Looking Back at the Films of 2021 Finale - Nightmare Alley

Yes we're back to this segment, and the final one for this year.

But before we begin, let me explain something. If any of you read my review for Glass Onion, then you'd know that I meant to upload this on Monday. Well, after my great (and I mean that honestly, not be being sarcastic) Christmas Day with my family, I was just tired. So when Monday rolled in, I decided to recharge for the day. No Twitter, uploading to this blog, nothing. I stayed away from usual stuff until today.

Why I Didn't I See Nightmare Alley?

Probably for the same reason many other people didn't see it, I didn't know this film existed. I don't know if that was because of poor marketing, or something other factor, but there's your reason. I didn't know this film was a thing.

What is Nightmare Alley?

Nightmare Alley is a neo-noir psychological thriller film based on the 1946 novel of the same name. It's also the second adaptation after the 1947 version which also shares the same name. It was produced by TSG Entertainment and Double Dare You Productions and distributed by Searchlight Pictures. Nightmare Alley was written by Guillermo del Toro and Kim Morgan and directed by Guillermo del Toro. The story is a drifter named Stan Carlisle has gotten a job at carnival and soon learns about clairvoyance. Two years later he reinvents himself as a psychic and later claims to be able to speak to the dead despite the warning given to him years prior. He later gets a client who wants him to preform a séance to a young woman who he committed a horrible wrong too. Can Stan find a way to trick the man, or is going to suffer a quick downfall.

My Thoughts

The Good: One thing or as I should politely say, one person who makes this film worth watching is Bradley Cooper. He's phenomenal here, a matter of fact he pretty much disappears into this role. Even to the point that I completely forgot that was him. What's also amazing about Nightmare Alley is the perfect suspense. And what made it perfect was how as the movie kept going, the more and more the suspense was building. It truly keeps you on the edge because you just don't know when something is gonna happen or if it's gonna happen. Then we have the story. Not only do we see just how Stan came to rise to the success he wanted, but his fall not only tragic, but both parts were executed perfectly. There's also that ending...just damn. I could give it away, but you guys should know that when there's something amazing in the film, regardless of when it came out, I don't give spoilers, at least not anymore. The last thing I'll praise is Guillermo del Toro's directing. Not so much as in look, cause I think people know that when you watch a Guillermo del Toro film you can expect great visuals. But more so that he showed that he's a lot more versatile than some think. While Guillermo kills when it comes to horror or monsters, what with films such as Blade II, the first two Hellboy films, Pan's Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, The Shape of Water, and etc. Here, there's no supernatural elements at all. This is a pure neo-noir flick, and it with that we're shown once again that Guillermo del Toro is truly a talented man.

The Bad: Nothing for this part.

The Okay: Now some of you have probably read my reviews for both Avengers: Endgame and Zack Snyder's Justice League, so you know I'm not stranger when it comes to movies with long runtimes. Now while Nightmare Alley is by no means as long as those two, but there were times when I could feel that 2 hour runtime. While I do have a strong support for a director's vision, this did feel like one of those instances where maybe somethings could've been cut out. One example is the carnival. Did we really need to spend a full hour there?

Final Verdict: Great.

So that's all for me. Even thought were only four days away from the holiday, I just want to say have a Happy New Year folks. Hope you enjoy the rest of this year while it's still around.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Review

 

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (or simply/titled on-screen Glass Onion) is a comedy mystery film and the sequel to 2019's Knives Out. It's produced by T-Street and distributed by Netflix. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is written and directed by Rian Johnson.

The story is five people have been invited by their friend and detective Benoit Blanc have been invited by billionaire Miles to his private island for not only a get away, but for a murder mystery game. Soon someone is actually killed, and detective Blanc needs to find out which one of them did.

Initial Reaction

Now I really loved Knives Out, so when I heard a sequel was coming I was not only excited, but I had high expectations for this.

Cons

The biggest issue with the whole movie is it's trying to go for more bigger is better, when it should've been less is more. This is clearly shown during the finale when things start blowing up and such. I understand there was a story element there, but there was still a way to go about without feeling like it was over the top even if there are comedic bits. Like I said before, less is more, and that approach was there with the private island setting. Cause then you could not only have a great mystery film, but it also would've had a great claustrophobic element as well.

Middle Ground

There were two decent things Glass Onion had and that's pacing and humor. The pacing for the beginning and end, were very good. Especially in the beginning, the moment our characters get their invitations, the ball gets rolling. The middle part was very slow. It even could slower when we got to the twist, because now we had this new character, and we had to go through their backstory and reason to be on the island. Thankfully things did pick up when the mystery was being solved. Then there's the humor. It's decent at best. You'll get some laughs here and there, but I still admit this just wasn't as funny as the first film.

Pros

What'll really keep your interest throughout the whole movie is the performances and the mystery. Even if the story this time around is just okay, the cast do a fantastic job having a blast playing these characters, which in return keeps use entertained. Then the mystery. This was my biggest concern for this movie. I was worried the mystery just wasn't gonna be good as the first one was. I thought there wasn't gonna be much though put into it, thankfully that wasn't the case. We got an interesting murder case, with plenty of twist and turns to keep you guessing.

While Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery wasn't everything I was hoping to be, I still wasn't fully disappointed. There were still aspects of the film that I enjoyed throughout the runtime. Could've used more work on the pacing and humor, but nothing too bad. But like I said before, the movie should've been like the first in the case of size. Where it should've been less is more.

My final rating is Okay.

That's all for me. Come back on Monday, Dec 26th, for the finale of Looking Back at the Films of 2021. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, but most importantly, have a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy Holidays.

Raiders of The Lost Media - A Tiny Toy Christmas

 

Note: This is fan made. Not an official image.

That's right folks. Raiders of The Lost Media is back! Since it's the holiday season, let me tell the story of a cancelled Pixar Christmas project.

Part One - What is A Tiny Toy Christmas?

A Tiny Toy Christmas is a cancelled Christmas special that was going to be made by Pixar. It's purpose was it was going to be as a way for Pixar to show that the studio was capable of making feature-lenght films. It's story (which I'll dive into later), would've focused on Tinny the Tin Toy, who was the main character of Pixar's Academy award winning short film, Tin Toy.

Part Two - The Plot

While the movie never came to be, a synopsis was written.

It goes, "Tinny was part of the Christmas Tiny Toy line sold in the 1940s. Due to poor sales, him and his friends are put away in storage, and Tinny falls into a long sleep. Many years later Tinny wakes up in a megastore during the Christmas season, but he sees that none of his friends are with him. So he decides to look for them during Christmas Eve. Also during this journey he meets a very sarcastic ventriloquist dummy who's looking for an owner".

Part Three - Production Then Cancellation

Somewhere during the early 90s Pixar was on the verge of bankruptcy due to them making short films on their Pixar Image computers rather than making money from them. They made the decision to focus on making animations instead of the software business, which in return helped them financially. With that choice they went on making commercials then expand on that by making a half-hour special [A Tiny Toy Christmas], then when that was done they would move into making feature films.

During the early production of A Tiny Toy Christmas, former Walt Disney Studios president Peter Schneider tried hiring Pixar animator John Lasseter in an effort to bring him back to Disney, John however wanted to stay at Pixar, cause he wanted to get them out of their financial situation. Schneider would then call the vice president of Pixar, Ed Catmull. They talked about how he [Peter Schneider] wanted him and the rest of Pixar to make a feature-length film. At first Ed thought it'd be best if they finished the special first. Schneider would make the comment saying that if they can do a half-hour special, then they can do a 90-minute film. With that being said A Tiny Toy Christmas was cancelled, and Pixar would shift their focus on Toy Story.

Part Four - Availability

There's only two storyboards that show that yes, this was going to be a thing. As of writing this, I have yet to see any footage or any other material regrading this special.

So I hoped you enjoyed this. Come back on Saturday, Dec 24th, Christmas Eve itself, for my review of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Classic Film Night - Christmas Vacation

 

Christmas Vacation (or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) is a Christmas comedy movie and the third installment of the Vacation film series. It was produced by Hughes Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Christmas Vacation was written by John Hughes and directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.

The story is the Christmas season is approaching and the Clark and the rest of the Griswolds are planning to have a perfect family Christmas. Clark makes sure that everything goes according to plan without any disasters...of course this doesn't happen. Now Clark and the family need to try and make sure the mayhem doesn't get anymore chaotic then it already is.

My Thoughts

One reason as to why this film became a Christmas classic was because of the music. Angelo Badalamenti composed a great score, but we also got some even greater Christmas songs in there.One of my favorites of those songs is Mele Kalikimaka. Anytime that song comes on, I actually enjoy signing along too it. It's such a catchy tune.

Another highlight from Christmas Vacation is the performances. Of course Chevy Chase is amazing and hilarious throughout the entire film. But we also gotta give credit to the supporting casts. Much like Chevy, they were also great. All of them had great comedic timing, but even when things aren't being funny, the cast also do a fantastic job with more dramatic moments too. Such as the little heart to heart moment between Clark and his father. That scene really showed how talented both Chevy Chase is, and how talented John Randolph was, before he sadly passed away.

Now let's move onto the humor. While we do great some really good slapstick, and some outrageous moments, like a S.W.A.T. team bursting through a house, and of course Cousin Eddie, the film also has some great dialogue in it as well. I'll forever love the "kiss my ass, kiss his ass" scene, not matter how many times I've seen this film. Then there's Clark's amazing rant regrading his boss. I'm not spoiling that one in any shape or form, that's something you gotta watch for yourselves. And yes, it'll be pretty if you truly watch the film as suppose to watching a clip, because the build up to that rant makes it worth the wait.

The last thing I'll praise about the film is, it's very relatable. There's something you can relate to in this movie. Setting up decorations, crazy family members coming over, or even thinking you have everything planned...only for something or everything to go the other way around. No matter what, you'll find yourselves enjoying the film not only for the great bits of comedy, but for this reason as well. It's the other reason why I've also come to enjoy the movie as I get older.

Christmas Vacation is definitely one of the must watch Christmas flicks, along side classics such as Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, to more mature comedy films like Bad Santa. Much like A Christmas Story, I also get ready to watch this, even if I'd seen it a hundred times before.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

That's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Dec 22nd, for a brand new Raiders of The Lost Media. Where I'll tell you the story of a cancelled Pixar Christmas flick. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Avatar: The Way of Water Review

 

Avatar: The Way of Water is an epic sci-fi film, and the sequel to the 2009 hit, Avatar. It's produced by Lightstorm Entertainment and TSG Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Studios. Avatar: The Way of Water is written by James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver and directed by James Cameron.

The story is it's been more than a decade after the events of the first film, since then Jake and Neytiri now have a family. Soon this peaceful life is disturbed when the RDA return, and this time they want revenge on Jake. Now knowing this, Jake and his family leave their home and travel outside of Omaticaya to Pandora's eastern seaboard, and live among the clan there. They soon learn that even when hidden, they'll have to prepare for battle once again.

Initial Reaction

I really don't think I need to explain why I wanted to see this. I loved the first movie, and I've been waiting for the sequel to come for the longest time (much like everyone else).

Cons

I've got nothing here folks. So ya might as well keep scrolling.

Middle Ground

Now there's still a lot to enjoy from the movie. For instance, there's a lot of focus on character and the theme of family [insert Fast & Furious joke here], but the slight issue comes from balance. While we still do get the villains' story, we're mainly focused on Jake and what his family are up to. So while we get a lot of development for everyone else, we barely get any for our bad guys. Hopefully if this movie does well enough, that issue will hopefully be fixed in Avatar 3.

Pros

The CGI effects in the first Avatar were groundbreaking. So I was wondering how the crew could've possible top themselves in this one? I was very surprised once again. Not only are the water effect beautiful, but they're very realistic, to the point where I couldn't tell what was real and what was fake. I dare say the water effects here are better than Aquaman's, I really liked that film and the effects there as well. Much like the CGI, the action is awesome. While in the first movie, we were still worried about Jake and the Na'vi, here the stakes feel even more serious. Because Jake has limited ammo so him and everyone else is outgunned, there's barely an army for him if anything it's more like a small squad until, and even though the heroes have bows, arrows, and spears, and again, there's only a limited supply. So basically Jake and his allies have to play it smart. So you very much have a group of underdogs. Not only does that leave a sense of dread, but now, whenever they do score a win you'll be left with a big smile on your face. I really don't know if there's anything I can say about James Cameron's directing, that I could top in my review for the first film. Not only does he do action well, but he once again provides us with amazing visuals. Visuals where I can definitely see people using them as both a wallpaper and a screen saver for their computer. That's really all I can say without feeling like I'm repeating what I said for the first. In my review for the first film, I mentioned how Cameron did a fantastic job world building, and at the end of that I wondered how he could've possibly top that? Well he did here. While the newest clan [the Metkayina] do share some similarities with the Omatikaya, we learn a lot about what makes them different from the Omatikaya, other than them having a water gimmick. We learn about their ways, see how their physical appearance makes them more capable in the water, and their fighting style. So throughout the movie I was really enjoying learning about this clan. But not only that it was again expands the Avatar universe.

Avatar: The Way of Water is definitely an enjoyable experience if you go see it in theaters. It provides you with the great CGI, great action, and so on and so forth. I do wish there was more of an even balance for our heroes and villains when it came to the story, but I still had a lot of fun with this one.

My final rating is Good.

So, that's all for me. Please come back on Monday, Dec 19th, for my review of Christmas Vacation. And I mean this time, it's not gonna be a bait and switch like it was in my review of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at Avatar (2009)

 

Avatar (aka James Cameron's Avatar) is an epic sci-fi film that's produced by 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, and Ingenious Film Partners and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Avatar was written and directed by James Cameron.

The story is paralyzed former Marine Jake Sully has been assigned to go to the planet of Pandora, which is the home to the Na'vi. Because the planet is poisonous to humans, he's linked to a human/Na'vi hybrid that are called Avatars. After spending so much time with the Na'vi, and falling in love with one, Jake and the Na'vi will now have to prepare for a war.

• Negatives

Nothing bad to say here folks, just move on to the next part.

• Mix

Let's just get this out of the way. Yes, we've seen story of a stranger with another group of people, who befriends the supposed bad group of people. But, just because we've gotten this story before, that doesn't mean we should write an entire movie off. I mean how many revenge flicks do we have? Over 100, maybe even over a 1,000? What we should be focused on, is how the movie presents the story, and in Avatar's case it doesn't do too bad of job. The slight problem comes from predictability, but I think that's easy to brush off because the movie does do an outstanding job giving you a great experience.

• Positives

Now let's get another thing out of the way. The CGI is absolutely beautiful. James Cameron and co., give us such breathtaking CG. This film is 12 years old, and the CG still holds up today. A matter of fact, the CGI is a lot better than some of the stuff we get today.

Then we have James Cameron's directing. I don't know if there's any praise I can give him for this movie, that hasn't already been said before. Usually I could tell which shot or shots are my favorite, but with everything I saw after re-watching this, I just can't. There were so many gorgeous visuals throughout the whole movie, that it's really hard to pick from.

James Cameron is obviously no stranger when it comes to action. He's directed The Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and True Lies. So it shouldn't have come as surprised both back then and now, that this film did and does contain great action scenes. It's big and exciting, but what there was something I didn't realize the very first time I've watched. That's despite, for the most part, being a huge CGI film, the action felt very grounded. Sure,we all know it's CG, but what Cameron and co. managed to pull off with this, was despite being CGI was everything still had a weight to it.

