martyrs is a 2008 french-canadian drama horror film written and directed by pascal laugier .

it was first screened during the 2008 cannes film festival at the marché du film , and the film 's french release was on 3 september 2008 .

the american rights for the film were purchased by the weinstein company and the company was responsible for the release of the dvd in april 2009 .

the film was controversial upon its release , receiving polarizing reviews from critics and has been associated with the new french extremity movement .

martyrs ( 2008 film )

poiler warning : this article reveals some plot details of the 2008 film martyrs . we’d recommend watching it before reading .
left , bailey noble in the american remake of the french horror film “martyrs . ” right , mylène jampanoï in the original “martyrs , ” from 2008 .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing martyrs ( 2008 ) near you .
the film’s french release is slated for 2008 through the distribution arm of wild bunch , who are also handling international sales .
published at : dec . 28 , 2008 , 11 : 04 p . m . cst by headgeek
pascal laugier ‘s 2008 french film , martyrs , is one hardcore horror movie . like plenty of other successful foreign horror films , it’s gotten the u . s . remake treatment . an american version of martyrs has been in the works for over five years now , and today we’re getting our first real glimpse at the film . watch the martyrs trailer after the jump .
unless you ' re a fan of the actresses involved , i really can ' t imagine that viewers will take much away from watching the martyrs remake . if you want to be told this story , just stick with the 2008 french film .
martyrs 2016 is an entertaining , fun and at times brutal horror film that will probably delight the casual horror fan .
the controversial film was similar to the graphic , torture - porn film franchises in the us begun with saw ( 2004 ) and hostel ( 2005 ) , although more compelling with greater intellectual significance . when the divisive film debuted at the cannes film festival in 2008 , it caused many audience members to walk out . the final 15 minutes of the unpleasant film was considered unflinchingly horrendous in its portrayal of cruelty .
i know this comment is a year later than the rest but i’ve only recently watched this film . . no film has had the effect on me like martyrs did , i have watched a siberian film and films like 120 days of sodum and found then nothing compared to martyrs . . the way the film was shot , actually i’m not even goin to try and sound intelligent , the film stick with me… great review 🙂
remaking martyrs with a
glimmer of hope ,
however , is a gargantuan mistake , and ruins the main point of the film .
photo : pascal laugier ' s ' martyrs .
credit : canal + .
i wonder if stamm has seen martyrs . . . green obviously missed suspiria .
and it is through this invitation that we , too , may be martyrs .
for the first 50 minutes , martyrs 2015 is following the exact same track as martyrs 2008 . when it finally starts to diverge and take its own path , it ' s to the film ' s detriment . as it goes on , it becomes more and more apparent that the story has undergone a very stereotypical americanization process , a whitewashing to make it more palatable to a wider audience .
ethics is an area i am very interested in within film studies . you have encouraged me to re - watch this film with the above questions in thought . martyrs has always intrigued me . wonderful article .
the ' martyrs ' remake already has already been filmed . . . - bloody disgusting
horror , movie trailers , kevin goetz , mark l . smith , martyrs , michael goetz
perhaps more than any other horror film , martyrs demonstrates the range of the genre ' s capabilities to find ways to excite , provoke , and disturb us .
martyrs trailer & film clip - 2016 horror remake subscribe for more : urltoken a woman and her childhood friend seek out revenge on those who victimized and abused them .
i ' ve never been into this sort of torture porn and martyrs doesn ' t convince me .
martyrs is an absolute recommend , but only to those who are willing to accept the film on its own uncompromising terms . all others are advised to stay well clear away .
i’m very interesting in the discussion above regarding ‘witnessing’ – how does martyrs encourage us to question our participatory role in the film experience ? are we trespassing on the witnessing of martyrdom ? is this a scene that belongs to our eyes ? it seems to raise questions about how easily we comply with the ‘film eye’ or ‘film body’ .
williams , “film bodies : gender , genre , excess” in film quarterly , 44 : 4 , summer 1991 , 2 - 13 ) , 4 . ↩
sooo close ! ! - dang guess i ' m really gonna have to check out martyrs . . .
there is some talent behind this remake . it’s written by the revenant co - writer mark l . smith and directed by the goetz brothers ( scenic route ) . that should make the martyrs remake look slightly more appealing , but anchor bay seems to be dumping the film and the trailer leaves you wanting to revisit the original 2008 film instead . in a q & a on reddit , the goetz brothers acknowledged they wouldn’t managed to equal the violence of the original but still planned on pushing boundaries :
writer - director pascal laugier ' s 2008 french horror film
martyrs
has a well - earned reputation as one of the scariest , goriest movies ever made — so extreme that it pushes past exploitation into art . the new american remake from screenwriter mark l . smith (
the revenant
) and directors kevin and michael goetz sells a softer version of laugier ' s vision . the result is pointlessly repellent .
final preparations are underway before shooting begins in canada in march on martyrs , the second feature by pascal laugier .
great analysis . though the title could have had “martyrs” in quotes so it was clearer what it was about .
nobody has mentioned that the title of the film is “martyrs , ” as in plural . all of the other people that had been tortured would have been classed as victims . both the anna and the old lady are martyrs , albeit of a different type . i think that informs the “keep on doubting” response .
( 1962 ) , a film about survivor’s guilt and the revenge of repressed guilt .
movie news , screening invitations and reviews from the world of independent film and beyond .
“ martyrs ” is only eighty minutes long , sans credits , yet still it manages to cram four bad horror films into its meager runtime . a remake of 2008’s french torture porn / cult horror flick with the same title , the original “martyrs” was by no means a masterpiece , but managed to be extremely effective during its third act , thanks mainly to writer / director pascal laugier ’s staunch dedication to medieval - level gruesomeness mixed with an intensely grim existential hopelessness .
ms . ponder said she hoped any attention given the new “martyrs” would work in favor of the old , a film she has been unable to shake — to horror fans , a badge of honor .
the weinstein company bought “martyrs” following its premiere in 2008 at cannes , where it incited walkouts . it was never released theatrically in the united states . ( in an interview with the horror website shock till you drop , mr . laugier said the producer bob weinstein “tried to watch ‘martyrs’ in the plane back from cannes and couldn’t stand its violence . ” ) in france , it was originally given the equivalent of an american nc - 17 , later lowered to the equivalent of an r .
but it’s worth remembering that the first reviews of martyrs weren’t that all that complimentary either – for the exact opposite reasons .
and certainly , as an example of the new french extreme , this film is perfect .
your brain is broken . this film and most of life in general is beyond you .
a scene from the movie
martyrs
of bailey noble who plays anna . ( anchor bay entertainment / anchor bay entertainment )
the sadistically torturous 2008 film had been rumored for a remake since it was first released , and has now reportedly entered the post - production phase after being filmed in secret . according to the report , kevin and michael goetz ( scenic route ) have already wrapped the filming process with bailey noble ( true blood ) and troian bellisario ( pretty little liars ) starring in the lead roles . the film is produced by blumhouse productions and the safran company .
shatteringly stupid and repulsively misogynistic ,
martyrs
mashes revenge , torture and the supernatural into one solid , quasi - religious lump .
for thoughts on , and a place to discuss , plot details we can’t reveal in this review , visit martyrs ’ spoiler space .
now — despite my enthusiasm for the film , i can definitely say that it is not one to recommend . in terms of impact the film has , this probably sits just below a serbian film . it’s a really , really good movie , but it’s a full - on sucker punch of a film . it kind of leaves you reeling , because a movie has rarely been so cruel .
based on the brutal 2008 french canadian philosophical thriller written and directed by pascal laugier , remaking a movie for american audiences that has a fan base as loyal as martyrs is a bold move . directors ( and brothers ) kevin and michael goetz tackle this difficult challenge by toning back on the violence , altering the lifespan of some of the characters , and focusing mostly on the lifelong friendship between anna and lucie .
troian bellisario and bailey noble in a scene from the film by the directors kevin and michael goetz .
yes i do agree it’s a “hugely” graphic film but after watching “earthling” the gore / torture ( s ) of “martyrs” is nothing because you know it’s not true & just acting . “earthling” has scarred me and will for ever be traumatized .
martyrs opens in select theaters on january 22nd , 2016 and will be available on dvd and blu - ray on february 2nd , 2016 .
there are movies that you can call violent , unsettling , shocking , disturbing , stomach - churning , depressing or demented and then , there is martyrs . proudly presented by the new french extremity movement , notable for films like high tension , inside & irreversible , martyrs sets an incredibly high bar for ensuing films of its genre and is arguably the most extreme & harrowing film ever made .
