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 is the birthday of one of the greatest films stars ever, Elizabeth Taylor! And you know what that means. It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Elizabeth Taylor Films
A Place in the Sun (1951, dir by George Stevens, DP: William C. Mellor)
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959, dir by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, DP: Jack Hildyard)
Cleopatra (1963, dir by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, DP: Leon Shamroy )
Boom! (1968, dir by Joseph Losey, DP: Douglas Slocombe)
Gene Hackman has passed away. He was 95 and reportedly found dead in his Santa Fe home, along with his wife and dog. That’s what the authorities are saying. They also say there’s no sign of foul play. I’m sure there will be a lot of online speculation about what that all means. That’s the way of the world nowadays and it’s a shame.
Gene Hackman was one of the greats. He went into acting after a stint in the Marines and, according to most accounts and his own interviews, he never lost that grit and that expectation of professionalism from everyone he worked with. A former roommate of Robert Duvall’s, a close friend of Dustin Hoffman’s (from the days when they were both unknown stage actors), Hackman went from doing episodic television to becoming one of our best film actors. He was hardly a traditional leading man but his talent was undeniable. His Popeye Doyle was the classic eccentric cop. His Lex Luthor was a great comedic villain while his performance as Little Bill Daggett in Unforgiven proved to be the perfect portrayal of the authoritarian impulse. Interestingly enough, he was reportedly set to make his directorial debut with The Silence of the Lambs but he withdrew from the project, saying he didn’t like the violence. (Reports vary on whether he would have also played Lecter or Jack Crawford.) Hackman was a liberal but of the old-fashioned, blue collar variety. He once said starring in The French Connection changed his whole view of policing. It takes courage to admit to having changed your mind on anything. It’s not something that a lot of celebs have the guts to do anymore.
I’ve always respected that Hackman retired under his own terms. Faced with spending the latter part of his career appearing in movies like Welcome to Mooseport, he said, “I’m done.” Someone would have to be the once great star who humiliated himself by taking the lead role in Dirty Grandpa but it wasn’t going to be Gene Hackman.
Gene Hackman, RIP. He had a great career and gave us many great performances and that’s all we can really ask of an actor.
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 one of the directors who brought the horror genre back to box office life in the aughts and 2010s, James Wan! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 James Wan Films
Insidious (2011, dir by James Wan, DP: John Leonetti))
The Conjuring (2013, dir by James Wan, DP: John Leonetti)
Aquaman (2018, dir by James Wan, DP: Don Burgess)
Malignant (2021, dir by James Wan, DP: Michael Burgess)
Arkansas’s own Johnny Cash would have been 93 years old today so it seems appropriate that his voice should also be featured in our song of the day. Here is Folsom Prison Blues, a song that Johnny actually sang while performing at the prison for people who very may have shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.
Really, that’s what makes Johnny Cash such an American icon. On the one hand, he was a religious country boy who wrote songs about his spiritual troubles and his everlasting faith. On the other, he could make you cheer at the idea of shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die.
That’s talent.
I hear the train a comin’ It’s rolling round the bend And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when I’m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin’ on But that train keeps a rollin’ on down to San Antone
When I was just a baby my mama told me “Son, always be a good boy, don’t ever play with guns” But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry
I bet there’s rich folks eating in a fancy dining car They’re probably drinkin’ coffee and smoking big cigars Well I know I had it coming, I know I can’t be free But those people keep a movin’ And that’s what tortures me
Well if they freed me from this prison If that railroad train was mine I bet I’d move it on a little farther down the line Far from Folsom prison, that’s where I want to stay And I’d let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away
I read yesterday that Reggie Bannister, one of the most beloved horror character actors out there, isn’t doing too well. He has gone into hospice care. Those words — “hospice care” — will always bring a tear to my eye. My Dad went into hospice care last year and died a month later, which I was told was longer than most people survive in hospice. Being the naive idiot that I was, I have to admit that, up until the end, I was still expecting my Dad to make a full recovery and just magically get out of bed. Sadly, that’s just not the way these things work. Hospice is end-of-life care and any medical professional who doesn’t make that clear while recommending it is doing a disservice to not only their patients but also their families.
Reggie Bannister is best-known for his appearances in the work of Don Coscarelli. He’s one of those actors who just makes you smile whenever he appears on screen. Anyone who has watched Phantasm loves Reggie, with his ice cream truck and his guitar and his whole laid back vibe. Today’s scene that I love is a simple but wonderfully human moment from 1978’s Phantasm, featuring Bill Thornbury and the great Reggie Bannister.
Today’s song of the day comes to us from George Harrison, who would have been 82 on this day.
All Things Must Pass is a song that Harrison originally wrote for the Beatles. While the song didn’t make it into Abbey Road, it did later serve as the title track for Harrison’s first post-Beatles album.
Sunrise doesn’t last all morning A cloudburst doesn’t last all day Seems my love is up And has left you with no warning It’s not always gonna be this grey
All things must pass All things must pass away
Sunset doesn’t last all evening A mind can blow those clouds away After all this my love is up And must be leaving But it’s not always going To be this grey
All things must pass All things must pass away
All things must pass None of life’s strings can last So I must be on my way And face another day
Now the darkness only stays at night time In the morning it will fade away Daylight is good At arriving at the right time But it’s not always going To be this grey
All things must pass All things must pass away All things must pass All things must pass away
Seeing as how today would have been Gert Frobe’s birthday, it seems only appropriate that today’s scene of the day should be one of the best moments from the original Bond franchise. In 1964’s Goldfinger, Frobe sets the standard by which all other Bond villains would be judged.
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, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Irish director Neil Jordan! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Neil Jordan Films
The Company of Wolves (1984, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Bryan Loftus)
Interview With A Vampire (1994, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Philippe Rousselot)
In Dreams (1999, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Darius Khondji)
Byzantium (2012, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Sean Bobbitt)
Through the Shattered Lens 