Hi! We hope you’re having a wonderful holiday!
Here at the Shattered Lens, we have a Christmas tradition, one that was started way back in 2009 by site founder Arleigh Sandoc. And that tradition is …. TREEVENGE!
Celebrate Christmas with the greatest haunted Christmas tree movie ever!
Enjoy and …. wait, what? Uh-oh! The video is age-restricted so you’ll have to click on the watch on YouTube link!
Did everyone have a good Christmas? Did everyone get everything that they wanted?
If the answer’s yes, you have one man to thank for that!
Hooray for Santy Claus!
(You might recognize this song from one of our favorite holiday classics, Santa Claus Conquers The Martians!)
I’ve really been looking forward to seeing JUROR #2, Clint Eastwood’s most recent directorial effort, since I first read about it a year or two ago. Any film from the aging icon is a gift to his fans at this point, so it seems appropriate that I watched it for the first time on Christmas Eve. I still don’t understand the release strategy for the film, considering it was released in a few theaters and then pushed out to streaming platforms a little over a month later. That seems strange for a movie with this kind of pedigree, but I guess that doesn’t really matter at this point.
The plot revolves around Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult), a seemingly nice guy who’s going to be a dad any day now. I know that because his wife Allison (Zoey Deutch) looks like she could pop at any moment. He tries to use that pregnancy to get out of jury duty, but to no avail. Of course he gets selected to serve. As District Attorney Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette) begins laying out the facts of a horrific murder case against James Michael Sythe (Gabriel Basso), Justin begins to immediately realize that the wrong guy may have been arrested for the crime. How does he know they’ve got the wrong guy? Because Justin now thinks that he may be the one responsible for an accidental hit and run killing of the victim, Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood). The remainder of the film deals with Justin’s moral dilemma as he attempts to serve on the jury, protect his own freedom, and not send an innocent man to jail. This plot does require a pretty big suspension of disbelief, but if you’ll just go along with it, the movie does present some interesting ideas.
I’ll say right off the bat that I like JUROR #2. This was a relief to me because as much as I wanted to like Eastwood’s prior film CRY MACHO, at the end of the day it just wasn’t a very good movie. I’ve always enjoyed courtroom thrillers, and it doesn’t seem we get to see many of them anymore. Our main character Justin Kemp has a troubled past, but he’s truly turned his life around. The fact that he now finds himself in a seemingly impossible moral position is a strong hook that pulled me in. Director Eastwood takes his time here and tightens the grip on Justin, leaving him with few options, as he tries to figure out what to do. I’ve never served on a jury, and I’ve never really wanted to. I’m not sure I want the responsibility of deciding a person’s guilt or innocence. Eastwood’s film doesn’t change my mind in this area. It shows us some jurors who have made up their minds based on pre-conceived notions, regardless of the evidence. It shows us other jurors who want to convict just so the trial can be over and they can get on with their lives. It shows us witnesses who are willing to identity people just to please the prosecution. Considering what we know as the audience, these are glaring but realistic weaknesses of our nation’s system of justice.
Eastwood assembled a good cast with Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, and Kiefer Sutherland, actors that I always find worth watching. Hoult and Collette do most of the heavy lifting. JUROR #2 is set in Georgia, and I appreciate that Hoult, who’s from England, and Collette, who’s from Australia, don’t overdo the southern accents. J.K. Simmons is very impressive as an ex-cop who’s serving on the jury who is convinced of the defendant’s innocence. Unfortunately, his character exits the film fairly early, and he’s sorely missed. I’ve been a big fan of Kiefer Sutherland since I was a teenager, and I consider “24” one of my all time favorite shows. His role is pretty small here. He’s good, but from what I’ve read, he really just wanted to work with Eastwood. I also enjoyed seeing Gabriel Basso (Hillbilly Elegy) and Francesca Eastwood (Clint’s daughter) in the film.
Clint Eastwood amazes me. In his legendary six decade career, he has been a part of some of the best films of all time. DIRTY HARRY, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, and UNFORGIVEN are included in my list of all-time favorites. JUROR #2 is not in their league, and it’s certainly not a perfect film. But it is an entertaining film that tells an interesting story and even makes you think a little bit. And with that I say, thanks for another gift, Clint!
Po (voice by Jack Black), that Panda Bear who knows kung fu is back.
After finding fame as a Dragon Warrior and defending the Valley of Peace from numerous threats, he’s been told by his master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), that it is time for him to give up being the Dragon Warrior and move on to becoming the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. Po doesn’t really want to do that so, after being passive aggressive about auditioning replacements, Po goes on a quest with a plucky corsac fox and thief named Zhen (voiced by Awkwafina). Together, they head out to defeat a new threat, the Chameleon (voice of Viola Davis). The Chameleon is summoning past villains from the Spirit Real and stealing their kung fu powers.
Meanwhile, Po’s two dads — one biological (voiced by Bryan Cranston) and the other a goose who adopted Poe when he was young (voiced by James Hong) — also set out on a quest to try to keep Poe from getting into trouble. It’s actually kind of sweet, even if I did have a hard time telling all the various Panda Bears apart. Actually, so did everyone else in the movie so at least I felt a little bit less dumb.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is a typical Dreamworks animated film. The characters are cute and kid-friendly. The humor is self-referential and occasionally, an adult joke will slip in but it’s never anything that would threaten the film’s G-rating. The plot is pretty predictable and by-the-numbers but then again, this is a Kung Fu Panda film that we’re talking about here. There’s only so much that you can do with that. That said, the animation is nicely done and the voice actors all do a good job of bringing their characters to life. I especially liked Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu. It’s an entertaining movie, even if it does ultimately feel a bit generic.
The release of a new animated film, even one as low-key as Kung Fu Panda 4, used to be a huge event. Now, we kind of take animated films and their star-studded casts for granted. It’s a bit of a shame that we’ve lost that excitement.
I should admit that I have a bias when it comes to Average Joe.
Two weeks ago, when I watched this movie, I mentioned that I was viewing it on twitter. I included a picture of the film’s poster with my tweet. A few days later, I was briefly locked out of my account because someone reported the tweet for a copyright violation. Apparently, they were offended that I had shared the film’s poster. The image was removed from twitter and my account was subsequently unlocked.
I mean …. seriously, what the Hell? Not to brag on myself but I’m probably one of the few secular film bloggers out there who is willing to give a serious, non-snarky review to a faith-based film like Average Joe. Beyond that, me tweeting that I’m watching the film and sharing the film’s poster is basically free advertising for a film that really hasn’t really gotten a whole helluva lot of attention. I really have to wonder who thought it would be a good idea to alienate a viewer by complaining about someone sharing the film’s poster on social media.
As for the film itself, it’s based on a true story. Joe (Eric Close) is a former rebel and delinquent who is straightened out by both serving in the military and marrying Denise (Amy Acker). After Joe joins a church and shares his testimony, he is asked to take over as coach of a struggling high school football team. Joe leads them to victory but he also causes controversy by publicly praying before and after the games. The school board orders Joe to pray in the locker room where no one can see him but Joe refuses. Joe’s case makes its way to the Supreme Court. Along the way, Denise goes from being annoyed with her husband’s stubbornness to supporting his right to pray.
Del Close and Amy Acker make for a believable and cute couple. They definitely have enough chemistry that you buy them as a married couple. Both Close and Acker are also talented enough actors that they can make the movie watchable, even when it gets more than a bit heavy-handed. That said, the film also features Joe and Denise looking straight at the camera and narrating their story, which leads to several moments of either Close or Acker saying, “Actually, that’s the not the way it happened. What really happened was….” It’s a technique that become popular after Adam McKay used it in The Big Short (though I think it’s entirely probable that McKay himself stole it from Michael Winterbottom’s 24-Hour Party People). The first time it happens, it works because Joe interrupts some over-the-top footage of him trying to lasso a camel in a desert. It’s exactly the type of scene that is worthy of a “Wait, this didn’t happen!” But each subsequent time that Joe and Denise break the fourth wall, it feels less like a clever narrative device and more like a gimmick. There comes a point where you just want both Joe and Denise to get on with it.
Average Joe is …. it’s okay. I liked some of the acting. I liked the score by Andrew Morgan Smith. Narratively, it was never quite as memorable as it probably should have been. It’s a film that tries hard but doesn’t really stick with you.
In The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers.
When we first meet Colt, he’s a legendary and rather cocky stuntman. While movie star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) takes all the credit and brags about doing his own stunts, Colt is the one who is actually jumping off of buildings and surviving car crashes. Every day, Colt risks his life to make Tom look good and, even though Tom is a bit of a tool, Colt loves every minute of it. Why shouldn’t he? He’s good at his job and he’s in love with aspiring director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).
Or, at least, that’s case until one stunt goes mysteriously wrong and Colt ends up breaking his back. Colt eventually recovers but he’s no longer willing to be a stuntman and he and Jody break up. Colt ends up working as a parking valet in Los Angeles, retrieving cars and hoping that no one recognizes him.
When Colt gets a call from producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) asking him to fly down to Australia and once again act as Tom’s stunt double in a science fiction epic called Metalstorm, Colt refuses. But then Gail tells him that Jody is directing the film and the production is running behind schedule. Jody herself wants Colt to come work on the film. Colt finally agrees. However, when he arrives in Australia, he discovers that Gail lied. Jody definitely does not want Colt working on the movie and, in fact, Metalstorm is her way of getting out all of her negative feelings about their relationship.
Gail explains that Tom is missing. Colt agrees to track him down while working on both the film and his relationship with Jody. However, it soon turns out that Tom isn’t just off on a drunken binge somewhere. Colt soon finds himself caught up in a murder investigation, one in which Colt himself is the top suspect!
I liked The Fall Guy a lot more than I thought I would. From the trailer and the commercials, I was expecting it to just be another dumb Hollywood action film. And, indeed, there is a lot of action in The Fall Guy. Appropriately enough for a film about stuntmen, the stunts in The Fall Guy are often spectacular to watch and the film serves as a tribute to the unnamed stunt players who make us believe that film stars can do just about anything. I’m not going to speculate about who Tom Ryder might have been based on but it’s easy to see him as a stand-in for any number of spoiled movie stars who get all the credit for what we see onscreen despite the fact that it’s usually their stunt doubles doing the thing that we really remember. The Fall Guy is also a surprisingly funny movie. It’s smart enough not take itself too seriously and there’s a bit with a unicorn that made me laugh out loud. As always, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are charming and fun to watch. I’ve been pretty critical of Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the past but I have to admit that he did a really good job as Tom. The Fall Guy kept me entertained and there’s definitely something to be said for that.
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.
It’s Christmas! Here are 4 Shots from 4 Christmas classics!
4 Shots From 4 Films
The Godfather (1972, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)
Die Hard (1988, directed by John McTiernan, DP: Jan de Bont)
Goodfellas (1990, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Michael Ballhaus)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999, dir by Stanley Kubrick, DP: Larry Smith)
Watching the 1964 holiday sci-fi epic, Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, is a Christmas Eve tradition here at the Shattered Lens! So, sit back, turn on Kid TV, and get ready to sing!
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HOORAY FOR SANTY CLAUS!
On December 8, 1991, YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS, starring Charles Bronson, made its world premiere on the ABC Network. I was 18 years old and working at the local grocery store that night so I had to set up my VCR to record the film. I was so nervous that something might happen to mess up my timed recording. In those days, all it took was a quick power flicker and your recording was screwed. I was so happy when I got home that night and everything had gone perfectly. I was a starving Bronson superfan who had not seen anything new from the man since KINJITE: FORBIDDEN SUBJECTS had been released in February of 1989. Since KINJITE’S release, Charles Bronson had faced the most difficult emotional times of his life. The love of his life, Jill Ireland, had fought valiantly against cancer but lost her battle with the disease in May of 1990. When he chose to start working again, his first two films, THE INDIAN RUNNER and YES VIRGINIA, featured him in roles where he was playing a man who is dealing with the pain from having recently lost his wife. These were tough times for the aging star, and it seems he was working out some deep emotional struggles in these two performances. At the time, the prospect of Charles Bronson performing in a heartwarming Christmas movie about a classic newspaper editorial was such a surprising film choice. I was all in!
