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Monthly Archives: December 2017

Mother!

30 Saturday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

2010's, Brian Gleeson, Darren Aronofsky, Domhnall Gleeson, Drama, Ed Harris, Horror, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lawrence, Kristen Wiig, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mother!

Film Title

Mother!

Director

Darren Aronofsky

Starring

  • Jennifer Lawrence as Mother
  • Javier Bardem as Him
  • Michelle Pfeiffer as Woman
  • Ed Harris as Man
  • Domhnall Gleeson as Oldest Son
  • Brian Gleeson as Younger Brother
  • Kristen Wiig as Herald

A delirious and disturbing horror/drama movie that both enthralls and annoys, Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! is the definition of a divisive movie. I remember hearing all the buzz about the movie being one of the riskiest studio releases in a long time, and I won’t argue there. But the film squarely falls into a mixed category as to its value and what it is trying to say to us.

An unnamed couple( referred to in the credits as Mother and Him) live in a large, isolated house somewhere in the country. Mother is a domestic goddess who is refurbishing the home, as we learn there was once a fire many years before that ruined the place. She is supportive of her much older husband, a poet with a severe case of writer’s block, but a lot of the time the love seems one-sided. She seems to always praise him and be there, while he isn’t the most forthcoming in approval or thanks to his wife. Their relatively tranquil existence is disturbed by a late-night knock at the door. There is an ageing doctor who says he has mistaken their house for a bed and breakfast. Mother is against letting him stay as he is a stranger, but Him is adamant that they cater to the man. The next day his wife appears and almost immediately begins to stir trouble for Mother. However, Him seems to revel in the company of these intruders, much to the annoyance and pain suffered by Mother. Gradually, everything begins spinning out of control for Mother as yet more people descend on the house and all manner of shocking events take hold, completed by Him basking in a new batch of inspiration.

Darren Aronofsky is the man behind the camera and script. He’s always been a director who knows how to shock and disturb cinema goers with his content, from Requiem for a Dream to Black Swan. I will say that Aronofsky builds up tension rather nicely with Mother! before unleashing an abundance of sheer craziness that will have you considering what you just saw. Credit where it’s due, Aronofsky crafts something extremely polarizing and material that is bound to get people talking. But there are certain areas that don’t quite add up and make the film feel bloated as a result. Aronofsky is clearly trying to say a lot of things, but at its heart, Mother! gets extremely esoteric. That’s not to say that any thematic material is gone( there is clear biblical parallels in the story and notions on inspiration), but it feels like an overload and that he is biting off more than he can chew in a good few ways. Plus, you can’t help but feel that Aronofsky is trying to be too clever and too self-indulgent with this movie. Mother! is a film that is hard to forget for sure, especially in the latter half. With the house being bombarded by intruders, everything including the kitchen sink is thrown at the viewer as all manner of hellish act is realised and put on us. Adding to this is the burnt gold of the cinematography and frequent closeness of the camera to Lawrence, exuding a claustrophobic air to everything. There is a distinct lack of a musical score here; Mother! utilises sound effects and unusual noises to bring out the eeriness of the piece in a rather successful manner.

One part of Mother! that cannot be faulted is the acting from the relatively small cast. Jennifer Lawrence ideally plays the lead, whose existence and sanity come under severe threat as the movie progresses. Starting out quiet, subtle and demure, before her mind unravels and she goes into alarming intensity and harrowing confusion, Lawrence gives the part her all and succeeds greatly with what she brings to the screen. On screen in almost every frame, Jennifer Lawrence sells the intense nature of Mother! brilliantly. Javier Bardem at his most lupine is effectively creepy and selfish as the husband whose inspiration seems to arise from the chaos surrounding him and his young wife. Michelle Pfeiffer is a wicked delight in a keen supporting part. Playing the intrusive, forthright and ever so feline woman who begins making her presence felt in Mother’s life, she’s devilishly toxic and strangely seductive to watch. Her and Ed Harris( whose enigmatic and equally as good) don’t have a lot of time on screen, but boy do they make the most of what they have! The same can be said of the Gleeson brothers who star as brawling siblings whose violence leads us into the second act of the movie. And appearing in a startling but entertaining cameo is Kristen Wiig.

