One time he unintentionally blows away an undercover fed, and he spends the rest of the time trying to atone to his widow and her daughter, who brings out what little tenderness is left in him after his own family was slaughtered. Interesting little debate with the Catholic priest, as our Punisher, a former seminarian, is challenged to repent, the priest quoting Matthew 7:2, but he says it’s too late for him, adding, “I’d like to get my hands on God.” We assume he was not intending an embrace. After all those cold-blooded murders, would blasphemy still be considered a sin?
“Transporter 3” — This one promises all-out violence, as Jason Statham reprises his role as Frank Martin, who can transport any “package” anywhere, no matter how dangerous. This time it takes him a while to realize that his “package” is human, a freckle-faced beauty named Valentina (Natalya Rudakova), who at first is surly and uncooperative, then irresponsible, then amorous, then fearless. At least she changes expression. Statham “kung-fus” his way through all the bad guys, and has to be talked into any kind of tenderness with her. Yes, there’s a plot somewhere, about the bad guys wanting to dump hazardous waste, and then there’s the added drama of bracelets that explode when the captives stray too far from their appointed rounds. But as in “Punisher,” the bodies litter the landscape, and bloodletting seems all too easy, and all too devoid of conscience.
“Four Christmases” — Well, at least it’s not nearly as violent. Vince Vaughan and Reese Witherspoon play the young couple whose parents are all divorced, and they make the rounds during the holidays, each visit more disastrous than the last. They manage to do embarrassing and awkward really well, but not that much humor, other than derisive. Great veteran cast, even with comedy experience, but not a great vehicle for belly laughs. More like sardonic chuckles.
“Wendy and Lucy” — No laughs of any kind here. Michelle Williams plays a down-on-her-luck single woman who is driving across country with her dog, but when her car breaks down, and she’s caught shoplifting in a grocery store, her life spirals even farther down. A solemn reminder of the great company of nameless vagabonds out there, but don’t expect to be amused or entertained.
“Nothing Like the Holidays” — Well, it’s better than “Four Christmases,” whose humor is mostly mean-spirited, but there’s as much tragedy as comedy in this Hispanic version of a family gathering gone awry, everything from suspicion of infidelity to revelation of terminal illness to career disappointment to the spark of new romance to an Iraqi veteran’s survivor guilt. Yes, it’s all over the place, but endearingly so, because, at the end, it’s still a big, happy, Puerto Rican family, and we’re rooting for them to stay that way.
Questions For Discussion:
1) What’s your favorite memory of a family holiday gathering? Least favorite memory?
2) Is shoplifting is more forgivable when the shoplifter is completely broke?
RONALD P. SALFEN is pastor of Grace Church in Greenville, Texas.
Holiday films: The (not so) significant
“Punisher: War Zone” — Pure comic book. This kind of pulp fiction features the evil criminal literally deformed (Dominic West as Jigsaw), and his deranged brother, Looney Bin Jim (Doug Hutchison), terrorizing at will until The Punisher (Ray Stevenson) arrives on the scene, the indestructible vigilante who serves as self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner, just blasting away the bad guys.