The biggest praise I'll give the film is it's world building. When the story isn't focused on Jake's mission, his love story, and the perviously mentioned action, the movie takes its time explaining to us what we needed or wanted to know about Pandora, the Na'vi, and so forth. It would've been easy for Cameron to give us the bare minimum, and thus leaving us wondering more about this world. Instead we're given in great detail of what the world is, how it functions, and the culture of the Na'vi.

Guys, I loved Avatar back in 2009, and I love it now in 2022. Yes, I admitted the story is flawed in some areas, but with everything else I mentioned, you can forgive that. Like I said we were given spectacular CGI, Cameron showing us why he's a great director, top notch action sequences, and perfectly done world building.

My final rating is Great.

With all of the praise I've just given, it really makes me wonder how James Cameron is out do himself with The Way of Water and the other sequels? Guess I'll just have to find this Friday and you'll find out this Saturday with my review of said Avatar: The Way of Water. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The Mean One Review

 

Man, my Christmas season this year has taken one dark turn...film wise that is. First Violent Night, now this. Oh well, can't say it hasn't been entertaining.

Also, yes, I know I said in my Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio review, I said I'd review Christmas Vacation, but I found a showing for this and just had to jump to it. Don't worry, you'll still get that review at a later date.

The Mean One is a Christmas slasher comedy film, that spoofs the Dr. Seuss book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It's the fourth film to adapt the story. It's produced by Sleight on Hand Productions, Amy Rose Productions, and Kali Pictures and distributed by Atlas Film Distribution. The Mean One is written by Steven LaMorte, Flip Kobler, and Finn Kobler and directed by Steven LaMorte.

The story is one Christmas night, Cindy witnessed the murder of her mother, by a creature known only as "The Mean One". Twenty years later, Cindy and her father return to their home of Newville. However, this goes horrifying once again, as The Mean One reappears, and this time, Cindy plans to stop him.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted...actually, do I even need to explain why? It's a horror parody of the Grinch. Whether the quality is entertaining in a good way, or so bad it's good, either way, I'm getting an experience.

Cons

I've got nothing negative to say here. Just scroll down.

Middle Ground

Now practical effects wise, things are pretty good. Sure the makeup for bloody/kills isn't gonna win an award, but it was still handled very well. The best makeup effect definitely goes towards The Mean One. That was great. Where it looses the praise, is in the CGI blood. I've got no excuse for that. It's horrible. It's blood I would expect to see from a PlayStation or Xbox game. That's how bad it was. Another decent thing came from the acting. I've read a lot of reviews saying it's horrible. But to me, felt more standard than anything. Expect for David Howard Thornton as The Mean One and Christopher Sanders as the Narrator. David mainly had to go by facial expressions, and he did a really good job at that, and what I liked about Sanders' Narrator role, is he sounded like he was gleefully enjoy what was going on. Good voice work on his part. I also want to give credit to the filmmaking. It's clear as day they crew was working on a budget, but despite that set back, it's still shot at decent level. So it's clear the people behind the camera knew a lot more of what they were doing, than some of the people give them credit for. I've seen quite a lot of low budget films were everything is just painful to look at. Ya ever seen the two Birdemic films and The Amazing Bulk? Well if you haven't, watch those films, and then watch this. The Mean One will look like a Citizen Kane compared to those. Although I am going to dock points for some very obvious stock footage. I'll forgive this movie for many things, expect for that.

Pros

One thing I did like about the film was the humor. No it's not perfect, but there were a lot of times when I did have a hard laugh here and there. The best thing about the movie is...it's just cheesy fun. It's very obvious from both the trailer and the film itself, that everyone knew not to take this film seriously. They are making a the Grinch a slasher villain after all, and what made that clear was (and you could probably lump this into the humor category of the review) was while we know the concept and such is ridiculous, the characters in the movie are playing it 100% straight. Much like Killer Klowns from Outer Space, that is a sure sign that we were gonna get an entertaining B-movie.