Mother! as a movie is an extremely shocking experience, that is both hard to tear yourself away from and equally as repellent. I seem to fall into the middle ground of the consensus on this movie. While I will say that the direction is stylish and provocative and the acting is of a high standard, I must also bring forward that it’s a movie that often has too much going on, leading it to be hollow in the grand scheme of things. A movie that splits opinion is the best way to describe what Mother! is.

The Growing Self Blogger Award

30 Saturday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Awards and Achievements, Blogging Community

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Growing Self Blogger Award

The quite amazing, bad ass and hell of a lot of fun Michel nominated me for The Growing Self Blogger Award. I’m slacking as he nominated me in November, and have only just started doing the post. I want to thank Michel for this award and once again tell him about his much of a friend he is. Now I will accept this great honour.

WHAT IS THE GROWING SELF BLOGGER AWARD?

“The Growing Self Blogger Award has been created to acknowledge and celebrate amazing individuals, in the blogging community, who are persevering through life’s challenges not only to GROW as individuals, but to reach out and help others GROW as well.” ~Roda

THE RULES:

Put the award logo/image on your blog
List the rules
Thank the individual that nominated you and provide a link to their blog
Describe the award and mention the creator: Roda @ @Growingself.blog
Nominate up to 5 blogs. Remember, the purpose of this award is to specifically celebrate those individuals that make a difference in the lives of others.
Give 1 reason why you nominated each individual.
Notify your nominees

So here are my nominees for this statuette:

Maddy: For discussion and analysis on classic movies, Maddy definitely is a member of blogging that wears the crown. Her sincere love and devotion to old movies is commendable and astounding. Plus, she’s always got something quite wonderful or lovely to say.

Sati : I have chosen Sati over at Cinematic Corner because of her keen eye for detail and her fearlessness. She’s not afraid to voice her opinion on media and I find it very admirable as a quality. Plus, her blog itself is gorgeously structured and visually appealing. Sati truly makes a difference in the blogging community for her passion and commitment.

Abbi: A movie guru and all round lovely lady, Abbi brings out such rays of sunshine in her work. No matter what the topic, whether it be movies or her recent recounting of her experiences with motherhood, there is something so incredibly warm about her.

Keith: I have picked Keith for his extraordinary way with words and his general friendliness. He always replies to comments and is the perfect person to discuss movie related topics with. He gets right to the core of a movie with his analysis and depth.

Pete: I have selected Pete for this award because of his storytelling and . He is the definition of a raconteur who has so many takes to tell. I reckon Pete would make a cracking author simply for his ability to draw the reader in and how he always has something to say.

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad

30 Saturday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

1950's, Adventure, Alfred Brown, Fantasy, Kathryn Grant, Kerwin Mathews, Nathan Juran, Ray Harryhausen, Richard Eyer, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Torin Thatcher

Film Title

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad

Director

Nathan Juran

Starring

  • Kerwin Mathews as Sinbad
  • Kathryn Grant as Princess Parisa
  • Torin Thatcher as Sokurah
  • Richard Eyer as the Genie
  • Alfred Brown as Harufa

Boasting a whole lot of excitement and the amazing stop motion skills of Ray, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad is fun with a capital F that retains a magical quality to it that never dims. So sit down and be transported into a daring time of quests and magic that is hard to resist.

Legendary adventurer and captain Sinbad is travelling back to Baghdad when his ship is driven towards a strange island known as Colossa. Going ashore with his crew,  Sinbad encounters Sokurah, a magician fleeing from a Cyclops and grasping a magic lamp. Managing to escape the large beast through the use of the lamp and the genie inside, Sokurah comes aboard with Sinbad. He explains that he needs the lamp, which was lost when running away, but Sinbad is reluctant to return to the island. Sinbad is to be married to the beautiful Princess Parisa, who has journeyed with him on his voyage. Their marriage will unite two countries in peace and love, benefiting from the fact they are so very much in love with each other. On their return to Baghdad, things take a turn. Sokurah, angry that he’s been refused , secretly uses his magic powers to shrink Parisa to miniature height. This plays into his plans as Sinbad is desperate to regain his soon to be wife and potentially stop any violence between the two nations. Sokurah tells them that if they want to reverse her shortage of stature they must travel back to Colossa and acquire the egg of a giant bird to make a potion that will reverse the magic. What Sokurah really wants is to get his dirty hands on the magic lamp and use it for his own greed. Sailing back to Colossa with a doubtful crew, Sinbad knows that this journey isn’t going to be easy as he must battle against an array of marvellous creatures if he wants any chance of Parisa getting back to normal again and preventing any animosity between two kingdoms.

Nathan Juran contributes pleasing direction that allows events to be one entertaining adventure by being unobtrusive and letting the effects and magic take deep hold over the audience. The main thing that The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad is rightly remembered for is the quite wonderful stop motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. His personal stamp is there whenever any of the succession of beasts appears; his craftsmanship is something to be greatly admired and marveled at for the sheer dedication and thought gone into it. Harryhausen was a master of spectacle and extraordinary sights and it is for all to see in this excellent fantasy film. From the angry Cyclops to the two-headed bird known as the Roc, the mind of Harryhausen conjured up such greatness and a feeling of otherworldly possibility. At the time of release, his creations must have been revolutionary and met with amazement. The same can still be said now as without his guidance and talent, modern animation and visual advancements may not have been crafted in order to emulate some thing of his greatness. Swashbuckling adventure and fantasy are at the forefront of this flick, starting from the beginning and never letting up. This is a movie the whole family can enjoy as it has something for everyone. It provides pure escapism into a magical tale of heroic deeds and unusual creatures that is rollicking and bracing in almost every aspect. We never seem to see movies such as this anymore, but it’s probably for the best as modern movies may miss out on that special something these fantasy/adventures had. The exotic flourishes of the score from the majestic Bernard Herrmann only heighten this gloriously magical fantasy extravaganza.

Kerwin Mathews is handsome choice for Sinbad and while not the world’s greatest actor, his physicality and masculinity are extremely appropriate for the part of the legendary adventurer. Kathryn Grant is beautiful and sweet as the Princess whose plight is what brings the story into action. The two make a very attractive couple in this magical tale of heroism and danger. Torin Thatcher is made for playing villainy and he plays to that with relish. Just looking at his intense and often alarming eyes, he exudes a slimy sense of power and nastiness. In support there is the young Richard Eyer starring as the boy Genie who can grant any wish and Alfred Brown as Sinbad’s loyal friend Harufa.

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad is good old-fashioned adventure at its height with imagination and thrills galore. For a movie that the whole family can love and for an adventurous time, you can’t go wrong with The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.

More Carry On Reviews

27 Wednesday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Announcements

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Carry On Movies

I’m getting back into reviewing the Carry On Movies again. It’s been a while since I last did so, but as of yesterday I’m back in the game again. With many of them on television over Christmas, it encouraged me to get back to these saucy comedies again. Hopefully they can be fun for all of you. And you must check out Carry On Blogging, a simply wonderful site run by a big fan of the series. It truly is excellent to read.

Carry On Jack

26 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

1960's, Bernard Cribbins, Carry On Jack, Carry On Movies, Charles Hawtrey, Comedy, Donald Houston, Gerald Thomas, Jim Dale, Juliet Mills, Kenneth Williams, Percy Herbert

Film Title

Carry On Jack

Director

Gerald Thomas

Starring

  • Bernard Cribbins as Midshipman Albert Poop-Decker
  • Juliet Mills as Sally
  • Kenneth Williams as Captain Fearless
  • Charles Hawtrey as Walter Sweetly
  • Donald Houston as First Officer Howett
  • Percy Herbert as Mr Angel
  • Jim Dale as Carrier

The first hysterical historical from the Carry On team, Jack doesn’t exactly rank as one of its finest hours. Most of the main team are missing and the humour could be better in many stretches, but it’s not a complete disaster. It’s just a good Carry On rather than a great one.

After Nelson dies, the English realise they need more men fighting. With the shortage, one Albert Poop-Decker , who has spent eight and a half years training becomes a midshipman. It is what follows to Albert that puts the main plot into gear. He is to report to the frigate Venus as soon as possible. Yet after going to a local tavern to have a good time, he is knocked out by the beautiful Sally. She commandeers his clothes and identity to get aboard the Venus. Around the same time, Albert and a cess pit cleaner named Walter are press ganged by members of the ship and taken aboard in an ironic situation for Albert. The boat is captained by Captain Fearless, who is quite the opposite of what his name says and is very inept at his job. Despite his protests, Albert is reduced to seaman and also discovers Sally on board disguised as him. Meanwhile, bullying First Officer Howett and bosun Mr Angel, have become fed up with the Captain’s lack of expertise and with Howett wanting to experience some action, they begin plotting something devious against him. Rather than a mutiny, they stage it so it looks as if the boat has been invaded, causing Albert, Captain Fearless, Sally and Walter to flee. The quartet drift in the sea before reaching what they think is France, they actually wash up in Spain. As the two sets of crew continue on, Albert finds himself in hot water constantly as much misunderstanding, subterfuge and bad luck mark his eventful days of outrageous adventure at sea.

Gerald Thomas is once more behind the camera and though it’s far from his best work, he manages to make Carry On Jack whiz along. He also gets the staple of aping a particular film style right with the spoofing of cinematic swashbucklers and Napoleonic War stories. The main problem with Carry On Jack is that it just doesn’t quite have that snap that really makes a Carry On. Now the Carry On Movies are hardly what you’d call respected or high art and neither do they try to be, but there are certain things that the movies must have for them to be successful. First and most important, the humour has to be the biggest concern for entertaining the audience. That’s not to say that Jack doesn’t have its comedic moments, it just could have been funnier than it actually was. With most of the humour here, it just doesn’t hit the target as well as other entries in the eventful series of the comedies. Far more laughs could have been generated if some thought has gone into things. The innuendo is strong and often good, but the regression in humour fails to back it up. The lack of the main Carry On team are missing, which in turn plays into some of the flaws because we miss certain members of the usual gang. But it’s not all bad in Carry On Jack, there are some moments of treasure to glean. When the humour does hit, it can be rather good and make the journey quite fun. Most of it centres on the misadventures of Albert and how unlucky he is. If the humour had been more consistent, this could have benefited Jack and made it a great movie. The film is shot in colour and despite the movies being notoriously low budget, everything looks full of life and bathed in brightness. With the last movie, Carry On Cabby, being in black and white( and effectively so), seeing some colour here is welcome. The musical score is agreeable and cleverly pokes fun at the grand ones used in big historical epics.

Though most of the usual gang aren’t present, the cast still delivers. Bernard Cribbins is a good lead, playing the unlucky Albert with great skill and humour. He employs this look of bewilderment at his unfortunate circumstances that really is quite amusing.  Juliet Mills, in her only Carry On outing, clearly has a lot of fun being sneaky, romantic and capable. Plus, she is so lovely in manner and appearance that it’s a shame she wasn’t in more Carry On Movies. Stalwarts Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey are here doing what they do best, especially in the case of Williams and his gift for comedy. Donald Houston, with a menacing bull-dog like approach, plays the angry and plotting First Officer extremely well and is supported admirably by Percy Herbert. We get an amusing cameo from Jim Dale at the beginning of the picture and he gets the best line of the entire movie.

So while it does possess some charm and fun factor, Carry On Jack just winds up being a less than memorable entry into the canon due to the lack of cast regulars and a dive in the humour.

A Christmas Story

25 Monday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

1980's, A Christmas Story, Bob Clark, Comedy, Darren McGavin, Drama, Jean Shepherd, Melinda Dillon, Peter Billingsley

Film Title

A Christmas Story

Director

Bob Clark

Starring

  • Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker
  • Darren McGavin as Mr Parker
  • Melinda Dillon as Mrs Parker
  • Jean Shepherd as Adult Ralphie

A warm-hearted, funny and overall perennial Christmas classic, A Christmas Story is required viewing at this time of year.

It is the run up to Christmas in the early 1940’s and nine-year-old Ralphie Parker is an excitable boy. The one thing in the world that he wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun. So he sets in motion plans to convince everyone he should receive his desired gift. The problem is that it isn’t as easy as that as his wish is greeted with the remark ‘You’ll shoot your eye out.’ His eccentric family; a grumbling father who prides himself on , a caring yet firm mother often keeping the peace and an awkward little brother, provide a lot of the humour present. Ralphie attempts to persuade his parents, his teacher and even Santa that the Red Ryder BB gun is the best gift, but finds himself hitting stumbling blocks a long the way. Between dodging the local bully and the various annoyances caused by grown-ups, Ralphie attempts to make his plan a success. Along with other vignettes, we follow Ralphie in his quest to get that treasured toy gun in any way possible for his young mind.

Bob Clark is the inspired guy directing this seasonal favourite with love and appropriately from a child’s point of view. It’s a credit to him and the winning screenplay that Ralphie doesn’t become some whining brat, instead being a little boy with a big imagination who desperately wants that Red Ryder BB gun . This is one of many things that really creates such a warm atmosphere, as we can all see ourselves a little in Ralphie and his insatiable love for the gift he wants. A Christmas Story is essentially a rumination on the adventures of childhood and how everything looks through youthful eyes. dares, games and observations on everything around it are all here for us to enjoy and also reflect ourselves on our own adventures in the younger times of life. With added insight also given info how family can be quirky but no matter how strange, they matter at the end of the day. The framing device of an adult Ralphie narrating his campaign to get his desired present is inspired and the often wry but still excited words we hear, still let us remember the kid that’s inside all of us. There is a very personal slant to the film as it is narrated by Jean Shepherd, whose semi-autobiographical book was the basis for the film. A Christmas Story is extremely successful at getting to the heart of what it means to be a kid; how things seem a big deal when you’re little, how events can seem unfair but can pan out well in the end and how Christmas plays such a big part of it all. We’ve all surely felt like Ralphie at one point or another with that one special present we lust after as if our lives depended on it? And we’ve all experienced what we deem to be unfair treatment and behaviour that seems strange from adults, best envisaged in unusual scenes that highlight the fears of Ralphie. That’s why A Christmas Story resonates so beautifully with me and almost everyone else who sees it; the fact that it is not afraid to tread into moments of darkness, before bringing it back to fun and lightness with adventure coming through again. And talk of memorable moments in a movie; A Christmas Story boasts plenty. From the leg lamp that Mr Parker wins and proudly displays in the front room to Ralphie’s friend getting his tongue stuck to an icy lamppost  as a dare, there’s no shortage of parts to love about A Christmas Story.

Our main cast is totally amazing and so well suited to their roles, cleverly embodying them with a great deal of fun. Peter Billingsley is marvellously engaging as the protagonist of Ralphie. Everything revolves around him and the young Billingsley, with his large eyes and wonderful facial expressions, gets across what it is like to be a kid wanting something so desperately. You really can’t see anyone else playing Ralphie as Peter Billingsley is so good at it. And we really want him to get that Red Ryder BB gun because of how well and how relatable Ralphie ultimately is. Darren McGavin is exceptional as the serious and often gruff father who does love his family, he just doesn’t show it enough. The serene and protective side of the family comes with the lovely Melinda Dillon as the mother, whose support and doting are balanced with her degree of fairness and quiet authority. Having Jean Shepherd be the narrator was a fantastic choice as his voice is so full of both childlike glee and an adult’s view of things. It works on so many levels within A Christmas Story and is yet another reason to love it.

A fun evocation of nostalgia, the awkwardness of childhood and above all Christmastime, A Christmas Story lives long in the mind and heart. You can watch this movie every time it is near the December 25th and never get bored, due to the spirit and love it has.

A Month by the Lake

24 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

1990's, A Month by the Lake, Alessandro Gassman, Drama, Edward Fox, John Irvin, Period Drama, Romance, Uma Thurman, Vanessa Redgrave

Film Title

A Month by the Lake

Director

John Irvin

Starring

  • Vanessa Redgrave as Miss Bentley
  • Edward Fox as Major Wilshaw
  • Uma Thurman as Miss Beaumont
  • Alessandro Gassman as Vittorio Balsari

A lush, beautifully charming romantic drama set in 1930’s Italy, A Month by the Lake is a perfectly agreeable movie that allows you to spend time with a starry cast in gorgeous locations.

Miss Bentley is a lively spinster who has visited Lake Como every year for sixteen years. It is 1937 and talk of war is in the air, plus she is there without her father who has passed away. The place has changed, she observes and her loneliness is felt. Thankfully a distraction comes in the shape of the proud and stuffy bachelor Major Wilshaw, who at first is distant because of how assertive and spirited she is. But he is won over by her enthusiasm for life and lightening up, begins to enjoy his stay. This looks like the makings of romance for two people who haven’t has the best of luck when it comes to relationships of the heart. Yet the bratty and unsettled young nanny for a nearby family Miss Beaumont begins to stir things through a cavalier gesture that has the Major believing she genuinely cares for him. Miss Bentley notices this and is perturbed at Miss Beaumont’s conduct, as she deeply feels for the Major. But while Miss Beaumont enjoys her little games and teasing, Miss Bentley proves just as good at playing games of her own. At the same time, a younger Italian man takes a romantic interest in Miss Bentley, which plays right into her hands. All of this ultimately leads to more seriousness for all involved in the romantic entanglement.

