The writer Mary Shelley was born on this date in 1797. Shelley, of course, is best-known for writing Frankenstein, a book that some claim is the first science fiction novel. (That’s debatable but it was still a major literary achievement.)
In this scene from 1936’s Bride of Frankenstein, Elsa Lanchester appears as Mary Shelley, continuing her story. (Of course, Lanchester also played the Bride herself.)
Today, the Shattered Lens observes what would have been the birthday of the great William Friedkin. As a director, William Friedkin revolutionized both the horror genre and the crime genre. The car chase from 1971’s The French Connection has been much imitated but rarely equaled.
A few years ago, I attended a showing of The French Connection at the Alamo Drafthouse. As exciting as this chase is, it’s even more amazing when viewed on a big screen.
Last night, I watched Thank God It’s Friday with the Tubi Thursday gang. (I also watched the eclipse!)
Thank God It’s Friday is admittedly not a great film but it does have a few fun moments. One of my favorites is Chick Vennera’s exuberant dance scene. Here he is, using a bunch of cars as his dance floor.
Today’s scene that I love comes from Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia. Von Trier is always going to be controversial filmmaker but no one has ever matched his brilliance when it came to capturing the end of existence.
In Melancholia, a depressed woman (played in a revelatory performance by Kristen Dunst) finds unexpected strength in the end of the world. As can be seen in the scene below, it’s a beautifully sad film, one that ends on a note of triumphant apocalypse:
Yesterday, the great actor Tim Curry passed away at the age of 80.
Though Tim Curry will probably always be best-known for his role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, my favorite Tim Curry film is 1985’s Clue. Here he is, in all three of the film’s endings.
Today’s scene that I love features Sean Connery, born on this day 95 years ago. In this scene from 1964’s Goldfinger, Connery needs only one simple line — “I must be dreaming,” — to create an iconic moment.
Daniel Craig could never have pulled this off. Indeed, Craig probably would have found the whole thing beneath him. Only Sean Connery could have made this scene unforgettable and that’s why Sean Connery will continue to be the Bond to which all others should be compared.
Today is the birthday of actor Steve Guttenberg!
Here he is in 1984’s Police Academy, showing the type of impulsive behavior that would eventually lead to him becoming his city’s best cop.
In honor of Gene Kelly’s birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from the 1952 classic, Singin’ In The Rain. In this scene, Debbie Reynolds performs the song Good Mornin’ with Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.
“Put on your Sunday best, kids. We’re going to Sears.”
Ah, the 70s. Or actually the 90s. All I know is that the Sears that was located near our house closed in 2014 and the empty parking lot briefly became a flea market before the police showed up and told everyone to go home.
Today’s scene that I love is from 1995’s The Brady Bunch Movie.
Today’s scene that I love comes from Peter Weir’s 1985 film, Witness. In this scene, the Amish come together and raise a barn. This scene celebrates community and also gives Harrison Ford a chance to show off his real-life carpentry skills.