both the french and u . s . iterations of
martyrs
are transparently voyeuristic cheaply ginned - up guignol peep shows with intellectual pretensions .
since its debut at the cannes film festival last summer , martyrs has had tongues wagging furiously over its graphic content , its persistent and excessive violence , its apparent misogynistic tendencies and its supposedly sadistic preoccupations , and certainly , for these reasons and many others , martyrs isn’t for everyone . however , for those brave enough to enter pascal laugier’s bad , bad world , there’s a balls - achingly brutal horror film waiting to be experienced ; one that’s deeply disturbing , profoundly moving and somehow , eerily beautiful .
mr . couzens , your excellent , ahem , dissection of the film’s plotting and theme gives great insight .
the final shot of the film saw chris troubled , standing apart and very disconnected from his happy family .
brigid cherry , “refusing to refuse to look , ” the horror film reader , 169 - 170 . ↩
brutal from start to finish and ruthless in its depiction of despair , pascal laugier’s 2008 french - language shocker is an endurance test for even the most tenacious try - me horror fan . the critic simon abrams wrote that the film “takes the underlying concept of torture porn — pleasure from excessive displays of pain — and thoroughly explodes it in 99 minutes of grueling , nonstop butchery . ” and that was a rave .
an aging porn star agrees to participate in an
art film
in order to make a clean break from the business , only to discover that he has been drafted into making a pedophilia and necrophilia themed snuff film .
martyrs 2015 is not a particularly good film , but it is a decently made one , although it has an oddly incongruous warm look to much of the cinematography which makes its low budget more apparent and at times makes it look like a basic cable tv movie .
the film begins with a young girl running away from an industrial complex , panicked and bloodied . and by young i mean about 12 years old , if not less . this is 57 seconds into the film , and we already know we’re in an edgier film than most . she runs away , limping and screaming . this is lucie .
brutally well - conceived . . . for about 40 minutes , and then
martyrs
flips on its own bloody axis and falls apart , existentially .
roger ebert , the patron saint of many a film lover , was well known for being fundamentally inclined against a certain stripe of horror film . not against horror of the classical or psychological variety— the bride of frankenstein , psycho , and rosemary’s baby were not objects of his disdain . not even , necessarily , against modern or graphic horror—his great movies series included films such as se7en , alien , and the shining . but many horror films faced an uphill battle with ebert , who called the texas chain saw massacre “an effective production in the service of an unnecessary movie . ” one can only imagine what he might have said about martyrs , pascal laugier’s 2008 deposit at farthest end of the new french…
crew : camera ( color ) , nathalie moliavko - visotzky , stephane martin ; editor , sebastien prangere ; music , seppuku paradigm ; production designer , jean - andre carriere ; costume designer , claire nadon . reviewed at ugc cine cite les halles 3 , paris , sept . 6 , 2008 . ( in fantasy filmfest , germany ; frightfest , london ; toronto film festival - - midnight madness . ) running time : 99 min .
film should score ok with hardcore gore fans , but others will expect martyrdom for sticking it out until the end .
it ' s a hollow film with hopelessly annoying themes that don ' t arouse questions so much as eye rolls .
excellent analysis . i just watched the film for the first time and needed something to ground all that depravity in .
while the film is hardly a lifetime movie , the brothers goetz might not necessarily disagree with ms . hayes that their film will appeal to women . “when you use the word ‘hope’ with the word ‘martyrs , ’” it makes people livid , kevin goetz said . “but this film and this screenplay have a glimmer of hope in the fact that these two women will do whatever it takes to survive . ” michael goetz added , “at all the screenings we’ve had so far , women have reacted very well . ”
martyrs is an intense french film about the physical and psychological hell some people endure , and the revelations that can come from such trauma . it ' s a highly singular , inspired , ultraviolent film and horror fans everywhere love it , so of course hollywood wanted a remake . hot on the heels of the last exorcism in 2010 , director daniel stamm ended up landing the highly coveted gig .
like house of voices , the €2 . 8m martyrs was produced by richard grandpierre for eskwad and will have an eight - to ten - week shoot in canada .
hi , i thoroughly enjoyed your analysis of martyrs and included a link to your review in a list of martyr - related websites on my subreddit called cinematic trauma .
writes about comics , books and movies for the comics journal , the l magazine , the new york press and slant magazine . since last year , he’s been obsessively keeping a film journal where he writes down something about every film he’s seen .
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was this a horror film ? at no point was i scared , i was only ever depressed or disgusted . which isn ' t to say it was intended to scare , i think pascal laugier made martyrs to create these feelings of depression and disgust . so in a way it succeeded .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
thanks to bloody regular fabien m . , we have also learned that martyrs , which is to be produced by blumhouse and the safran company , has already been completed .
considering that “martyrs” was a fairly low budget production that was shot in twenty days , the lush cinematography by sean o’dea is impressive , especially during a gorgeous tracking shot of a candle - lit church . but it’s the wrong look for a movie with such grim and bleak subject matter . the grimy and grainy look of the original was far more fitting . if you’ve never seen the 2008 version , a proud member of the new french extremity movement , i guess the many twists and turns of the new “martyrs” might engross you in a fairly superficial way . but why bother with a muted copy , when you can experience the balls - to - the - wall original ? [ d ]
some viewers saw it when it premiered at cannes in 2008 – one of the most controversial films to hit the festival since gaspar noé’s irreversible – while others caught it later that year at london’s frightfest . others first heard about it through word of mouth – through reports of audiences fainting in the aisles and vomiting after watching its scenes of extreme torture .
[ note : heather had actually suffered a mis - carriage , a fact that roy learned only later in the film . ]
film selections have varied but have included black christmas ( 1974 ) , the hills have eyes ( 1977 ) , the hunger ( 1983 ) , the texas chainsaw massacre ( 1974 ) , the texas chainsaw massacre 2 ( 1986 ) , the stepford wives ( 1975 ) , teeth ( 2007 ) , rabid ( 1977 ) , the brood ( 1978 ) , let the right one in ( 2008 ) , ginger snaps ( 2000 ) , jenifer ( 2005 ) , sick girl ( 2006 ) , fido ( 2006 ) , dawn of the dead ( 1978 ) , day of the dead ( 1985 ) , near dark ( 1987 ) , audition ( 1999 ) , tokyo gore police ( 2008 ) , in my skin ( 2002 ) , braindead / dead - alive ( 1992 ) , martyrs ( 2008 ) and american mary ( 2012 ) . these films feature strong , non - normative or monstrous female characters . they raise feminist issues such as sexism , menstruation , pregnancy , motherhood , abortion , rape , gender trouble , and the gendered , raced or classed mapping of the body . they may contain final girls . they range from comical to disturbing , from slower to fast - paced , from conventional horror to “postmodern” and from less gore to more . equipped with feminist theories , students become deeply absorbed in these films while maintaining an enjoyable engagement .
the problem with extreme cinema is finding the balance between extremity , context and story – on one end you’ve got a film that’s really great but confronts an audience a little too much ( irreversible ) or on the other , a film that’s so concerned with being extreme it forgets to have a story , or in the end confront its audience too much ( the human centipede ) . but somewhere in the middle lies martyrs , a film that , in terms of content is probably more extreme than a serbian film or irreversible – but in execution takes that content , wraps it up in one hell of a mystery and metres out its extremity over the course of one solidly good movie .
( 2004 ) , the main character is called anna jurin . in martyrs , anna is one of the female leads ' character names , whilst lucie jurin is the other .
some authors have speculated that martyrs– like other french horror films of the past 20 years , such as xavier gens’s frontiers – deliberately evokes deep - set trauma from france’s past .
the film took in about $ 1 million globally before moving to dvd in 2009 . it has drawn fans ever since . featured on the covers of the horror magazines fangoria and rue morgue , it’s a film devotees know about even if they haven’t seen it .
unfortunately , in goosing the momentum , the creators of the film have lost the soul of what was essential to this horrific tale .
first of all , great article ! martyrs is one of those films that really stays with you . it is physically affecting , watching the creatures painfully move around and anna withstanding her torture . unlike hostel or a serbian film though the torture is not for anybody else’s pleasure but for anna’s own transcendence into martyrdom .
so it’s no surprise that the film’s partisans are wary of a new “martyrs , ” which opened jan . 22 . one of the film’s backers is blumhouse , the red - hot production company behind the popular but hardly hard - core horror franchises “paranormal activity” and “insidious . ” as with recent remakes of “halloween” and “the evil dead , ” fans of the original are wringing their hands over an american remake that might water down carnage or sanitize content .
it’s hard to ignore the undercurrent of misogyny in the third act , but martyrs is arguably a modern horror classic from the new french extremity movement . if you’re cool with extremely disturbing gore and violence then check it out ! if not , i recommend staying at least 300 feet away from this film at all times .
in all of the reviews i have seen of this film , no - one , not one has understood why mademoiselle removes her wig , head - scarf and make - up at the very end of the film before saying , “keep doubting” and blowing her brains out .
eight years ago , the horror community was electrified – a term that implies both a shock and an excited , skin - prickling awakening – by the release of a resolutely bleak french - language film named martyrs . directed by the hitherto obscure pascal laugier and starring unknown actresses morjana alaoui and mylène jampanoï , the film , a low - budget french - canadian production made for just under three million euros , quickly began to assert its place in horror movie history .
there really was only one possible ending for the film and that’s the one we were given , regardless of how unsatisfying . if madam . had lived to relate anna’s experience , the film maker would have had to speculate on the nature of the afterlife of which he clearly has no better idea than we do . any imagination he might exert would bring the film into the genre of fantasy or pseudo - mystical rather than horror .
he ' solved ' his wife ' s rape / murder - again - by killing
teddy
- the film ' s opening sequence .
