Rest in peace, Kris Kristofferson.
Today’s scene of the day comes from 1979’s Convoy and it features Kristofferson as the greatest trucker of all time, Rubber Duck. In this scene, Rubber Duck rescues a fellow trucker from jail and lets the authorities know what they can do with their law.
Rest in peace to one of our greatest actors, James Earl Jones.
It’s hard to pick just one scene when it comes to honoring James Earl Jones. I’m going to go with two and they both come from 1989’s Field of Dreams, a film that is a favorite for a lot of folks here at the Shattered Lens. I think they show the two sides of James Earl Jones. We all know the inspiring side of Jones and how his voice could make anything sound like the wisest words ever spoken. But Jones was just as good at comedy and just as good at playing people who, for lack of a better term, were just fed up with all the stupidity in the world.
In honor of James Earl Jones, here are two scenes from Field of Dreams.
Today, we wish a happy sixtieth birthday to the one and only Keanu Reeves!
Today’s scene that I love comes from the film that made Keanu an icon for a whole generation of moviegoers who had blocked The Matrix sequels from their collective memories, John Wick. In this scene, Keanu explains that it wasn’t just a dog that he lost.
There’s not a pet owner in the world who doesn’t understand exactly what John Wick is saying here. And it must be said that Keanu, who has definitely grown a good deal as an actor over the years, really sells the emotions in this scene.
Today is director James Nguyen’s birthday!
Nguyen is known for directing such fine films as …. well, he directed some movies that have found fame for various reasons. For instance, there’s a little film called Birdemic. And then there’s Birdemic 2. And then there’s a Birdemic 3….
Anyway, today’s scene that I love comes from Birdemic. Thank you, James Nguyen, for introducing me to the perfect song to sing whenever my family gets together.
Yesterday, it was announced that the legendary screenwriter Robert Towne had passed away. One of the premier talents of Hollywood’s second Golden Age, Towne was rightly remembered as the man who wrote the intelligent and challenging scripts for films like Chinatown, The Last Detail, and Shampoo.
Towne was also a well-known script doctor, one whose work was not always credited but which always contributed to the overall quality of the films to which he contributed. In 1971, when Francis Ford Coppola realized that he needed a scene for The Godfather that would allow Vito to open up to his son and successor, Michael, Robert Towne was the man who wrote the scene. The result was one of the best moments in a film that is full of great dialogue.
Today, the Shattered Lens wish a happy birthday to character actor Andrew Divoff!
Today’s scene that I love comes from 1997’s Wishmaster and features Divoff in his best-known role. The Wishmaster films were kind of silly but Divoff always made them worth watching.
The great actress Karen Black would have been 85 years old today.
Karen Black does not receive a lot of screentime in Nashville but she definitely makes an impression as the driven, self-centered, and oddly likeable Connie White. Here she is, performing one of the songs that she wrote herself for the film. The audience was largely made up of actual Nashville residents, who reportedly very much appreciated Black’s performance.
Donald Sutherland, R.I.P.
Here he is as everyone’s favorite professor in 1978’s National Lampoon’s Animal House. Watch he puts John Milton in his place!
Today, we wish a happy birthday to the most recent winner of the Oscar for Best Actor, Cillian Murphy!
While Murphy won for his lead role in Oppenheimer, he’s been an intriguing cinematic presence for over two decades and, of course, he’s been a long-time favorite of director Christopher Nolan’s. In 2017’s Dunkirk he had a small but pivotal role as a shell-shocked soldier. Murphy’s haunting performance serves as a reminder that even the most heroic moments of a war often come at great cost to the soldiers involved.
Today is John C. Reilly’s 59th birthday. This provides me with a great reason to share a scene that I love from 1997’s Boogie Nights. In this scene, John C. Reilly and Mark Wahlberg star in one of the best films never actually made, Angels Live In My Town.
Brock Landers and Chest Rockwell were quite a team.
Through the Shattered Lens 