Directed by Chris Columbus Starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard & Catherine O’Hara Christmas film review by Chris Olson New York seems to be a popular setting for festive movies (see Elf, Miracle on 34th Street) and it’s no surprise: whilst we’d all like to believe the season is the celebration of a religious icon and goodwill to all men (and women), capitalism and gift-giving are far more prevalent, and The Big Apple is the ideal location to find these things. Chris Columbus’ sequel to the hugely popular family film, Home Alone (1990), whimsically scored by the legendary John Williams, is now as much part of cinematic Christmas as Scrooge or Bing Crosby. When dissecting the plot of a film franchise like Home Alone, you could easily have turned the elements of their stories into horror films instead of beloved Christmas classics. Audiences seem to have found many of the themes of neglect, criminal threat and home invasion so hilarious that instead they were offered comedies and light-hearted adventure. The second film in the franchise, Lost in New York, regularly appears on top Christmas film lists, becoming one of the most popular movies of the genre. Without really needing to explain such a title, the films centre around a rascally young boy named Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), who ends up being left by his family at Christmas by mistake. The first year, Home Alone, they left him in his actual home over Christmas, having overslept and miscounted during their rushed preparations to vacation somewhere else. This time, the huge McCallister clan plan on heading to Florida for the Yuletide season. Oversleeping again (I know, right?), this time they do manage to bring young Kev with them, but end up separating from him accidentally at the airport, and in classic pre-9/11 fashion, our 10-year-old Kevin is able to board the wrong plane without his family or a guardian. As you can probably guess, that plane is headed for New York, an impressively festive, yet perilously dangerous city, where Kevin must use his intuitively devilish nature to ensure his safety and comfort. He manages to elude a very suspicious hotel manager (Tim Curry) using a variety of gags, some of which are throwbacks to the first movie, as well as using his dad’s (John Heard) credit card to buy plenty of room service, extravagant day trips and novelty toys. Along the way he meets some sketchy characters, including the two goons whom he squared off with in the first film, the Wet Bandits (now the Sticky Bandits), who have escaped jail and are looking for revenge against the little tyke who put them away. Rarely do modern films lodge themselves so solidly in the popular mindset of Christmas culture than the Home Alone movies. They hark back to a forgotten era, before family films got so serious and animated, and captured some universal truth about the world: it’s a scary-ass place if you don’t have a few tricks up your sleeves. The Sticky Bandits represent a recurring evil which haunt Kevin, and only his painful, homemade booby-traps are what stand between his life and death. With all his family in another state, isolation and vulnerability swamp his existence, and yet this plucky rascal manages to have a spectacular time and becomes the master of his nemesis’ downfall. Home Alone 2 also manages to challenge stereotypes, such as homelessness. Meeting a “crazy” bird-loving woman (Brenda Fricker) in Central Park, and being at first scared then intrigued by her, Kevin confronts fear quicker than most and is able to uncover another beautiful truth about humanity - the need for companionship, regardless of how much we distance ourselves from it. It may be New York as a setting, or Culkin as the star, but for whatever reason Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is undeniably one of the greatest Christmas films of all time. It has a lot of meaning and depth whilst being wholly entertaining, capturing an era of childhood innocence which, sadly, will probably never return. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #Comedy #Familyfilm #ChrisColumbus #JohnWilliams #JoePesci

Film Feature by Hannah Sayer After attending an advance screening of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s highly anticipated next feature The Revenant, Jeffrey Wells caused controversy by tweeting his praises of the film, which ended with the statement: ‘Forget women seeing this’. Following the success of Birdman, Iñárritu has gone to the next level making The Revenant, as it has now become renowned for being one of the most difficult shoots ever completed. Based on Michael Punke’s novel of the same name, The Revenant focuses on Leonardo DiCaprio’s explorer Hugh Glass as he undergoes a remarkable physical journey after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his hunting team. The film follows his attempts to survive through the relentless winter, as he embarks on a quest to find the men who deserted and betrayed him. Also starring Tom Hardy, Domnhall Gleeson and Will Poulter, The Revenant has been described as epic in its proportions. Iñárritu has re-teamed with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who has won consecutive Academy Awards for his work on Gravity and Birdman. Comparisons have been drawn to Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, which Lubezki also provided the cinematography for, as both were only shot in natural light. This resulted in Iñárritu turning to digital for the first time in his career, as shooting on film would have meant a limited amount of time in the day where natural light was available to shoot. The long takes that marked the visual success of Birdman are used to encapsulate the vast physical space of the landscape in The Revenant, stressing its epic scale. Leonardo DiCaprio’s almost silent and physically demanding performance is likely to garner long overdue awards attention for the actor, but it will no doubt be remarkable if Iñárritu and Lubezki are able to repeat their success during awards season only a year later. By suggesting that The Revenant is too ‘brutal’ for half of the population is no doubt a dated and sexist view to have of cinema in 2015. Jeffrey Wells is known for making similarly notorious comments in the past. Earlier this year he referred to Amy Schumer as ‘Jennifer Aniston’s somewhat heavier, not-as-lucky sister’ and suggested that audiences ‘be wary of reviews by female critics’ writing about The Hunger Games, ‘as they’re probably more susceptible to the lore of this young-female-adult-propelled franchise than most.’ The lack of female critics in the industry is shocking in itself; there are not many for cinemagoers to ‘be wary’ of. Meryl Streep spoke out while completing press for Suffragette that she found the lack of female film critics ‘infuriating’. Streep stated that she had found that only 168 women contributed to the review site Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 760 men. Inequality in both criticism and film production results in films lacking in representation of gender, as well as race and sexuality. In 2014, there was only one film directed by a woman in the top 100 grossing films in the US. It isn’t surprising given the lack of females breaking into the industry that only four female directors have ever been nominated for an Academy Award: Lina Wertmuller for Seven Beauties (1975); Jane Campion for The Piano (1993); Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation (2003); and Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2010). Bigelow was the first, and is the only, woman ever to win the Best Director Oscar. In the build up to the 2015 Oscar nomination announcements, it was predicted that Ava DuVernay would be the first black woman to land a Director nomination for her work on Selma. However, this lack of recognition for DuVernay from the Academy resulted in another year of a male dominated category. The case was the same for the Best Original and Adapted Screenplay categories, with Gone Girl novelist turned screenwriter Gillian Flynn narrowly missing out on a nod. In the same year, there were no people of colour nominated in the acting categories and no stories about women included in the Best Picture race. The fact that the Academy Awards are continually dominated by white males in the industry makes it abundantly clear that there is a troubling lack of opportunities for others. Jeffrey Wells is not the first critic, and undoubtedly he won’t be the last, to suggest that women should miss out on films deemed to have a gendered audience in mind. In his 2015 article for The New York Post titled “Women are not capable of understanding ‘Goodfellas’”, Kyle Smith argues that the male fantasy world created by Scorsese in his film is not enjoyable for a female audience. It is a fair enough statement to make that SOME women, as well as some men, may not enjoy watching this overtly masculine and violent depiction of a young man attempting to climb the ranks through the hierarchy of the mob. However, Smith’s unjustly sexist generalisations that all ‘women sense that they are irrelevant to this fantasy, and it bothers them’, is worthy of being ridiculed. It is not fair to state that all men love Goodfellas and all women hate it because there is no such thing as this clear cut gender divide when it comes to film. The most shocking part of his argument is his concluding set of statements: ‘What would “Goodfellas” be like if it were told by a woman?... And who would want to watch that movie?’ It is unmistakably offensive to suggest that if a film is written by a woman it would be significantly worse or inferior to anything written by a man. Male critical perspectives that suggest these points of view outline that there is still a long way to go in the film industry, in both production and criticism, before equality for all is reached. From a female perspective, I shouldn’t have to justify liking Goodfellas. I shouldn’t have to justify why I’m so excited to see The Revenant just because one man has declared that I should avoid it at all costs. Being female does not impact on my ability to value great cinema, which is why I’ll be seeing The Revenant as soon as it’s released. The Revenant is in cinemas on the 15th January, watch the trailer below: #HannahSayer #Filmfeature #FilmmakerFeatures #LeonardoDiCaprio #FilmCritic #AcademyAwards #Movienews #films2016

Directed by Dianne Jackson Music by Howard Blake Based on the children’s book by Raymond Briggs Christmas film review by Chris Olson Iconic and ethereal, this silent animated short film based on the popular 1978 book by Raymond Briggs, is one of the most celebrated facets of Christmas culture - from the nostalgic animation to the instantly recognisable orchestral theme “Walking in the Air”. So what is it about this scriptless and slightly hokey cartoon that has audiences utterly snowballed? From the outset, there is something dreamlike about Diane Jackson’s short animated film. The setup is simple; a boy playing in the snow at Christmas time makes a snowman, adorning it with some of his own clothes. Soon after, the snowman comes to life and the two of them enjoy an adventurous night of boundless joy, getting into countless hijinks as well as taking to the night skies to the aforementioned song, beautifully sung by Peter Auty. Whilst the premise is relatively linear, the emotional momentum during The Snowman is nothing short of nauseating - but in a good way. The unnamed boy faces a full range of pleasures and dangers in such a short space that only a child would be able to cope with the dizzying effects it must have had psychologically. Thematically, Briggs’ story has a lot buried beneath the snow - rendering heartfelt commentary on innocence, isolation, freedom and life’s unrivalled recklessness that soon becomes tamed. The fact that the boy gives something of himself to the snowman, which then comes alive, posits a delightful notion that camaraderie and companionship are available to all with a generous character, that truly rewarding friendship will only arrive to those willing to sacrifice for it. Furthermore, the imaginative qualities of the plot, and the escapist feeling of Jackson’s treatment, highlights the universality of The Snowman’s appeal - watchable by any viewer anywhere. Music has always been essential in silent cinema, as well as in short films where the need to shift pace dramatically can be an immediate requirement. Howard Blake’s tentative and soulful score must be considered as one of the best film scores of all time. From the light plinky plonky moments of light-hearted fun, to the mildly perilous wooded sequence on the motorbike, Blake adds huge depth with his melodies. He also manages to not only keep up with the quickly shifting pace, but control it to some degree, in a masterful display of musical expertise. Sometimes there are things about Christmas which we can never throw away. And whilst sometimes the short film may seem outdated (this ain’t no Pixar), The Snowman is an example of art defining the form not the time and will live on as a deeply affecting piece. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #Animation #ShortFilm #Shortfilm #shortfilmreviews #Shortfilmreviews #filmreviewsUK #filmreviews #Britishfilmmaking

Directed by Debbie Isitt Starring Martin Freeman, Marc Wootton, Ashley Jensen, Jason Watkins and Pam Ferris Christmas film review by Chris Olson Christmas is often dubbed a time for children and a time for forgiveness, but Debbie Isitt’s near-unbearable British comedy, Nativity, starring Martin Freeman as a surly and beleaguered primary school teacher, tests the boundaries of what is acceptable to call of film and what viewers will stand for, when vast sections of it have been pasted together like a five-year-old’s art project. Paul Maddens (Freeman) is a bit of a loser. He never amounted to much during acting school, then lost his girlfriend Jennifer (Ashley Jensen) to the lure of Hollywood, and spends his days teaching at an unremarkable primary school whilst his old school “friend” Gordon Shakespeare (Jason Watkins, and yes that is his character’s name) has at least managed to earn himself a teaching post at a reputable school - and never missing a chance to rub Paul’s face in it. During one particular face-rubbing, Paul snaps and creates a tiny white lie that Jennifer and her movie industry pals will be attending his, Paul’s, version of the Christmas nativity this year. Overhearing this falsity is feckless teaching assistant Mr Poppy (Marc Wootton), who quickly reveals it to the whole school, creating a hubbub of immense proportions amongst the kids, staff and locals. At the risk of becoming an even bigger loser in the eyes of those around him, Mr Maddens allows the lie to grow and, with the calamitous help of Mr Poppy, begins a montage of merriment as he instructs his hopeless class towards theatrical glory whilst trying to figure out how to reunite with his old flame. The best way to describe watching this film is like being forced to watch a recording from another parent’s kid doing a 90-minute X-Factor audition - and not one of those surprisingly good ones, no, those terrible ones where the child is more likely destined for Tesco than Top 10. Isitt relies heavily on a cutesy appeal and stringing together endless mash-ups of hokey classroom antics, fumbling a really weak momentum towards the inevitable end performance which is riddled with one-dimensional character choices. Without being a parent, or really wanting to be one, many audience members will not voluntarily stay to the end of this movie, it is just too cringey. Freeman is his usual dry-humoured self and manages to arbitrarily lob in some emotional breakdowns that seem crowbarred in, but whenever the Christmas film veers away from his tentative hold it spirals into forgettable chaos. The performances from the adult actors are hackneyed at best, and the poor kids are given so much screen time it feels like the studio was relying on all the parents and extended family buying tickets and DVDs to make a profit. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #MartinFreeman #Comedy #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #Britishfilmmaking

Directed by John McTiernan Starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman Christmas film review by Sam Bowles Where to begin? It’s got Bruce Willis. In a vest. With a gun. Shooting people. Smoking cigarettes. And cracking seriously wise. The set-up: Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his gang of heavily armed Euro terrorists take over a high-class high-rise LA office tower on Christmas Eve, grabbing over 30 hostages in the process, and wait for the arrival of the police to begin negotiations. John McClane (Willis), a New York cop who has come to visit his estranged wife for Christmas, manages to give the bad guys the slip, and - hiding out in lift shafts, crawling through ventilator systems and firing machine guns under desks - stages a one-man fight-back and rescue mission. Die Hard is an action movie, and one in which a surprising amount of time passes (half an hour or so) before there’s any action. Yet we never yawn at our watches wondering when the first shot will be fired. This is key to the film’s repeatability (I’ve personally seen it a few dozen times); Die Hard would be great even if you removed all the action. The dialogue zings, every actor seems perfectly cast, the pacing and photography are immaculate. The level of filmmaking is simply unparalleled in American action cinema. 80s Hollywood was full of films anchored around the trope of the ‘fish-out-of-water’ - a character is thrust into a strange new world or environment and amusing shenanigans ensue: Back to the Future, Coming to America, Biggles: Adventures in Time etc. Die Hard is a rare example of the trend in that it’s not a comedy (although it’s funnier than most comedies). McClane is both a New York fish in Los Angeles water, and a blue-collar hero saving the day for a group of patronizing yuppies. Not that this means Hollywood is being left wing; the film’s just going for audience identification. Studios execs probably feel they have more in common with Gruber and his cohorts than with McClane. These terrorists aren’t political; they’re aggressive capitalists. The thing about Die Hard is it’s just so damn entertaining. The original screenplay took place over several days. McTiernan chose to condense the story to a single night, in the manner of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A Shakespearean comedy was an influence on a big budget 80s action movie?! Yes, it’s true. And crucial to the film’s appeal. McTiernan wanted to inject a sense of fun, joy even. Hence, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy on the soundtrack, and the use of ‘Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!’ over the end credits, which tells us not to take this too seriously. It’s Christmas after all. Come back tomorrow for your next Christmas film review. #ChristmasFilm #SamBowles #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #BruceWillis #AlanRickman #ActionFilm #Comedy

Directed by Brian Levant Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson & Jake Lloyd Christmas film review by Chris Olson For many parents, Christmas time is a hazardous occasion where they must balance the inevitable excitement of their offspring, with the fickle reality they have come to know which will inevitably remove their child’s innocence. Shielding your kids from the harshness of life is just one of the spinning plates in a crockery nightmare-to-come, and making sure you are seen as a hero in your child’s eyes at Christmas very often comes down to getting the perfect gift! In this throwback gem from the early 90s, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays one such dad, Howard, who has been neglecting his wife (Rita Wilson) and son Jamie (Jake Lloyd) in the run up to Christmas, busying himself with work. After missing Jamie’s karate graduation, Howard vows to make it up to his son by making sure he buys him a Turbo Doll - a popular action figure from a cheesy television show. Naïve to the predicament Howard finds himself in (looking for a sold-out toy on Christmas Eve), our hero-dad must plunge face first into a retail hell, filled with psychopathic shoppers and greedy toy-making cartels. Christmas is a time for forgiveness, and if you can forgive the achingly poor script and bizarre characterisation, there is still a lot wrong with Jingle All the Way. That being said, there is also a nostalgic charm to the movie, not least in seeing Schwarzenegger throwing down calamity everywhere he goes; tackling toddlers for bingo balls or five-knuckle-sandwiching a Santa are just some of his Yuletide antics. There is also an enjoyable pace which is laid down early on by the Christmas Eve deadline, and kept steady throughout the duration. Scenes of comic capering are done with gleeful childishness, never taking themselves too seriously, and delivering plenty of spectacle - such as Howard also five-knuckle-sandwiching a reindeer (and then drinking beer with said festive horse). There was a formula to movies of this time which worked very well, family films which rarely disappointed audiences because they knew that a big action star, some slapstick comedy and plenty of hokey themes would inevitably land them solid home entertainment sales. Jingle All The Way is a solid example of this formula, and whilst you can easily argue this is a terrible movie, there is still something strangely hypnotic about its appeal. Seeing Arnie totally absorb himself into his character, regardless of how silly he looks, and spewing up stomach-churning family sentiment, is something everyone needs to see at least once! There is also the enjoyable subplot of Ned (Phil Hartman) the neighbour, whose sexual advances on Howard’s wife and holier-than-thou drivel is incensing yet hilarious. Decisively lacking in terms of artistic quality or originality, Brian Levant’s film is built on a foundation of solid ingredients rather than a Heston-style Christmas sophistication. Jingle All The Way is your cheap-and-cheerful advent calendar that you demand comes out every year, and yet you are totally sick of it by the end. In the mood for more Christmas film reviews? #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #Comedy #Familyfilm

★★★½ Directed by Ron Howard Starring Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy & Brendan Gleeson Film review by Amaliah S. Marmon-Halm Based on the thrilling and tragic real tale of the Nantucket whaling ship the Essex, In the Heart of the Sea, directed by Ron Howard and based on the original book by Nathaniel Philbrick, follows writer Herman Melville as he tries to hunt down the last remaining survivor and the last person who knows what really happened on that unfortunate voyage. If you are familiar and well read on the American literary classics, then the name Melville will not be an unfamiliar one, as he was the author of Moby Dick, which was inspired by this story. Starting in the winter of 1820, first mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), Captain Pollard (Benjamin Walker) and their crew start their mission to harvest whale oil, but what they inevitably face is a harrowing battle for survival when a whale of unbelievable size and strength attacks with force, crippling their ship and leaving them adrift in the ocean. This is when the real story starts to take place, as the crew are pushed to their limits, physically, mentally and morally, whilst facing storms, starvation, panic and despair, the survivors must resort to the unthinkable to stay alive. Rather than concentrating on the idea of the vengeful whale, this adaptation focuses more on the rivalry of Chase and Pollard – one man who has worked his way to deserving captaincy and one who was just born into the role. Hemsworth and Walker do a very good job of depicting their rollercoaster of a relationship, which does intertwine throughout the whole film in an interesting way. However, sometimes it does just feel a little bit like a lover’s spat the way they carry on. Another theme that does become more apparent is the one that humans are not as powerful when compared to the might of nature, and this is arguably the weightier theme that will really strike a chord with audiences. Whether it’s a massive whale protecting smaller whales from being captured in the most destructive way possible or a wave big enough to capsize a ship, it’s a harsh reality that each character in this story learns the hard way. Howard does do a very exciting job of bringing Philbrick’s story to the big screen. Unlike other films that use CGI, the CGI whales look real, majestic and rather realistic to the point that when you see one being struck it does make you flinch. What is unfortunate is that it does take a little while for the story to get going and that might result in the first few acts being a little dull when compared to latter scenes. Overall, In the Heart of the Sea is a great sea thriller that will leave you shocked and wary about what lies beneath the deep. Watch the movie trailer for In the Heart of the Sea below... #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #TheatricalReleases #RonHoward #ChrisHemsworth #amaliahsaramarmonhalm

Directed by David Dobkin Starring Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey & Rachel Weisz Christmas film review by Chris Olson Sibling rivalry is at the heart of this Christmas comedy, with Vince Vaughn playing Fred, the surly brother of Santa (Paul Giamatti) who has wasted his immortality which comes with being related to a saint, by being a bitter bro. Having also starred in another Christmas film, which UK Film Review gave its verdict on recently, Four Christmases (2008), Vince Vaughn seems like an unlikely choice for festive characters. It seems his sarcasm and dry humour are the popular casting choice when putting together a Christmas film, to offset the saccharine elements of joy to the world and all that stuff. Unlike Four Christmases, though, Vaughn is not dealing with broken families and trying to keep Reese Witherspoon sweet, instead he is charged with working for his brother at the North Pole in order to earn some cash to pay for a casino. Since the brothers rarely see each other, with Fred feeling like a total disappointment compared to his world famous brother, reuniting was always going to be trouble, but with the arrival of a pen-pushing “efficiency” manager (Kevin Spacey), who hopes to have Santa fired, Christmas just got serious. Director David Dobkin takes few risks with this movie, rarely straying from easy shots and mild sequences, allowing the personality of Vaughn to do most of the legwork. A few chase scenes are thrown in to raise the tempo in places, one in particular involving a gaggle of charity Santas is quite amusing, but most of the movie is spent waiting for Fred to realise he is being a festive fuck-up and crack on with the turnabout. Which, SPOILER ALERT, comes in predictable fashion. Kevin Spacey manages to steal all the scenes he is in (not very charitable of you Kev!) which is not particularly hard, and Rachel Weisz plays the eternally forgiving girlfriend of Fred, but for the most part this is a Vaughn film filled with Vaughness. As a fan of films like Dodgeball (2004) and even Four Christmases, Fred Claus is a very watchable Christmas Film, but fails to bring anything new and exciting to the array on offer this time of year. Want to stuff your face with more Christmas film reviews? #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #Comedy #VinceVaughn #KevinSpacey #RachelWeisz #PaulGiamatti

Directed by Frank Capra Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchell, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame Christmas film review by Sam Bowles Well, here it is – the heartwarming Christmas Classic about a guy who wants to commit suicide. That really is the starting point for the plot. Of course, it’s no major spoiler to reveal that things turn out okay in the end. Still, this film is certainly a good deal darker and more brooding – even goddamn film noirish in places – than reputation would suggest. Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, a guy who’s always wanted to escape his small-town existence in Bedford Falls and see the world. But life got in the way and he’s ended up staying there to take over his dad’s business and raise a family of his own. One Christmas Eve, feeling desperate and hopeless due to financial worries, George considers throwing himself off a bridge. An angel (yes, an actual angel), Clarence, is sent down to talk him out of it. Clarence shows George a nightmarish version of how the present would look without his contribution to the lives of so many people. In other words, It’s A Wonderful Life asks us all a profound question: How would the world today look if you’d never existed? This tour of an alternate reality is the best sequence of the film, drawing on elements of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, while also foreshadowing a similar sequence in Back to the Future Part II. The high contrast lighting by Capra’s regular DoP, Joseph Walker, gives the sequence a terrifying, Kafkaesque quality. Please don’t be put off by this description. It’s A Wonderful Life is still great entertainment and a great Christmas film. It’s funny, lyrical, unusual – and it really does make you feel good…eventually. A cool Christmas-movie-double-bill would be to pair It’s A Wonderful Life with Joe Dante’s Gremlins, which references the Capra classic and is set in Kingston (rather than Bedford) Falls. Gremlins offers the comedy-horror alternative of life in small-town America. #ChristmasFilm #SamBowles #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #ClassicFilm

Directed by Ron Howard Starring Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, and Jeffrey Tambor Christmas film review by Chris Olson One of the most bizarre stories of terrorism and redemption, Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (hereafter referred to as The Grinch) is an uncomfortable mix of holiday fun and anarchic comedy, which has left many audiences baffled as to their own feelings about the so-called Christmas film. For those unfamiliar with the classic children’s story, The Grinch is set in Whoville - a small fantasy town populated by do-gooders with oddly shaped noses, who adore Christmas and go to huge lengths to spread festive cheer. All apart from one citizen, a Scrooge-esque Grinch (Jim Carrey), whose hateful attitude towards Christmas, along with his extraordinary appearance, have made him a complete outcast. Hiding in the hills, the Grinch attempts to avoid any kind of connection with the Whos, and allows himself to become a bitter, cold being determined to brazenly undermine any kind of festive feelings. With an aesthetic like a child’s confused imagination, oozing with emotive variety and unsettling imagery, there is something wholly weird about Ron Howard’s movie. From the awkward framing and erratic changes of pace, to the schmaltzy kindness of the Whos and the elaborately funny efforts of Carrey, The Grinch is the Christmas cracker of festive films. The script, which is mostly the poetic verses taken directly from the book, is another fascinating aspect of the piece. What seems like fanciful folly can turn quite sinister when Carrey is delivering a melodramatic piece to the camera about his wicked plans, creating an atmosphere which could certainly be troubling for younger viewers. That being said, kudos must be given for using the script, as it at least offers something wildly different to other Christmas films and is able to beautifully represent the two conflicting themes: innocence and evil. With Carrey’s performance so drastically different to that of his depiction of Scrooge in Disney’s take on A Christmas Carol (2009), which was a miserly mope who spends the lion's share of the movie being totally haunted by Christmas ghosts, this is more of what we expect from the comedy actor - a physical display of release in a garish costume that takes up every inch of the frame with vivid theatrics. One of the more divisive Christmas movies, Howard’s film offers a slant on the usual fluffiness which comes with the genre, barely disguising a heck load of naughtiness amidst the candy canes and giant presents. Hyped up on sugar and ready to appear on both Naughty and Nice lists, younger viewers will want to steal a Christmas of their own after watching. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #filmreviewsUK #filmreviews #JimCarrey #RonHoward #Comedy

Directed by Juan Martín Starring Alex Paiano Bickel, Lindsey Huebner Short film review by Monica Jowett A homeless man who keeps to himself amongst the community of other homeless and street performers has a particular spot on a busy street. When a new homeless girl joins the community he sees this spot as under threat from the girl as she draws attention away from him. Director Juan Martín brings short film Nicholson Street to life, portraying the experience from the perspective of the homeless community. The homeless man (Alex Paiano Bickel) walks down Nicholson Street everyday with his shopping trolley loaded up (including his dog). He greets the others on the street with a nod and takes up his spot. While there is always something dramatic going on, like paramedics on the scene of a man who has collapsed or a couple of teenagers antagonizing an older man, the homeless man keeps to himself, never engaging in conversation with the others. However, his happy routine and isolated world he has created for himself is upset by the arrival of a new