As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly watch parties. On Twitter, I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday and I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday. On Mastodon, I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix! The movie? John Carpenter’s They Live!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, find They Live on Prime, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag! I’ll be there happily tweeting. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
James Woods was recently asked on X if he would have enjoyed starring in a sequel to one of his movies!
His response… “John Carpenter’s VAMPIRES, because it was just so much fun to do!”
As a huge fan of Woods going back to the 80’s, I saw VAMPIRES when it played in the movie theater. I really enjoyed it, and I’ve even written a review for the film for this website. (On a side note, I shared that review with Mr. Woods, and he thanked me for it.) One of the main reasons I like the film is the badass opening sequence. Woods couldn’t have looked any cooler, and Carpenter’s guitar sets the macho mood perfectly. Today I thought it would be fun to share that scene with all of you. It’s a long clip, but it’s still awesome. Enjoy!
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, we pay tribute to the year 1978! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 1978 Films
Halloween (1978, dir by John Carpenter. DP: Dean Cundey)
Starcrash (1978, dir by Luigi Cozzi, DP: Paul Beeson and Roberto D’Ettorre Piazzoli)
Days of Heaven (1978, dir by Terrence Malick, DP: Nestor Almendros)
Hooper (1978, dir by Hal Needham, DP: Bobby Byrne)
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.
We’re halfway through July, which means that it’s time for me to get ready for October! (Seriously, who cares about August and September?) Here to inspire are….
4 Shots From 4 Horror Movies
Frankenstein (1931, dir by James Whale, DP: Arthur Edeson)
Night of the Living Dead (1968, dir by George Romero)
Halloween (1978, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cudney)
Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Romana Albano)
Today’s scene is the finale of John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness. Sam Neill watches the movie that he’s just starred in and finds it to be hilarious.
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, we celebrate Bruce Campbell’s birthday! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Bruce Campbell Films
Evil Dead II (1987, dir by Sam Raimi, DP: Peter Deming)
Army of Darkness (1992, dir by Sam Raimi, DP: Bill Pope)
Escape From L.A. (1996, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Gary B. Kibbe)
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002, dir by Don Coscarelli, DP: Adam Janiero)
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!
The aliens are here …. or are they?
4 Shots From 4 Alien Invasion Films
It Came From Outer Space (1953, dir by Jack Arnold, DP: Clifford Stine)
It Conquered The World (1956, dir by Roger Corman, DP: Fred E. West)
Starman (1984, dir by John Carpenter. DP: Donald M. Morgan)
Predator (1987, directed by John McTiernan, DP: Donald McAlpine)
From 1982’s The Thing, here is one of the greatest endings in the history of horror. Kurt Russell and Keith David play two characters who might be the final survivors of the The Thing’s rampage or who might just be one human talking to one alien. With nothing to do but wait for the inevitable, the two of them share a drink and prepare to freeze.
The scene features great acting from Russell and David and great direction from John Carpenter. It’s one of those endings that you will never forget.
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, we wish a happy birthday to the great Kurt Russell! Last year, we pretty much reviewed every Kurt Russell films that we could find. It was a great day. This year, we cannot let the day pass without offering up….
4 Shots From 4 Kurt Russell Films
Used Cars (1980, dir by Robert Zemeckis, DP: Donald M. Morgan)
Escape From New York (1981, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)
The Thing (1982, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cundey)
Tombstone (1993, dir by George Pan Cosmatos (and Kurt Russell), DP: William Fraker)
If you’re following the page today, you know that The Shattered Lens is celebrating the 78th birthday of legendary Director John Carpenter. Did you know that there was a time when the studio “suits” wanted Charles Bronson to play the role of Snake Plissken in Carpenter’s classic, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK? A big star when the original idea of the film began kicking around, studio executives felt that an experienced, gritty actor like Bronson might be perfect for the role, especially since he was already a solid box office champ.
Carpenter, however, wanted a younger guy to play Plissken and may have even been a little intimidated to work with the veteran action star…
“Charles Bronson had expressed interest in playing Snake, but I was afraid of working with him. He was a big star, and I was this little-shit nobody.”
It all worked out well in the long run as Carpenter was eventually able to cast his first choice for the role, Kurt Russell, who was at an important stage in his own career as he was still in the process of reinventing his on-screen image from his days as a former child star and Disney star. John Carpenter had worked with Russell a couple of years earlier in the TV movie, ELVIS (1979), so he had confidence in the young actor. Russell turned out to be an incredible choice for the film and key to making it the classic it is today.
Still, for a Bronson fan like me, it’s quite interesting to know that there’s a multiverse out there that could have seen Bronson in the iconic role!
Through the Shattered Lens 