Tag Archives: Films

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Roger Corman Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Roger Corman in The Godfather Part II

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, we wish a happy 97th birthday to the legendary filmmaker, Roger Corman!  And that means that it’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Roger Corman Films

It Conquered The World (1956, dir by Roger Corman, DP: Fred E. West)

House of Usher (1960, dir by Roger Corman, DP: Floyd Crosby)

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

The Wild Angels (1966, dir by Roger Corman, DP: Richard Moore)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Quentin Tarantino Edition

Posted on 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 60th birthday to director/screenwriter/cultural institution, Quentin Tarantino!

Here are….

4 Shots From 4 Quentin Tarantino Films

Pulp Fiction (1994, dir by Quentin Tarantino, DP: Andrzej Sekuła)

Kill Bill (2003, dir by Quentin Tarantino, DP: Robert Richardson)

Inglourious Basterds (2009, dir by Quentin Tarantino, DP: Robert Richardson)

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019, dir by Quentin Tarantino, DP: Robert Richardson)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special John Stockwell Edition

Posted on 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 actor/director John Stockwell!  Though the critics might not always realize it, Galveston-born John Stockwell is responsible for some of the best beach movies of the 21st Century.  No one can make the beach and the ocean look as inviting (or as dangerous) as John Stockwell.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 John Stockwell Films

Blue Crush (2002, dir by John Stockwell, DP: David Hennings)

Into the Blue (2005, dir by John Stockwell, DP: Shane Hurlbut and Pete Zuccarini)

Turistas (2006, dir by John Stockwell, DP: Enrique Chediak and Peter Zuccarini)

In the Blood (2014, dir by John Stockwell, DP: P.J. Lopez)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Akira Kurosawa Edition

Posted on 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 honors both the birth and the legacy of the great filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Akira Kurosawa Films

Seven Samurai (1954, dir by Akira Kurosawa, DP: Asakazu Nakai)

The Hidden Fortress (1958, dir. by Akira Kurosawa, DP: Kazuo Yamasaki)

Dersu Uzala (1975, dir. by Akira Kurosawa, DP: Asakazu Nakai)

Dreams (1990, dir by Akira Kurosawa, DP: Takao Saito)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Russ Meyer Edition

Posted on 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!

101 years ago, on the very day, Russ Meyer was born in San Leandro, California.  Meyer would get his start filming newsreels during World War II, with much of his newsreel footage later showing up in films like the 1970 Oscar winner, Patton.  When he returned to the United States, he continued to make films, though the subject matter changed a bit.  Meyer was one of the pioneers of the adult film industry, though his once controversial films now seem rather quaint and innocent when compared to the industry’s later films.  Meyer’s strong visual sense and his intentionally over-the-top plots made him a favorite amongst underground critics.  In the 70s, he was briefly embraced by mainstream Hollywood but, unhappy with having to deal with the studio bosses, Meyer returned to making the type of independent, grindhouse films that made him famous.

Russ Meyer was 82 years old when he died in 2004.  He was acclaimed as one of America’s first and most iconic independent filmmakers.

Here are 4 Safe-For-Work Shots From 4 Russ Meyer Films.

4 Shots From 4 Films

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965, dir by Russ Meyer, DP: Walter Schenk)

Motorpsycho (1965, dir by Russ Meyer, DP: Russ Meyer)

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970, dir by Russ Meyer, DP: Fred J. Koenekamp)

The Seven Minutes (1971, dir by Russ Meyer, DP: Fred Mandl)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special David Cronenberg Edition

Posted on 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 one of our favorite directors, David Cronenberg!  No one has done more to change the way that the world views Canada than David Cronenberg.  Last year, Cronenberg came out of a ten-year retirement to film Crimes of the Future.  Next up, a film called The Shrouds, a film that is described as being a businessman who discovers a way to communicate with the dead.

Here are….

4 Shots From 4 David Cronenberg Films

Crimes of the Future (1970, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: David Cronenberg)

Scanners (1981, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: Mark Irwin)

Dead Ringers (1988, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: Peter Suschitzky)

Crimes of the Future (2022, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: Douglas Koch)

Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For March

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Now that the 2022 Oscars are over with, it’s time to move on to the 2023 Oscars!

Needless to say, there’s probably nothing more pointless than trying to guess which films are going to be nominated a year from now.  I can’t even guarantee that all of the films listed below are even going to be released this year.  And, even if they are released this year, I can’t guarantee that they’ll actually be any good or that the Academy will show any interest in them.  I mean, Martin Scorsese always seems like a safe bet but we all remember what happened with Silence.  For months, everyone said Silence would be the Oscar front runner.  Then it was released to respectful but not ecstatic reviews.  Audiences stayed away.  The film ended up with one technical nomination.

My point is that no one knows anything.  As much as I hate quoting William Goldman (because, seriously, quoting Goldman on a film site is such a cliché at this point), Goldman was right.

So, you may be asking, how did I come up with the nominees below?  For the most part, I guessed.  A few of them I went with because of the people who made the film.  Though shooting has wrapped, Ferrari might not even be released this year but it’s a Michael Mann film that stars Adam Driver so, for now, I have to include it.  Of course, I had to include Scorsese and Killers of the Flower Moon.  Asteroid City is there because the Academy embraced Wes Anderson once and it could always happen again.  Fair Play and Magazine Dreams‘s Jonathan Majors are listed because the Sundance Film Festival is still a recent memory.  Maestro is there because the Academy seems like to Bradley Cooper.  Dune Part Two and Oppenheimer are there because Film Twitter is convinced that they will be.

In other words, there’s no real science to these predictions.  It’s too early in the year to do anything but guess.  And for now, these are my guesses.  A year from now, they’ll be good for either bragging rights or a laugh.  Hopefully, they’ll be good for both.

Best Picture

Asteroid City

The Color Purple

Dune Part Two

Fair Play

Ferrari

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Rustin

Best Director

Chloe Domont for Fair Play

Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer

Alexander Payne for The Holdovers

Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon

Denis Villeneuve for Dune Part Two

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper in Maestro

Colman Domingo in Rustin

Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers

Jonathan Majors in Magazine Dreams

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

Best Actress

Emily Blunt in Pain Hustlers

Carey Mulligan in Maestro

Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers

Julia Roberts in Leave the World Behind

Teyana Taylor in A Thousand and One

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali in Leave The World Behind

Willem DaFoe in Poor Things

Matt Damon in Oppenheimer

Ethan Hawke in Strange Way Of Life

Jesse Plemons in Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer

Tantoo Cardinal in Killers of the Flower Moon

Taraji P. Henson in The Color Purple

Florence Pugh in Oppenheimer

Tilda Swinton in Asteroid City

A Few Thoughts On The 95th Oscar Ceremony

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This year’s Oscar ceremony was all about the Slap.

Don’t get me wrong.  No one got slapped during the ceremony.  No one got yelled at.  There wasn’t any major controversy at all, beyond the question of whether Everything Everywhere All At Once actually deserved all of those Oscars.  Most of the awards speeches were nice.  Ke Huy Quan was a highlight, calling his story “an American dream.”  Much as when Gary Oldman praised America upon winning his Oscar for Best Actor, you could tell the audience at the ceremony wasn’t sure how to react to unironic praise of America but I can promise you that his speech touched the hearts of almost everyone watching.  Compared to previous ceremonies, there wasn’t a lot of political blathering and the orchestra did its job and kept people from rambling on for too long.  Obviously, the Academy learned its lesson from the Soderbergh Oscars and that guy who wouldn’t shut up about his octopus.

That said, from the start, it was obvious that The Slap and preventing another incident was on everyone’s mind.  As opposed to last year’s Oscars, the entire ceremony felt tightly controlled.  Jimmy Kimmel kept his jokes light and only poked fun at people who didn’t show for the ceremony, like James Cameron and Tom Cruise.  Amongst the presenters, there was a definite lack of comedians or, really, anyone who might threaten to go off script and say something controversial.  The show was carefully constructed to keep anything shocking from happening and, as a result, it was a bit dull.  For all the drama and controversy that surrounded the Slap, it was probably one of the few truly spontaneous moments that we’ve seen on the Oscars.  Certainly, more people talked about the Slap last year than are going to be talking the ceremony this year.

This year was safe and boring, though it was never as downright dull as the Soderbergh Oscars.  Most of the victories felt inevitable.  I guess the biggest upset was Jamie Lee Curtis winning Best Supporting Actress over Angela Bassett.  (Though I appreciated that Curtis epitomized everything that normal people hate about the IRS, I was rooting for Kerry Condon.)  There was a brief moment of excitement when it seemed like All Quiet On The Western Front might upset Everything Everywhere All At Once but that ended up as soon as All Quiet lost the Adapted Screenplay Oscar to Women Talking.

As far as the speeches go, Ke Huy Quan won the evening by giving a genuine, heartfelt acceptance speech.  The Daniels got to give three acceptance speeches and they both seemed to get just a little bit more impressed with themselves with each speech.  (A lot of people are going to have their knives out when the Daniels get around to making their third film.)  EEAAO‘s editor went on for a bit too long, which is actually kind of a funny thing for an editor to do.  Michelle Yeoh’s speech was classy and should be used as a guide who ever wonders what to say when accepting an award.

I was kind of dreading the prospect of Jimmy Kimmel hosting but I thought he did a good job.  Other than throwing in a few heavy-handed political jabs towards the end, Kimmel struck the right tone for the show.  Jimmy certainly seemed to have a better handle on things than Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall did last year.  Of course, unlike those three, Kimmel didn’t have to deal with any nominees walking on stage and striking a presenter.

As far as the musical performances go, the performance of RRR‘s nominated song was a lot of fun and I also thought Lady Gaga did a wonderful job with her song.  The other performances didn’t do much for me, though none of them were particularly bad.  They were just kind of safe.  The fact that EEAAO got a nomination for that song should have been everyone’s first clue that the Academy was going to love the movie.

The ceremony this year was controlled and boring and, most importantly, it’s now over.  Now, we can start talking about what’s going to win in 2024!

Here Are Your Oscar Winners

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Best Picture — Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Director — The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Actor — Brendan Fraser, The Whale

Best Actress — Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Supporting Actor — Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Supporting Actress — Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Adapted Screenplay — Women Talking

Best Original Screenplay — Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Animated Feature Film — Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

Best International Film — All Quiet On The Western Front

Best Documentary Feature Film — Nalvany

Best Live Action Short — An Irish Goodbye

Best Animated Short — The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse

Best Documentary Short — The Elephant Whisperers

Best Original Score — All Quiet On The Western Front

Best Original Song — RRR

Best Cinematography — All Quiet On The Western Front

Best Costume Design — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Best Editing — Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Makeup and Hairstyling — The Whale

Best Production Design — All Quiet On The Western Front

Best Sound — Top Gun: Maverick

Best Visual Effects — Avatar: The Way of Water

10 Oscar Snubs From The 2010s

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

And now, we reach the present day!  A lot has changed over the past few decades but one thing has remained consistent.  No matter how hard the Academy tries, some good movies and performances are always going to get snubbed.  Here are ten snubs from the previous decade.

2011: Shame Is Totally Ignored

Despite being critically acclaimed and receiving nominations from other groups, Steve McQueen’s Shame was totally ignored by the Academy.  My theory is a lot of people looked at Michael Fassbender playing an emotionally detached, self-destructive sex addict and they basically saw aspects of themselves that they didn’t want to acknowledge.  Shame caused too much shame amongst the voters.

2012: The Master Is Not Nominates For Best Picture

When The Master was first released, a lot of people didn’t really know what to make of Paul Thomas Anderson’s barely disguised portrait of Scientology.  The film received only three nominations, for Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams.  It deserved quite a bit more but, in 2012, I imagine the film’s portrait of a charismatic cult leader taking advantage of his wealthy followers seemed a bit too familiar to some voters.

2013: Tom Hanks Is Not Nominated For Best Actor For Captain Phillips

Looking over today’s list of snubs, a recurring theme seems to be actors who were not nominated because the Academy took them and their talent for granted.  That’s the only possible reason that I can come up with for the Academy to have not nominated Tom Hanks for his outstanding lead performance in Captain Phillips.  Just consider the scene at the end of the film, when the shellshocked and exhausted Captain Phillips is examined by a nurse and he can’t stop talking about the blood on his clothes.  It’s a devastating scene, largely because the audience doesn’t feel as if they’re watching Tom Hanks give a performance.  At that moment, they feel that they are watching a man who has just been through the worst experience of his life and who, even though he is now safe, will be forever haunted by what he has witnessed.

2014: Guardians of the Galaxy Is Not Nominated For Best Picture

Seriously, if any MCU film deserved to be nominated for Best Picture, it was Guardians of the Galaxy.  It was a fun movie with a charismatic cast and, despite what some critics claimed, it actually did have something to say about the importance of tolerance and individual freedom.  It even holds up well to repeat viewings, which is not exactly something that you can say about a few of the other MCU film.

2016: Amy Adams Is Not Nominated For Best Actress For Arrival

Much as they did with Tom Hanks and his performance in Captain Phillips, the Academy took Amy Adams for granted and failed to nominate her for Arrival, despite the fact that it was her best performance to date.  At this point, if I’m Amy Adams, I would be wondering just what it is that I’m going to have to do to finally get my Oscar.

2017: Ethan Hawke Is Not Nominates For Best Actor For First Reformed

This is another snub that I can’t get my head around.  Ethan Hawke has been nominated in the past.  The Academy is obviously not resistant to honoring Ethan Hawke.  So how was it that one of his best performances went unnominated?  For that matter, how is it that First Reformed itself only received one Oscar nomination?

2019: The Souvenir Is Ignored

Despite being one of the best films of the past ten years, The Souvenir was ignored by Academy.  The things that made the film work, like its low-key but honest performances and its refusal to pass easy judgment on its characters, are probably the same things that caused the Academy to overlook it.

2020: The Assistant Is Ignored

This was a powerful film and it featured an award-worthy performance from Julia Garner.  It was also about Harvey Weinstein so I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked that the Academy snubbed it.  The Assistant is a film that probably hit too close to home for many members of the Academy.

2021: Val Is Not Nominated For Best Documentary Feature

Val is one of the most affecting documentaries that I’ve ever seen but the Documentary Branch failed to even give it a nomination.  Maybe, like The Assistant, Val just hit too close to home for some of the voters.

2021: Mass Is Ignored

Again, I will never understand how the Academy can fail to give even one nomination to a film as good as Mass.  As with The Souvenir, I can only guess that the Academy did not know how to react to Mass’s honest approach to its subject matter.  Mass worked because it avoided easy judgments and solutions.  That’s probably the same thing that led to the Academy ignoring both the film and its outstanding cast.

Agree?  Disagree?  Do you have any bigger Oscar snub that you’d like to mention?  Let us know in the comments!

And now, get ready to enjoy the show!  And, if you don’t care about the Oscars, fear not!  My review of The Black Godfather will be posting in an hour.