homeless girl (Lindsey Huebner) who takes a spot close him. In the course of the film we find out the man once worked at a college. It is not important as to how he ended up on Nicholson Street but it shows how he and so many others are humans with a past. Nicholson Street is bittersweet in its message, and it is heart-warming to see the homeless man learn from the young girl about being involved with those around him. The girl has a different tactic to getting some loose change for food than the man, as she is friendly and welcoming to anyone who stops by her. She makes little origami birds to give to people. The small community of street performers and homeless, as well as the people whose businesses are close to her spot, welcome her, giving her waterproof shoes and keep her safe. By not over doing the harshness of living on the street nor making it look like it could be enjoyable, Martín has created a film that celebrates the idea of community and people coming together to help each other out. By choosing to display the film in black and white, Martín has created a sense of social equality; no one is standing out by their clothes or colour. It provides another sense of community and camaraderie the homeless and performers have with one another. As the short film touches on a current issue that is seen in cities all over the country Nicholson Street is eye opening in offering a view of what it is like for those on the street who rely on the kindness on those around, simply for a piece of food. Check out more short film reviews. #Shortfilm #ShortFilms #ShortFilm #filmreviewsUK #filmreviews #MonicaJowett

Directed by John Pasquin Starring Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson Christmas film review by Chris Olson The Yuletide season can unearth a lot of conflict for many families, being a time where actual human interaction is encouraged, as well alcohol consumption. Centering around a broken family at Christmas, The Santa Clause, starring Tim Allen, tells a familiar story for a lot of families who must add divorce as a trimming to their festivities. Allen plays Scott Calvin, a lacklustre father but successful businessman (the company he works for makes toys, but unlike Santa, for profit) who has his begrudging son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) stay with him on Christmas Eve. At first desperate to keep his son's innocence which is slowly slipping away as he grows up, Scott is faced with a difficult decision when faced with his own belief system when he encounters (and inadvertently kills) the real Santa Claus. When Santa falls off his roof, Scott adorns the red suit at Charlie's insistence, and ends up entering into a binding, magical contract which makes him the ultimate gift giver. As Scott takes on the role of Santa, his whole world is shaken up like a snow globe, with physical changes starting to take place, as well as losing his grip on guardianship of Charlie, as the unhealthy relationship with Christmas increases. Quipping all the way, Allen turns in a charming curmudgeon in Scott which eventually turns into one of the more iconic depictions of Santa. His character's arc is actually quite impressive for a film of this genre, and his relationship with Charlie adds gravitas. His awkward tension with ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson) and consistent mocking of her outrageous-jumper-wearing boyfriend Neil (Judge Reinhold) is well executed, delivering a very believable on screen depiction of a broken marriage at Christmas. One impressive feature of The Santa Clause, as a Christmas film, is its combination of fantasy and reality. Whereas a lot of beloved Christmas movies err on one side of the fence or the other, this story combines emotional realism with epic fantasy. Santa's workshop is a wondrous grotto of joy and colour, and the myriad of Christmas clichés (flying reindeer, elves, the naughty and nice list) are displayed with loving tenderness that will enrapture a younger audience and rekindle a degree of nostalgia in the hardiest of adult cynics. Whilst some of the special effects seem pretty hokey now, there is always a degree of slack given to a Christmas film, where audiences forgive a slightly dated flying reindeer, in the same way they forgive old tree decorations as they hold sentimental value...or ignore sell by dates on mince pie filling. Fantastic to see a movie tackle the sensitive issue of divorce through a Christmas story, as well as delivering a gorgeous depiction of all things merry. Aside from some of the ultra "warm and fuzzy" elements, The Santa Clause will most likely remain a firm film favourite for viewers during December. Click the image below for more film reviews. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #Comedy #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK