Brad’s Scene of the Day – Paul Kersey meets Machete!

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Bradley Crain

In honor of the 111th birthday in cinema heaven of director J. Lee Thompson, I’ve chosen to share a scene from one of his last few movies, the action packed sequel, DEATH WISH 4: THE CRACKDOWN (1987). Actors Charles Bronson and Danny Trejo crossed paths a couple of times in the late 80’s when Bronson was near the end of his legendary career and Trejo was at the very beginning of his. This scene is interesting as it presents Bronson using a wine bottle as a weapon instead of an huge gun! Enjoy my friends!

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

Posted on August 1, 2025 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!

111 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 Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For July

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

As July comes to a close, the Oscar picture is still pretty fuzzy. To be honest, it’s hard to get that excited about any of the contenders that have been mentioned. It all pretty much sounds like more of the same, with the exception of Sinners.

Anyway, with that inspiring introduction out of the way, here are my predictions for July.

Click here for my April and May and June predictions!

Best Picture

It Was Just An Accident

Jay Kelly

Nouvelle Vague

Nuremberg

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

The Smashing Machine

Wicked For Good

Best Director

Jon M. Chu for Wicked For Good

Ryan Coogler for Sinners

Richard Linklater for Nouvelle Vague

Jafar Panahi for It Was Just An Accident

Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value

Best Actor

George Clooney in Jay Kelly

Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine

Michael B. Jordan in Sinners

Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent

Jeremy Allen White in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo in Wicked For Good

Jennifer Lawrence in Die My Love

Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Valure

Julia Roberts in After The Hunt

June Squibb in Eleanor The Great

Best Supporting Actor

Miles Caton in Sinners

Russell Crowe in Nuremberg

Adam Sandler in Jay Kelly

Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value

Christoph Waltz in Frankenstein

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt in The Smashing Machine

Ayo Edebiri in After The Hunt

Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value

Ariana Grande in Wicked For Good

Jennifer Lopez in Kiss of the Spider Woman

Brad’s Scene of the Day – THE NAKED GUN 2 1/2 (1991) – Richard Griffiths goes airborne!!

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Bradley Crain

In honor of actor Richard Griffiths, on what would have been his 78th birthday, and the impending release of the new NAKED GUN film starring Liam Neeson, I present this fun scene from THE NAKED GUN 2 1/2: THE SMELL OF FEAR. Enjoy my friends!

8 Shots From 8 Films: Special Mario Bava Edition

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens pays tribute to the memory and the legacy of the maestro of horror himself, Mario Bava! Bava was born 111 years ago, today.

6 Shots From 6 Mario Bava Films

Black Sunday (1960, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Mario Bava)

The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Mario Bava)

Black Sabbath (1963, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Ubaldo Terzano)

Blood and Black Lace (1964, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Mario Bava)

Planet of the Vampires (1965, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Antonio Rinaldi)

Kill, Baby, Kill (1966, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Antonio Rinaldi)

Bay of Blood (1971, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Mario Bava)

Shock (1977, dir by Mario Bava, DP: Alberto Spagnoli)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Richard Linklater Edition

Posted on July 30, 2025 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, we wish a happy birthday to director Richard Linklater. It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Richard Linklater Films

Slacker (1990, dir by Richard Linklater, DP: Lee Daniel)

Dazed and Confused (1993, dir by Richard Linklater, DP: Lee Daniel)

Before Sunset (2004, dir by Richard Linklater, DP: Lee Daniel)

Boyhood (2014, dir by Richard Linklater, DP: Lee Daniel and Sheila Kelly)

4 Shots From 4 Clara Bow Films: It, Wings, Dangerous Curves, Call Her Savage

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy birthday to my pre-code role model, the amazing Clara Bow!

4 Shots From 4 Clara Bow Films

It (1927, dir by Clarence G. Badger)

Wings (1928, dir by William Wellman)

Dangerous Curves (1929, dir by Lothar Mendes)

Call Her Savage (1932, dir by John Francis Dillon)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Andrew V. McLaglen Edition

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens remembers director Andrew V. McLalgen, born 105 years ago on this day. It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Andrew V. McLaglen Films

McLintock! (1963, dir by Andrew V. McLaglen, DP: William H. Clothier)

Bandolero! (1968, dir by Andrew V. McLaglen, DP: WIlliam H. Clothier)

Hellfighters (1968, dir by Andrew McLaglen, DP: William H. Clothier)

Ffolkes (1980, dir by Andrew V. McLaglen, DP: Tony Imi)

Live Tweet Alert – #MondayMuggers present TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL (2010), starring Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk!

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Bradley Crain

Every Monday night at 9:00 Central Time, my wife Sierra and I host a “Live Movie Tweet” event on X using the hashtag #MondayMuggers. We rotate movie picks each week, and our tastes are quite different. Tonight, Monday, July 28th, we’ll be watching TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL (2020), starring Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss, Philip Granger, Brandon Jay McLaren, Chelan Simmons, Travis Nelson, Adam Beauchesne, and Eli Craig.

The plot: Two lovable hillbillies are headed to their “fixer-upper” vacation cabin to drink some beer, do some fishin’, and have a good time. But when they run into a group of preppy college kids who assume from their looks that they must be in-bred, chainsaw-wielding killers, Tucker & Dale’s vacation takes a bloody and hilarious turn for the worse.

Sierra and I have been on vacation over the last week, and we truly appreciate Lisa hosting for us while we were gone! Today, we’re both trying to get going again at work and in regular life, so I thought this horror-comedy, that I haven’t watched in many years, might be some easygoing fun! If it sounds fun to you, join us for #MondayMuggers and watch TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL. It’s on Amazon Prime! I’ve included the trailer below: