A BETTER TOMORROW in theaters this week!


I’m just reminding y’all that the John Woo / Chow Yun-fat classic A BETTER TOMORROW (1986) is playing in movie theaters this week on Sunday, March 1st, Monday, March 2nd, and Wednesday, March 4th. I will be attending the Cinemark in Little Rock, Arkansas on March 1st to watch the film myself. A BETTER TOMORROW is one of the most influential action films in history, and I happily recommend it to everyone who loves action movies. Enjoy, my friends!

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Ania Pieroni Edition


Today is the birthday of Italian actress Ania Pieroni.

You may not recognize the name but, if you’re a fan of Italian horror, chances are that you’ve seen Ania Pieroni at least once.  Even though she only has 11 credits listed on the imdb and apparently made her last film over 30 years ago, Ania Pieroni achieved screen immortality by playing key roles in three of the greatest Italian films ever made.

In Dario Argento’s Inferno, she was the first actress to play the mysterious Mother of Tears.

In Lucio Fulci’s The House By The Cemetery, she played the mysterious housekeeper and nanny who, in one of the film’s most memorable scenes, nonchalantly mops up a huge pool of blood before subsequently losing her head in the house’s basement.

And then, in Argento’s Tenebrae, she played the unfortunate shoplifter who pays a steep price for not paying for Peter Neal’s latest novel.

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Ania Pieroni with….

4 Shots From 4 Ania Pieroni Films

Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)

The House By The Cemetery (1981, dir by Lucio Fulci)

Tenebrae (1982, dir by Dario Argento)

Fracchia vs Dracula (1985, dir by Neri Parenti)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Elizabeth Taylor Edition


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)

Boom! (1968, dir by Joseph Losey, DP: Douglas Slocombe)

Night Watch (1973, dir by Brian G. Hutton, DP: Billy Williams)

The Driver’s Seat (1974, dir by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, DP: Vittorio Storaro)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special James Wan Edition


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)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Neil Jordan Edition


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

Mona Lisa (1986, dir by Neil Jordan, DP; Roger Pratt)

Interview With A Vampire (1994, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Philippe Rousselot)

The Butcher Boy (1998, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Adrian Biddle)

In Dreams (1999, dir by Neil Jordan, DP: Darius Khondji)

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Twins Peaks Edition


6 Shots From 6 Films is just what it says it is, 6 shots from 6 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 6 Shots From 6 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

It is Twin Peaks Day, after all.

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Twin Peaks Edition

Twin Peaks: The Pilot (1990, dir by David Lynch, DP: Ron Garcia)

Twin Peaks 1.3 “Zen or the Skill To Catch a Killer” (1990, dir by David Lynch, DP: Frank Byers)

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992, dir by David Lynch, DP: Ron Garcia)

Twin Peaks The Return Part Three (2017, dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Deming)

Twin Peaks: The Return Part 5 (2017, dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Deming)

Twin Peaks: The Return Part 18 (2017, dir by David Lynch, DP: Peter Deming)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Terence Fisher Edition


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 celebrate the 122nd anniversary of the birth of the great British film director, Terence Fisher.  Though Fisher worked in all genres, he is best remembered for the horror films that he directed for Hammer Studios.  Along with proving that there was still an audience for horror, he also helped to make stars out of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Terence Fisher Films

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The Horror of Dracula (1958, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The Mummy (1959, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast interviews actor Jordan Rhodes! 


I was lucky to be part of a recent interview with actor Jordan Rhodes on the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast. Jordan worked with Bronson on two separate movies almost twenty years apart, MR. MAJESTYK (1974) and THE INDIAN RUNNER (1991), so he does offer valuable insight to my favorite actor. Jordan also worked with so many great actors like Joe Don Baker, Sean Penn, Andy Griffith, Gregory Peck, etc., etc. One of the most interesting works of his career is a stage play he developed about Ernest Hemingway entitled PAPA: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND. I’ve seen a filmed version of the play on DVD and I can confirm that it’s incredible. He toured this play for over 7 years, with the emergence of Covid in 2020 effectively ending its run. During those Covid years, Jordan did find time to write a biography entitled “The Life of a Blue Collar Actor,” which I also own and have read. It’s such an interesting take on what life is like for your basic working actor who never becomes a star, but somehow carves out a four decade career. I found it very entertaining. 

If you’re interested in character actors like Jordan Rhodes, you should enjoy this. You’ll find that we do very little interviewing. He just gets to talking and it goes from there. I did want to point out that he does misspeak about a situation in Bronson’s personal life during the episode. He issued this statement on his Facebook page a few days after we recorded:

I want to apologize for making a misstatement about the death of Charlie’s son, which I quoted as having shot himself on Charlie’s Vermont farm. I was given that misinformation by a producer prior to working with Charlie on a film, and it was incorrect. Charlie’s adopted son, Jason, died from an overdose, and I apologize for making the misstatement.

We sincerely thank Jordan Rhodes for taking the time to speak to movie nerds like us! I hope you enjoy! 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Jonathan Demme Edition


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 late, great director Jonathan Demme was born 82 years ago today.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Jonathan Demme Films

Stop Making Sense (1984, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Jordan Cronenweth)

Something Wild (1986, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Tak Fujimoto)

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Tak Fujimoto)

Rachel Getting Married (2008, dir by Jonathan Demme, DP: Declan Quinn)