Movies I Watched in December

Lots of the usual Christmas rewatches (*) this month and a few new ones. Also FINALLY watched The Most Dangerous Game. I put it on my list every time TCM shows it but never actually watch it.

1. Private Lives (1931) - Robert Montgomery & Norma Shearer, Reginald Denny, Una Merkel
2. Penguin Pool Murder (1932) - Edna May Oliver & James Gleason
3. The Most Dangerous Game (1932) - Joel McCrea & Fay Wray
4. In Person (1935) - Ginger Rogers & George Brent
5. Page Miss Glory (1935) - Marion Davies, Patsy Kelly, Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Mary Astor, Frank McHugh
6. Three Godfathers (1936) - Lewis Stone, Chester Morris, Walter Brennan 
7. The Divorce of Lady X (1938) - Merle Oberon & Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson & Binnie Barnes
8. Woman Against Woman (1938) - Herbert Marshall, Mary Astor, Virginia Bruce
9. *Hard to Get (1938) - Dick Powell & Olivia de Havilland, Charles Winniger, Bonita Granville
10. *Remember the Night (1940) - Fred MacMurray & Barbara Stanwyck, Beulah Bondi
11. *Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - Barbara Stanwyck & Dennis Morgan, S.Z. Sakall
12. *It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - James Stewart & Donna Reed, Thomas Mitchell, Lionel Barrymore, Ward Bond, Beulah Bondi
13. *Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara & John Payne, Natalie Wood, Thelma Ritter
14. His Kind of Woman (1951) - Robert Mitchum & Jane Russell, Vincent Price, Raymond Burr
15. You Never Can Tell (1951) - Dick Powell, Peggy Dow, Joyce Holden, Charles Drake
16. O. Henry's Full House (1952) - Charles Laughton, Anne Baxter, Jean Peters, Jeanne Crain & Farley Granger
17. *White Christmas (1954) - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes
18. The Cobweb (1955) - Richard Widmark, Lauren Bacall, John Kerr, Gloria Graham
19. Signpost to Murder (1965) - Joanne Woodward & Stuart Whitman
20. Lady L (1966) - Sophia Loren & Paul Newman, David Niven - dir. Peter Ustinov 
21. *Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) - Alan Young
22. *Home Alone (1990) - Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Catherine O'Hara, John Candy
23. Almost Heroes (1998) - Chris Farley & Matthew Perry
24. *Elf (2003) - Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner

Least Favorite Film: Almost Heroes had the potential to be a hilarious movie but missed the mark.

Favorite Film: Olivier was absolutely hilarious in The Divorce of Lady X. I had only seen him in serious roles (Wuthering Heights, Fire Over England, Rebecca, and Pride and Prejudice). Three Godfathers was heartbreaking but beautiful. You Never Can Tell was a delightful film! And His Kind of Woman was sizzling!

Look for my End-of-Year Stats tomorrow!

Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

I tried to watch this version of Miracle on 34th Street when I was a kid but it was so boring I stopped watching after 10 minutes. I did enjoy the 1947 version though so this year I decided to give this one another chance.

The film takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and follows the story of the original film in which a department store executive, Dorey Walker (Elizabeth Perkins) and her young daughter, Susan (Mara Wilson), do not believe in Christmas and Santa Claus. When the Santa (Jack McGee) she hired turns out to be a drunk, Dorey hires Kriss Kringle (Richard Attenborough), an old man who claims to be the real Santa. Kriss quickly becomes popular and a new source of incomings for the department store, so a rival store tries to put them out of business by having Kriss arrested and declared insane. It's up to Dorey's neighbour, lawyer Bryan Bedford (Dylan McDermott), to save Santa.

Just like the original's, the story is very simple and predictable, but, while it has some dull moments, it still manages to be enjoyable enough to keep watching. The issue here is the rival store subplot. Not only it takes the attention away from the main storyline, but it weighs down the film as well. I suppose this subplot was the filmmakers' attempt at making the story more modern and give more prominence to the story's message, but it's quite ridiculous and just doesn't work.

The characters aren't as charming as they are in the original either and the reason for that is the cast. While Richard Attenborough is wonderful as Santa and brings into the film the Christmas spirit it needs, the others are barely decent, Mara Wilson easily being the worst of them all: she is cringy and unwatchable as Susan, and makes the character very unlikeable —it doesn't surprise me that she almost quit acting.

20th Century Fox

The comedy doesn't work that well either. While the original is often humorous and has a nice balance of comedy and drama, this one tries so hard to be funny, it ends up in the land of ridiculousness. The courtroom scene is the most striking example of that.

Ultimately, this version isn't terrible as the story is still engaging and Santa is very charming, but everything else is just off, not to mention that the filmmakers basically say that believing in Santa Claus is like believing in God.

PODCAST 339: Anna and the Apocalypse & Home For the Holidays

This week the Horror Duo wrap up the holiday season with one final week of Christmas themed movies. Forest travels to Cleveland to check out this years rom-zom-com musical, Anna and the Apocalypse. Cory returns to a guilty pleasure of his - made for tv horror - with Home For the Holidays.

CONTINUE READING

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

The first time I watched While You Were Sleeping, I did for Sandra Bullock. The second time and all the others that followed, I did because I fell in love with the movie. It's been a while since I last saw it so I figured it was about time to rewatch it. 

The film follows Lucy (Sandra Bullock), a lonely Chicago Transit Authority token collector who has fallen in love with a commuter named Peter (Peter Gallagher) who passes her by every day. On Christmas day, the man is mugged and falls onto the rails, Lucy saves him but he goes into a coma. At the hospital, Lucy is mistaken for Peter's fiancée. Embraced by Peter's warm and welcoming family, Lucy goes along with the lie. But Peter's brother, Jack (Bill Pullman), is very suspicious as Lucy is not Peter's type at all.

As with most romantic comedies, the plot is very simple and quite predictable. Also, the whole mistaken identity thing that drives the entire plot is not plausible at all. Despite this, the story is told in a way that ends up being believable, and it is so sweet, charming and engaging that you can't help but hope the girl gets the boy.

That definitely has to do with the characters. Not only While You Were Sleeping finds a very likeable and sympathetic main character in Lucy, but it's also filled with interesting and quite memorable supporting characters. No matter how little time they have on screen, they all manage to leave their mark.

Of course, they wouldn't work this well if the cast didn't do a good job. Sandra Bullock gives a sweet and believable performance as Lucy, She doesn't play a serious/tough character this time around but a sweet, next-door girl that wins you over immediately —no wonder Peter's family is so welcoming. Also, she does a wonderful job at conveying Lucy's vulnerability. Bill Pullman is great as Peter's sensitive, caring brother, and the chemistry he shares with Bullock is great. I have a crush on Peter Gallagher since The O.C. —yes, I like them old— but Pullman is so charming in here, Jack has to end up with Lucy. The rest of the cast also does a good job, the standout being Michael Rispoli who gives a very funny performance as Joe Jr., the son of Lucy's landlord.

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc.

In short, While You Were Sleeping is a lovely, charming and heart-warming romantic comedy. It may be cheesy and predictable, but it's also funny and the drama is well-integrated into the story. 

The Star (2017)

As I've said a couple of times in the past, there isn't a lot to choose from when it comes to animated Christmas/holiday movies. The limited choice isn't the only reason I watched The Star though as the film has a stellar cast and I was intrigued in seeing how they would present the nativity story to kids. 

As I just said, the film is yet another retelling of the first Christmas, but it's different than your typical story as it follows Bo (voiced by Steven Yeun), a small but brave donkey who finds the courage to break free and go on the adventure of his dreams. When Mary (voiced by Gina Rodriguez) gets pregnant with God's baby, word spreads out, and the king's henchman hunts them down, Bo, with the help of a sheep (voiced by Aidy Bryant) and a dove (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), tries to save them.

While it's not biblically accurate —acutally, it's mostly fantasy. I mean even more fantasy than the Bible—, the story has quite creative, inventive twists, them being telling the story from the animals' point of view and changing things a little bit in order to make a more suspenceful and compelling story for everyone to enjoy while also learning something about Christ. Unfortunately, the idea is poorly executed and the story isn't particularly engaging nor entertaining. It's pretty dull, to be honest. I have to give the filmmakers credits for not making the film too much of a religious thing though. 

The characters, on the other hand, are quite lovely and fun. The problem here is that there are too many of them so not only it's hard to remember their names —I'm not even sure they all had names— but most of them don't get the screen time they deserve, especially the camels, which are fun but sadly so underused. Also, some characters are just there and add absolutely nothing to the story, which is a huge shame because there was so much potential with the evil king. 

Sony Pictures Releasing

The voice work is easily the aspect that stands out the most about The Star as each actor do a good job at bringing on the screen sympathetic and likeable characters. Steven Yeun carries the film quite well as Bo, the donkey, and Keegan-Michael Key's comedic timing and delivery are the only things that save the dove. 

At last, the visual aspect. While it looks good from a distance, whenever there's a close up of a character, whether it's an animal or a human, the film looks old, almost like a film from a decade ago. The movements aren't that great either. They did a pretty good job with the animals but the humans are stiff. 

Four Christmases (2008)

When I picked the Christmas movies I'd watch this year, I left the 22nd out as I was supposed to watch Aquaman on the 21st. Turns out they moved the release date to January 1 because of the new Mary Poppins movie —I hope it flops with all of my heart— and I found myself short of a movie. Four Christmases is the first I stumbled upon, I saw it had Reese Witherspoon —believe it or not, I like her— and I went with it. 

The film follows Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon), a couple who met in a bar around Christmas who has managed to avoid spending Christmas with their families for the past three years by going on heavenly vacations. This year, their plan fails as all the flights have been cancelled and a television news crew interviews them revealing to their families where they are. Having no way out, they are forced to spend time with their families, which means four Christmases the same day since both Brad and Kate parents are divorced.

I don't think I need to point out how stupid the plot is. Actually, doing that would require the film to have a plot and Four Christmases doesn't have one, it's just a sequence of random-ish events that serves as a vehicle for "jokes" and that ends in the most predictable way possible. 

Just like the plot, the characters too lack depth and any sort of development. Neither Brad nor Kate are likeable leads, and the fact that Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn has no chemistry sure doesn't help to make you root for their relationship. And I found it tremendously annoying that Brad and Kate are such out-of-the-box people, both against marriage and kids, and then, all of a sudden, Kate wants it all and, five seconds later, Brad wants it all. If anything, an experience like theirs would make me give up on the idea of having kids for good. 

New Line Cinema

As for the supporting characters, they are a wide variety of weird, odd characters. The problem? There's too many of them so none really stands out. Also, they aren't likeable at all, and having big actors —Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, and many more— playing them doesn't help one bit.  

Neither the plot nor the characters are Four Christmases's biggest problem though, the humour is. The film is filled with idiotic, childish jokes that are just too stupid to be funny, Vaughn's sarcasm barely works here, and the gags are very generic and not funny at all. I must have chuckled something like one time while watching this film.

Office Christmas Party (2016)

I have a soft spot for Jason Bateman so I don't care about how bad a movie sounds or how low it's rated, I'm gonna watch it anyway. I did pass Office Christmas Party though and kept putting it off for the past two years because I'm not much of a Christmas person and I had read some negative reviews and I was not in the mood for another crappy Christmas comedy. 

In this one, Clay Vanstone (T.J. Miller), the Chicago branch manager of IT sales company Zenotek, his Chief Technical of Technical Advancement, Josh Parker (Jason Bateman), and Tracey Hughes (Olivia Munn), his Chief of R&D, throw a big office Christmas party in an effort to impress a potential client (Courtney B. Vance) so that they can save the branch and all of their employers and co-workers' jobs. 

The plot is very simple and predictable —actually, there's barely a plot. However, it's not very important as this is the kind of movie dudes like James Franco and Seth Rogen would make, a kind of movie that doesn't need a fancy plot to engage and entertain its audience because the interactions between the characters and, especially, their silly shenanigans do the trick.

In addition to the plot, Office Christmas Party also lacks solid characters as every single person in this film is shallow and underdeveloped not developed at all. Also, they do try too hard to be funny, and they talk too much about doing crazy things but rarely do them. However, some of them are quite memorable and fun and they are all women: an ultra-sensitive HR representative who is nowhere as depressing as Toby from The Office, and a bi-polar pimp.

Of course, the standouts are the two actresses who play those characters, Kate McKinnon as the HR representative —I didn't like her at all in The Spy Who Dumped Me, so she really surprised me in here—, and Jillian Bell as the pimp. Bateman, who yet again plays the nice guy who wants to try new things, isn't bad —actually, he nails the role. I didn't expect any less from him though—, and Jennifer Aniston does a good job playing the bitchy, uptight CEO/Clay's sister.

Paramount Pictures

The comedy is a hit and miss. Some jokes and gags are funny, some others make you wish you were deaf or blind. Also, there some gratuitous nudity that adds absolutely nothing, and it's definitely not funny.

Overall, Office Christmas Party isn't a terrible film, but it isn't a good one either. It's okay if you want something different than your typical, feel-good Christmas movie. But don't expect a masterpiece because this sure isn't one.

A Christmas Tale (2008)

I wanted to see A Christmas Tale (French: Un conte de Noël) last year around Christmas time but I searched the movie for weeks and I couldn't find it anywhere so I gave up on the idea of watching it. This year, I basically stumbled upon it and I watched it. 

Set around Christmas time, the film follows the Vuillard family —Junon (Catherine Deneuve) and Abel (Jean-Paul Roussillon), their daughter Elizabeth (Anne Consigny) and their sons Henri (Mathieu Amalric) and Ivan (Melvil Poupaud)— as they gather for the holidays when Junon discovers that she suffers from leukaemia, just like her first son who died at the age of 6, and needs a bone marrow transplant. The only compatible donors are Elizabeth's son, Paul (Emile Berling), and Henri, the black sheep of the family who returns after a 6-year-long banishment from the family.

The illness, however, has a relatively small role in the story as it's sidetracked by every single subplot the film has, which wouldn't be a problem if the writers cared about properly develop them. Instead, they just throw at us many interesting storylines—the hatred between Elizabeth and Henri, the secret agreement between Henri, Ivan and their cousin Simon (Laurent Capelluto)— with a lot of potentials and then seem to forget about them. Furthermore, the stories of the Vuillard family feels distant and cold and because of it, I was never invested in the characters.