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great article ! i’m not sure if i have the stomach to seek out the film , but your words will definitely stick with me for a while after reading your piece , much like it seems the film has stuck with you . something to think about certainly – the glorification of violence .
perhaps this is the point . we , like anna , must earn the revelation the film offers us . the film hasn’t offered us cheap visceral thrills , but a contemplative treatise on how we think of violence . the victim , the sufferer , is no longer disempowered , but may be the most spiritually powerful being possible . as an audience we are invited to suffer rather than enjoy the cheap , visceral thrills of another torture porn film .
martyrs is a film that has never left me , that i was unsure if i was enjoying or not until indeed my mouth was open for the entirety of the second half . it certainly separates itself from other films within the torture porn sub - genre , as it attempts to justify the heavy visual elements of its plot – and i believe does so extraordinarily well . i’d agree with your observations of the film and its place within french extremism , but i think at times the creators weren’t seeking to make as much meaning as we can derive . there are some parts of the film there for shock and gore , left suitably unsubstantiated .
yes , martyrs – which tells the story of a young woman ( lucie , played by jampanoï ) who tracks down the people responsible for torturing her as young child – is notoriously difficult to watch .
the kind of person who ' d be inclined to seek the film out is probably not the kind of person who ' d regret that decision .
linda williams , “when the woman looks” in the horror film reader , ed . mark jancovich ( london : routledge , 2001 ) , 61 . ↩
carol clover men , women and chainsaws : gender in the modern horror film ( princeton , nj : princeton up , 1992 ) , 53 . ↩
: martyrs are exceptional people . they survive pain , they survive total deprivation . they bear all the sins of the earth . they give themselves up . they transcend themselves . . . they are transfigured .
the fact that there is now a remake of martyrs is no surprise , laugier sold the remake rights as soon as his film got international release . the surprise is that , after several years of development hell , blumhouse productions , the safran company , and directors kevin and michael goetz ( scenic route ) managed to shoot the low budget remake in total secrecy . we didn ' t know about it until it was already in the can . this weekend , it will be released into the world to answer the question ,
how can you possibly remake martyrs ?
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
i really liked this film , i found it incredibly disturbing and i don ' t think that it was an effective horror film , more of a psychological thriller . i did really enjoy it and i would recommend it to anyone who likes horror films , but it is not for the faint of heart .
very interesting dissection of martyrs ! i’ve seen a smattering of new french extremity , but this film i’ve struggled with for a while . i love the first half , the comfortable familiar narrative , as you described ; i assumed that lucie was unhinged on my first viewing and didn’t want her to be correct in her assumption about the family she killed being her torturers .
martyrs are exceptional people . they survive pain , they survive total deprivation . they bear all the sins of the earth . they give themselves up . they transcend themselves . . . they are transfigured .
the story in the remake looks more or less the same : a young lady seeks revenge against those who tortured her as a child . this isn’t a red - band trailer , so either there’s a lot this trailer isn’t showing or they made a pg - 13 version of martyrs . pg - 13 or not , though , there was never a chance the american version of martyrs would be half as violent as the original .
very detailed article on an astonishing horror film . a friend asked if i would recommend it , and i gave him a resounding yes . excellent work here .
the men in black of the film ' s title originally referred to a sci - fi comic book series , first published in 1991 , about a top - secret organization of agents that monitored , regulated and policed paranormal and alien activity on earth . there were two film sequels to the 1997 release , in 2002 and 2012 .
continuing the trend in 21st century french extremism ( following the likes of xavier gens ’ frontiere ( s ) ( 2007 ) and alexandre bustillo and julien maury’s inside ( 2007 ) ) , pascal laugier’s martyrs raises the bar even higher by offering a nauseating , ruthless indictment of and reflection on the violence , hatred and pain that fuels our modern day world . cheery , this film is not .
although american audiences have their fair share of bloody fanatics , martyrs has to date only managed a small cult following due to its highly graphic nature . the film is a risky choice for any studio to tackle . depending on the mpaa rating , we will soon know how extreme the studios are willing to take it . this is one horror flick to watch out for as the news progresses .
the film takes you through a journey , first depicting shocking violence with an understandable but morally questionable motive , moving to the visceral , torturous aftermath of violence with no motive , though committed against a figure that is slightly removed from the audience . it is only in the final third of the film that its raison d’être is revealed .
unfortunately , reeling in that younger target audience means sacrificing much of the exaggerated , disturbing material , resulting in a lack of the vicious grit that made the original so iconic . mostly though , aside from creating a much tamer version , the 2015 martyrs headed by the goetz brothers feels too similar to the first film , bordering on a shot - for - shot remake that doesn’t really bring anything new or worthwhile to the table in order to justify its existence . overall , this is a decent film , but it’s not much more than that . hopefully , this depiction will arouse curiosity for the much harsher original , and encourage fans to seek out the french cult classic , which sadly , proves to be a much impactful film .
mademoiselle : martyrs are exceptional people . they survive pain , they survive total deprivation . they bear all the sins of the earth . they give themselves up . they transcend themselves . . . they are transfigured . see more »
this is almost as bad as david gordon green declaring that he would remake suspiria into
some classy shiat
rather than a
low budget italian gore film
.
, then you’re in for a trip when the u . s . remake hits theaters . the original french language film is the most notorious entry in a radical shift of
featuring morjane alaoui ( marock ) and mylene jampanoi ( valley of flowers ) , martyrs promises to be an indulgent journey into the heart of darkness of a human soul , set against the backdrop of child kidnapping , torture and revenge .
martyrs is a groundbreaking work - it challenges the audience to endure heinous acts yet to emerge spiritually cleansed ; to witness man ' s willingness to abuse , degrade and manipulate , yet leave the theatre more enamoured with humanity than ever .
citing the slasher antagonist of “friday the 13th , ” stacie ponder , the writer of the horror - themed blog final girl and author of a coming monograph on “martyrs , ” said : “in your typical horror movie , when jason punches somebody’s head off , you might laugh or get a thrill . there are no thrills in ‘martyrs . ’ it’s about the pain , not the torture . there’s no space between us and the pain that these characters are enduring . ”
i would beg to differ with the review of this film - it seems that most of the uk press have missed the point of this film . it ' s deeply complex and amazing to watch . everyone i know that has seen it and understood it ( most people - but clearly not the press ) has been deeply moved and amazed .
but the cruelty of the film is a bit like the torturers themselves ; it’s not malicious . it’s not a film trying to shock you and repulse you , like any number of torture - porn films of the current ilk , an obvious case being hostel or a more obvious example in the malignant a serbian film . its cruelty is naturally derived from the intensity of the story ; toning the violence down would make the mystery in the story less effective . it’s full on , but it’s contextual , and never exploitative .
remaking a film that reigns as one of the most disturbing ever would challenge any director . the original “martyrs” begins as a home invasion film , as lucie and anna , young women who met as children at an orphanage , seek revenge on the family that imprisoned and tortured one of them 15 years ago . but as their plan takes a merciless turn , anna plummets into a world dominated by a shadowy organization with bloodthirsty ideas about divine suffering . in one bloodcurdling scene anna is immobilized and her back is flayed ; the camera lingers on her face as she reacts to the pain .
both narratives played separately and alternately until the film ' s climactic conclusion when the two strands merged into a color sequence - at the time of the strangulation of jimmy grantz .
time to take the cenobites serious again . not a fan of remakes but i think hellraiser is a perfect candidate for one and laugier can bring a great vision to it . i also loved st . ange . i cant wait for martyrs .
