4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Dancing Edition


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!

4 Shots From 4 Films

The Red Shoes (1948, dir by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, DP: Jack Cardiff)

Saturday Night Fever (1977, dir by John Badham, DP: Ralf D. Bode)

Flashdance (1983, dir by Adrian Lyne, DP: Donald Peterman)

Chicago (2002, dir by Rob Marshall, DP: Dion Beebe)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Roger Vadim Edition


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!

Controversial French director Roger Vadim was born 97 years ago today.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Roger Vadim Films

And God Created Woman (1956, dir by Roger Vadim, DP: Armand Thirard)

Blood And Roses (1960, dir by Roger Vadim, DP: Claude Renoir)

Spirits of the Dead: Metzengerstein (1968, dir by Roger Vadim, DP: Claude Renoir)

Barbarella (1968, dir by Roger Vadim, DP: Claude Renoir)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Tobe Hooper Edition


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!

Today, on what would have been his 82nd birthday, the Shattered Lens pays tribute to Texas’s own, Tobe Hooper!

The Austin hippie who redefined horror and left thousands of yankees terrified of driving through South Texas, Tobe Hooper often struggled to duplicate both the critical and the box office success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  It’s only been in the years since his death that many critics and viewers have come to truly appreciate his unique and subversive vision.

Down here, in Texas, we always believed in him.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Tobe Hooper Films

Eggshells (1969, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Tobe Hooper)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Daniel Pearl)

Salem’s Lot (1978, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Jules Bremmer)

Lifeforce (1985, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Alan Hume)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Henry King Edition


Henry King (1886 — 1982)

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.

Henry King was born 139 years ago today.  He was born in Virginia and, though he may no longer be a household name, he was one of the busiest and most versatile directors of Hollywood’s Golden Age.  He began his career during the silent era, directing his first film in 1918.  He continued to work all the way through 1962, working in every genre and directing at least 8 Oscar-nominated performances.  He was also one of the founders of the Academy.  In short, Henry King was an important figure in the early years of Hollywood.  If you’ve ever studied classic film or just spent a weekend or two watching TCM, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen at least one Henry King film.

Like many of the top directors from Hollywood’s Golden Age, Henry King was prized for being a professional.  In the years when the studios ruled Hollywood and before directors became known as auteurs, King was someone who could be trusted to make an effective film with the minimum amount of behind-the-scene drama.  He was someone who could move from genre to genre and from theme to theme.  He was skilled at getting the best performances from his actors and he knew how to visually tell a story and keep the action moving.  He knew how to engage the audience and his best films hold up surprisingly well.

In honor of Henry King and his career and legacy, here are…

4 Shots From 4 Henry King Films

In Old Chicago (1938, dir by Henry King, DP: J. Peverell Marley)

The Song of Bernadette (1943, dir by Henry King, DP: Arthur C. Miller)

Wilson (1944, dir by Henry King, DP: Leon Shamroy)

David and Bathsheba (1951, dir by Henry King. DP: Leon Shamroy)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Also-Ran Edition


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!

Since today is Oscar nomination day, today’s edition of 4 Shots From 4 Films is dedicated to films that were nominated for Best Picture but which did not win.

4 Shots From 4 Best Picture Nominees

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

High Noon (1952, dir by Fred Zinnemann, DP: Floyd Crosby)

Goodfellas (1990, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Michael Ballhaus)

Lost In Translation (2003, dir by Sofia Coppola, DP: Lance Acord)

Here Are The 2024 Oscar Nominations


Here they are!  The 2024 Oscar nominations!

There’s a few surprises, like I’m Still Here getting nominated for Best Picture.  I will say that if Kamala Harris had won in November, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong would not have been nominated for The Apprentice.  The same impulse that causes the Academy to honor the films of Adam McKay is responsible for the nominations of Stan and Strong.  Pamela Anderson getting a nomination for The Last Showgirl would have made for a great story but it didn’t happen.

After all the hype, the actual announcement of the nominations is always a bit of a let down.

Best Picture
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“I’m Still Here”
“Nickel Boys”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”

Best Director
Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
Sean Baker, “Anora”
Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”

Best Actress
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
Demi Moore, “The Substance”
Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”

Best Supporting Actress
Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”
Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”

Best Actor

Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”

Timothee Chalament, “A Complete Unknown”

Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”

Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”

Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov, “Anora”
Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”
Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”

Original Screenplay:
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Real Pain”
“The Substance”
“September 5”

Adapted Screenplay
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nickel Boys”
“Sing Sing”

International Feature
“I’m Still Here”
“The Girl with the Needle”
“Emilia Pérez”
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
“Flow”

Animated Feature
“Flow”
“Inside Out 2”
“Memoir of a Snail”
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
“The Wild Robot”

Documentary Feature
“Black Box Diaries”
“No Other Land”
“Porcelain War”
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
“Sugarcane”

Best Editing
“Anora”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Brutalist”

Best Original Score in a Motion Picture
“The Brutalist”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Conclave”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”

Production Design
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”

Best Costume Design
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Gladiator II”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”

Best Sound
“A Complete Unknown”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Wicked”
“Emilia Perez”
“The Wild Robot”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“A Different Man”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nosferatu”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”

Animated Short
“In the Shadow of Cypress”
“Wander to Wonder”
“Yuck”
“Magic Candies”
“Beautiful Men”

Live Action Short
“Anuja”
“The Last Ranger”
“A Lien”
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
“I’m Not a Robot”

Documentary Short
“Death by Numbers”
“I Am Ready, Warden”
“Incident”
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
“Instruments of a Beating Heart”

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez”
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing”

 

Lisa Marie’s Final 2024 Oscar Predictions


The Oscar nominations are due to be announced tomorrow so I guess I should post my final predictions.  2024 has been a rough year for me and my sisters.  Our Dad was in a car accident in May and, after two months of physical rehab, passed away in August while in home hospice care.  Needless to say, going to the movies was the last thing on my mind for much of 2024.