So yeah, if you're a fan of cheesy B-movies, I think this movie's got ya covered. While I myself had some slight issues, by the end of it, I had a smile on my face. Sure, I would've wanted something better, but what I got was by no means a disappointment.

My final rating is Okay.

I just realized something. As of right now, I've reviewed every single Grinch adaptation. Never would've guessed that would happen. Well that's all for today. Come back on Thursday, Dec 15th, for my Look Back at review of 2009's Avatar. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Review

 

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is a stop-motion animated musical fantasy film, based on the 1883 novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio. The movie's produced by Netflix Animation, Double Dare You! Productions, ShadowMachine, The Jim Henson Company, and Necropia Entertainment and distributed by Netflix. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is written by Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins, and Patrick McHale and directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson.

The story is many years ago Geppetto lost his son after an inadvertent aerial bombing. Finally having enough, he chops down a tree and makes a wooden puppet named Pinocchio to replace the son he no longer has. This puppet shockingly comes to life. He soon realizes he just wants he father's acceptance, so he goes on a journey to live up to his expectations.

Initial Reaction

I'll keep it short as to why I wanted to see this film. Guillermo del Toro. That's the big reason. That guy has brought us nothing but great films, and with his involvement, I just had to see what he was gonna do with this story.

Cons

I don't have a single bad thing to say about this movie. Truly, I don't.

Middle Ground

Now while the movie's pacing is great 99% of the time, there is a period (I wanna say somewhere during the second act) where it was kinda slow. It wasn't too damaging to the movie, so I don't really think you'll mind that bit too much.

Pros

One thing I just gotta praise is the stop motion. Within the first 5-10 minutes of the runtime I knew I was gonna get a perfectly animated experience, and I truly did. I actually don't know if I give it anymore praise than it already gotten, because whatever positive thing you've heard about the animation, it's all true. What's also amazing about this version of the Pinocchio story is the performances. Once again, whatever praise you've heard about the cast it's true. Throughout the movie we can see the transformations the characters go through, but thanks to the cast we can also hear in their voices. Now much like the Disney version, there is music. However, what's gonna separate these songs from those, are I found them to be much more dramatic and more emotionally driven than the Disney's. Now that's not me saying these songs are gonna overshadow those ones, I'm just saying they're good, but in their own special way. Speaking of the movie doing things in its own special way, Oh my God these visuals! This probably the most visually appealing Pinocchio film I've ever seen. Everything from character designs to settings to even creature designs has its own unique look to them. You've truly gotta see the movie for yourself to see what I'm talking about, because words alone just can't do these visuals justice. The last thing I'll praise about the film is it's darker approach and themes. Especially themes. Typically when you see a Pinocchio film, those other versions sometimes just bite off from the Disney film...not this one. These one deals with themes of lost, life, death, the afterlife, and even has war themes in it. Because of those themes, you're definitely in for a thankfully very different tale of Pinocchio.

Honestly, this movie should've gotten a theatrical release as supposed to the limited one it got, and then being sent to Netflix. Not only that, but it's far better than the live-action remake we got a couple months ago. What with it's beautifully done stop motion, top notch performances, good music, absolutely gorgeous visuals, and much more darker approach to a classic tale. Sure the pacing can be off a few times, but that's easily forgivable.

My final rating is Great.

Well that's all for now. Come back on Monday, Dec 12th, for my review of Christmas Vacation. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The Santa Clause Review

 

The Santa Clause is a Christmas comedy film. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, and Outlaw Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. The Santa Clause was written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick and directed by John Pasquin.

The story is on Christmas Eve, a divorced father named Scott accidentally kills a man dressed in a Santa Claus suit. Soon both him and his son are transported to is be claimed as the North Pole. At first Scott thinks it was all just a dream. However, over the next couple of months Scott starts to look a lot like Santa. Now realizing it all wasn't a dream, Scott now has a lot of work do to for the next Christmas season.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to see here folks. Just move along.