they also point out that the vast majority of women become victims , not martyrs . they succumb to the torture , and die . and , as the creepy mademoiselle makes clear , anna is going to be subjected to all of this now .
technically , the film is also incredible . it’s beautifully shot , which helps make the violence so unpalatable , because it’s contrasted well against the otherwise glossy film . the modern set of the house is also utilised well . it does feel homey when the family are still alive , pre - lucie , but afterwards , it becomes cold and sterile , and torturous .
the film ended with a tear - jerking , fireworks - filled conclusion , set at bill ' s 65th birthday party celebration . parrish delivered a heart - warming speech to everyone :
williams , “when women look : a sequel” in freud’s worst nightmares , accessed online at urltoken . see also williams , “learning to scream” in the horror film reader , 168 . ↩
i watched the film but i would have to agree with katie . if you need food for thought this film is a bad excuse . plato is sure better . the only challenging intellectual puzzle is at the end and it’s not that good . and you know that all these justifications are only there for the shock value so the director can get a little attention .
martyrs is a movie of three acts , which makes it both difficult to summarise ( without spoiling the experience ) and categorise . the dizzying , nauseating and frenetic pace of the first two - thirds of the film creates a remarkable intensity thanks to the unflinching violence and fierce music score . indeed , the narrative becomes so disorientating , that we’re never quite sure what kind of genre flick we are watching and what direction it will take .
kevin and michael goetz , the brothers who directed the new “martyrs , ” say they understand fans’ apprehension . but their job was “to focus on the script that was given to us , ” kevin goetz said . their hope is that their reimagining , as they call the version written by mark l . smith , a co - writer of “the revenant , ” will shine a light on a film still largely under the public radar .
mademoiselle believed they could discover the secrets of the afterlife through their experiments by finding a true martyr - a subject who would achieve a state of euphoric transcendence :
martyrs are very rare . a martyr is something else . martyrs are extraordinary beings . they survive pain , they survive total deprivation . they bear all the sins of the earth . they give themselves up , they transcend themselves . . . they are transfigured . it turns out that women are more responsive to transfiguration . young women .
throughout the course of the film we see lucie suffer gruesome hallucinations and self - mutilate due to past trauma , and witness the bloody massacre of a family of four – children included .
in a film filled with savagery and horror , it’s a moment that shocks to the core : a reminder that unexpected tenderness can be as viscerally , skin - shiveringly affecting as torture .
yes , this is a relentless and disturbing film and certainly not for everyone . i never found it gratuitous , however , which often isn ' t the case in films like this .
this much can be said for the new remake of martyrs : it’s efficient . clocking in at under 90 minutes , the film proceeds at a rapid clip , never lingering too long on any one scene , or dragging out a single shot beyond the minimal time needed to achieve its purpose . unfortunately , in goosing the momentum , the creators of the film have lost the soul of what was essential to this horrific tale . indeed , the original movie might be the only film lumped under the banner of “extreme horror” ( or , less charitably , “torture porn” ) to truly and narratively justify the argument that extending brutal scenes of violence and abuse is the whole point . ( the a . v . club previously referred to it as “the torture - porn movie to end all torture - porn movies . ” )
martyrs is very nihilistic . . . the american approach [ that i ' m looking at ] would go through all that darkness but then give a glimmer of hope . you don ' t have to shoot yourself when it ' s over .
martyrs & high tension , both french are very refreshing to a long time horror buff like myself . seriously r . zombie fliks r total rip offs . nothing new , i guess , us as horrific talented fans should voice our ideas more . ( =
when horror fans dare horror rookies to watch a movie , it’s usually a classic frightfest like “the exorcist” or a more recent white - knuckler like “it follows . ” when horror fans dare other horror fans to watch a movie , it’s “ martyrs . ”
you paint such a harrowing picture of this film and this is my second experience with french extremity , irreversible i found to be truly disturbing if you can class it in the same genre .
famed writer / director woody allen ' s first r - rated dramatic - erotic thriller , and his first film set and shot in england . the film , without allen ' s typical humor , recalled elements of a place in the sun ( 1951 ) , body heat ( 1981 ) , fatal attraction ( 1987 ) , allen ' s own crimes and misdemeanors ( 1989 ) , his future film cassandra ' s dream ( 2007 ) , and similarities to dostoyevsky ' s crime and punishment 1866 novel . its main tagline was :
passion , temptation , obsession .
modleski , tania . “the terror of pleasure : the contemporary horror film and postmodern theory” in studies in entertainment : critical approaches to mass culture . ( indiana university press ) , 1986 . ↩
certainly one of the smarter horror films to come along in awhile ( and leagues above that saw and hostel trash ) . im not a fan of torture porn but martyrs isnt really a part of that genre . it has an agenda far more significant than simply freaking its viewer out via the graphic violence . it does come across a tad pretentious though in the end . i dont enjoy leaving a film feeling more a test subject than a viewer .
this seems to be the question of the most interest , so let’s get right to it . if you’ve seen the first , or to put it more bluntly , are a huge fan of the first film’s violence ; this film will certainly not shock you . the first film pretty much knocked it out of the park with how far you can push torture and pain cinematically : it was literally breathtaking . but for as many people that loved it ; it alienated just as many . this version is definitely a bit more accessible graphic - wise : but still pushes boundaries nonetheless .
considering how great his newest movie is , it really is a bummer that we ' ll never get to see what daniel stamm would have done with martyrs . 13 sins is one of the smartest remakes i ' ve seen in a good while , proving stamm is the kind of director who really understands how to update source material so fans aren ' t just getting an identical retread with no identity of its own . we just hope that whoever inherits this new , low - budget version of martyrs has those same instincts .
the goetz brothers ( scenic route ) have directed the u . s . version of pascal laugier’s 2009 french horror film that challenged religion , and played a cathartic role in his real life loss .
laugier first came to public acclaim in france in 2004 with his debut film house of voices , which went on to have a spectacular success at the spanish box office in the summer of 2005 .
with its story told in reverse , it was challenging in itself just to watch due to its non - linear , backwards narrative structure . a crucial fact about the smoothly - edited film was :
he sells out to blamed , evil hollywood as well by doing a remake to
martyrs
( at least he will be involved with the script and obviously will make a lot of cash with it ) . so that guy sold out twice . talk about capitalism .
but the biggest achievement of the film is most certainly its two leads . i’ve read reviews accusing the characters of being one - note , but that’s ridiculous . these girls are frightened , traumatised , panicked and heart - racing the entire time they’re on screen . acting those emotions for the length of time it takes to shoot a film is an incredible feat , especially because they do it so convincingly .
and reconsider their position . this isn’t my way of chastising people with different opinions than myself but rather my way of saying : “this film is a good example of what’s wrong with the term . ”
[ note : at the end of the film ,
teddy
equated leonard with sammy jankis :
sammy didn ' t have a wife . it was your wife who had diabetes .
]
like the worst real - world monsters ( josef mengele is the obvious example ) , the movie’s torturers , whose true motivation is revealed in the final act , are also convinced that they’re doing the right thing . they see themselves as experimenters , explorers , brave pioneers – and , disturbingly , martyrs manages to temporarily put its audience into their blood - stained shoes . even as we wince for the film’s victims , we find ourselves simultaneously desperate to know what their abusers will uncover .
martyrs is very nihilistic ,
he told 24 frames .
the american approach [ that i ' m looking at ] would go through all that darkness but then give a glimmer of hope . you don ' t have to shoot yourself when it ' s over .
and when it comes to
barking up the wrong tree :
um , no . if people can analyze symbols and structure of an art film , i don ' ; t see why the horror film should be off limits . so perhaps you should go read something else if you think that my writing is a waste of time . posted by simon abrams on 2009 - 11 - 14 17 : 54 : 46
and martyrs’s final section , which focuses on lucie’s friend and would - be lover anna ( alaoui ) , is almost entirely composed of sustained , dispassionately clinical scenes of torture – all of which build to a famously grim conclusion ( game of thrones villain ramsay bolton would probably approve ) .
smith and the goetzes have taken liberties with laugier ' s plot , shuffling the order of events and changing which characters live or die . and while the violence is relentless in the final third of the new
martyrs ,
it ' s much less explicit than the french version .
