Today’s scene that I love comes from 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. Directed by the great Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street remains a frightening and creepy masterpiece. It’s ability to scare its audience has not been diminished by countless sequels and rip-offs.
In this scene, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) discovers that she’s not even safe from Freddy (Robert Englund) at school.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to director Sam Mendes!
Now, it’s true that Sam Mendes won an Oscar for directing American Beauty and he probably came close to winning a second one for his work on 1917. However, my favorite Mendes film remains Skyfall. Skyfall is one of the best of the Bond films and I say this as someone who was never really a fan of Daniel Craig’s mopey interpretation of the character. Based on his previous films, Sam Mendes may not have been the first name that come to mind when people talked about someone who could make a great Bond film but, with Skyfall, he did just that.
Here, in a scene that I love, James Bond pursues Silva (Javier Bardem) through the London Underground. It’s very suspenseful, very droll, and, most importantly, very British.
Today’s scene that I love comes from Mario Bava’s 1977 masterpiece, Shock. This, as the title of the YouTube video states, is one of the best jump scares ever.
Today’s is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s birthday and this scene that I love comes from one of his best films, 1994’s True Lies. In this scene, Schwarzenegger takes truth serum and reveals the details of his secret life as an international secret agent.
“But they were all bad….” still cracks me up every time that I hear it.
It (1927, directed by Clarence Badger)
Today, we celebrate the birthday of my pre-code, silent film role model, the amazing Clara Bow! Clara was born 120 years ago, on this date, in Brooklyn, New York. As an actress, she was one of the biggest stars of the silent era. She came to represent the the Roaring 20s in all of their glory. She also co-starred in the first film to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture, Wings!
Below is a scene from my favorite Clara Bow film, 1928’s It. Playing a poor but confident shopgirl who falls in love with her wealthy boss, Bow was so popular with audiences that she became known as the “It Girl.”
In the scene below, she prepares for a date with her boss. She may not be as rich as her romantic rivals but she doesn’t let that stand in her way. She’s Clara Bow. She’s got it and she knows it.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to actress and advice columnist Elizabeth Berkley. Today’s scene that I love comes from the most famous episode of Saved By The Bell. Are you excited?
This always made me laugh.
Eye Wide Shut (1999, directed by Stanley Kubrick)
Stanley Kubrick would have been 97 years old today!
In honor of this visionary and his career, here is a wonderful scene from his final film, 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut. Like so many of Kubrick’s films, it took a while for people to really appreciate Eyes Wide Shut. It’s an odd and, at times, frustrating film but still a film touched by Kubrick’s unique genius. It’s also a Christmas film and one that I plan to revisit for the site in December.
In this scene, Tom Cruise discovers that it’s not quite as easy to crash a super secret party as he thought it would be.
Happy Gilmore 2, the sequel to my favorite golf movie, is currently available on Netflix. I’ll be watching it later today. I have no idea if it’s any good or not. I’m hoping for the best, though.
Anyway, this seems like a good time to share the best scene from the original Happy Gilmore. In this scene, Happy and Bob Barker team up for a celebrity tournament. It does not go well. Reportedly, Barker initially turned down this cameo and only changed his mind after he was assured that he would win the fight.
96 years ago today, the English director Peter Yates was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. Yates would go on to direct films in almost every genre but today, he’s perhaps best-remembered for directing what is considered to be one of the first great cop films, 1968’s Bullitt. I already shared the film’s classic car chase film for Steve McQueen’s birthday so today, I’m going to share the airport showdown.
Through the Shattered Lens 