4 Shots From 4 Films: Special David Fincher Edition

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 61st birthday to David Fincher! It’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 David Fincher Films

Seven (1995, dir by David Fincher. DP: Darius Khondji)

Fight Club (1999, dir by David Fincher, DP: Jeff Croneweth)

Zodiac (2007, dir by David Fincher, DP: Harris Savides)

Mank (2020, dir by David Fincher, DP: Erik Messerschmidt)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Nicolas Roeg Edition

Posted on August 15, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today would have been the 95th birthday of the great and enigmatic director, Nicolas Roeg. As both a cinematographer and a director, Roeg was responsible for some of the most visually striking films ever made. Today, we honor his legacy with….

4 Shots From 4 Nicolas Roeg Films

Walkabout (1971, dir by Nicolas Roeg, DP: Nicolas Roeg)

Don’t Look Now (1973, dir by Nicolas Roeg, DP: Anthony Richmond)

The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976, dir by Nicholas Roeg, DP: Anthony Richmond)

Insignificance (1985, dir by Nicolas Roeg, DP: Peter Hannan)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Wim Wenders Edition

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 78th birthday to the great German director, Wim Wenders! It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Wim Wenders Films

The American Friend (1976, dir by Wim Wenders, DP: Robby Muller)

Paris, Texas (1984, dir by Wim Wenders, DP: Robby Muller)

Wings of Desire (1987, dir by Wim Wenders, DP: Robby Muller)

Until the End of the World (1991, dir by Wim Wenders, DP: Robby Muller)

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Alfred Hitchcock Edition

Posted on August 13, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

124 years ago, the master of suspense was born in England. Today, we honor the career and legacy of the great Alfred Hitchock with….

6 Shots From 6 Alfred Hitchcock Films

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

Shadow of a Doubt (1943, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Joseph A. Valentine)

Notorious (1946, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Ted Tetzlaff)

Vertigo (1958, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Robert Burks)

North by Northwest (1959, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Robert Burks)

Psycho (1960, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: John L. Russell)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Sam Fuller Edition

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

On this date, 111 years ago, Samuel Fuller was born in Massachusetts. Before he became a filmmaker, Fuller was a crime reporter and a pulp novelist. His films were often melodramatic and unapologetically sordid. They were also often dismissed when they were initially released but almost all of them were subsequently rediscovered by audiences who appreciated Fuller’s striking visuals and the often subversive subtext to be found underneath the surface of his genre films.

Today, we celebrate Fuller’s legacy with….

4 Shots From 4 Sam Fuller Films

Forty Guns (1957, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Joseph Biroc)

Shock Corridor (1963, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Stanley Cortez

The Naked Kiss (1964, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Stanley Cortez)

The Big Red One (1980, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Adam Greenberg)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Stuart Gordon Edition

Posted on August 11, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

76 years ago on this date, director Stuart Gordon was born in Chicago, Illinois. Gordon went from experimental theater to feature films and was responsible for some of the most visually memorable horror films of the past century. Perhaps no other American director was a strong interpreter of the work of H.P. Lovecraft than Stuart Gordon.

Today, we honor Stuart Gordon with….

4 Shots From 4 Stuart Gordon Films

Re-Animator (1985, dir by Stuart Gordon, DP: Marc Ahlberg)

Dolls (1987, dir by Stuart Gordon, DP: Marc Ahlberg)

The Pit and the Pendulum (1991, dir by Stuart Gordon. DP: Adolfo Bartoli)

Castle Freak (1994, dir by Stuart Gordon, DP: Mario Vulpiani)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Nicholas Ray Edition

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Director and screenwriter Nicholas Ray was born 112 years ago today, in Galesville, Wisconsin. He would go on to become one of the most influential American directors of all time, making independently-minded films that celebrated rebels and iconoclasts. The directors of the French New Wave loved him and for good reason.

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Nicholas Ray with….

4 Shots From 4 Nicholas Ray Films

They Live By Night (1948, dir by Nicholas Ray, DP: George E. Diskant)

In A Lonely Place (1950, dir by Nicholas Ray, DP: Burnett Guffey)

Rebel Without A Cause (1955, dir by Nicholas Ray, DP: Ernest Haller)

Bigger Than Life (1956, dir by Nicholas Ray, DP: Joseph MacDonald)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Wes Craven Edition

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

84 years ago today, Wes Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Craven started his career as an academic, teaching high school English. However, realizing that there was more money to be made in the film industry, Craven changed careers. By his own admission, he started his career directing “hardcore, X-rated films” under a pseudonym and it has been rumored that he was a member of the crew of the first “porno chic” film, Deep Throat. Eventually, Craven broke into the mainstream with some of the most influential and often controversial horror films ever made. From being denounced for the original Last House On The Left to changing the face of horror with A Nightmare on Elm Street to becoming something of a revered statesman and a beloved pop cultural institution with the Scream franchise, Wes Craven had a truly fascinating career.

In honor his films and legacy, it’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 Wes Craven Films

The Last House On The Left (1972, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Victor Hurwitz)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Jacques Haitkin)

New Nightmare (1994, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Mark Irwin)

Scream (1996, dir by Wes Craven, DP: Mark Irwin)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special J. Lee Thompson Edition

Posted on August 1, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

109 years ago today, the director J. Lee Thompson was born in Bristol, England. Though he never quite got the respect that he deserved while he was alive (though he did receive an Oscar nomination for The Guns of Navarone and later won fame as one of the few directors that Charles Bronson actually liked), J. Lee Thompson has since been recognized as a master of genre filmmaking and as someone who was not afraid to add a little subversive subtext to his films. From The Guns of Navarone to the later sequels of Planet of the Apes to working with Charles Bronson and Robert Mitchum, Thompson was one of the best.

In honor of the man and his legacy, here are….

4 Shots From 4 J. Lee Thompson Films

Cape Fear (1962, dir by J. Lee Thompson, DP: Sam Leavitt)

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972, dir by J. Lee Thompson, DP: Bruce Surtees)

Happy Birthday To Me (1981, dir by J. Lee Thompson, DP: Miklos Lente)

10 To Midnight (1983, dir by J. Lee Thompson, DP: Adam Greenberg)

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions For July

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, it’s that time of the month again! Here are my Oscar predictions for July!

Probably the biggest development in the race is that both Barbie and Oppenheimer opened with a bang and established themselves as bona fide contenders, along with Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. I think people were expecting that as far as Oppenheimer was concerned whereas the critical acclaim (and criticism) received by Barbie was a bit more of a surprise. At this point, the debate over whether or not Barbie has a message can only work to the film’s advantage. Working against it is the same thing that kept the Lego movies from showing up in the Best Animated Feature category. For all the discussion about what Barbie means, there’s still the risk of certain members of the Academy viewing it as being an extended commercial. Still, for now, I think both films have to be considered strong contenders.

(What about Sound of Freedom? some may be asking. Regardless of the film’s box office success and what other qualities the film may or may nor have, there’s no way the Academy is going to consider a film about and starring an outspoken Trump supporter.)

If there’s anything that could truly upend the Oscar race, it’s how the studios are going to deal with the SAG/AFTRA strike. For instance, there’s been speculation that some contenders — like The Color Purple — will be pushed back until the strike is settled so that their casts will be able to do publicity for them. It’s totally possible that some of the big contenders that we’re expecting to see in November and December could instead be pushed back to 2024. We’ll see what happens.

Below are my predictions for July. Be sure to also check out my predictions for March and April and May and June!!

Best Picture

Air

Barbie

The Color Purple

Dune: Part Two

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

The Zone of Interest