YES VIRGINIA opens with renowned journalist for The New York Sun newspaper, Francis P. Church, cleaning the snow off of his recently deceased wife and daughter’s tombstones. He turns away to take a drink of whiskey out of shame and then walks away. It seems that since they passed away, Church has become a shell of his former self. He has a lot of guilt because he was always away on newspaper business instead of being at home with his family. He’s dealing with that pain by drinking way too much. He’s not working on the stories he’s been assigned by his editor, Edward P. Mitchell (Ed Asner), and it seems he’s lost the will to live.
At the same time that Francis Church is dealing with his issues, we’re introduced to the O’Hanlon clan. James O’Hanlon (Richard Thomas) is the head of the family that includes his wife Evie (Tamsin Kelsey), daughter Virginia (Katharine Isabelle), and sons Teddy and Sean. We meet James on the same day that he loses his job for beating up a bigot who was insulting his Irish heritage. We follow him as he attempts to find a job so he can provide for his family. His sweet-natured daughter Virginia is having some issues of her own. One day while playing jump rope at school, some of the other girls decide to tell her that there is no such thing as Santa Claus. This cause’s Virginia a lot of stress, so she asks her dad if it’s true. Holding yesterday’s copy of the New York Sun, he tells her that if he sees it written in The Sun, he knows it’s true. Being a smart young lady, she decides to write her own letter to The Sun.
And this is where the two stories converge. Editor Mitchell assigns Church the job of answering Virginia’s question. This turns out to be just what he needs to begin seeing the good in the world around him again.
That night in December of 1991, even after working the late shift at the grocery store, there was no way I was going to wait until the next day to watch a new Charles Bronson movie for the first time in almost 3 years. I pressed play and settled in for a film that is dealing with some really serious subject matter. The main characters are dealing with severe depression, alcoholism, bigotry, extreme poverty, and attitudes of indifference and disbelief towards Santa Claus himself! Sounds like an uplifting story doesn’t it? The truth is that it is a very uplifting story because it features people with good hearts who care about the people around them. Sure, there are some jerks in the movie. This is one of those kinds of movies where those jerks end up getting their asses kicked. James O’Hanlon and his friend Donelli get the opportunity to beat up the bigots who call them potlickers and poured their beer on them. As a fan of Bronson, one of the most satisfying scenes in the movie is when Church punches out the smug, elitist A-hole, Cornelius Barrington (John Novak) who’s being disrespectful about one of Church’s female co-workers. Those scenes are satisfying, but my favorite parts of the movie are the sentimental acts of kindness we get to see throughout the film. We see co-workers taking care of co-workers. We see neighbors taking care of neighbors. We see family members taking care of each other at different times and different ways. It’s so satisfying when we see good things happen to these good people simply because someone cares enough to be kind.
The cast in this film is so good. Of course Charles Bronson is excellent as Francis P. Church. You can really feel his character’s grief, and you can understand why he runs away to the bottle. And knowing that Bronson had recently lost his wife in real life only adds to the emotional power of the performance. And I think Katharine Isabelle is so good as Virginia. The wrong person in her role could have ruined the film. They got it right with Katharine. Ed Asner is perfect as Edgar P. Mitchell, with just the right combination of toughness and caring. I really enjoy seeing the two grizzled veterans, Bronson and Asner, working together. And finally, I like Richard Thomas in this movie as well. He plays the highs and lows of his character in a dramatic way without going too far. The main cast had to be good for the movie to work, and they more than fit the bill.
And what about that famous editorial where Church answers Virginia’s question, “Is there a Santa Claus?” I just love the scene in the movie when the sweet girl gets her answer. I won’t spoil it for you with all the details, but I will say that it features so much thoughtfulness and thankfulness leading up to the reading of the actual editorial that ran in New York Sun in 1897. And the look on Virginia’s face when her dad reads “Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” is priceless. It’s the perfect example of why I love the movie, and therefore, it’s a perfect ending to the film.
BONUS CONTENT – I had the great privilege to be part of an interview with Lindsay Ireland, Charles Bronson’s and Jill Ireland’s niece, as part of the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast. She gives so much insight into her uncle and aunt. She also provides additional context on just how hard Jill’s passing was on Bronson just prior to filming YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS. I’ve linked the interview below if you want to know more.
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 1995’s Virtual Assassin!
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 Virtual Assassin on Tubi, start the movie at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag!
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens