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Charlotte Ozanne (108 KP) rated Klaus (2019) in Movies
Dec 4, 2019
To my knowledge, 'Klaus' is the first Christmas film to combine the magic of Father Christmas with the everyday work of a postman - bringing heart-warming results. This movie succeeds on every level; the animation, the music and the script fuse to create a film that deserves a place in everyone's Christmas catalogue, no matter what age.
The concept of this film is extremely touching - a young man spoiled by his father is sent to a remote island with the goal to deliver 6000 letters in a year. There, he meets Klaus, an old toymaker who lives in a wooded part of the island, out of sight of the townspeople. Together, they create Christmas for the island with the help of the resident schoolteacher and foreign settlers. The result is magical, as children and adults alike who have never experienced Christmas, get to soak in the wonders of the season.
The artwork featured in the film is somewhat disproportionate which really builds the tension, especially when Jesper first steps foot on the island. Colour-wise, the whole film is quite dark and drab which perfectly emphasises the change when the island is transformed into a Christmassy wonderland at the end. Together, these elements really help to convey the moods in the film, and the audience really goes on the same journey as Jesper.
This film cleverly sheds light through the use of music in several scenes. For example, when Jesper's attitude changes towards the island and his task, there is a wonderful moment where he transforms his workshop to the sounds of a popular 80s song. I couldn't help but smile as I find that era of music very infectious.
As a postwoman myself, I loved this film because it has made me look at my job in a different way. Especially at this time of year, I help to deliver lots of presents to households which will make people's Christmasses the best of their lives. I bring joy to people, just as this film brought lots of joy to me.
The concept of this film is extremely touching - a young man spoiled by his father is sent to a remote island with the goal to deliver 6000 letters in a year. There, he meets Klaus, an old toymaker who lives in a wooded part of the island, out of sight of the townspeople. Together, they create Christmas for the island with the help of the resident schoolteacher and foreign settlers. The result is magical, as children and adults alike who have never experienced Christmas, get to soak in the wonders of the season.
The artwork featured in the film is somewhat disproportionate which really builds the tension, especially when Jesper first steps foot on the island. Colour-wise, the whole film is quite dark and drab which perfectly emphasises the change when the island is transformed into a Christmassy wonderland at the end. Together, these elements really help to convey the moods in the film, and the audience really goes on the same journey as Jesper.
This film cleverly sheds light through the use of music in several scenes. For example, when Jesper's attitude changes towards the island and his task, there is a wonderful moment where he transforms his workshop to the sounds of a popular 80s song. I couldn't help but smile as I find that era of music very infectious.
As a postwoman myself, I loved this film because it has made me look at my job in a different way. Especially at this time of year, I help to deliver lots of presents to households which will make people's Christmasses the best of their lives. I bring joy to people, just as this film brought lots of joy to me.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
Christmas is the happiest time of the year. At least it’s supposed to be, Moms are expected to work tirelessly throughout the Christmas season to ensure that the holiday is absolute perfection for their families. The gifts are to be wrapped with precision, decorations hanging from every available bough, food that could be lifted from the pages of Bon Appétit magazine, all done without breaking a sweat. Tis the season for family and frolic, yet our Bad Moms are stressed beyond their imagination this holiday season. Why? Because their mothers have arrived.
This Christmas, Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) are enter the holiday season feeling the pressure of Christmas present. With all that need to be done, they agree that this is the Christmas where they make the rules. Amy decides that they are going to have a low key holiday. However, that goes against the everything Ruth (Christine Baranski), Amy’s mom believes and expects as she arrives in a tornado of holiday perfection, trailed by her blissfully oblivious husband Hank (Peter Gallagher). Ruth is a perfectionist, a task master extraordinaire who expects no less from her child. Amy, tired of trying to get her mother’s approval, decides to change the traditions.
Kiki’s Mom Sandy (Cheryl Hines) is the clinging, overbearing type who’s behavior could be classified as stalker; if she were not Kiki’s mom. Sandy’s need to be close to her daughter crosses the comfort zone in so many ways. Kiki decides to see Dr. Karl (Wanda Sykes), the family therapist, who explains the maternal process of insanity in hilariously truthful detail.
Isis (Susan Sarandon) shows up at Carla’s house unexpectedly. She seems to only show up at Carla’s door when she has run out of money. She is on the other side of the maternal spectrum, the hands off type. Carla has had to fend for herself for years and expects her mother to take off without a moment’s notice.
I enjoyed the first Bad Moms, but I was hesitant to watch the sequel because there was a chance that it would not be as good as the first. I quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the movie. It made me snort laugh more than once. This is the perfect movie for a Girls Night Out. Grab your BFFs and head to the theater to take a break this holiday season!
This Christmas, Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) are enter the holiday season feeling the pressure of Christmas present. With all that need to be done, they agree that this is the Christmas where they make the rules. Amy decides that they are going to have a low key holiday. However, that goes against the everything Ruth (Christine Baranski), Amy’s mom believes and expects as she arrives in a tornado of holiday perfection, trailed by her blissfully oblivious husband Hank (Peter Gallagher). Ruth is a perfectionist, a task master extraordinaire who expects no less from her child. Amy, tired of trying to get her mother’s approval, decides to change the traditions.
Kiki’s Mom Sandy (Cheryl Hines) is the clinging, overbearing type who’s behavior could be classified as stalker; if she were not Kiki’s mom. Sandy’s need to be close to her daughter crosses the comfort zone in so many ways. Kiki decides to see Dr. Karl (Wanda Sykes), the family therapist, who explains the maternal process of insanity in hilariously truthful detail.
Isis (Susan Sarandon) shows up at Carla’s house unexpectedly. She seems to only show up at Carla’s door when she has run out of money. She is on the other side of the maternal spectrum, the hands off type. Carla has had to fend for herself for years and expects her mother to take off without a moment’s notice.
I enjoyed the first Bad Moms, but I was hesitant to watch the sequel because there was a chance that it would not be as good as the first. I quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the movie. It made me snort laugh more than once. This is the perfect movie for a Girls Night Out. Grab your BFFs and head to the theater to take a break this holiday season!
Sugarplum Dead
8.0
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It's getting to look a lot like Christmas on the sea island of Broward's Rock, South Carolina. At...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2269 KP) rated Death of a Neighborhood Scrooge in Books
Dec 12, 2018
Bah Humbug Murder
Thanks to her neighbor Lance, freelance writer Jaine Austen is spending Christmas at a Bel Air mansion. It's not all luxury, however, when Jaine gets roped into helping her temporary neighbor polish his script. Scotty Parker is a former child actor best known for playing Tiny Tim in a movie version of A Christmas Carol, but now he'd be a shoe in to play Scrooge, complete with penny pinching ways and fights with neighbors. Someone has had enough, and Jaine finds Scotty's body on Christmas morning. With the police focusing on her, Jaine begins her own investigation. But which of the many suspects actually killed Scotty?
Those familiar with the series know exactly what to expect here, and they won't be disappointed. The murder may take place a little later in the book than in some series I read, but we are busy meeting suspects and getting motives, so when Scotty does die, we can jump right in. Jaine once again brings the case to a satisfactory conclusion. We also have a couple of fun sub-plots involving Jaine's on-line dating misadventures and a cruise her parents are taking with their neighbors. There are plenty of laughs, chuckles, and grins. The characters lean toward caricature, but it works for this series. The pages fly by all too quickly as always.
Those familiar with the series know exactly what to expect here, and they won't be disappointed. The murder may take place a little later in the book than in some series I read, but we are busy meeting suspects and getting motives, so when Scotty does die, we can jump right in. Jaine once again brings the case to a satisfactory conclusion. We also have a couple of fun sub-plots involving Jaine's on-line dating misadventures and a cruise her parents are taking with their neighbors. There are plenty of laughs, chuckles, and grins. The characters lean toward caricature, but it works for this series. The pages fly by all too quickly as always.
Clausing a Scene (Christmas Falls #6)
8.0
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I'm definitely on Santa's naughty list this year… My agent calls me a PR nightmare, but I'm...
Contemporary MM Seasonal Romance
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Better Watch Out (2016) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
A Christmas film... a horror film... also described as a comedy and a thriller on IMDb, although I find both of those a little inaccurate. If you asked me to sum up the genre I'd say "it's a Christmas horror..?" and then scrunch up my face in uncertain disgust.
It's difficult to sum this one up without exposing the end of the movie. I would like everyone to have the same confused experience watching this as I did.
I sat down at home to this DVD. I'd excitedly purchased this when I found out about it. With the tagline of "you might be home but you're not alone" you know exactly what you're getting. Or at least that's what you think. Everything promises to make this Home Alone for adults... Home Alone is for adults too of course. No one should deprive themselves of that Christmas wonder.
Not going to lie, when I saw Patrick Warburton pop up on screen it was like a Christmas miracle. I love him. He can do no wrong, and thankfully he didn't disappoint.
Olivia DeJonge made a great job of the role of Ashley. It felt like the serious sort of acting that the film needed to make it a horror film and not more of a comedy. Alongside Levi Miller as Luke we were given an interesting, if awkward on screen leading pair. Miller didn't quite hit the same notes for me as DeJonge did. I think that is more to do with the way the character is written than the acting, as he certainly puts everything into his scenes.
So... I sat down (I know, that was a way back now!) with my pad and pen waiting to jot some notes as I watched. I made a few scribblngs every now and then... until it happened... and you'll know it when it does. At that point I threw my pen across the room and told the film to f*** off.
The first part of the film had so much potential and I was really enjoying it but after "the moment" I just lost all interest in the way they'd taken it. I really wanted a more serious horror film than the unbelieveable thing that was given to us. What we were left with was cringeworthy and uncomfortable to watch, but I will give it credit for its Home Alone moments.
I really would like to know what you guys thought of the end of this film if you saw it.
Being that I was at home watching this on DVD that meant that I got some extras, well, extra. Singular. The fairly subtantial "making of" featurette was quite interesting and reveals just how hardcore DeJonge is when it came to this film.
What you should do
It's potentially drinking game material, but it definitely won't be making it into my Christmas movie rotation.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Without a doubt I would like Patrick Warburton please. If he could be delivered to me in a Christmas tie, even better.
It's difficult to sum this one up without exposing the end of the movie. I would like everyone to have the same confused experience watching this as I did.
I sat down at home to this DVD. I'd excitedly purchased this when I found out about it. With the tagline of "you might be home but you're not alone" you know exactly what you're getting. Or at least that's what you think. Everything promises to make this Home Alone for adults... Home Alone is for adults too of course. No one should deprive themselves of that Christmas wonder.
Not going to lie, when I saw Patrick Warburton pop up on screen it was like a Christmas miracle. I love him. He can do no wrong, and thankfully he didn't disappoint.
Olivia DeJonge made a great job of the role of Ashley. It felt like the serious sort of acting that the film needed to make it a horror film and not more of a comedy. Alongside Levi Miller as Luke we were given an interesting, if awkward on screen leading pair. Miller didn't quite hit the same notes for me as DeJonge did. I think that is more to do with the way the character is written than the acting, as he certainly puts everything into his scenes.
So... I sat down (I know, that was a way back now!) with my pad and pen waiting to jot some notes as I watched. I made a few scribblngs every now and then... until it happened... and you'll know it when it does. At that point I threw my pen across the room and told the film to f*** off.
The first part of the film had so much potential and I was really enjoying it but after "the moment" I just lost all interest in the way they'd taken it. I really wanted a more serious horror film than the unbelieveable thing that was given to us. What we were left with was cringeworthy and uncomfortable to watch, but I will give it credit for its Home Alone moments.
I really would like to know what you guys thought of the end of this film if you saw it.
Being that I was at home watching this on DVD that meant that I got some extras, well, extra. Singular. The fairly subtantial "making of" featurette was quite interesting and reveals just how hardcore DeJonge is when it came to this film.
What you should do
It's potentially drinking game material, but it definitely won't be making it into my Christmas movie rotation.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
Without a doubt I would like Patrick Warburton please. If he could be delivered to me in a Christmas tie, even better.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Santa Jaws (2018) in Movies
Aug 7, 2020
It really shouldn't have been such a challenge for me to see this film. Nearly two years after its release I finally managed to see it... and spoiler alert for my conclusion... it was fintastic.
Cody makes a Christmas wish to be alone, little does he know that his Christmas present is going to make that wish come true in a very festive and gruesome way.
I very quickly want to get a negative out of the way first. There is very noticeable music playing throughout the film. Now, I'm one of those terrible people that doesn't notice music unless it's brilliantly placed or horrendous, and while this music isn't horrendous it does suffer from being way too familiar. You've got Christmas tunes which work fine but the film has the Home Alone theme/feel about it and I think most people can identify those songs when they pop up anywhere.
This film has a little Inception moment at the beginning and we get a representation of the comic the boys are writing. I'm honestly a little disappointed that we didn't get to see that as a whole film of its own when it brings us the amazing line "See you in jingle hell!" spoken with such heart.
Once we get down to our regular programming it's very easy to sink into the ideas at work, there's nothing over complicated and the characters are easy to place. You get the chance to make predictors/wishes early on for who you want to die, and I was not disappointed... at the same time though I was super angry about Santa Jaws' first kill, BAD SHARK!
The acting isn't bad overall, there are some bits that come across a little cheesy and forced when we keep getting Home Alone-esque pieces thrown in, but at the same time... it's a movie about a Christmas themed shark sooooooo.
I'm not entirely sure that the comic book shop was a necessary inclusion on the whole but I can't argue with the choices the owner made... kudos... I wouldn't have wanted those missed out of the final piece.
Shark movie logic abounds and characters make tremendous leaps in deductions that further the plot. My favourite being about the Christmassy nature of the shark. I don't know how the shark's powers and weaknesses came about it the storyline but, standing ovation to you, I loved it.
I ended up getting an imported shark DVD box set so I could see this, it was definitely worth the effort. (Not the stress of trying to play it, but that's another story.) I can only hope this one hits our screens on SyFy or the Horror Channel, I'm honestly surprised it hasn't already. Santa Jaws is an amusing romp in the creature feature genre, it's a great twist on the classics (shark or Christmas film, take your pick) and for the brave I'm sure you could make a drinking game out of Christmas puns and Home Alone references... though maybe not with anything too strong, you might not make it to the end.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/08/santa-jaws-movie-review.html
Cody makes a Christmas wish to be alone, little does he know that his Christmas present is going to make that wish come true in a very festive and gruesome way.
I very quickly want to get a negative out of the way first. There is very noticeable music playing throughout the film. Now, I'm one of those terrible people that doesn't notice music unless it's brilliantly placed or horrendous, and while this music isn't horrendous it does suffer from being way too familiar. You've got Christmas tunes which work fine but the film has the Home Alone theme/feel about it and I think most people can identify those songs when they pop up anywhere.
This film has a little Inception moment at the beginning and we get a representation of the comic the boys are writing. I'm honestly a little disappointed that we didn't get to see that as a whole film of its own when it brings us the amazing line "See you in jingle hell!" spoken with such heart.
Once we get down to our regular programming it's very easy to sink into the ideas at work, there's nothing over complicated and the characters are easy to place. You get the chance to make predictors/wishes early on for who you want to die, and I was not disappointed... at the same time though I was super angry about Santa Jaws' first kill, BAD SHARK!
The acting isn't bad overall, there are some bits that come across a little cheesy and forced when we keep getting Home Alone-esque pieces thrown in, but at the same time... it's a movie about a Christmas themed shark sooooooo.
I'm not entirely sure that the comic book shop was a necessary inclusion on the whole but I can't argue with the choices the owner made... kudos... I wouldn't have wanted those missed out of the final piece.
Shark movie logic abounds and characters make tremendous leaps in deductions that further the plot. My favourite being about the Christmassy nature of the shark. I don't know how the shark's powers and weaknesses came about it the storyline but, standing ovation to you, I loved it.
