Trailer: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I am currently in the process of catching up on all of the news that I missed out on during last week’s unplanned vacation from posting. Indeed, one of the biggest events last week was the release of this trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The Hunger Games was one of the best films of 2012 and Jennifer Lawrence provided a role model for girls who, otherwise, might be tempted to mistake Bella Swan for a strong woman.

Is it any wonder that Catching Fire is one of the most anticipated films of 2013?

Catching Fire, starring Jennifer Lawrence and directed by Francis Lawrence, is scheduled to be released on November 22nd.

6 Trailers That Do What They Want

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s time for another edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers! These trailers … they don’t care. They do what they want, when they want! Celebrate the revolution…

1) Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)

2) Switchblade Sisters (1975)

3) Foxy Brown (1974)

4) Cleopatra Jones And The Casino of Gold (1975)

5) Tick…Tick…Tick (1970)

6) Breaker! Breaker! (1977)

What do you think, Trailer Kitty?

2013: What Type of Year Has It Been So Far?

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

We are now at the halfway mark as far as 2013 is concerned. This is the time of year that self-important film critics (both online and elsewhere) tell their readers what type of year it’s been so far.

So, without further ado — what type of year has 2013 been so far?

(By the way, you can also check out my thoughts from last year, July of 2011 and July 2010 as well.)

(Also, please understand that my opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the any other contributor here at TSL. And I reserve the right to change my opinion.)

Best Film Of The Year (So Far): Upstream Color (with The Bling Ring, This Is The End, Spring Breakers, Before Midnight, Frances Ha, Iceman, and Much Ado About Nothing as close runner-ups.)

Best Male Performance Of The Year (So Far): Michael Shannon in Iceman (with James Franco in Spring Breakers as a close runner-up).

Best Female Performance of the Year (So Far): Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha (with Emma Watson in The Bling Ring as a close runner-up.)

Best Voice Over Performance Of The Year (So Far): Steve Carell in Despicable Me 2.

Best Ending of the Year (So Far): Upstream Color

Best Horror Film Of The Year (So Far): Maniac

Most Underrated Film Of The Year (So Far): The Last Exorcism Part 2

Best Bad Film Of The Year (So Far): Safe Haven

Worst Film Of The Year (So Far): Tyler Perry’s Temptation, which was a guilty pleasure up until it turned out that Tyler Perry is apparently a messenger from God.

Biggest Example Of A Missed Opportunity For This Year (So Far): Man of Steel, which started out so strong before it became just another series of mind-numbing CGI sequences.

The Get Over It Already Award For The First Half of 2012: Disconnect. Hey, everyone, did you know that the Internet makes people feel disconnected from others? If this is news to you, then you’ll probably think Disconnect is a really profound movie.

The Cameron/Fincher Bandwagon Trophy (Awarded To The Upcoming Film That, Regardless Of Quality, Will Probably Be So Violently Embraced By People Online That You’ll Be Putting Your Life In Danger If You Dare Offer Up The Slightest Amount Of Criticism): Elysium

The Trailer That Has Most Outgrown Its Welcome: Elysium

The Sasha Award (Awarded To The Film That I Am Predicting Will Be The Most Overrated Of The Year): August: Osage County

The Stone Award (Awarded to the upcoming film that will probably get positive reviews based on the film’s political context as opposed to the film itself): The Butler

The Roland Emmerich/Rod Lurie Award For The Film That I’m Predicting Will Be The Worst Of 2012: Could any film possibly be worst than Tyler Perry’s Temptation?

Films I’m Looking Forward To Seeing In The Future (An incomplete list): American Hustle, Anchorman: The Legend Continues, Carrie, Dallas Buyers Club, Foxcatcher, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Inside Llewyn Davis, Insidious Chapter 2, Nebraska, Only God Forgives, Oldboy, Pacific Rim, Thor: The Dark World, The Wolf of Wall Street

Let’s hope that the second half of 2013 is better than the first.

Seriously, just because the Mayans were wrong, that’s no excuse for bad cinema.

Poll: Which Films Are You Most Looking Forward To Seeing in August?

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, another month has come to a close and that means that it’s time for another poll here at the Shattered Lens.

The results of last month’s poll can be found here and should make the fans of Pacific Rim very happy.

As always, please feel free to vote for up to four films and write-in votes are accepted!

6 Trailers For The End of June

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I couldn’t let June end without one more edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation film trailers.

Enjoy!

1) Barbarella (1968)

2) Wizards (1977)

3) Fantastic Planet (1973)

4) Night Tide (1961)

5) Experiment in Terror (1962)

6) Panic In Year Zero (1962)

What do you think, Trailer Kitty?

Don’t worry, everyone. Trailer Kitty’s just getting some well-earned rest.

Finally! It’s time for Six More Trailers!

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s been about two weeks since our last edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers. Personally, I blame the trailer kitties! It’s difficult to find good help nowadays, especially when your help insists on sleeping for 12 hours a day.

However, despite taking way too long to do so, the trailer kitties have returned with six more trailers!

1) Sex Kittens Go To College (1960)

2) Girls Town (1959)

3) Vice Raid (1960)

4) Gun Girls (1956)

5) The Cool and the Crazy (1958)

6) Common Law Wife (1963)

What do you think, Trailer Kitty?

6 Trailers For A June Moon

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi there! I am happy to say that the trailer kitties with another edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film trailers! Without further ado, here are this week’s trailers!

1) Splitz (1984)

2) The Folks at Red Wolf Inn (1972)

3) Class (1983)

4) Cocaine Wars (1985)

5) Racing Fever (1964)

6) The Death Curse of Tartu (1966)

What do you think, Trailer Kitties?

I agree, Trailer Kitties! Those trailers were kinda confusing…

Let’s Second Guess The Academy: Best Picture 1986

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Dean Stockwell in Blue Velvet

Last week, we considered whether or not Out of Africa deserved the title of best picture of 1985. As of this writing, the votes would seem to indicate that most of you feel that it did not.

For this week, let’s jump ahead one year to 1986. According to the Academy, the five best films of the year were:

1) Children of a Lesser God, an adaptation of play about an angry deaf girl and the teacher who falls in love with her,

2) Hannah and Her Sisters, a Woody Allen film about three sisters and the neurotic people they know,

3) The Mission, a film about Jesuit missionaries in South America that also won the Palme d’Or at Cannes,

4) Room With A View, James Ivory’s super romantic adaptation of E.M. Forster’s novel,

and finally, the winner,

5) Platoon, Oliver Stone’s autobiographical film about the Viet Nam war.

Unlike Out of Africa, Platoon has remained a fairly respected winner. Still, was Platoon actually the best film of 1986? If I had been a member of the Academy back in 1986, I would have been torn between A Room With A View and Hannah and Her Sisters with my final vote going to Room With A View. How about you?

Now, here comes the fun part. Let’s say that Platoon turned out to be a disaster. Let’s say that Room With A View never made it over to American theaters and maybe Woody Allen decided to retire early. Let’s say that none of the best picture nominees had been eligible to be nominated. Which five films would have nominated in their place?

You can vote for up to five films and yes, write-ins are accepted!

(I voted for Blue Velvet, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty In Pink, Betty Blue, and Something Wild.)

Poll: Which Films Are You Most Looking Forward To Seeing In July?

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, another month has come to a close and that means that it’s time for another poll here at the Shattered Lens.

As always, please feel free to vote for up to four films and write-in votes are accepted!

Let’s Second Guess The Academy: Best Picture 1985

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Jonathan Pryce in Brazil

Last week, we reconsidered whether or not The Hurt Locker deserved the title of Best Picture of 2009.

This week, let’s go back to the year of my birth, 1985. According to the Motion Picture Academy, the five best films of the year were:

1) Steven Spielberg’s controversial adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple,

2) Witness, a film about a tough cop (Harrison Ford) who hides out with the Amish,

3) Kiss of the Spider Woman, one of the first independent films to ever be nominated for best picture,

4) Prizzi’s Honor, a darker than dark Mafia comedy from John Huston that starred Jack Nicholson,

and finally,

5) Out of the Africa, the film that was eventually named best picture of 1985.

Despite its victory at the Oscars, Out of Africa hasn’t aged well. If any year seems to be worthy of a little second guessing, it would certainly be 1985. If you were a member of the Academy in 1985, which nominee would you have voted for? Personally, I would have voted for Witness. How about you?

Now, here comes the fun part. Let’s say that Out of Africa wasn’t released in 1985. Let’s say that Steven Spielberg never made The Color of Purple and that Jack Nicholson refused to star in Prizzi’s Honor. Let’s say that none of the five nominated film had been eligible in 1985. Which films would you have nominated in their place?

You can vote for five of the film listed below and yes, we do accept write-ins!

(Incidentally, I voted for Brazil, The Breakfast Club, To Live and Die In L.A., The Purple Rose of Cairo, and Insignificance.)