Today would have been Philip Seymour Hoffman’s 59th birthday.
Here he is in 2002’s Punch-Drunk Love, yelling at Adam Sandler and showing how a good actor can make the simple act of yelling compelling.
Tag Archives: movie
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Philip Marlowe Edition
The Long Goodbye (1973, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Vilmos Zsigmond)
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 is all about letting the visuals do the talking.
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Raymond Chandler. That means that it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Philip Marlowe Films
Murder, My Sweet (1944, dir by Edward Dmytryk, DP: Harry J. Wild)
The Big Sleep (1946, dir by Howard Hawks, DP: Sidney Hickox)
The Long Goodbye (1973, dir by Robert Altman, DP: Vilmos Zsgimond)
The Big Sleep (1978, dir by Michael Winner, DP: Robert Payner)
Scenes that I Love: Walter Matthau Talks To Robert Shaw in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
101 years ago, on this date, Joseph Sargent was born in New Jersey. Sargent would go on to become one of the busiest directors of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, working in both film and television. Though he would never receive the type of critical attention as some of his contemporaries, Sargent was a skilled director who specialized in making entertaining, no-nonsense films. Though his reputation was tarnished a bit by the fourth Jaws film, it should be remembered that Sargent was also responsible for films like Colossus: The Forbin Project, Tribes, Nightmares, and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
1974’s The Taking of Pelham One Two Three has come to be recognized as a genre classic. It’s certainly one of my favorite films about how New Yorkers will be rude to anyone in any circumstances. You can see an example of this in today’s scene that I love. Having hijacked a train, Robert Shaw calls in his last of demands and gets a very New York response.
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Paul Schrader 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 the birthday of the one and only Paul Schrader! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Paul Schrader Films
Blue Collar (1978, dir by Paul Schrader, DP: Bobby Byrne)
American Gigolo (1980, dir by Paul Schrader, DP: John Bailey)
Cat People (1982, dir by Paul Schrader, DP: John Bailey)
First Reformed (2018, dir by Paul Schrader, DP: Alexander Dynan)
Scenes That I Love: Everything’s Alright from Norman Jewison’s Jesus Christ Superstar
In honor of the late Norman Jewison, today’s scene that I love comes from my favorite film to have been directed by him.
In this scene from 1973’s Jesus Christ Superstar, Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman) attempts to comfort Jesus (Ted Neeley) while Judas (Carl Anderson) tries to pull Jesus away from her. This scene showcases both Elliman’s angelic voice and Anderson’s ferocious intensity as Mary and Judas present two very different sides of a spiritual journey.
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Norman Jewison Edition
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 would have been Norman Jewison’s birthday. It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Norman Jewison Films
In The Heat of the Night (1967, dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Haskell Wexler)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971, dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Oswald Morris)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973, dir by Norman Jewison, DP; Douglas Slocombe)
The Hurricane (1999. dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Roger Deakins)
Join #MondayMania For The Twin!
Hi, everyone! Tonight, on twitter, I will be hosting one of my favorite films for #MondayMania! Join us for 2017’s The Twin!
You can find the movie on Prime and then you can join us on twitter at 9 pm central time! (That’s 10 pm for you folks on the East Coast.) See you then!
Scenes That I Love: James Lovell Dreams Of The Moon In Apollo 13
Apollo 13 (1995, dir by Ron Howard, DP: Dean Cundey)
Today we have an absolutely beautiful scene from 1995’s Apollo 13. In this scene, astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) takes a look at the moon and, for a minute, thinks about what could have been, if only a malfunction hadn’t scuttled Apollo 13’s moon landing and left Lovell and his two crewmates apparently stranded in space. Though Lovell may dream of walking on the moon, he knows it won’t happen and that his only concern now is getting both himself and his crew back home.
Some critics have a tendency to dismiss Ron Howard as just being a director who makes middlebrow films but this scene shows him to be a director who instinctively understands not only what it’s like to dream but also what it’s like when reality intrudes on those dreams. This scene features both Howard and Tom Hanks at their best.
Monday Live Tweet Alert: Join Us For The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box!
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in hosting a few weekly live tweets on twitter and occasionally Mastodon. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of Mastodon’s #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We snark our way through it.
Tonight, for #MondayActionMovie, the film will be 2013’s The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box!
It should make for a night of fun viewing and I invite all of you to join in. If you want to join the live tweets, just hop onto Mastodon, find the movie on YouTube and hit play at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag! The watch party community is a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
See you soon!
Brad’s “Scene of the Day” features Richard Jordan and Alec Baldwin in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990)!
Today would have been the 89th birthday of actor Richard Jordan. Jordan was an excellent actor who died way too soon back in 1993. I’ve always liked him though, and he’s been in some excellent movies including CHATO’S LAND (1972), THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973), THE YAKUZA (1974), and LOGAN’S RUN (1976).
Today, I share one of his great scenes from THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, where he accurately portrays a politician. Enjoy my friends!
Through the Shattered Lens 