born in Dodge City, Kansas.
It seems rather appropriate that one of America’s greatest cinematic outlaws was born in a town that will be forever associated with the old west. Dennis Hopper was a rebel, back when there were actual consequences for being one. He started out acting in the 50s, appearing in films like Rebel Without A Cause and Giant and developing a reputation for being a disciple of James Dean. He also developed a reputation for eccentricity and for being difficult on set and he probably would have gotten completely kicked out of Hollywood if not for a somewhat improbable friendship with John Wayne. (Wayne thought Hopper was a communist but he liked him anyways. Interestingly enough, Hopper later became a Republican.) Somehow, Hopper managed to survive both a raging drug addiction and an obsession with guns and, after a mid-80s trip to rehab, he eventually became an almost universally beloved and busy character actor.
Hopper, however, always wanted to direct. He made his directorial debut with 1969’s Easy Rider, a film that became a huge success despite being an infamously chaotic shoot. The success of Easy Rider led to the Hollywood studios briefly trying to produce counter-culture films of their own. Hopper was given several million dollars and sent to Peru to make one of them, the somewhat dangerously titled The Last Movie. Unfortunately, The Last Movie, was such a bomb that it not only temporarily derailed Hopper’s career but it also turned Hollywood off of financing counter culture films. Hopper spent a decade in the Hollywood wilderness, giving acclaimed performances in independent films like Tracks and The American Friend, even while continuing to increase his reputation for drug-fueled instability. Hopper would eventually return to directing with his masterpiece, 1980’s Out of the Blue. (Out of the Blue was so controversial that, when it played at Cannes, Canada refused to acknowledge that it was a Canadian production. It played as a film without a country. Out of the Blue, however, is a film that has stood the test of time.) Unfortunately, even after a newly cleaned-up Hopper was re-embraced by the mainstream, his directorial career never really took off. He directed 7 films, of which only Easy Rider and Colors were financially successful. Contemporary critics often didn’t seem to know what to make of Dennis Hopper as a director. In recent years, however, Hopper’s directorial efforts have been reevaluated. Even The Last Movie has won over some new fans.
Today, on his birthday, we honor Dennis Hopper’s directorial career with….
7 Shots From 7 Dennis Hopper Films
Easy Rider (1969, dir by Dennis Hopper, DP: Laszlo Kovacs)The Last Movie (1971,dir by Dennis Hopper, DP: Laszlo Kovacs)Out of the Blue (1980, dir by Dennis Hopper, DP: Marc Champion)Colors (1988, dir by Dennis Hopper, DP: Haskell Wexler)The Hot Spot (1990, dir by Dennis Hopper, DP: Ueli Steiger)Backtrack (1990, dir by Dennis Hopper, DP: Edward Lachman)Chasers (1994, dir by Dennis Hopper, DP: Ueli Steiger)
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.
As I mentioned previously, the great Orson Welles was born 106 years ago today. And that means that it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Orson Welles Films
Citizen Kane (1941, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Gregg Toland)The Stranger (1946, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Russell Metty)Touch of Evil (1958, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Russell Metty)The Trial (1962, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Edmond Richard)
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