Yesterday was the 105th anniversary of the birth of the great actor Donald Pleasence.
(I know that may sound like a wordy way to say “birthday” but I always find it awkward to refer to those who are no longer with us as having a birthday.)
We can’t let October pass without paying tribute to Pleasence. Here is in 1978’s Halloween, playing the role for which he was best-known amongst horror fans.
Christopher Lee often went on record about how much he disliked most of the Hammer films in which he played Dracula, feeling that Hammer didn’t really understand the character of Bram Stoker’s famous vampire. In fact, when Lee agreed to appear in 1966’s Dracula: Prince of Darkness, he did so with the requirement that he would not have any dialogue.
While it’s possible that Lee may have been hoping that his demand would force Hammer to release him from his contract, his requirement actually works to the film’s advantage. In the scene below, Lee shows that he didn’t need dialogue to make Dracula into a terrifying and malevolent force. Lee’s otherworldly and dangerous charisma and Dracula’s feral and vicious nature come through without him saying a word.
You have to feel a bit bad for Anthony Perkins, who was an Oscar-nominated star of film and Broadway and something of a teen idol before he was cast as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece, Psycho. Perkins was so convincing in the role that he pretty much spent the majority of his career either playing variations of the character or appearing in small roles where his macabre screen image would not be too much of a problem. Perkins gave one of the best film performances of all time and his career never really recovered from it.
Unfortunately, there’s a tendency to overlook just how good Anthony Perkins was in this first Psycho. People look at his later, less-compelling performances and they make the mistake of thinking those performance were the best that Perkins was capable of giving. Perkins was a fine actor and never better than when he played Norman. The scene below highlight how Perkins managed to make Norman Bates both poignant and creepy at the same time.
Today’s scene that I love comes from Luigi Cozzi’s 1983 epic, Hercules!
In this scene, Hercules (Lou Ferrigno, making up for his lack of range with nonstop and likable sincerity) shows us the proper way to deal with a rampaging bear. There have been a lot of film versions of Hercules, some good and some bad. But none were quite as cheerfully weird as the Hercules that was given to us by Lou Ferrigno and Luigi Cozzi.
Today’s horror scene that I love comes from Lucio Fulci’s 1981 masterpiece, The Beyond.
In this memorably gruesome scene, Joe the Plumber (Tonino Pulci) comes back to life. Having previously lost an eye in the basement of the film’s haunted hotel, he proceeds to claim an eye for himself. I’ll tell you right now that if I ever stepped into a house or a hotel or anywhere that had a sink that looked like that, I would quickly leave and never come back.
Since we’ve been talking a lot about the original Little Shop of Horrors today, I thought I would only be appropriate to share a scene from the remake for today’s scene of the day.
From 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors, here is Steve Martin performing Dentist! Because there’s nothing scarier than going to the dentist, right?
(Yes, I nearly picked Mean Green Mother From Outer Space but …. I don’t know. It bothers me that the film remake changes the dark ending of both the original film and the stage production.)
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.
Through the Shattered Lens 