(I’m very thankful that my fellow contributors who kept the site going during our frequent absences.  Their hard work not only kept TSL alive but it also rekindled my own passion for the Shattered Lens.  I am still very much in mourning but writing for this site and sharing my thoughts with our readers has definitely helped me to regain some semblance of stability.)

So, there’s a lot of Oscar hopefuls that I have not seen.  That’s one reason why I haven’t done a best of 2024 list this year or my usual “If Lisa Marie Had All The Power” posts because there’s still a lot that I need to watch.  (I may publish them at some point in February, by which point everyone will have moved on but it will make me feel happy.)  I’m flying blind here with a lot of the potential nominees.  But I’ve been following the guilds and the critic awards and I feel reasonably confident about the predictions below.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll find out how right or wrong I am.

Best Picture

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune Part II

The Brutalist

A Real Pain

September 5

The Substance

Wicked

Best Director

Jacques Audiard for Emilia Perez

Sean Baker for Anora

Edward Berger for Conclave

Brady Corbet for The Brutalist

Coralie Fargeat for The Substance

Best Actress

Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl

Cynthia Erivo in Wicked

Karla Sofia Gascon in Emilia Perez

Mikey Madison in Anora

Demi Moore for in Substance

Best Actor

Adrien Brody in The Brutalist

Timothee Chalamet in A Compete Unknown

Domingo Colman in Sing Sing

Daniel Craig in Queer

Ralph Fiennes in Conclave

Best Supporting Actress

Jamie Lee Curtis in The Last Showgirl

Ariana Grande in Wicked

Margaret Qualley in The Substance

Isabella Rossellini in Conclave

Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez

Best Supporting Actor

Yura Borisov in Anora

Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

Edward Norton in A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce in The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Jim Jarmusch Edition


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 of one of the most important and independently minded filmmakers of the past 40 years, Jim Jarmusch!

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Jim Jarmusch Films

Stranger Than Paradise (1984, dir by Jim Jarmusch, DP: Tom DiCillo)

Down by Law (1986, dir by Jim Jarmusch, DP: Robby Muller)

Dead Man (1995, dir by Jim Jarmusch, DP: Robby Muller)

The Dead Don’t Die (2019, dir by Jim Jarmusch, DP: Frederick Elmes)

20 Shots From David Lynch


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, on what would have been his birthday, we take the time to pay tribute to one of our favorite directors.  Needless to say, when it comes to David Lynch, there’s an embarrassment of riches.

Here are….

20 Shots From David Lynch

Eraserhead (1977, directed by David Lynch, DP: Frederick Elmes and Herbert Cardwell)

The Elephant Man (1980, dir by David Lynch, DP: Freddie Francis)

Dune (1984, dir by David Lynch, DP: Freddie Francis)

Blue Velvet (1986, dir by David Lynch, DP: Frederick Elmes)

Twin Peaks: The Pilot (1990, dir by David Lynch, DP: Ron Garcia)

Twin Peaks 1.3 “Zen or the Skill To Catch a Killer” (1990, dir by David Lynch, DP: Frank Byers)

Wild At Heart (1990, dir by David Lynch, DP: Frederick Elmes)

Twin Peaks 2.7 “Lonely Souls” (1990, dir by David Lynch, DP: Frank Byers)

Twin Peaks 2.22 (1991, dir by David Lynch, DP: Frank Byers)

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992, dir by David Lynch, DP: Ron Garcia)

On The Air 1.1 “The Lester Guy Show” (dir by David Lynch, DP: Ron Garcia)

Lost Highway (1997, dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Deming)

The Straight Story (1999, dir by David Lynch, DP: Freddie Francis)

Rabbits (2002, dir by David Lynch, DP: David Lynch)

Mulholland Drive (2000, dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Deming)

Twin Peaks: The Return Part 3 (dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Deming)

Inland Empire (2006, dir by David Lynch, DP: David Lynch)

Twin Peaks: The Return Part 8 (2017, dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Dening)

Twin Peaks: The Return Part 18 (2017, dir by David Lynch)

What Did Jack Do? (2017, dir by David Lynch, DP: Scott Ressler)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Bootleggers Edition


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 is National Bootleggers Day so remember to speak easy!  In honor of everyone’s favorite entrepreneurs, it’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Films About Bootleggers

The Roaring Twenties (1939, dir by Raoul Walsh, DP: Ernest Haller)

Thunder Road (1958, dir by Arthur Ripley, DP: David Ettenson and Alan Stensvoid)

Once Upon A Time In America (1984, dir by Sergio Leone, DP: Tonino Delli Colli)

The Great Gatsby (2013, dir by Baz Luhrmann, DP: Simon Duggan)