4 Shots From 4 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 is all about letting the visuals do the talking.
Happy birthday, James Franco, wherever you are!
4 Shots From 4 James Franco Films
The Broken Tower (2011, dir by James Franco)
Child of God (2013, dir by James Franco)
The Sound and The Fury (2014, dir by James Franco)
The Disaster Artist (2017, dir by James Franco)
In 2013’s Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft, Ella (Fivel Stewart) and Jonah (Booboo Stewart) are twins who are sent to an exclusive private school. The private school is so exclusive that many of the students are the descendants of former students. If you don’t have the right lineage, you’re not attending this school.
Ella and Jonah soon discover that this isn’t your everyday private school. Instead, the student body is made up of witches and wizards and so are the majority of the teachers. Ella and Jonah also discover that they are being targeted. Can they defeat the other witches and wizards and will their school ever beat Hogwarts at Quidditch?
Now, technically, Hogwarts is never mentioned in this film and no one ever plays Quidditch but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out which insanely popular series of books and films inspired Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft. There are a few references to witches in the woods and children being eaten but this film definitely has more in common with the works of J.K. Rowling than the work of the Brothers Grimm. It’s a fairly silly film but it’s enjoyable enough, if you’re a fan of director David DeCoteau’s unique aesthetic. That means plenty of cheap special effects, a few names in the cast, one scene of gratuitous shirtlessness for Booboo Stewart, and an open-ended conclusion, just in case someone was willing to pay for a sequel.
Eric Roberts plays Mr. Sebastian. He’s the kind-hearted headmaster at the school. He doesn’t appear in many scenes but, as always, it’s nice to see Eric Roberts playing a nice guy for once. At one point, Mr. Sebastian explains what is going on at the school and it doesn’t make the least bit of sense but I guess that’s magic for you.
Previous Eric Roberts Films That We Have Reviewed:
In 2012’s Snow White: A Deadly Summer, Snow (Shanley Caswell) is the teenage daughter of Grant (Eric Roberts). Snow has been acting out ever since her mother died and Grant married Eve (Maureen McCormick). Snow doesn’t feel that Eve loves her father and Eve is incredibly jealous of Snow. In fact, Eve spends a lot of time standing in front of a mirror and talking about how much she doesn’t like her stepdaughter.
One morning, after Eve has convinced Grant that Snow is dangerously out-of-control, Snow is abducted and taken to one of those awful boot camps. It’s the type of place where spoiled teenagers are taught discipline and good conduct. At least, that’s how it advertises itself. In truth, it’s a terrible place in the middle of the woods where the guards are sadists and no one is allowed the least bit of freedom. Eve is planning on having Snow murdered at the camp so that she can have Grant all to herself. Will Snow be able to escape?
Directed by David DeCoteau, this film doesn’t really have as much to do with Snow White as you might expect from the title. Yes, Eve spends a lot of time talking in front of the mirror but the mirror itself never talks back. That said, it’s actually a pretty entertaining film. Casting Maureen McCormick as the Wicked Stepmother is a brilliant move and McCormick seems to really get into playing a villain. (At times, she seems to be channeling Florence Henderson.) Even more importantly, the film exposes the whole boot camp racket. I can remember the old talk shows where out-of-control teens would be sent to “boot camp.” The audience would always go crazy whenever the “drill sergeants” started yelling at the teens but, to me, it always seemed like being sent to one of those boot camps would actually make someone ever angrier than they were before. That would certainly be true in my case.
I know what you’re saying, though. “Lisa Marie, what about Eric Roberts?” It’s interesting to see Eric Roberts playing a generally likable and sympathetic character here. He gets to do a bit more than he usually does in films like this and he give a good performance. You really worry about what’s going to happen to him when Maureen McCormick has him to herself.
The film ends with a nice little twist, though it’s probably one that you’ll see coming. That said, this is still one of David DeCoteau’s better films.