I ended up getting an imported shark DVD box set so I could see this, it was definitely worth the effort. (Not the stress of trying to play it, but that's another story.) I can only hope this one hits our screens on SyFy or the Horror Channel, I'm honestly surprised it hasn't already. Santa Jaws is an amusing romp in the creature feature genre, it's a great twist on the classics (shark or Christmas film, take your pick) and for the brave I'm sure you could make a drinking game out of Christmas puns and Home Alone references... though maybe not with anything too strong, you might not make it to the end.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/08/santa-jaws-movie-review.html
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated 8-BIT CHRISTMAS (2021) in Movies
Dec 12, 2021
Charming, Nostalgic and HeartWarming
If I told you that I just watched a charming Holiday movie where the Narrator reminisced about a Christmas of his youth - when he was 10 or 11 - and the Narrator desperately wanted a special present brought to him by Santa - but said item is strictly forbidden in his household, so the Narrator heads off on an adventure to get this item, you would think I was talking about the classic Holiday perennial A CHRISTMAS STORY - and you would be wrong.
I’m speaking about the HBO MAX Original Film 8-BIT CHRISTMAS starring Neil Patrick Harris as the Narrator of the story that reminisces about his life as a 10-11 year old around the Holidays in the late 1980’s.
And, darn it all, if it doesn’t work well (despite my indignation that all they are doing is ripping off A CHRISTMAS STORY) for there is enough nostalgia and heart to melt the emotions of even the most miserly of Ebenezer Scrooge’s this holiday season.
Written by Kevin Jakubowski (based off his book) and Directed by Michael Dowse (the underrated comedy STUBER), 8-Bit Christmas tells the tale of 11 year old Jake Doyle who wants nothing more in this world than to receive the mother of all Christmas presents - a Nintendo 8 Bit system. Along with a “Goonies” collection of friends, Jake sets off to find this hard to find item - and convince his parents to get it for him for Christmas.
In the hands of young actor Winslow Fegley (Disney’s TIMMY FAILURE), young Jake is a pleasant enough protagonist to head off on this journey with. His ragtag group of friends are a group of generic nerds that pretty much check-off the “nerd friend group” list (and this is meant as a compliment). We spend quite a bit of time with these kids and they are a good enough group of kids to spend time with.
This film does hit a few of the same notes as A CHRISTMAS STORY, there is an obsessed, seemingly out of touch Dad, this time played by Steve Zahn (RESCUE DAWN) in a heart-warming portrayal and the coupon-cutting, cost saving Mom played by June Diane Raphael (FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) who is putting up with it all. This film even has a younger sibling, this time a sister Lizzy, who wants her own elusive gift - a Cabbage Patch kid.
A highlight for me was the performance of Kathy Greenwood as the teacher with the constant sniffles. I know many a teacher and they almost ALWAYS have colds given to them from their charges.
This film is a fine post card of Chicago in the late 1980s and skewers (and honors) the pop-fads of the time (complete with fashion and styling) and is an entertaining enough 2 hour escape during the Holidays.
Oh, and did I mention that at one point in this film, I had to dab at my eyes with a tissue? Yes, despite my skepticism, this film managed to touch my heart even though I fought like crazy to deny that.
If you’re looking for a fun family entertainment this Holiday season, 8-BIT CHRISTMAS can fill the bill nicely.
Letter Grade: B+
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
I’m speaking about the HBO MAX Original Film 8-BIT CHRISTMAS starring Neil Patrick Harris as the Narrator of the story that reminisces about his life as a 10-11 year old around the Holidays in the late 1980’s.
And, darn it all, if it doesn’t work well (despite my indignation that all they are doing is ripping off A CHRISTMAS STORY) for there is enough nostalgia and heart to melt the emotions of even the most miserly of Ebenezer Scrooge’s this holiday season.
Written by Kevin Jakubowski (based off his book) and Directed by Michael Dowse (the underrated comedy STUBER), 8-Bit Christmas tells the tale of 11 year old Jake Doyle who wants nothing more in this world than to receive the mother of all Christmas presents - a Nintendo 8 Bit system. Along with a “Goonies” collection of friends, Jake sets off to find this hard to find item - and convince his parents to get it for him for Christmas.
In the hands of young actor Winslow Fegley (Disney’s TIMMY FAILURE), young Jake is a pleasant enough protagonist to head off on this journey with. His ragtag group of friends are a group of generic nerds that pretty much check-off the “nerd friend group” list (and this is meant as a compliment). We spend quite a bit of time with these kids and they are a good enough group of kids to spend time with.
This film does hit a few of the same notes as A CHRISTMAS STORY, there is an obsessed, seemingly out of touch Dad, this time played by Steve Zahn (RESCUE DAWN) in a heart-warming portrayal and the coupon-cutting, cost saving Mom played by June Diane Raphael (FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) who is putting up with it all. This film even has a younger sibling, this time a sister Lizzy, who wants her own elusive gift - a Cabbage Patch kid.
A highlight for me was the performance of Kathy Greenwood as the teacher with the constant sniffles. I know many a teacher and they almost ALWAYS have colds given to them from their charges.
This film is a fine post card of Chicago in the late 1980s and skewers (and honors) the pop-fads of the time (complete with fashion and styling) and is an entertaining enough 2 hour escape during the Holidays.
Oh, and did I mention that at one point in this film, I had to dab at my eyes with a tissue? Yes, despite my skepticism, this film managed to touch my heart even though I fought like crazy to deny that.
If you’re looking for a fun family entertainment this Holiday season, 8-BIT CHRISTMAS can fill the bill nicely.
Letter Grade: B+
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Ronyell (38 KP) rated How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) in Movies
Jul 24, 2020
The Jim Carrey Grinch!
In the town of Whoville, all the Whos were getting ready it celebrate Christmas, but there was one Who that was curious about the true meaning of Christmas and that was Cindy Lou Who herself. Not only was Cindy Lou wondering about the true meaning of Christmas, but she was curious about one person who doesn't live in Whoville and that's the Grinch himself. The Whos almost never talk about the Grinch or want to be reminded of him, but Cindy Lou wanted to be friends with the Grinch and tried to invite him to the Whoville celebration. But, when the Grinch is humiliated at the celebration, he decided that he will steal all the Whos' presents on Christmas Eve.
Wow! I was actually pretty surprised that I enjoyed this movie! I never would have thought that Jim Carrey would do a great job at portraying the Grinch! Jim Carrey made the Grinch's character much more humorous and hammy, which made the film much funnier in tone and the Grinchs' jokes easily land at the right times. Taylor Momsen was fantastic as Cindy Lou Who as Cindy is shown as being a friendly and determined girl who only wanted to be friends with the Grinch and I liked the fact that she truly cares for the Grinch and only wanted to make him happy. James Horner's music was probably the highlight of this film as it surprisingly goes well with the emotional scenes in the movie, such as during the scene where we learn about the Grinch's tragic backstory. The special effects were surprisingly well done for the year 2000 and the film did a fantastic job at showcasing the bizarre yet beautiful world of Whoville and greatly captured the creative style from the original Dr. Seuss book.
My biggest issue with this movie is that the Whos seem to be portrayed in a negative way as they are much more cruel towards the Grinch in this version than in the original book and the 1960s cartoon special. Also, there were times where Jim Carrey's performance as the Grinch got so hammy that I couldn't take his more emotional scenes seriously, like he constantly gets upset whenever the Whos teased him. I also didn't like the fact that Martha, the Grinch's love interest, didn't have much of a role in the film other than just standing around and looking at the scenery and being a love interest.
I always have a problem with certain love interests not having much to do in the film other than just being defined as a love interest to the protagonist and not having a personality of their own. It would have been great if Martha had more scenes with the Grinch so that their relationship would be much more believable to me.
Overall, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is one of the most hilarious interpretations of the Grinch ever made on film and it is definitely worth the watch!
Originally posted on: https://surrealmoviesandtvblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/movie-review-how-grinch-stole-christmas.html
Wow! I was actually pretty surprised that I enjoyed this movie! I never would have thought that Jim Carrey would do a great job at portraying the Grinch! Jim Carrey made the Grinch's character much more humorous and hammy, which made the film much funnier in tone and the Grinchs' jokes easily land at the right times. Taylor Momsen was fantastic as Cindy Lou Who as Cindy is shown as being a friendly and determined girl who only wanted to be friends with the Grinch and I liked the fact that she truly cares for the Grinch and only wanted to make him happy. James Horner's music was probably the highlight of this film as it surprisingly goes well with the emotional scenes in the movie, such as during the scene where we learn about the Grinch's tragic backstory. The special effects were surprisingly well done for the year 2000 and the film did a fantastic job at showcasing the bizarre yet beautiful world of Whoville and greatly captured the creative style from the original Dr. Seuss book.
