4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Lone Scherfig Edition

Posted on May 2, 2024 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, TSL wishes a happy birthday to Danish director Lone Scherfig! It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Lone Scherfig Films

An Education (2009, dir by Lone Scherfig, DP: John de Borman)

One Day (2011, dir by Lone Scherfig, DP: Benoît Delhomme)

The Riot Club (2014, dir by Lone Scherfig, DP: Sebastian Blenkov)

Their Finest (2016, dir by Lone Scherfig, DP: Sebastian Blenkov)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Wes Anderson Edition

Posted on May 1, 2024 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

Bottle Rocket (1996, dir by Wes Anderson, DP: Robert Yeoman)

Rushmore (1998, dir by Wes Anderson, DP: Robert Yeoman)

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

Asteroid City (2023. dir by Wes Anderson, DP: Robert Yeoman)

6 Things That I’m Looking Forward To In May

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to the wonderful month of May!

1) Cannes Film Festival — This is the big one. This is the main thing that I’m looking forward to in May. I don’t care if anything else happens in May, as long as the Cannes Film Festival takes place. I won’t be at Cannes this year but, like most of you, I’ll be following all of the reports, dispatches, and rumors from the Festival.

Cannes is going to finally give reviewers a first look at some of the most anticipated films of 2024. The Apprentice, Bird, Kinds of Kindness, Oh Canada, and Parthenope are all going to be in the competition, along with Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. Oh, Megalopolis. After all the rumors and all the speculation about Coppola’s latest film, it will finally be presented to the world at Cannes. Megalopolis has been getting a mixed reaction among the studio folk, with many describing the film as being Coppola’s latest folly. Of course, the execs of the 70s said the same thing about Apocalypse Now before it was released. It was at the 79 Cannes Film Festival that Apocalypse Now was first honored. We’re all waiting to see if history will repeat itself.

(And let us not forget that films like Furiosa and the first of Kevin Costner’s Horizon films will be premiering out of competition.)

Victory at Cannes does not necessarily guarantee success at the Oscars but it doesn’t hurt. With this year’s Sundance Film Festival being an unexpectedly low-key affair, it appears that Cannes will be the true start of this year’s Oscar season.

2) The Fall Guy — Hey, this looks fun! Seriously, we need more fun films. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, The Fall Guy will be be in theaters at the end of this week.

3) Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — I have mixed feelings about the idea of continuing the current line of Planet of the Apes films. I think the filmmakers may be underestimating just how important Andy Serkis was to the success of the previous three films. That said, I’m still interested in seeing the latest installment for myself. I hope it’s a success. I also hope that people will go back and watch the original Planet of the Apes films as well. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is a film that feels more relevant with each passing years.

4) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga — Like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, I get the feeling that the filmmakers may be underestimating how important Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy were to the success of Mad Max: Fury Road. That said, I’m still very much looking forward to seeing Furiosa for myself. Following its Cannes premiere, Furiosa is scheduled to open on May 24th.

5) Hit Man — The latest from Richard Linklater also opens on May24th. After several months of hearing positive things about this film, I can’t wait to finally watch it.

6) 1992 — Ray Liotta’s final film will open, in limited release, on May 31st.

What are you looking forward to in May?

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Allan Arkush Edition

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today would have been the 76th birthday of Allan Arkush, the director who started his career with Roger Corman and who went on to direct some of the best cult films of the 70s. Though Hollywood never quite figured out what to do with Arkush and his quirky sensibility, he still had a long career as a television director and, thankfully, he lived long enough to see several of his films rediscovered and appreciated by movie lovers.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Allan Arkush Films

Hollywood Boulevard (1976, dir by Allan Arkush and Joe Dante, DP: Jamie Anderson)

Deathsport (1978, dir by Allan Arkush, DP: Gary Graver)

Rock and Roll High School (1979, dir by Allan Arkush, DP: Dean Cundey)

Get Crazy (1983, dir by Allan Arkush, DP: Thomas Del Ruth)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special John Milius Edition

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is John Milius’s birthday and you know what? It should be a national holiday!

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 John Milius Films

Dillinger (1973, dir by John Milius, DP: Jules Brenner)

Big Wednesday (1978, dir by John Milius, DP: Bruce Surtees)

Conan The Barbarian (1982, dir by John Milius, DP: Duke Callaghan)

Red Dawn (1984, dir by John Milius, DP: Ric Waite)

Here Is The Official Cannes Lineup!

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The lineup for the Cannes Film Festival has been announced. After a rather subdued Sundance, film lovers like me are desperately looking to Cannes to add some excitement to 2024. Considering that Cannes is going to see the premiere of new films from Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader, Sean Baker, Kevin Costner, Andrea Arnold, George Miller, David Cronenberg, and Yorgos Lanthimos, it might do just that!

In the past, Cannes has always been hit-and-miss when it comes to the Oscars. But lately, films like The Zone of Interest, Parasite, and The Tree of Life have followed success at Cannes with success with the Academy.

With that in mind, here’s the lineup. If you’re going to Cannes in May, you’re going to have a good time!

Full lineup of the 2024 Cannes film festival.

The Second Act Quentin Dupieux (Opening Film) (Out of Competition)

Competition

L’Amour Ouf Gilles Lellouche

All We Imagine As Light Payal Kapadia

Anora Sean Baker

The Apprentice Ali Abbasi

Bird Andrea Arnold

Caught by the Tides Jia Zhangke

Emilia Perez Jacques Audiard

The Girl With the Needle Magnus von Horn

Grand Tour Miguel Gomes

Limonov: The Ballad Kirill Serebrennikov

Marcello Mio Christophe Honoré

Megalopolis Francis Ford Coppola

Motel Destino Karim Ainouz

Oh Canada Paul Schrader

Parthenope Paolo Sorrentino

The Shrouds David Cronenberg

The Substance Coralie Fargeat

Wild Diamond Agathe Riedinger

Kinds of Kindness Yorgos Lanthimos

Out of Competition

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga George Miller

Horizon, an American Saga Kevin Costner

Rumours Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, Guy Maddin

She’s Got No Name Chan Peter Ho-Sun

Un Certain Regard

Armand Halfdan Ullmann Tondel

Black Dog Guan Hu

The Damned Roberto Minervini

L’Histoire de Souleymane Boris Lojkine

My Sunshine Boku No Ohisama

Norah Tawik Alzaidi

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl Rungano Nyoni

Le Royaume Julien Colonna

Santosh Sandhya Suri

September Says Ariane Labed

The Shameless Konstantin Bojanov

Viet and Nam Truong Minh Quý

The Village Next to Paradise Mo Harawe

Vingt Deux! Louise Courvoisier

Who Let the Dogs Bite? Laetitia Dosch

Midnight Screenings

The Balconettes Noémie Merlant

I, The Executioner Seung Wan Ryoo

The Surfer Lorcan Finnegan

Twilight of the Warrior Walled In Soi Cheang

Cannes Premiere

C’est Pas Moi Leos Carax

Everybody Loves Touda Nabil Ayouch

The Matching Bang Emmanuel Courcol

Misericorde Alain Guiraudie

Rendez-Vous Avec Pol Pot Rithy Panh

Le Roman de Jim Arnaud Larrieu, Jean-Marie Larrieu

Special Screenings

Apprendre Claire Simon

La Belle de Gaza Yolande Zauberman

Ernest Cole, Lost and Found Raoul Peck

Le Fil Daniel Auteuil

The Invasion Sergei Loznitsa

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Ward Bond Edition

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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.

121 years ago today, the great American character actor Ward Bond was born in Benkleman, Nebraska. In a career that last nearly forty years, Ward Bond appeared in more than 200 films and he currently holds the record for being the actor to appear in the most films nominated for Best Picture. (He appeared in 13 nominated films, two of which won.) He did 22 films with John Wayne and was a favorite of both John Ford and Frank Capra.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Ward Bond Films

Gone With The Wind (1939, dir by Victor Fleming, DP: Ernest Haller)

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

The Searchers (1956, dir by John Ford, DP: Winston C. Hoch)

Rio Bravo (1959, dir by Howard Hawks, DP: Russell Harlan)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Francis Ford Coppola Edition

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is Francis Ford Coppola’s birthday! Coppola is a bit of a controversial figure among some film scholars. While everyone agrees that, with the first two Godfathers, he directed two of the greatest films of all time (and some people would include Apocalypse Now on that list as well) and that he was one of the most important directors of the 70s, his post-Apocalypse Now career is often held up as a cautionary tale. Some say that Coppola’s career suffered because of his own excessive behavior and spending. Others argue that he was treated unfairly by a film industry that resented his refusal to compromise his vision and ambitions. Personally, my natural instinct is to always side with the artist over the executives and that’s certainly the case with Coppola. Coppola has only completed four films since the start of this current century and three of them were not widely released. Say what you will about the films themselves, that still doesn’t seem right. This year will bring us a new Coppola film, Megapolis. I know that we’re all hoping the best.

Regardless of how one views his latter career, Coppola is responsible for some of the best and most important films ever made. And today, on his birthday, it’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Francis Ford Coppola Films

The Godfather (1972, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)

The Conversation (1974, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Bill Butler)

The Godfather, Part II (1974, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)

Apocalypse Now (1979, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Vittorio Storaro)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Roger Corman Edition

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we wish a happy 98th birthday to the legendary filmmaker, Roger Corman! And that means that it’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Roger Corman Films

Not Of This Earth (1957, dir by Roger Corman, DP; John J. Mescall)

X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes (1963, dir by Roger Corman, DP: Floyd Crosby)

The Masque of the Red Death (1964, dir by Roger Corman, DP: Nicolas Roeg)

The Trip (1967, dir by Roger Corman, DP: Archie R. Dalzell)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Andrei Tarkovsky

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

On this date, 92 years ago, Andrei Tarkovsky was born in Russia. Before he was murdered by the KGB in 1986, Tarkovsky was responsible for some of the most intriguing and visually stunning films ever made. Today, we pay tribute to Tarkovsky’s art and his legacy. It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Andrei Tarkovsky Films