Previous Eric Roberts Films That We Have Reviewed:
1983’s Star 80 features one of Eric Roberts’s best and most disturbing performances. On the one hand, it’s the film that proved Roberts’s talent. On the other hand, it’s a film in which he does such a good job bringing the repellent Paul Snider to life that he reportedly struggled to convince casting agents that he could characters who weren’t shady and/or mentally unstable.
In this scene, Roberts-as-Snider gets his look down. Snider, a man who has no real identity beyond his desire to be somebody, tries to disguise his emptiness through the right haircut and the right clothes.
I’ve been a fan of James Woods going back to the last half of the 1980’s. As a person who practically lived at the video store in the late 80’s, that period of time was a particularly strong time in Woods’ career and he had emerged as one of those actors whose body of work I wanted to see. With classics already to his name, such as ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, and having just received his first Oscar nomination for Oliver Stone’s SALVADOR, Woods was doing excellent work in both films and TV.
In 1986, the same year of his Oscar nomination, James Woods won the Primetime Emmy for outstanding lead in a miniseries for his role as a schizophrenic in the film THE PROMISE, which also starred James Garner. Interestingly, he would win the same award 3 years later when he played the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in MY NAME IS BILL W, again costarring James Garner. James Woods has always spoken so highly of Garner and their work together. That time also found Woods bringing his incredible on-screen intensity to films like BEST SELLER, COP, and TRUE BELIEVER. Each of these films showcase Woods at his very best. These were the kinds of films I was looking for at that time in my life, and that great work turned me into a lifelong fan.
The 90’s saw Woods transition from lead actor in films like THE HARD WAY and DIGGSTOWN (two personal favorites) to supporting roles in films like THE GETAWAY, THE SPECIALIST (co-starring Lisa’s hero Eric Roberts) and CASINO. He was still consistently incredible in these roles, no matter the size of the role or the quality of the film. He received his 2nd Oscar nomination for playing the horrific racist Byron De La Beckwith in Rob Reiner’s GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI. His performance is pure evil personified on screen. A couple of years later, Woods would play Hades in the Disney film HERCULES, an experience he treasured personally. Some of his best work in the 90’s was again on TV, with the film INDICTMENT: THE MCMARTIN TRIAL being a real standout. Woods was great at portraying lawyers on screen and this is some of his best work!
One of the coolest things about James Woods to me is the kindness he has shown me on social media in recent years. I have asked him questions about his movies and what it was like working with certain co-stars, and he has taken the time to answer them directly. He has commented on my film reviews of his work, even sharing them out with his millions of followers on multiple occasions. In my wildest dreams, 15 year old Brad could not have imagined an actor of the quality and success of James Woods taking time out to show me appreciation for simply enjoying his incredible work.
Happy Birthday Mr. Woods! Thanks for sharing your talents with all of us and showing that you actually appreciate your fans!
4 Shots from 4 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!
Happy birthday, Eric Roberts!
4 Shots From 4 Eric Roberts Films
Star 80 (1983, dir by Bob Fosse, DP: Sven Nyvkist)
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984, dir by Stuart Rosenberg, DP: John Bailey)
Runaway Train (1985, dir by Andrei Konchalovsky, DP: Alan Hume)
The Dark Knight (2008, dir by Christopher Nolan, DP: Wally Pfister)
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, for #ScarySocial, I will be hosting 1989’s Cutting Class!
If you want to join us on Saturday night, just hop onto twitter, start the film at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! The film is available on Prime and Tubi! I’ll be there co-hosting and I imagine some other members of the TSL Crew will be there as well. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy!
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly watch parties. On Twitter, I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday and I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday. On Mastodon, I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix! The movie? 1967s The Trip!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, find The Trip on Prime, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag! I’ll be there happily tweeting. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
See you there!
This scene that I love features one of the greatest lines of all time. From John Milius’s 1984 masterpiece, Red Dawn:
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 1982 with….
4 Shots From 4 1982 Films
The House By The Cemetery (1982, dir by Lucio Fulci)
The New York Ripper (1982, dir by Lucio Fulci)
Friday the 13th Part II (1981, dir by Steve Miner)
Rock: It’s Your Decision (1982, dir. John Taylor)
Through the Shattered Lens 