for a film that ' s really personal such as this , it ' s far better for yourself to decipher these things on your own . no one gets any meaning or learns from art through asking
what is it
, but a different method would be pure discussion from the basic philosophy of the film , something in which you can derive your own personal meaning from instead of being given an answer . just sayin
laura mulvey , “visual pleasure and narrative cinema” in film theory and criticism : introductory readings , eds . leo braudy and marshall cohen . new york : oxford up , 1999 : 833 - 44 , 837 . ↩
fans of the original will probably see it as fairly pointless , but when you’re plugged into the horror community , it’s easy to forget that most people have never seen the french martyrs . whether it be the fact that they couldn’t track down a copy , they heard about the gratuitous violence and decided to avoid it , or , probably most likely , they just didn’t want to read subtitles , many people have never been exposed to the 2008 nihilistic genre mash up that combined three sub genres into one : supernatural , home invasion , and horrifying torture porn . in fact , removing some of the more abusive moments from the feature may actually play out well , with blumhouse now announced to produce , sticking to the bare minimum plot points while holding back on the barbaric antics will attract just the kind of crowds they’re looking for — young adults who have never seen the original .
ultimately , horror movies can frighten us in lots of different ways , combining their inherent darkness with sly humour , adrenalin - fuelled scares , or with painterly splashes of gore . but martyrs is a rare creation : a 21 st - century film that subtly elicits all the sorrow of the preceding century , imbues its scenes of torture with a sense of vivid , heart - breaking pity , and forces us to really feel . is it painful to watch ? very much so . but worth the suffering ? absolutely .
the original french film , written and directed by pascal laugier , has attained cult status as one of the most grueling and upsetting of the recent era of horror cinema that nonetheless deserves critical plaudits—more audition than a serbian film , in short . laugier is a provocateur with a fondness for narrative twists coupled with weighty political and philosophical themes , as demonstrated ( to solid but lesser effect ) in both his debut house of voices and more recent english - language thriller the tall man . his martyrs is in part an endurance test , a film that dares you to look away from its disgusting images even as it invites you to grapple with a story in which suffering plays a pivotal role . in reworking it for the no - subtitles english audience , that element of endurance is gone , and with it , the gut - punch of an ending which felt so earned is excised , in order to hurriedly wrap up a plot that now feels more trashy than weighty .


christmas in canaan is a 2009 american/canadian drama film starring country music singer billy ray cyrus .

the film is based on the book of the same name written by country music artist kenny rogers and donald davenport .

filming began at the end of august 2009 and finished in mid-september .

it was filmed in vancouver , british columbia , canada .

the film premiered on december 12 , 2009 , on the hallmark channel .

its theme song , " we 'll get by somehow ( we always do ) " ( performed by cyrus ) , was made into a music video .

christmas in canaan

learn more about the cast of
christmas in canaan
by reading their bios .
we’d love your help . let us know what’s wrong with this preview of christmas in canaan by kenny rogers .
christmas in canaan opens with this narration : the bible says canaan is the promised land , and the joke in this texas town is that the bank has the promissory notes to prove it .
find out more about the hallmark channel original movie
christmas in canaan ,
starring billy ray cyrus & gina holden .
it breaks rob smith’s achy breaky heart that he can’t say no to billy ray cyrus’ hallmark holiday movie , “christmas in canaan . ”
leave no heartstring untugged” seems to be the maxim of “christmas in canaan , ” an original movie for hallmark channel starring billy ray cyrus and based on the book by kenny rogers and donald davenport . in the grand tradition of an epic country song , “canaan” pulls out all the stops , including endless drama — not the [ … ]
2018 christmas in july - tv schedule ! greetings christmas movie watchers ! ! ! thank you for stopping by today to visit ! be sure to sign u . . .
so if you fall into any one of those categories , or you just want to get an innocuous stocking - stuffer , christmas in canaan is available at many fine retailers , and probably several lousy ones . ho ho ho and all that shit .
better than some christmas books . had the predictable good ending but a racial twist is thrown in . i liked the ending which made up for some slow parts at the beginning . put me in the christmas spirit . very easy to read and goes quick .
i need to find out what kind of jacket ( brand and style ) billy ray was wearing in christmas comes home to canan .
in ' saint ' nick crosby ' s old - fashioned year - round christmas village santaville , working as an elf on christmas preparations all year killed his daughter holly ' s seasonal spirit . so she . . . see full summary »
in 2017 , hallmark movies & mysteries premiered * 13 most wonderful movies of christmas ! * with thirteen films , this was hallmark movie . . .
heather is a charming , free spirit and bobby is a naval officer home from serving overseas . thanks to a fun - filled theater production of
a christmas carol ,
these two unlucky and unlikely people end up falling in love at christmas .
leave no heartstring untugged” seems to be the maxim of “christmas in canaan , ” an original movie for hallmark channel starring billy ray cyrus and based on the book by kenny rogers and donald davenport . in the grand tradition of an epic country song , “canaan” pulls out all the stops , including endless drama — not the least of which is a wounded puppy . still , there is just enough well - meaning intent between the cliches to qualify as a feel - good holiday diversion . sporting a rare , cropped ‘do , cyrus ( displaying better acting chops than his work on “hannah montana” would have viewers believe ) stars as widower daniel burton , struggling to raise his family and keep his farm afloat in 1960s texas .
racial tension and a fight between school boys seems an unlikely start for a christmas story , yet that is exactly how christmas in canaan begins . rodney , a smart black boy , lives with his grandmother . dj , a white boy , is the son of a farmer and struggles with school . after getting into a fight , both boys resent each other . they are horrified when dj’s father and rodney’s grandmother force them to live together for four days . they might have remained enemies if not for an injured dog . as they tend to the dog their grudging partnership grows into the bonds of a friendship that will last a lifetime . their friendship carries them through the death of rodney’s grandmother , hard times on the burton farm , and a christmas where they can’t afford gifts . it’s on that christmas that mr . burton teaches them that , wherever friendship is , there will always be “some christmas” . and , years later , when christmas comes to canaan , rodney is ready to bring “some christmas” to the friends that have become his family . this is a heartwarming tale of friendship . the story rambles along like a stream but is not without a few rapids . a great read for anytime of year , but especially good for the holiday season .
a developmentally challenged young man with a penchant for caring for animals in need sets out to convince his family - and their whole rural community - to participate in a local shelter ' s inaugural
adopt a dog for christmas program .
billy ray cyrus stars in this touching story about the true meaning of the holiday season . when a pair of boys with nothing in common team up to help an injured dog , an unlikely friend ship begins . as they grow into adults , their beliefs are tested by the rapidly changing world and they see that it will take strong faith and family spirit to keep them together . based on the book co - written by kenny rogers and featuring an original song by billy ray cyrus , christmas in canaan is a touching drama that shows that the most important gifts in life are the ones money can’t buy .
it’s a hallmark movie , so one tends to expect a predictable story with weak but earnest acting , little in the way of any real suspense ( in spite of a late attempt at a plot twist , like when rodney’s mom shows up with 20 minutes left in the film ) , and characters straight out of the annual stereotypes - r - us catalog . the last is particularly funny ( however unintentionally ) — christmas in canaan has the crusty grandpa ; the nurturing black grandmother ; the sweet kid - turned - housewife daughter ( played by hot little number emily tennant ) ; even the grumpy bus driver .
i felt pretty enthusiastic about the first half of this book but the believability waned in the second half . overall , it cheered me which is what i want from a christmas book .
i reckon there ' s nuthin ' worth learnin ' from the coloreds , dj answered , again turning to the window . that right ? his father asked ' nuthin ' worth learning from them folks ? yeah , dj said . nuthin ' . completely nuthin ' . in the quiet , rural town of canaan , texas , a clash between two classmates - - one , a tough farm boy , and the other , a bright , black , aspiring writer - - spins into anunlikely friendship . when the clever arrangement their families devise to teach dj and rodney a lesson seems hopeless , their cooperative effort to heal a wounded puppy helps them move past an unsettled battle . not surprisingly , the truce that follows becomes an amiable kinship . but can life in canaan lived under the shadow of racism ever really deliver the milk and honey of the promised land ? it is amidst the magic of a christmas they ' ll never forget that the boys learn a lesson about family , hope and love . and they will know for the rest of their lives that when times are hard , there will always be christmas in canaan .
racial tension and a fight between school boys seems an unlikely start for a christmas story , yet that is exactly how christmas in canaan begins . rodney , a smart black boy , lives with his grandmother . dj , a white boy , is the son of a farmer and struggles with school . after getting into a fight , both boys resent each other . they are horrified when dj’s father and rodney’s grandmother force them to live together for four days . they might have remained enemies if not for an injured dog . as they ten
shortly thereafter , civil rights meets white supremacy , shit gets set on fire , the youngest boy ends up in a wheelchair , rodney’s estranged mother ( played like a crackhead with the dts by rukiya bernard ) comes back for him , he goes on to be a great writer with an afro wig , blah blah blah , they have christmas again in canaan , and everyone ends up happy and well - filled . except for the grandcorpse , who eventually goes back into the dirt from whence he came .
highly recommend for those in middle school range . haven ' t picked it up in so long , but still have lingering feelings towards it .
movie review movie : a joyous christmas network : hallmark movies & mysteries original air date : november 26 , 2017 . . .
christmas wishes made before a long - abandoned house that start coming true lead an elementary schoolgirl to discover a reclusive woman living inside .
while her life is falling apart , single mom christine finds a magical family heirloom that leads to love and good fortune during christmas .
oh , thank you , hallmark , for your beautiful story
christmas in canaan
. it is so great to see billy ray cyrus , doing what he does so well . . . being himself . i have enjoyed him from the start , both as a musician and as an actor . still watch the reruns of
doc
. it is my hope that hallmark will make more movies starring billy ray . he certainly exemplifies ' good down - home family living ' and we surely could use more of that ! merry christmas to all of you at hallmark ! maryann dumond bristol , ct
in the rural town of canaan , texas , a clash between two classmates – one , a tough farm boy , and the other , a bright bookish black boy – evolves into an unlikely friendship . the boys’ families devise a plan to teach them a lesson after they fight , but it is a wounded puppy that eventually brings them together . it is amidst the magic of christmas that the boys learn about family , hope and love despite living under the shadow of racism .
this is another of those christmas tv movies that are constantly turned out . christmas movies are generally pretty undemanding and predictable and this is no exception . however that really is the point of them , something easy on eye with a predictable cheery ending to watch on a winter afternoon in the run up to christmas . i would say this is an above average effort for this type of movie , it ' s well filmed and has a good cast . i am aware of billy ray cyrus who had a uk hit with ' achy breaky heart ' in the early 90 ' s . he proves a likable main character in this but to me the acting honours are stolen by gina holden who is thoroughly charming . all in all i enjoyed this film more than i thought i would and it is recommended for those who want something heart - warming to watch prior to christmas .
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this year , santa ' s daughter ( maria thayer ) takes her first trip away from the north pole during the christmas season hoping to find adventure and love in sunny california . while santa . . . see full summary »
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us soldier visits the town from where an inspirational christmas card was sent to him by a church group that mails cards out to servicemen as a goodwill effort .
dj and rodney don ' t like each other from the start . rodney thinks dj is an ignorant white farm boy , and dj thinks rodney acts too smart for his own good . after a school bus scuffle between the two , dj ' s father and rodney ' s grandmother come up with a clever solution that brings the boys closer than either of them would like . living in canaan , texas in the 1960s does not make it easy for a black boy and a white boy to forge a friendship . it is only amid the magic of an unforgettable christmas that dj and rodney discover a land of milk and honey where hope and love make all the difference .
i loved this book , i saw the movie on the either the hallmark channel or lifetime channel . it was so good i bought the book for my dad and myself . it is a feel good book and movie . it is set in small town east texas in the early 60 ' s . easy read i highly recommend . not just for christmas reading !
sara vancamp ( ' eva larue ' ) is a busy mom with no christmas spirit . christine ( summer glau ) , an elf from santa ' s village who wonders if there could be more to life than making toys in the . . . see full summary »
in the story , daniel ' s son bobber needs extensive orthopedic surgery and months of intensive physical therapy to recover from being struck down by an automobile . rodney freeman , the young black man who daniel took into his home and raised as another son , has become a famous writer and offers to fly daniel and bobber to san francisco and to pay for the surgery . once in san francisco , daniel meets and falls for briony adair , a physical rehabilitation specialist who will be working toward bobber ' s recovery . when therapy progresses slowly , bobber invites briony to come home to canaan to spend christmas with the burtons and continue his treatment . briony is a natural at caring for a thriving family , but sarah , daniel ' s daughter distances herself not wanting to dishonor her late mother ' s memory , and a disastrous christmas visit drives daniel and briony apart . in the soul searching that follows , daniel finds the strength to open his heart again and invite love back into his life .
a boy is in need of extensive medical treatment after being hit by a car , and is taken from his rural home to a san francisco hospital . his widowed father falls in love with one of the physical therapists helping the youngster and invites her to spend christmas with the family - but his daughter resents the relationship . drama sequel , starring billy ray cyrus and gina holden .
unresolved issues return to trouble widower billy ray cyrus and his rural texas clan in this flimsy sequel to tv - movie heart - tugger christmas in canaan . but though the story is about reawakened feelings , there ' s no emotional impact to the 1970s - set events , as cyrus ' s farmer daniel speedily falls for the physiotherapist ( gina holden ) assigned to help his crippled young son try to walk again . with the unfeasibly considerate woman then brought home for the festive season , he and his family ' s buried fears and grief blandly resurface . it ' s all very flat and predictable , and the unnatural dialogue and inexpressive performances are no help , either . the only real meat comes from a subplot involving the continued racism in the town , yet even that ' s so underwritten and convenient , it plays like an afterthought .
filled with a great christmas spirit of kindness and friendship , this wonderful movie will entertain the family . we are proud to award this film with the dove “family - approved” 12 + seal .
in the early 1960s in a rural , racially - charged texas town , a poor white boy struggling to get through school and a book - loving black classmate find the common ground on which to build true friendship .
i reckon there ' s nuthin ' worth learnin ' from the coloreds , dj answered , again turning to the window . that right ? his father asked ' nuthin ' worth learning from them folks ? yeah , dj said . nuthin ' . completely nuthin ' . in the quiet , rural town of canaan , texas , a clash between two classmates - - one , a tough farm boy , and the other , a bright , black , aspiring writer - - spins into a
the automobile that rodney ' s mama picks him up & packs his belongings in is at least a 1970 - 1972 oldsmobile cutlass ; the story was supposed to take place in ' 60 ' s . was this error ?
seven years go by , with dj and rodney ( now played by jacob blair and matt ward , respectively ) maintaining their just - shy - of - gay biracial friendship , deep in the heart of a clearly disapproving texas . when rodney’s grandmother dies , daniel brings rodney home to live with him and dj and their siblings and grandcorpse . they have a special christmas in which daniel hands out pictures of presents ( cuz , you know , they can’t afford real ones ) in a “celebration not of things , but of hope . ”
daniel burton ( billy ray cyrus ) learns to love again when he meets briony adair ( gina holden ) , the rehabilitation specialist treating his son , and invites her to spend christmas with his family .
production : filmed in vancouver by hatchery , in association with bauman entertainment . executive producers , ted bauman , howard braunstein , dan angel , margaret loesch ; producer , randolph cheveldave ; director , neil fearnley ; writer , donald davenport .
other : racism is mentioned as some people won & apos ; t support a black man & apos ; s shop ; a young woman yells at an older adult when she accidentally breaks a christmas ornament .
this is a story of two young men from different cultural back grounds put together because of a dispute . dj thinks rodney is too smart for his britches and rodney thinks dj is a stupid white boy who doesn’t know anything . so the two despise each other . but after a fight on the bus , dj’s father and rodney’s grandmother come up with a punishment that neither boy can believe . living in the 1960’s in canaan , texas , does not make it easy for a black boy and a white boy to be friends . but when the two boys work together to save a young puppy , the friendship becomes a life long relationship .
the movie gains credibility as the action picks up a few years later when the boys are teens . the civil rights movement is in full swing , but is met with stiff resistance in the rural texas town . daniel’s farm still hasn’t turned a good profit and money is tighter than ever . that doesn’t stop the family from taking rodney in when miss eunice dies suddenly . their christmas together is short on presents , but big on hope and love . it’s this time together , and the burtons’ unprecedented acts of kindness that spur rodney to write a book about the experience .
mary tobin has wonderful memories of family gatherings at the christmas lodge . when she arrives for a weekend vacation , she quickly realizes that the lodge that she loves has fallen into . . . see full summary »
gr 6 - 9 - a poor white boy who is academically challenged and shares his neighbors ' racial prejudice becomes friendly with a book - loving black boy when they rescue and raise an injured pup together . set in east texas in the early 1960s with a flash - forward to the boys ' adulthood in 1975 , this well - intentioned novel labors under the weight of its message of tolerance . the celebrity author ' s collaborator is a screenwriter ; and , indeed , this treatment might have been more successful as a television holiday special . here the characters remain flat and one - dimensional ; the plot , predictable . the dialogue , particularly that of the black characters , is unconvincing . truman capote ' s a christmas memory ( knopf , 1989 ) is a more satisfying story of a christmas in a rural past , celebrated by unlikely companions with more affection than money . - v . w . ( c ) copyright 2010 . library journals llc , a wholly owned subsidiary of media source , inc . no redistribution permitted .
in fact , bobber is the last one not quite grown , as daughter sarah has just applied for college . bobber had an accident years before and can’t walk but there is hope that a surgery can restore most , if not all of his ability to walk . so daniel takes him by plane to have surgery in california and while there they meet dr . briony adair ( excellently played by gina holden ) , who takes a liking to bobber and encourages him in his rehab . she and daniel also take a liking to each other but things become complicated when briony visits for christmas and daughter sarah has a difficult time adjusting to the new woman in her father’s life . like all good dramas , this one sets up the plot nicely : will bobber walk again ? will briony and daniel get together ? and how about the poor shop owner named shoup ( julian d . christopher ) as his small shop is in danger of going under ?
jessica is a federal lawyer who returns to her parent ' s home for christmas . when she discovers that the house where she grew up was sold to a stranger , jessica look for ways to buy it back . . . see full summary »
no one celebrates the holidays like emily merkle - or mrs . miracle as she is known by some - who is back to ensure that this christmas is the most magical and meaningful of all . when mrs . . . . see full summary »
in the rising heat of the civil rights movement , daniel burton a widowed farmer struggling to make ends meet , forces his young son , dj , who has begun to show racist tendencies , to spend time with his black classmate , rodney , leading to an unexpected friendship . as the years pass and racial tensions in their town build , an unforgettable christmas will teach the boys the importance of hope and the true meaning of family . based on a novel co - written by kenny rogers . stars billy ray cyrus , zak ludwig , and jaishon fisher .
so here’s the plot ( based , oddly enough , on a book co - written by kenny rogers ) : cyrus is a poor farmer named daniel , who lives in canaan , tx in 1964 with his three kids and his father - in - law’s reanimated corpse ( played convincingly by real - life representative of the undead , tom heaton ) , having lost his wife after the birth of their third child . oldest boy dj ( zak ludwig ) , a fifth - grader , gets into a fight with bookish black kid rodney ( jaishon fisher ) and , to punish his son and make him more sympathetic to “coloreds , ” daniel arranges for the boys to spend a week staying over at each other’s houses . of course , they detest each other , until they find a dog that’d been shot by crazy , shotgun - toting neighbor carl hammer ( the squirrelly lookin’ tom mcbeath ) , nurse it back to health , and become bffs .
rob smith is a writer , teacher , wage earner , and all - around evil genius who spends most of his time holed up in his cluttered compound in central pa . his favorite color is ultramarine blue . his imaginary band mr . vertigo tours every summer . you can follow rob on twitter , if you desire .
once all the players are in place , you can pretty much guess the plot without even watching the thing ( since i can’t say no , though , i sat through it all ) . the movie seems tailor - made for several key hallmark demographic groups : those who need something on in the background while wrapping gifts , those whose cable systems do not show syndicated reruns of the waltons , catatonic head trauma patients , billy ray cyrus fans , and evil editors - in - chief .
this movie stands strong on bible principles . prayers spoken throughout are said in the name of jesus . there are strong messages about loving god and loving your neighbor .
the movie schedule below contains the premiere dates for new family movies on tv in 2018 ! note : if anything is marked * new - i have not . . .
in addition to starring , cyrus provides the original song “we’ll get by somehow ( we always do ) , ” which revisits basic plot points with a catchy country tune .
when eunice passed away , rodney was a teenager , and daniel immediately asked rodney to come and live with their family , in spite of his father - n - law protesting .
old flames reunite and sparks are reignited at christmastime in florida , but the man is already engaged to another woman so a recently retired couple try to intervene with the help of their dogs .
an unlikely friendship blossoms between two 10 year - old boys from different backgrounds during the racially charged backdrop of rural texas , 1964 . through the years into manhood , prevailing attitudes and the growing civil rights movement severely test their friendship . in the end , they will discover that despite people ' s differences , it ' s the memories you make that determine your happiness and peace in life .
country and western star rogers and co - writer davenport deliver a novel of interracial friendship that opens in the 1960s . as punishment for fighting - after texas farmer ' s son dj tells off bookworm rodney
for actin ' so smart for a colored
- the two boys must spend several days in each other ' s home . a rocky start gives way to friendship , charted here as the novel tracks the boys ' growth through turbulent times to manhood . some of the plot twists are more akin to the neatly made stuff of tv drama . for instance , a meager but memorable christmas in which the only gifts are catalogue pictures is recreated years later ( after rodney has achieved success as a playwright ) , this time with real gifts . even so , the writing is able and the narrative marked by a number of genuinely moving moments . all ages . ( oct . ) ' ( c ) copyright pwxyz , llc . all rights reserved
two boys , one black and the other white , grow up in a racially divided texas community in the 1960s . the pair take an instant dislike to each other , but their families are determined to end the conflict by forcing them to spend time together . the youngsters grow to become firm friends , but the tension among their neighbours is harder to resolve . drama , with jaishon fisher and zak ludwig .
in the story , daniel ' s son bobber needs extensive orthopedic surgery and months of intensive physical therapy to recover from being struck down by an automobile . rodney freeman , the young . . . see full summary »
and because the holidays can sometimes make us feel … irregular , i give you the following billy ray cyrus video , to help you with any bout of constipation you may have in the next few weeks . peace out .
based in the 1960s , this story is about the lives of two families - one white and the other black . through christian love , we see the two families come together , even though the world would tear them apart .
this was one heartwarming book ( and also a good movie to watch at christmas on the hallmark channel ) . dj is a white boy who has trouble in school - - he never gets his homework done since he has to help at home . rodney is black and a good student , reads and writes all the time . one day on the bus , dj asks what the capital of new york is and most of his friends tell him it ' s new york city . but a voice at the back of the bus tells him it ' s albany . dj finds out it ' s rodney that answers and a fight ensu
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love is the glue in this warm but idealistic family heart - tugger , based on a novel co - written by country singer kenny rogers . opening in 1960s texas , it sees billy ray cyrus ' s principled widower initiate an unlikely friendship between his farmboy son and a bookish black classmate when he forces them to spend time together as punishment for fighting each other . one injured puppy and some clunky acting and dialogue later , and the lads have naturally bonded for life : the first in a series of rushed and simplistic resolutions as the episodic narrative then leaps forward seven years . from here , the film covers so much ground that it barely does any event justice , sadly diluting the impact of even the most dramatic moments .
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evoking the humble , but happy spirit of the walton family , burton and his three kids maintain a delicate harmony . when 10 - year - old dj ( zak ludwig ) gets in a fight with fellow classmate rodney ( jaishon fisher ) , daniel learns that dj has burgeoning racist sentiments ( rodney is black ) . daniel and rodney’s grandmother miss eunice ( candus churchill ) hatch a plan to make the boys live and work together for a week in an effort to resolve their differences .
beautifully written story by the singer kenny rogers and co - author about race in the olden days . i really enjoyed this book . the movie is almost spot on as well . read the book before the movie is my suggestion , enjoyed both .
at first , it only seems to emphasize their contempt for one another , but when they find a wounded puppy in the woods , the two work as a team to nurse it back to health . their time together eventually blossoms into a lifelong friendship .
a widower tries to ease the racial hostility between his young son and a classmate by forcing them to spend time together . the boys forge a bond while caring for a wounded puppy , but tensions in 1960 ' s texas aren ' t so easily resolved .
gr . 5 ^ - 8 . the lives of two texas boys are forever altered one morning in the 1960s after one has a run - in with the other on the school bus . rodney , a quiet bookworm , sits at the rear of the bus because he ' s black . dj , a white boy frantically finishing his homework needs to know a state capital . when rodney supplies the right answer , dj is teased that he is dumber than rodney . a fight ensues between the boys , and dj ' s father decides the wisest punishment is to have the boys live together , two days at each house . rodney ' s grandmother agrees . the kids find the experience very trying until a wounded dog draws them together . then the friendship is sealed , and the gentle narrative chronicles a sweet , lifelong bond . the story culminates in racial unrest that puts rodney ' s life in jeopardy . the holiday backdrop makes this good seasonal fare , and the engaging premise , resonant narrative , and believable characters will reach a wide audience . - - shelley townsend - hudson
the second christmas shown . . . is at the end of the movie . the children are all grown and the grandfather has since passed away . rodney asks them all to meet him and since he has become a succesful writer , due to the burton families encouragement many years before , he gives them each the gifts that were in the pictures from that old catalog years ago . it ' s such a precious moment , and it ' s easy to see that they are more thrilled just to be together than anything ! rodney has also promised daniel that he will get the best medical help for bobby with his leg . it ' s such a beautiful story of a family - that doesn ' t see color . . . only the love of christ .
set in east texas a half - century ago , two boys strike up an unexpected and unlikely friendship when the father of one of the boys decides it ' s time for his son to walk in the other boy ' s shoes ( and vice versa with the other boy who lives with his grandmother ) for a week . their friendship survives from age ten thru their teen years at which time the stakes are raised and they become even closer friends as they weather hardships . through the bulk of the book it seems to be a novel for tweens or te
this is a beautiful story of an unlikely friendship between two young men , who would have never been friends if not for a great dad . one is white and one black , a highly unusual friendship for the time . it depicts the hardships of blacks and the poor rural whites of that time . there is a scene where because they are so poor , the dad ( billy ray cyrus ) gives everyone pictures instead of real gifts for christmas , because that ' s all he could afford . i cried watching it . it was so sweet . the movie gets into some touchy areas , like the black struggle to vote back in those times . and the attitudes that went along with that struggle . this is a really touching , beautifully made movie . i do highly recommend to all .
violence : scars on a woman & apos ; s arm and neck are seen due to a fire ; when a snooty host at a restaurant demands a character wear a tie , his date suggests they leave and he tosses the tie in a fire ; a few tense scenes between characters .
set in east texas a half - century ago , two boys strike up an unexpected and unlikely friendship when the father of one of the boys decides it ' s time for his son to walk in the other boy ' s shoes ( and vice versa with the other boy who lives with his grandmother ) for a week . their friendship survives from age ten thru their teen years at which time the stakes are raised and they become even closer friends as they weather hardships . through the bulk of the book it seems to be a novel for tweens or teens , but near the end there is a time jump , following one boy into his early adult success as a playwright . the story still works for the younger reader , but it is a bit confusing . i listened to the audio edition which is performed and orchestrated very well . the book would serve as a great holiday season read - aloud if the audio version is not at hand . they boys straddle the racial tension of the locale and time in which it is set . i would like to see the story re - imagined , reversing the race of each boy which would result with the african - american family taking in the caucasian boy .
here is a wonderful movie which is good for any occasion or even for just some great family viewing ! billy ray cyrus is terrific as daniel burton , a widower who has been single for a long time because of his devotion to raise his children , d . j . , sarah and “bobber” . he also took in a young black boy named rodney , d . j . ’s good friend , who is now grown , is a writer , and still lives with the family . the story takes place in the mid - seventies , and we glimpse a clip of president jimmy carter on the tv at one point .
this movie is a great history lesson for children - because it shows the struggle of the black people during that era . although , please note , there is some violence in this movie . . . a dog is shot and wounded - however , two young boys - one white , d . j . , one black , rodney - work together to save him . earlier , these same boys had an argument on the school bus . d . j . ' s father daniel burton , ( billy ray cyrus ) didn ' t want his son to grow up to be a bigot , so he worked out a deal with rodney ' s grandmother , eunice , for the boys to live in each others home for a week . this created their bond .
this was one heartwarming book ( and also a good movie to watch at christmas on the hallmark channel ) . dj is a white boy who has trouble in school - - he never gets his homework done since he has to help at home . rodney is black and a good student , reads and writes all the time . one day on the bus , dj asks what the capital of new york is and most of his friends tell him it ' s new york city . but a voice at the back of the bus tells him it ' s albany . dj finds out it ' s rodney that answers and a fight ensues . between dj ' s father and rodney ' s grandmother , the two boys learn to work together and become fast friends . and the rest of the story is about them . this book shows what life was like under the shadow of racism . how some people couldn ' t tolerate the different color of someone ' s skin . but it also shows what it is to love one another no matter who you are or what you look like .
african american voters gather together at a tent meeting . town bigots , carl and his son , firebomb the tent and take off in their truck . on their way out , they hit daniel ' s youngest son , bobby . he had rode there on his bicycle to warn his friend rodney and the others . bobby is taken to the hospital , his leg is injured , but he recovers .
then again , the movie is really about family and creating meaningful relationships and experiences without material ( and sometimes social ) support . director neil fearnley fashions a visually nostalgic backdrop , creating some genuinely touching moments from davenport’s overwrought script . although the first half of the film features the most clunky acting , there’s power in the scene when dj races to the back of the school bus to discuss the wounded puppy’s progress with rodney , much to the astonishment of his segregated classmates .
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election time rolls around . rodney is torn between his devotion and love for the burton family and the civil rights movement .
this drama is intense , heartwarming , and realistic . billy ray cyrus is wonderful as the father and all of the children are fantastic , too . . . you are instantly drawn into their characters and family life on the farm .
two christmases are shown during the course of this movie . the first is when the children are all still at home and rodney is living with them , too . they don ' t have much , and yet the father has decided to give them pictures from the sears catalog of what he would like to get each of them . it ' s a beautiful scene . . . each one is so full of love for their father , even though they had so very little - they were grateful to have each other , love , family , and hope !
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usa today has revealed that kellie pickler , american idol alum , country singer , and co - host of the talk show pickler & ben - will st . . .
movie review movie : yes , i do network : hallmark channel original air date : june 30 , 2018 cast : jen lilley . . . charlot . . .
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hello blog friends & followers ! my nickname is net and more than anything , i love my savior , jesus , and my precious family ! it ' s my joy to share and review movies here on this blog ~ that the entire family can watch together on tv ! thank you so much for stopping by , please leave a comment . . . i enjoy hearing from you ! ~ net
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dj and rodney don ' t like each other from the start . rodney thinks dj is an ignorant white farm boy , and dj thinks rodney acts too smart for his own good . after a school bus scuffle between . . . see full summary »
hotel transylvania 3 : summer vacation stars plan their dream summer getaways to some memorable movie settings .
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overwhelmed widower seth webster is searching for a housekeeper to help him with his unruly six year old twin sons .
mrs . miracle
mysteriously appears and quickly becomes an irreplaceable nanny , chef , friend . . . and matchmaker .
the locke family are devastated when they learn their 2 - year - old son , dax , has leukemia .
a young boy learns to be a man after the death of his father and forms a special bond with a dog .
an executive examines her company ' s new property and prepares a presentation to transform the rustic lodge into a new hot spot .
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guess if i ' d done my homework that day , none of this would be happenin ' .
i ' ve always liked that quote and the whole conversation surrounding it , had dj done his homework he never would have fought with rodney and they never would have been forced to spend time getting to know each other . causing them both to overcome their differences and feelings about each other and making them lifelong friends . i ' d actually never read the book before this , it ' s just incredibly similar to the hallmark movie ,
guess if i ' d done my homework that day , none of this would be happenin ' .
i ' ve always liked that quote and the whole conversation surrounding it , had dj done his homework he never would have fought with rodney and they never would have been forced to spend time getting to know each other . causing them both to overcome their differences and feelings about each other and making them lifelong friends . i ' d actually never read the book before this , it ' s just incredibly similar to the hallmark movie , all book to movie adaptions should be this good , there was maybe only one or two things taken or added , but both are still perfect .
i saw the movie last year . now i need to read the book .
i found this to be a sweet book about looking beyond race , friendship , family , and gratitude .
this is a good quick read , it will also make your eyes water as good as onions .
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“that’s what i always wanted to know . why would some fella be willing to do something generous for a kid he doesn’t even know ? ” rodney asked . “have to say i’m surprised , mr . burton . of all the people on the face of the earth , ” he said , his voice softening , “i figured if anyone knew the answer to that one , it’d be you . ”
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it’s pretty amusing ( at least to me ) that i wound up watching this fecal coil of a hallmark holiday film mere days after its star , billy ray cyrus , discovered , along with the rest of us , his daughter miley’s appreciation for psychedelic herb . and while watching the phone camera video of her going all cypress hill on her career as a tween star was more than a little awkward , it was infinitely more entertaining than slogging through 90 minutes of her old man’s earnest slow - motion attempt at being the next andy griffith . i’m not certain who provided miley with a bongful of salvia , but i know i can thank my editor , jeff giles ( y’all ) , for sending this southern - fried , vanilla - scented dump my way .
many thanks to all of you who read this column regularly , send your suggestions , and leave comments . i’m shutting ‘er down until january , so i’ll take this opportunity to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season .
tv on dvd : “mst3k vs . gamera : mystery science theater 3000 , volume xxi”
leave no heartstring untugged
seems to be the maxim of this hallmark movie .
no doubt the similarities to box office success “the blind side” make this film particularly timely , though the two are very different ; the issues of race and class are mere subplots here and not fully explored .