• Mix

I'll get this out of the way right now, yes, yes the story is kind of predictable, and yes, it does use the trope of the grown ups not believe in Santa, only for the kid or kids to prove he is actually real. The thing is you can have a predictable story, as long as you have other aspects to keep people entertained, or interested. And I feel as though this story does just that. We're provide with a new mythos to Santa Claus, it was entertaining to see Scott go from regular businessman to Santa, and there's a lot of times when the film can be entertaining, or downright charming. So I feel as though it's those more positive qualities that I mentioned previously, that really helps the overall movie.

• Positives

One thing that can't be denied about The Santa Clause is Tim Allen himself. He provided a great comedic performance, and what made it work was something the late, great Gene Siskel himself said regrading Tim's performance, and something I think many can agree on. He said "He's willing to have fun at his own expense, and a few people find that enjoyable to be with him, in on the joke a little bit. He doesn't try to be totally in control all of the time".

What also worked for the film was the special effects and sets. I'm still amazed how even now the special effects in this film still hold up. But what I really dug as a kid, and even now as an adult, is the set of the North Pole. It's creative, bright, colorful, and just looks like a fun place to at, even though it's clearly a workshop. And if anything it's kinda what I always pictured what the North Pole would look like as a kid.

The last thing I'll write about is the humor. I've heard quite a few people here and there, saying the film just wasn't funny enough. Humor is subjective, but I do believe some people missed the point. The movie is funny in that it wasn't trying so desperately to be funny. It was being subtle. Which is why those later films, especially the third one just didn't work as well. This film relied more upon visuals and dialogue, then slapstick, and other basic forms of comedy.

Personally, I really like The Santa Clause. Hell, I watch anything chance I get whether it's on AMC or Freeform. It's got a performance from Tim Allen, good sets and special effects, and good humor. Yes, the story is flawed, but I believe it makes up for that in both an interesting take on the legend of Santa, and being very charming.

My final rating is Good.

So, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Dec 10th, for my review of...well I'm not quite sure yet. It could either be Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio or The Mean One. I guess what's ever available for me. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Review

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a 3-D animated comedy film and based on the 2008 book of the same name. Not only does it act as a sequel to the 2021 film, but it's also the second adaptation following the 2011 film of the same name. It's also the sixth movie in the film series. The movie was produced by 20th Century Studios, Twentieth Century Animation, and Bardel Entertainment and distributed by Disney+. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is written by Jeff Kinney and directed by Luke Cormican.

The story is Greg really wants to did get some brotherly advice from his older sibling, Rodrick. After covering the up that they had a party at their house while their parents were away, they soon bond and start to act like true brothers. But soon something gets between them and their new found brotherhood, and Greg wants to find a way to fix the problem, so they won't end up the way their dad and his brother did.

Initial Reaction

Now I did enjoy the first film for the most part. So when I heard there was going to be a sequel, I decided to give this one a chance, and hoped that maybe things improved from the last film.

Cons

I've got nothing here for this section.

Middle Ground

I'll keep two things short and sweet, cause it'll almost feeling like I'm repeating myself when I reviewed the first movie, and I don't want this review to feel longer than it already is. One of those two things is the animation. It's fine. I didn't find it atrocious, nor did I think it was the greatest of all time. I thought the quality of it was passable. The second of the two is the humor. I did chuckle here and there, but sometimes a joke or comedic scene just didn't work. Then we have the story. While the storyline of Greg and Rodrick bonding is still there, there was a lot of things that were cut out that didn't need to be, or changed. For instance, Greg and Rodrick have a reason for going over to their Grandpa's, but here their parents sent them...for reasons that were never explained. So while the story isn't by any means bad, it could've been better had things not been altered so drastically.

Pros

One good aspect of the movie was the voice acting. In the previous one the acting was okay, but here I definitely thought there was a bit of an improvement. And it was nice to hear Ed Asner's voice again before he sadly passed away. The best thing about Rodrick Rules is the brotherly bonding between Greg and Rodrick. I mean that. This is the movie's biggest strength. Sure, they still have their differences and get one each other's nerves, but they both learned and know that when things get tough, they'll have each other's backs. I think anybody who has a brother, or sibling in general, can understand that fully.

While some things still remained in a more decent category such as the animation, humor, and the story. What really helped the film was the improved voice acting and seeing Greg and Rodrick bond.

My final rating is Okay.

So that's going to do it for me. Due come back on Thursday, Dec 8th for a Christmas themed review. The movie I'll be reviewing on that day is The Santa Clause. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Violent Night Review

 

Violent Night is a Christmas black comedy action film. It's produced by 87North Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. Violent Night is written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller and directed by Tommy Wirkola.

The story is an estranged couple is going to try and put up with each other, for the sake of their daughter, in an effort to have a nice Christmas. This night is soon flipped on its head when a group of mercenaries break in and hold the wealthy family hostage, and are demanding them to give them what they want. This group will soon be in for a big surprise when the one, the only, and the actual Santa Claus comes, and puts the hurt on them.

Initial Reaction

At first, I didn't know this film even existed. That all changed when I went to see either Halloween Ends or Black Adam, I really don't know which one it was, but anyhow, I saw the trailer for this film, then I was hooked. Even more so not only because of the dark comedy, but also the people behind the scenes. David Leitch's producing and not only has he brought us some entertaining films before, but he also killed it with Bullet Train. Then we have Pat Casey and Josh Miller, the guys that brought us not one, but two really good Sonic the Hedgehog movies. So I was expecting to have one hell of a time with this film.

Cons

I've got nothing negative here folks, so just keep scrolling.

Middle Ground

The only mix bag I can think of is near the end, the film can drag quite a bit. Hell, there's even a mid-credit scene (albeit an actual funny) that can kinda make the movie feel even more long. But I think you can probably let that go, because even with that slight flaw, the film gives you everything you could ask for.

Pros

One major positive for Violent Night is David Harbour as Santa Claus. He was not only badass in this, but when it came to the more humorous moments, he killed it. I laughed very loudly about how he said the bag of gifts were children's dreams. But even when there's not either of those scenes, he also gave some very great calm and dramatic bits which really helped humanize this version of Santa. Another great thing about the flick was the humor. The dark are absolutely hilarious, but even when there isn't dark humor on display, there's also some other great parts as well. From Santa's very understandable and funny response of waiting to get the hell out of the mansion when everything takes a turn for the worse, to hilarious dialogue. I especially laughed at Beverly D'Angelo's line regrading chocolate. If you'd seen the movie then you know what I'm referring too. Since this is an action film, how is the action?.... It's awesome. Not only is there great hand-to-hand, and brawling going on, but it can also be very creative. There's two really great kills with a Christmas star and a chimney, that both shocked me and the rest of the audience. Now even though I've been writing about how dark comedic and brutal this film is, there were still a lot of instances where there's quite a bit of heart. There's one great scene where Santa and Trudy (the daughter) have a talk regrading adult relationships about how complicated they are, and another scene where Santa is telling her where he's only wish is to see Mrs. Claus again if he ever gets out of this alive. Those were really well done scenes, and showed the movie's not completely heartless. The last thing I'll give credit, is yes, it's easy to say this is a Die Hard clone, but much like the last two clones I reviewed, this one is one of the better ones. Also, unlike the real Die Hard this is an actual Christmas movie. That's right, I said it, come at me!

I really had a blast with Violent Night. While it did drag near the end, I'm willing to forgiven because of great performance from David Harbour, beautifully done dark humor or great humor in general, intense and creative action scenes, a surprising amount of heart, and being a real good Die Hard clone.

My final rating is Great.

So yeah, I think you should give this one a chance. But that's all for me. Come back on Monday, Dec 5th, for my review of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.