Category Archives: Film

L.A. Crackdown (1987, directed by Joseph Mehri)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Karen (Pamela Dixon) is a tough L.A. cop who is sick of seeing runaways disappear into the system.  Fionna (Kit Harrison) and Angie (Tricia Parks) are two delinquents who have been used and abused on the streets.  They’ve worked as prostitutes and been forced to appear in films with titles like Cockadile Dundee.  (L.A. Crackdown actually opens with the filming of Cockadile Dundee.)  Karen tries to rescue them from the streets by springing them from jail and taking them home with her.  At first, her husband (Jeffrey Olsen) is not amused but Karen is determined to do the right thing.  After several long stretches of nothing happening and two montages of the women bonding, things go downhill, Karen loses everything, and she decides to get justice by killing a bunch of drug dealers.

I knew what I was getting myself into when I saw the Troma logo at the start of this movie.  I respect Troma’s willingness to distribute anything that they can get for cheap but that doesn’t make it any easier to sit through their movies.  L.A. Crackdown is slowly paced, badly acted, and looks like it was lit by a flashlight with a dying battery.  There are two action scenes, one at the beginning and one towards the end, that manage to be presentable but the rest of the film is full of the long, dull stretches that Troma is known for.  Karen seeking revenge on the drug dealers should be the whole point of the movie but it takes forever to reach that point.  The revenge isn’t bad but you’ll probably fall asleep before you get there.

L.A. Crackdown is on Tubi.  If you’re like me, you might make the mistake of watching it because you’ve gotten it mixed up with a Michael Mann film called L.A. Takedown.  Take my word for it.  Michael Mann has nothing to do with L.A. Crackdown.

Brad’s “Scene of the Day” – Billy Bob Thornton is saved in THE APOSTLE (1997)

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Happy 70th birthday to the incredible “hillbilly Olivier,” also known as Billy Bob Thornton. I’ve always been partial to this incredible scene where Thornton and Robert Duvall create a truly powerful moment in Duvall’s film, THE APOSTLE. Enjoy two great actors doing what they do the best!

Monday Live Tweet Alert: Join Us for Freejack!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in hosting a few weekly live tweets on twitter and occasion ally Mastodon.  I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of Mastodon’s #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We snark our way through it.

Tonight, for #MondayActionMovie, the film will be 1992’s Freejack!

It should make for a night of fun viewing and I invite all of you to join in.  If you want to join the live tweets, just hop onto Mastodon, pull up Freejack on YouTube, start the movie at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag!

Enjoy!

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special 1987 Edition

Posted on 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!

Today, we pay tribute to the year 1987!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 1987 Films

Full Metal Jacket (1987, dir by Stanley Kubrick, DP: Douglas Milsome)

Stage Fright (1987, dir by Michele Soavi, DP: Renato Tafuri)

Wings of Desire (1987, dir by Wim Wenders, DP: Robby Muller)

Near Dark (1987, dir by Kathryn Bigelow, DP: Adam Greenberg)

Brad reviews AMERICAN OUTLAWS (2023)!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

AMERICAN OUTLAWS is a 2023 crime drama inspired by the true story of the Dougherty siblings, Dylan (Emory Cohen), Lee-Grace (India Eisley), and Ryan (Sam Strike). Starting in Florida, the film follows the three siblings, who, facing potential prison time, embark on a desperate cross-country crime spree in 2011. Dylan, the older brother, leads the trio, with Lee-Grace, a former stripper battling drug addiction, and Ryan, a soon-to-be father at risk of returning to prison for a parole violation. Their plan is to flee to Costa Rica for a fresh start, but their journey spirals into chaos after Dylan escalates a routine traffic stop by shooting at police, leading to a series of bank robberies and an eight-day manhunt. The film explores their loyalty and reckless pursuit of freedom, set against a backdrop of poverty, ultimately culminating with their capture, and collective jail sentences of 179 years in prison.

AMERICAN OUTLAWS, written and directed by Sean McEwen, is a mixed bag, but I definitely enjoyed watching it. It’s a low-budget, ambitious B-movie, but it’s also somewhat a victim of its budget. On the positive side, McEwen creates a gritty feel, particularly during the car chases, shootouts and various criminal acts. He also incorporates real news footage that adds authenticity and grounds the story in a specific date and time. The cast, led by India Eisley’s uninhibited portrayal of Lee-Grace, delivers committed performances, with Emory Cohen and Sam Strike capturing the siblings’ desperate bond. On the negative side, the low budget is also quite evident at times. You can’t help but wonder what McEwen could have done with more money to throw at the production. He’s clearly a talented filmmaker, and I’m looking forward to watching his future projects.

I did want to note that AMERICAN OUTLAWS is the final role of actor Treat Williams, who would pass away in a tragic accident on June 12th, 2023. The actor, who would have roles in classic films like Sidney Lumet’s PRINCE OF THE CITY (1981) and Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984), adds gravitas as Agent Jameison R. Donovan, though his screen time is limited. His five decade career doesn’t end on an extremely high note, but it’s still a joy to see him in a solid, authoritative role. 

Ultimately, AMERICAN OUTLAWS is a solid thriller that gets by on a committed cast and a true-crime story, but it isn’t able to fully capitalize on its premise due to budget limitations. It’s worth a watch for fans of gritty crime dramas. Just be sure to keep your expectations in check. 

Fire Alarm (1932, directed by Karl Brown)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

When their cat climbs to the top of a power pole, Pat (Noel Francis) and Gertie (Marjorie Beebe) call the entire fire department to come help them bring the kitty down.  The fire chief isn’t amused but two firemen, Charlie (Johnny Mack Brown) and Fishey (George Cooper), both catch the eye of Pat and Gertie.  Soon, Charlie is dating Pat and Fishey dating Gertie.  While Fishey and Gertie provide the comic relief, Charlie and Pat provide the drama.  Charlie thinks that Pat’s boss (Richard Tucker) is putting the moves on her and he responds by punching him.  Charlie and Pat break up but a fire that breaks out next door to Pat’s building brings them back together.

There’s not much to this programmer but it’s a chance to see western star Johnny Mack Brown in a “modern” role.  He’s convincingly tough as the headstrong Charlie while veteran actor George Cooper (who usually went uncredited in the 220 films that he appeared in) provides able support as his eccentric best friend.  Noel Francis and Marjorie Beebe are both likable as the two secretaries who end up with firefighter boyfriends and it’s had not to regret that neither had a bigger career in Hollywood.  As for the fire scenes, they are actually pretty effective for a 1930s film.  There are a few shaky shots but I imagine they were still good enough to thrill afternoon matinee audiences in 1932.

This film is often known as Flames, which provides a double meaning.  The characters fight flames while being flames themselves.  Personally, I think Fire Alarm is better.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special 1990 Edition

Posted on 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!

Today, we pay tribute to the year 1990!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 1990 Films

Goodfellas (1990, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Michael Ballhaus)

Avalon (1990, directed by Barry Levinson, DP: Allen Daviau)

Dances With Wolves (1990, dir by Kevin Costner, DP: Dean Semler)

The Forbidden Dance Is Lambada (1990, dir by Greydon Clark, DP: R. Michael Stringer)

Scene That I Love: Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Martin Sheen.

In this scene from 1979’s Apocalypse Now, Sheen shows the intensity that not only nearly killed him when he suffered a heart attack during filming but which also served to make Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam epic a true classic.

 

The Hong Kong Film Corner – THE WHITE STORM (2013), starring Lau Ching-Wan, Louis Koo and Nick Cheung!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

THE WHITE STORM (2013) centers around three lifelong friends and police officers in the Hong Kong Narcotics Bureau: Chief Inspector Ma (Lau Ching-Wan), undercover agent So (Louis Koo), and Inspector Cheung (Nick Cheung). The story follows their mission to take down a powerful Thai drug lord, Eight-Faced Buddha (Hoi Pang-Lo), in a high-stakes undercover operation. So, tired of his undercover work and wanting to just go home and take care of his pregnant wife, finds himself in more and more danger as the operation unfolds. A botched raid in Thailand leads to an impossible choice for Ma that comes with devastating consequences for the three friends. Five years later, those who survived must overcome feelings of guilt and betrayal in a final attempt to bring down the drug lord.

I enjoy director Benny Chan’s THE WHITE STORM for two primary reasons. First, THE WHITE STORM is a modern example of the “heroic bloodshed” genre of action film that was so popular in Hong Kong in the 80’s and 90’s, beginning with the John Woo / Chow Yun-Fat classic, A BETTER TOMORROW (1986). This genre is defined by stylized violence, as well as themes of brotherhood, loyalty, and extremely difficult moral dilemmas. THE WHITE STORM definitely delivers on the stylized violence inherent in the genre, giving us even bigger action set-pieces based on the expectations of more modern audiences. While not necessarily as innovative as John Woo’s best work, the action sequences are exciting and further develop the emotional dynamics between the main characters. The central emotional conflict at hand in THE WHITE STORM seems to be the value of friendship versus each of the cop’s civic duties to stop a drug trade that is crippling Hong Kong. In the best heroic bloodshed tradition, the characters are continually forced to make impossible decisions that may be for the greater good, but are bad for somebody. These decisions lead to a lot of melodrama over the course of the film, but the drama is done well for the most part. 

A “heroic bloodshed” film like THE WHITE STORM cannot possibly work without strong performances, and Benny Chan gets excellent work from some of Hong Kong’s best actors. Lau Ching-Wan’s stoic intensity, Louis Koo’s conflicted desperation, and Nick Cheung’s emotional vulnerability create a chemistry that sells the “brotherhood” of our main characters. It’s a delicate balancing act as each character has their own motivations for their actions, but we can understand where they are coming from and still believe that they truly care about each other. Of course, this emotional connection makes the film that much harder to watch as the story heads into more tragic directions.

Overall, THE WHITE STORM is a solid action film that showcases excellent action scenes and emotionally satisfying drama, delivered by some of Hong Kong’s best actors. If you’re a fan of the Hong Kong’s heroic bloodshed genre, in my opinion, it’s a worthy addition and a must-watch. 

THE WHITE STORM is currently steaming on Tubi. I’ve included the trailer below: