4 Shots From 4 Best Picture Winners: The 1940s

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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, I’m using this feature to take a look at the history of the Academy Award for Best Picture. Decade by decade, I’m going to highlight my picks for best of the winning films. To start with, here are 4 shots from 4 Films that won Best Picture during the 1940s! Here are….

4 Shots From 4 Best Picture Winners: The 1940s

Rebecca (1940, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: George Barnes)

Casablanca (1942, dir by Michael Curtiz, DP: Arthur Edeson)

The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946, dir by William Wyler, DP: Gregg Toland)

Hamlet (1948, dir by Laurence Olivier, DP: Desmond Dickinson)

6 Shots From 6 Best Picture Winners: 1927 — 1939

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, I’m using this feature to take a look at the history of the Academy Award for Best Picture. Decade by decade, I’m going to highlight my picks for best of the winning films. To start with, here are 6 shots from 6 Films that won Best Picture during the early days of the Academy Awards! Here are….

6 Shots From 6 Best Picture Winners

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927, dir by F.W. Murnau, DP: Charles Rosher and Karl Struss)

Wings (1927, dir by William Wellman, DP: Harry Perry)

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930, dir by Lewis Milestone, DP: Arthur Edeson)

It Happened One Night (1934, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935, dir by Frank Lloyd, DP: Arthur Edeson)

Gone With The Wind (1939, dir by Victor Fleming, DP: Ernest Haller)

My Official 2023 Oscar Predictions

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s no guts, no glory time! (This phrase was coined, as far as it relates to the Oscars, by Sasha Stone of Awards Daily. We all use the phrase but, too often, we don’t give proper credit to the person who started the trend.) Below you’ll find my official predictions for who and what will win when the Oscars are handed out later tonight.

(Actually, this year didn’t require much in the way of guts. All of the winners seem to be pretty obvious at this point.)

Best Picture: Oppenheimer

Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey, Jr., Oppenheimer

Best Adapted Screenplay: Barbie

Best Original Screenplay: Past Lives

Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer

Best Costume Design: Poor Things

Best Film Editing: Oppenheimer

Best Make-Up and Hair-Styling: Maestro

Best Production Design: Poor Things

Best Score: Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Song: “I’m Ken” from Barbie

Best Sound: Oppenheimer

Best Visual Effects: Godzilla Minus One

Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

Best Documentary Feature: 20 Days In Mariupol

Best International Film: The Zone of Interest

Best Animated Short: Our Uniform

Best Documentary Short: The Barber of Little Rock

Best Live Action Short: The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar

We’ll see how right (or wrong) I am in just a few more hours!

Welcome To Oscar Sunday!

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Oscar, in happier times

Welcome to Oscar Sunday!

Today is practically a holiday for me. As someone who loves movies and who also loves award shows, the Oscar Ceremony is an important annual event. I really don’t feel like the previous year is over until the Oscars have been handed out. For me, I won’t truly be able to move on from 2023 and really plunge into 2024 until the award for Best Picture is handed out.

It’s true that the Oscars are not what they once were. There have been some truly abysmal recent Oscar ceremonies and the show’s declining ratings are a testament to the fact that the Oscars are not quite the cultural phenomena that they once were. There’s less glamour in Hollywood and the annual ceremony sometimes seems to alternate between trying too hard or not trying hard enough to keep up with the times. The last few ceremonies have mostly been memorable for how the people screwed up, like when La La Land was declared Best Picture or Steven Soderbergh tried to turn the ceremony into a terrible Ocean’s sequel. People may not remember all of the winners but they will always remember Will Smith self-destructing while the cameras rolled.

And I don’t really have high hopes for this ceremony. Yes, the ratings should see an improvement. The mix of Barbie and Oppenheimer will provide the show with a boost. But host Jimmy Kimmel has always been hit or miss and I don’t think anyone is looking forward to the inevitable lecturing that seems to go with shows like this. I hope we’ll be spared any of the “Celebrities Are Just Like Us” stuff that was so popular just a few years ago. I don’t want to see Hollywood celebrities invading a movie theater. I don’t want the host forcing people to buy cookies from his children. Personally, I think it’s hilarious that the Oscar selfie had to be memory-holed because Kevin Spacey managed to sneak into the background. (And, of course, Ellen is no longer quite the beloved figure she used to be.)

But, for all the bad things, there’s also the good moments that make it worth it. Last year, the Daniels were a bit insufferable but Ke Huy Quan gave a beautiful acceptance speech. The year before that, Will Smith acted like an ass but CODA‘s victory proved that there was a place for a small, heartfelt film. Steven Soderbergh’s Oscars were a mess but it was a fascinating mess, a true example of what happens when a major talent takes a silly assignment too seriously. The Oscars, in the end, are meant to be fun. We cheer when our favorites win and we get mad when they lose. We watch for the good acceptance speeches but we also watch for the regrettable ones. The Oscars and Oscar Sunday are still a part of our pop culture and they’re something that I look forward to every year.

And, of course, we’ll be celebrating Oscar Sunday all day here at the Shattered Lens! So, fasten your seat belts. It might be a bumpy ride but the destination will be worth it.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Martin Ritt Edition

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

On this day, 110 years ago, Martin Ritt was born in New York City. Like many of the Hollywood directors who came to prominence in the 1950s, he started his directorial career in the theater before moving over to live TV. In 1952, his television career was derailed when he was accused of being a communist. Blacklisted, it would be five years before Ritt could get another directing job. When he did start to work again, he moved from television into the movies, starting with 1957’s Edge of the City. Perhaps due to his own experiences, his films always had a social conscience and always defended the individual against corrupt corporations and governments. In 1976, he directed one of the first films about the Hollywood blacklist, The Front.

As a director, Ritt was known for his skill with actors. More than anyone, he played a huge role in making stars out of both Paul Newman and Sally Field. He was also one of the few directors to understand how to harness Richard Burton’s self-destructive tendencies and, as a result, Burton gave one of his best performances in Ritt’s adaptation of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Martin Ritt Films

Hud (1963, dir by Martin Ritt, DP: James Wong Howe)

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965, dir by Martin Ritt, DP: Oswald Morris)

The Front (1976, dir by Martin Ritt, DP: Michael Chapman)

Nuts (1987, dir by Martin Ritt, DP: Andrzej Bartkowiak)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Zack Snyder Edition

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 58th birthday to Zack Snyder! Zack Snyder has been a favorite (and occasionally a not-so-favorite) of many of the people who have written for this site. Speaking for myself, I loved Sucker Punch and disliked Man of Steel. (Arleigh, for the record, liked both.) But Snyder is a filmmaker about whom no one seems to be neutral. That’s definitely something of which to take some pride. I was not a fan of the whole idea behind the Oscar Fan Favorite nonsense that took place a few years ago but there was something satisfying about both of those awards being won by films directed by a man who Hollywood has often tried to dismiss.

In honor of Zack Snyder’s birthday, here are….

4 Shots From 4 Films

Watchmen (2009, dir by Zack Snyder, DP: Larry Fong)

Sucker Punch (2011, dir by Zack Snyder: DP: Larry Fong)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016, dir by Zack Snyder, DP: Larry Fong)

Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021, dir by Zack Snyder, DP: Fabian Wagner)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Neil Jordan Edition

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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)

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

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

Oppenheimer Blows Up The SAG Awards!

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The SAG Awards were handed out last night (and televised on Netflix) and there should no longer be any doubt that Oppenheimer is going to have a very good night at the Oscars

Here are the winners!

(And cograts to Pedora Pascal for finally breaking the tyranny of Brian Cox.)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
American Fiction
Barbie
The Color Purple
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Emma Stone – Poor Things

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
Penelope Cruz – Ferrari
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
Willem Dafoe – Poor Things
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Barbie
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Matt Bomer – Fellow Travelers
Jon Hamm – Fargo
David Oyelowo – Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Tony Shalhoub – Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
Steven Yeun – Beef

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Uzo Aduba – Painkiller
Kathryn Hahn – Tiny Beautiful Things
Brie Larson – Lessons in Chemistry
Bell Powley – A Small Light
Ali Wong – Beef

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary
Barry
The Bear
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso
Bill Hader – Barry
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso
Jeremy Allen White – The Bear

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri – The Bear
Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
The Crown
The Gilded Age
The Last of Us
The Morning Show
Succession

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Brian Cox – Succession
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin – Succession
Matthew Macfadyen – Succession
Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show
Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown
Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
Keri Russell – The Diplomat
Sarah Snook – Succession

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA OR COMEDY SERIES
Ahsoka
Barry
Beef
The Last of Us
The Mandalorian

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Terence Fisher Edition

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we celebrate the 120th 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