My biggest issue with this movie is that the Whos seem to be portrayed in a negative way as they are much more cruel towards the Grinch in this version than in the original book and the 1960s cartoon special. Also, there were times where Jim Carrey's performance as the Grinch got so hammy that I couldn't take his more emotional scenes seriously, like he constantly gets upset whenever the Whos teased him. I also didn't like the fact that Martha, the Grinch's love interest, didn't have much of a role in the film other than just standing around and looking at the scenery and being a love interest.
I always have a problem with certain love interests not having much to do in the film other than just being defined as a love interest to the protagonist and not having a personality of their own. It would have been great if Martha had more scenes with the Grinch so that their relationship would be much more believable to me.
Overall, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is one of the most hilarious interpretations of the Grinch ever made on film and it is definitely worth the watch!
Originally posted on: https://surrealmoviesandtvblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/movie-review-how-grinch-stole-christmas.html
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Black Christmas (1974) in Movies
Dec 11, 2019
Answer The Phone
With anethor remake coming out this friday, and that i already reviewed the 2006 remake. In going back to the oringal, were it alll started from. So lets take a little trip back to 1974.
Inspired by the urban legend "The babysitter and the man upstairs" and a series of murders that took place in the Westmount section of Montreal, Quebec, Moore wrote the screenplay under the title Stop Me.
The Plot: As winter break begins, a group of sorority sisters, including Jess (Olivia Hussey) and the often inebriated Barb (Margot Kidder), begin to receive anonymous, lascivious phone calls. Initially, Barb eggs the caller on, but stops when he responds threateningly. Soon, Barb's friend Claire (Lynne Griffin) goes missing from the sorority house, and a local adolescent girl is murdered, leading the girls to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. But no one realizes just how near the culprit is.
Margot Kidder remembered shooting the film as being "fun. I really bonded with Andrea Martin, filming in Toronto and Ontario. Olivia Hussey was a bit of an odd one. She was obsessed with the idea of falling in love with Paul McCartney through her psychic. We were a little hard on her for things like that.
Black Christmas eventually gained a cult following and is notable for being one of the earliest slasher films. It went on to inspire other slasher films, the biggest one of all being John Carpenter's Halloween (which was apparently inspired by Clark suggesting what a Black Christmas sequel would be like).
Black Christmas has been included multiple lists in various media outlets as one of the greatest horror films ever made. The film ranked No. 87 on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
A overall classic slasher horror movie based around a hoilday.
Inspired by the urban legend "The babysitter and the man upstairs" and a series of murders that took place in the Westmount section of Montreal, Quebec, Moore wrote the screenplay under the title Stop Me.
The Plot: As winter break begins, a group of sorority sisters, including Jess (Olivia Hussey) and the often inebriated Barb (Margot Kidder), begin to receive anonymous, lascivious phone calls. Initially, Barb eggs the caller on, but stops when he responds threateningly. Soon, Barb's friend Claire (Lynne Griffin) goes missing from the sorority house, and a local adolescent girl is murdered, leading the girls to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. But no one realizes just how near the culprit is.
Margot Kidder remembered shooting the film as being "fun. I really bonded with Andrea Martin, filming in Toronto and Ontario. Olivia Hussey was a bit of an odd one. She was obsessed with the idea of falling in love with Paul McCartney through her psychic. We were a little hard on her for things like that.
Black Christmas eventually gained a cult following and is notable for being one of the earliest slasher films. It went on to inspire other slasher films, the biggest one of all being John Carpenter's Halloween (which was apparently inspired by Clark suggesting what a Black Christmas sequel would be like).
Black Christmas has been included multiple lists in various media outlets as one of the greatest horror films ever made. The film ranked No. 87 on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
A overall classic slasher horror movie based around a hoilday.