Which is frustrating considering how much time A Christmas Tale spends to set up its characters and develop them. Sure, most of them are stereotypes —the supporting and understand old husband, a cold but fair mother, the black ship of the family who provokes everyone, the loving husband who never complains, the teenager who's trying to find his place in the world— but they feel real, characters worth caring for. Unfortunately, the script doesn't allow it.

Bac Films

Anyways, the all-star cast of some of the most famous and still living French actors does a wonderful job. The performance from Jean-Paul Roussillon as the understanding husband as well as the rock for the entire family is superb, and Anne Consigny gives a strong performance as the distressed elder sister who is enclosed in her own world and has been mourning for her entire life. Mathieu Amalric is also good as the obnoxious black sheep of the family and so is Chiara Mastroianni as Sylvia, Ivan's wife.

Overall though, A Christmas Tale feels like a wasted opportunity. The story is unevenly interesting and engaging, the characters aren't really anything new, and the film is just too cold to care about what happens to them.

The Christmas Chronicles Movie Review

The Christmas Chronicles  (2018)

Watch The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix
Written by: David Guggenheim (story by), Matt Lieberman
Directed by: Clay Kaytis
Starring: Kurt Russell, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer & more info

Plot
Two children try to prove Santa is real with video footage, but they accidentally cause the sleigh to crash in Chicago. The children must help Santa get back on track before Christmas is ruined.

Verdict
Holiday movies are usually pretty formulaic. While this isn't a great movie, it's a lot of fun and manages to stand out from the usual Christmas movies with a different take on Santa. This Santa doesn't suffer any nonsense and breaks the law when necessary. It's a wild ride. With some of the content and language, this movie skews for teens and above. While it easily could have been made for younger kids too, it's definitely not. As a Christmas movie with low standards it's not bad. As a movie in general, it's not very good.
It depends.

Review
The first fifteen minutes prior to Santa's arrival sets up this tragic family without a father. The kids are upset and take out their grief on each other. The brother also steals cars, while the daughter watches old videos to maintain that connection with her father. She just happens to see what might be Santa in an old Christmas video.

It's the usual story of kids trying to obtain proof, but this gets wild fast. The kids sneak into the sleigh and this sets the plot into motion. One of the first things Santa tells the kids, after crash landing, is "I'm not a big fat slob." This Santa is not happy about his portrayal in pop culture. He's blunt.

This Santa has wormhole technology and is also responsible for the Dark Ages. I like the retro history and wish the movie did more of that. The kids have to help Santa get back on track. Santa and the kids steal an already stolen car when he gets no help at the bar despite knowing many personal details about people. This bar looks like a run down chain restaurant, but for some reason it has valet service. The trio are on the hunt for the reindeer, and I laughed out loud when Santa fist bumped an underage driver who just cut off multiple people in a stolen car. This movie is fun. It's silly and ridiculous, but fun.

Santa ends up in jail, and there's a impromptu concert. I don't know if this is a nod to Russell playing Elvis or what. There's an interesting take on elves. They're CGI, not far from furry little minions. They don't fit the tone of the movie.

This does a neat job of explaining how Santa works. He has wormhole technology to travel great distances, and his toy bag is a portal to the North Pole. It can house an infinitesimal amount of presents because of that.
Our countdown clock is Santa's Christmas spirit watch, but I don't know why spirit is dropping unless it's predictive. No one knows Santa may not finish his task. They won't figure that out until Christmas morning.

This drops the ball at the end. Santa seems completely uninterested in saving Christmas, and that's because the whole movie was a ruse to get Teddy to believe again. It just felt like nonsense and it undermines the movie. This isn't great, but enjoyable enough if you want something a little different in your Christmas movie rotation.

The Mrs. Claus cameo was a nice detail.

A Merry Friggin' Christmas (2014)

It's been so long since I added A Merry Friggin' Christmas on my watchlist that I forgot why it was there. So it's knowing nothing about it that I finally decided to watch it (it turned out it was because of Robin Williams). 

The film follows Boyd Mitchler (Joel McHale), a father who does all he can to give his kids a perfect Christmas because his childhood was ruined by his drunken father, Mitch (Robin Williams), who ruined Santa Claus and Christmas, and pretty much everything for him. When his younger brother, Nelson (Clark Duke), asks him to come his son's baptism which will be held on Christmas Eve in their hometown, Boyd is forced to spend Christmas with his family and estranged father. It gets even worse when he realises that he forgot his son's Christmas presents, decides to make an eight-hour round trip to get them and his father tags along to help.

Although it's not the smartest of plots, it does have some potential at the beginning. Eventually, the writers decided to develop it, or rather not develop it, in the worst way possible and the result is a dull, pretty stupid and unengaging story whose moral and message get lost. I guess it's supposed to deliver the true meaning of Christmas —something the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas! did beautifully— and show how to deal with childhood fantasies while growing up, or something like that. I'm not sure because it's all very confusing and messy. 

The characters too are pretty weak. They all are shallow, one-dimensional, unsympathetic and, frankly, quite pathetic characters that it's difficult to care about —maybe the drunken Santa Boyd almost killed is an exception. In other words, they are forgettable.

It doesn't surprise me one bit that the cast does a terrible job. Joel McHale who I loved in the Community episodes I've seen isn't funny at all, and the fact that he plays a hating jerk doesn't help either. Robin Williams who plays the grumpy old man who never was there for his son is too serious —this is supposed to be a comedy, after all— and his witty humour and one-liners are nowhere to be found. The rest of the cast is just as bad, Lauren Graham deserving a special mention because her acting reaches a whole new level of bad.

Phase 4 Films, Entertainment One Films

At last but not least, the comedy. It's certainly not entirely the actors' fault is their performances are dull and unfunny. There isn't much you can do when you have to work with jokes that are either childish or dumb, or both. There's a one-liner from Williams at the end of the movie, that's the only time I chuckled. A Merry Friggin' Christmas is so unfunny is depressing.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

It was around this time last year when I complained about the fact that there are not enough animated Christmas movies out there and Dell from Dell on Movies suggested How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. Being a bit of a Grinch myself, and annoyed by Jim Carrey's version, I decided to give it a shot. 

As you know, unless you've been living under a rock for your entire life, this short animated film tells the story of the Grinch (voiced by Boris Karloff), a grumpy and hateful creature who hates Christmas and all the people having a happy time celebrating it. For this reason, he disguises himself as Santa and his dog as one of Santa's reindeers and raids the village to steal all the Christmas things so that everyone will have a very sad Christmas this year.

It's a very simple and predictable story but, unlike the 2000 film which got entangled with subplots, more subplots and a background story to explain why the Grinch hates Christmas, it goes straight to the point and successfully delivers the important message that every one of us needs to hear: Christmas doesn't/shouldn't come from a store, but it means/should mean a little bit more. It's not about the gifts and all the commercialism, but it's about family and friends, spending quality time with them and being grateful for everyone and everyone you have in your life. Unfortunately, nowadays it's all about the presents, who's got the best Christmas decorations, who's hosted the best Christmas party, the reason why I'm a bit of a Grinch.

As for the characters, given the length of the film —only 26 minutes—, they too had to be very simplistic. This, however, doesn't take away from them at all as they still manage to have nice personalities, be charming and lovable. The Grinch is nasty without being too scary, Max the dog is adorable and little Cindy Lou Who is sweet and adorable —way more than Taylor Momsen's in the 2000 film.

MGM Television, Warner Bros. Television Distribution

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! also benefits from Boris Karloff's performance which is so good, you forget that his voice is pretty much the only one we hear —he narrates the story and also voices the Grinch. The music is very catchy and fun, and the colourful animation, while very simple, is very charming.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

I was looking for must-watch Christmas movies and Meet Me in St. Louis popped out. It was already on my watchlist —I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Birgit over BB Creations talked about it in one of her Thursday Movie Picks post— so I checked it out, and it was a very pleasant surprise —I'm not a fan of musicals, after all. 

Set in early 1900s St. Louis, the film follows Smith family in the months leading up to the city's 1904 World's Fair. The second eldest of the four Smith girls, Esther (Judy Garland), has an endless crush on the boy next door, John Truett (Tom Drake), who hasn't noticed her yet; the oldest sister, Rose (Lucille Bremer), has a romance with Warren Sheffield (Robert Sully) who is now in New York City; the other two Smith girls, the younger ones, Agnes (Joan Carroll) and Tootie (Margaret O'Brien), engage in shenanigans. The family's dynamics are disrupted when the father, Alonzo (Leon Ames), decides to take a new position in New York City.

As you may have guessed, or already know if you have seen it, Meet Me in St. Louis does not have a plot. It's pretty much a mix of random things, mostly spoiled girls who try to get men who look almost identical to like them. Despite the lack of a plot and some dull moments where I almost lost my interest, the film is overall engaging and quite entertaining.

But it sure isn't because of the characters as, just like the plot, they are nearly non-existent. There are very little characterization and virtually no development. And yet they are easy to relate to and, because of the cast, they are very likeable and lovable.

Judy Garland easily shines in here as it's pretty obvious that the film was entirely written to show off her talents. Anyways, Garland gives a very charming performance as Esther. She brings some complexity into the character and delivers the most touching moments in the film —when she sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to her little sister Tootie she is so touching and heartbreaking. The stand out, however, is Margaret O'Brien who plays Tootie. She gives an excellent performance as she's able to make you laugh and cry at the same time.

Loew's, Inc.

As for the musical numbers, some of them are dull, uninteresting and very forgettable, while some are extremely well done as the songs are very enjoyable and the dancing well choreographed. At last, Meet Me in St. Lous is quite stricking visually. From the technicolor cinematography to set desings to costumes, the film looks beautiful.

Ultimately, this is a flawed film but it's also an entertaining and heartwarming, feel-good one that fits the holiday season very well.

Christmas Present (1986)

I stumbled upon Pupi Avati's Christmas Present (Italian: Regalo di Natale) last year while I was looking for non-idiotic Italian Christmas movies —we have plenty of those as we get new ones every single year— but at that point I already had picked some other non-English language movies so I postponed the watch to this December. 

Set on Christmas night, the film follows a group of old friends, Franco (Diego Abatantuono), Ugo (Gianni Cavina), Gabriele (Alessandro Haber), and Stefano (George Eastman), as they reunite after a very long time to play a poker game, which used to be their tradition. It's not nostalgia that brings them back together, but the opportunity to rip off a rich and mysterious industrialist (Carlo Delle Piane). 

Although there's quite a surprising twist at the end, the plot is very simple, almost non-existent as the poker game is pretty much all that happens in the film. To be honest though, I'm not even sure what the story is about. I'm sure it's not about friendship, nor about the vicissitudes of life. And, unlike the title suggests, it certainly isn't a feel-good Christmas story. Maybe it's about envy, or about revenge, or about a friendship turned sour because of betrayal. I'm not really sure. What I do know is that the story is compelling enough to keep you interested, and one of the reasons for that is the past being slowly unveiled —which caused an inner conflict in me as I felt like the use of flashbacks to explain the reason of resentment between Franco and Ugo messed up a little with the smooth flow of the present-day storyline but, at the same time, I can't think of a better way to reveal it.

The other reason Christmas Present is as compelling and effective as it is is the characters. While the female characters are barely a sketch, the five poker players have a really nice characterization and development. They all are human beings as they have both positive qualities —very few of those— and many flaws. No matter how flawed they are, they are so fleshed out, we get to know them so well, we care about them. Well, most of them as one as one has no reeding quality whatsoever, he's just an asshole —I won't tell you which one as it would be a major spoiler.

SACIS Film

The actors do a nice job, the standouts being Diego Abatantuono who gives a solid performance as Franco, the debt-ridden movie owner who can't move on as he's still in love with his first wife, and, especially, Carlo Delle Piane who gives a calm and yet unsettling performance as the mysterious industrialist/lawyer.

As for the direction, I liked the close-up of the table and players but Avati failed to deliver the tension a poker game is supposed to make you feel.

A Bad Moms Christmas Movie Review

A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

Rent The Mummy on Amazon Video
Written by: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Directed by: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Jay Hernandez, Peter Gallagher, Christina Applegate
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
As their own mothers drop in unexpectedly, three under-appreciated and over-burdened moms rebel against the stress and challenges of Christmas.

Verdict
This tries to combine crude comedy with the Christmas genre, failing at both. It tries to hard to be funny, while failing to deliver any truth on the subject. So many jokes that are kind of funny, don't logically fit into the context. It's a sequel that hopes doubling the mom count will help conceal the flaws.
Skip it.

Review
This starts with a how we got here trope, my pet peeve. Remove the first scene and thus this trope and we get a traditional opening and just better story telling.

Christmas is busy for everyone, not just moms. Undoubtedly moms take on most of the burden, but in this movie a lot of that is self inflicted. I get that's the plot of the movie, but it seems forced. None of the mom's are overburdened. While their mother's in town cause stress, it doesn't add to their tasks.

With the titular mom's mothers coming in town, it creates a lot of stress. Each mother is a caricature of the worst parenting types, overbearing, obsessive, and apathetic.

The movie perpetuates the myth of a perfect Christmas that doesn't exist, while also including protagonists that want to rebel but just don't. Instead of telling their mothers how they feel they create chaos at the mall. My issue with that is that instead of fixing the root of their problems, they are infringing on the joy of others at the mall by being crude and breaking the law.
Mall Santa enjoys the dance show from the moms. It's got to be the highlight of his career, but what about the children?

Amy's (Mila Kunis) mom is the overbearing one, bent on having a huge party at Amy's house for no good reason. With the tens of thousands she's spent I don't know why she didn't just get a venue. Amy's mom reaches a point where I wasn't sure if she was serious or joking when she states she has decorations from Paris, the moon, and the Titanic.

The party is the tipping point and all the moms tell their mother's off. Amy's dad has a talk with her explaining why her mom is so overbearing, stating she's insecure. Amy's grandma made her mom feel worthless and that's exactly what Amy's mom is doing to everyone. At this point I had to wonder if Amy's dad was lying to make peace. His wife is not nice, caring, or any other positive words. He's a victim of hers in every scene he's in. Amy's mom has no redeeming qualities.

The moms take Christmas back just as they vowed to do in the mall food court. Amy states she couldn't have done it without her friends, but all they did was listen to her problems. Amy's mom is the one that actually helped. Then the movie sets up a sequel with the mom's mothers. After that are the credits, which were actually kind of fun.

Movies I Watched in December

I NEVER thought I'd say this but... I have a thing for Robert Ryan now. It started last month with Tender Comrade and has continued this month with me watching whatever movies of his I could get my hands on. I also discovered there is a shameful lack of Robert Ryan gifs out there. I'm going to have to fix that...

Also this month I watched, you guessed it, Christmas movies. I didn't watch some of the ones I usually watch - Miracle on 34th Street, The Bishop's Wife - as it literally felt like I had just watched them. Some were not classic Christmas films but set at Christmas (Susan Slept Here, Period of Adjustment).

1. Anne of Green Gables (1934) - Anne Shirley, Tom Brown
2. A Slight Case of Murder (1938) - Edward G. Robinson 
3. Golden Boy (1939) - William Holden & Barbara Stanwyck, Adolph Menjou, Lee J. Cobb
4. *Meet John Doe (1941) - Gary Cooper & Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan
5. Manpower (1941) - Edward G. Robinson & Marlene Dietrich, George Raft
6. Dressed to Kill (1941) - Lloyd Nolan
7. Rage in Heaven (1941) - Robert Montgomery & Ingrid Bergman, George Sanders
8. One Foot in Heaven (1941) - Fredric March & Martha Scott
9. The Constant Nymph (1943) - Joan Fontaine & Charles Boyer
10. Marriage is a Private Affair (1944) - Lana Turner & John Hodiak, James Craig
11. Action in Arabia (1944) - George Sanders, Virginia Bruce
12. *Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - Barbara Stanwyck & Dennis Morgan, S.Z. Sakall
13. Homecoming (1948) - Clark Gable & Lana Turner, John Hodiak, Anne Baxter
14. Berlin Express (1948) - Robert Ryan & Merle Oberon
15. Act of Violence (1949) - Van Heflin & Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Mary Astor, Phyllis Thaxter
16. The Breaking Point (1950) - John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter
17. Three Little Words (1950) - Fred Astaire & Vera-Ellen, Red Skelton, Arlene Dahl
18. I'll See You in My Dreams (1951) - Doris Day & Danny Thomas
19. Duchess of Idaho (1951) - Esther Williams & Van Johnson
20. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) - Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe
21. Lovely to Look At (1952) - Kathryn Grayson, Red Skelton, Marge & Gower Champion, Howard Keel, Ann Miller
22. The Naked Spur (1953) - James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Ralph Meeker
23. Dream Wife (1953) - Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr
24. Pushover (1954) - Fred MacMurray & Kim Novak, Dorothy Malone
25. *White Christmas (1954) - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes
26. Susan Slept Here (1954) - Dick Powell & Debbie Reynolds
27. *Three Coins in the Fountain (1954) - Clifton Webb & Dorothy McGuire, Louis Jourdan & Maggie McNamara, Rossano Brazzi & Jean Peters
28. Betrayed (1954) - Clark Gable & Lana Turner, Victor Mature 
29. The Last Voyage (1960) - Robert Stack & Dorothy Malone, George Sanders
30. Period of Adjustment (1962) - Jane Fonda & Jim Hutton, Anthony Franciosa 
31. *Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) - Alan Young
32. *Elf (2003) - Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner
33. Psych: The Movie (TV Movie-2017) - James Roday, Dule Hill, Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson, Zachary Levi

Least Favorite Movie: Lovely to Look At but ONLY because I can't stand Howard Keel. Oh, and the end of Susan Slept Here was pretty disturbing. Apparently there were no 35 year old actors in Hollywood that year and the closest they could get was a 50 year old actor that looked 50.

Favorite Movie: There were lots of movies I really enjoyed this month but my favorite performance by far was Danny Thomas in I'll See You in My Dreams. I was so excited that TCM aired it this month as I read Thomas's autobiography recently and really wanted to see it after reading his memories of the film. He was adorable in it and I learned that his character Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics to a couple of my favorite songs. I'll leave you with this scene.

"It Had to Be You"

Die Hard (1988)

I've seen many action movies over the years, but Die Hard has a special place in my heart. Two are the reasons: it's one of the first action movies I've seen (and probably the first cop thriller as well) and it's one of the greatest I've ever seen (let's make it three since there's a young and good-looking Bruce Willis too). 

It's Christmas Eve and NYPD officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) just arrived in LA to spend the holidays with his family. While he's at his wife's company headquarters for the Christmas party, a group of terrorists take control of the building and hold everyone hostage. It's up to McClane to save them all.

The plot isn't anything new really. It's the typical (former) cop who finds himself in the right place at the right time, has to face bad people and save the hostages because the police just can't do their job. It isn't completely believable either and it has many holes and yet it never feels forced, it flows very well and thanks to its many twists, it keeps you engaged from start to finish.

Another reason the film works so well is its characters. John McClain isn't your typical action hero. In fact, he has much more depth than that. He is just an ordinary guy who finds himself in a not-so-ordinary situation. He is the kind of man who struggles in his fights against bad guys, both psychically -- Willis isn't pumped as action actors usually are (I mean, just think about Stallone or Schwarzenegger, they are monsters!) -- and mentally -- he doesn't want a fight and doesn't enjoy killing people. And the man bleeds! When someone shots him, he actually bleeds. Willis's performance as McClane is amazing. He delivers the right amount of arrogance while showing stress and fear.

20th Century Fox

Another great character in this movie is the main bad guy, terrorist leader Hans Gruber. He isn't a tough but a rather charismatic,  cold and calculating man who lets his men do most of the dirty work. He is the kind of villain you could root for. Most of the credits for that go to Alan Rickman. His performance is fantastic and he surpasses Willis.

Also worthy of a mention is McClain's wife, Holly. She isn't your typical damsel in distress. She is a quite strong, smart and feisty woman and Bonni Bedelia does a very good job.

Then, of course, there's the action. The action sequences are consistently exciting and very well directed. McTiernan's solid direction doesn't stop there though. He knows exactly how to use the locations to build tension and create the right atmosphere.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Remeber when I told you there aren't many animated Christmas movies around? Turns out it's true and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is pretty much all there's left for me to watch and since it looks like quite charming, I decided to give it a try.

Through Sam the Snowman (Burl Ives), the film tells the story of Rudolph (Billy Richards) before he became Santa Clause's (Stan Francis) most iconic reindeer. Born with a shining red nose, Rudolph was actually ostracized by the other reindeer and looked down upon by his own father (Paul Kligman). So he runs away and that's when he meets another misfit, Hermey (Paul Soles), the elf who wants to be a dentist, and together they leave the North Pole. On their journey, they meet up with Yukon Cornelius (Larry Mann), a prospector obsessed with silver and gold. Together they discover the island of Misfit toys and they must face the Abominable Snowman.

I didn't know the story (yeah, I know, shame on me), but it was very simple and predictable and yet it's very engaging. It's your typical outcast story that tells its audience to never let others pick on you about your differences and to be yourself instead of trying to fit in. But it's got so much heart and warmth, you'll forget about the clichés and all the rest.

Universal Television

Also very sweet and likeable are the characters. Rudolph is so adorable, I wonder what kind of person would not enjoy seeing him overcome his fears and achieve his dreams. Hermey the elf is very charming (and frankly my dear, I don't give a damn if he's gay) and Yukon Cornelius is so funny, especially when he licks his ax to detect minerals. The guy is tough and ambitious but also quite indecisive as he can't always decide what he wants (one time he wants gold, the other silver) which makes him the easiest to emphasize with. The other characters are nice too. And the voice work is quite impressive.

I wasn't crazy about the songs but I gotta admit they were kinda catchy and full of energy, and they are nicely performed. I did like two tough, Why Am I Such a Misfit and especially There's Always Tomorrow. The latter is quite touching. 

The greatest aspect of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the animation. Although at times it's a little bit clunky and bizarre and it looks dated, it's still very charming. 

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)

After going through several painful Christmas comedies, I decided to watch one I knew would be terrible and, having not seen the other two movies of the Harold & Kumar series (because I'm awful), I thought watching A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas was the right thing to do.

Six years after Guantanamo Bay (don't ask me what happened because, like I said above, I haven't seen that one), Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) are estranged from one another and live very different lives. Harold works at Wall Street, got married and has his own home. Kumar is unemployed, single and still lives in the apartment he used to share with Harold. Then on Christmas Eve, Kumar shows up at Harold's house with a mysterious package and he inadvertently burns down Harold's father-in-law's (Danny Trejo) Christmas tree. Afraid of how his father-in-law is going to react, the two set out to find the perfect Christmas tree.

I don't think I need to tell you this isn't your typical heart-warming Christmas story. It's quite the opposite. It's a completely ridiculous, implausible and stupid story with an even more ridiculous feel-good ending that feels very awkward. And it lacks development. There's nothing happening other than I wrote above. And yet it was 'engaging' enough to be watchable. 

Warner Bros. Pictures

Stories, however, are never a stoner comedy's greatest strength. The humour should be and it kinda was for A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas. There's a lot of dirty jokes, Russian mafia jokes, weed gags and some pretty dark jokes with a kid taking every kind of extreme drug one can think of (weed, cocaine, ecstasy, all of them), basically the kind of raunchy humour one would expect from this kind of movie. There's also Neil Patrick Harris playing a fictionalized version of himself which consists of him making gay jokes (but I guess it's okay since he's gay, right?). The problem? It isn't that effective. I did laugh, but only occasionally. And I don't know who to blame here, the writers, the actors or the 3D.

Anyway, there are a few decent things in this film. One is Neil Patrick Harris. He is as funny as always and his out-of-the-blue musical moment is easily the best scene in the film. There's also a nice claymation sequence, probably the funniest and memorable moment. That claymation dick though, how do I unsee that?

Also, where can I get a wafflebot? That thing is awesome! It'd probably hate me though: I'm team pancakes.