John Irvin is behind the camera here and his observant direction is simple and flowing. He doesn’t bring any tricks to the table, but then again A Month by the Lake is not a tale that requires extensive stylistic choices to tell its story. This is a film with a light and airy charm, yet still revealing a slyness and somewhat more serious side to the tale. Humour has a place here, with dry and wry occurrences arising from misunderstanding and the great way that the characters are in a spinning roundabout of actions centred on desires of the heart. In the second half of the picture, the romantic tug of war becomes a lot more serious and dramatic, as the true extent of feelings finally become known. This change is handled admirably by the script and direction, exuding a little bit more emotion than was to be expected from such a film. Although breezy is a word that comes to mind, A Month by the Lake contains some genuine gravitas and melancholy that are pretty hard to miss within the framework of everything. The gorgeousness of Lake Como is visible in almost every frame; creating a heavenly setting for loves to blossom and for life to flourish in the days leading up to the Second World War. It’s like an elegant chocolate box of visual pleasures for the eyes as the setting is perfectly brought to life. Things can get muddled within the story and more than a few times a little bit of laziness creeps in, but the main buoyancy of A Month by the Lake is enough of a distraction from those particular flaws. The score is gentle and earnest; complimenting the feeling of having fun while there is still time for those lazy days in the sun to treasure in the memory.

Heading proceedings is the willowy and immensely radiant Vanessa Redgrave. Full of vitality, spirit and heart, her Miss Bentley is a character who sweeps you up in her outgoing and vivacious lust for life. Redgrave fully captures everything about this woman with her gift for suggestion and expressive face both tools in conveying the need for love this woman yearns for after the loss of her father. As usual, Redgrave provides a beautiful air of energy and charisma to her role that truly makes it something beautiful. Edward Fox has the right amount of dignity, cockiness and sadness for the part of Major. There is a real elegance and contrasting humour and pathos in Fox’s work that simply put is something special. Uma Thurman provides a counterbalance to Redgrave’s elegance and subtlety with a strong performance as petulant and callous Miss Beaumont. Knowing how pretty she is, she thinks nothing of toying with affection, largely stemming from boredom and a stifled upbringing. Thurman brings out the vixen in the part and how immature Miss Beaumont is, a brave thing to do as she isn’t afraid to be unlikable in the role. Alessandro Gassman is the handsome man whose romantic longings for Miss Bentley allow her to level the playing field.

A breezy gem of a movie that can also conjure up pathos, A Month by the Lake is a pleasant enough way to spend an hour or two of your time. With humour, romance and sublime scenery(plus an elegant cast), its easy-going but engaging which is often just what the doctor ordered.

Gremlins

24 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 38 Comments

Tags

1980's, Dark Comedy, Frances Lee McCain, Gremlins, Horror, Hoyt Axton, Joe Dante, Phoebe Cates, Polly Holliday, Zach Galligan

Film Title

Gremlins

Director

Joe Dante

Starring

  • Zach Galligan as Billy Peltzer
  • Phoebe Cates as Kate Beringer
  • Hoyt Axton as Rand Peltzer
  • Frances Lee McCain as Lynn Peltzer
  • Polly Holliday as Mrs. Deagle

A comic horror set at Christmas, Gremlins makes for deliriously entertaining and twisted viewing after all these years. Time has not diminished both the dark humour and shocks of this Yuletide movie that has a deliciously morbid way of subverting things. This movie is perfect for Christmas viewing with an edge and has lost none of the strange charm it had upon release.

Billy Peltzer is a young man working at a bank in his hometown of Kingston Falls. It’s a largely uneventful, suburban town that is about to become anything but peaceful as Christmas approaches. His inventor and travelling salesman father Rand returns from a trip bearing an unusual gift; a fluffy creature known as a Mogwai. Billy is entranced by this present that he names Gizmo and is very grateful, yet his father warns him that he must obey three rules to do with the new pet. He shouldn’t expose it to bright light, he mustn’t get it into contact with water and most important, don’t feed it after midnight. Billy is understandably thrilled with Gizmo and spends a lot of time with the guy. But through accidental carelessness, Billy violates the rules and after getting Gizmo wet, he spawns creatures that resemble him. At first these creatures appear to be just like the furry Gizmo, but they trick Billy into  feeding them after midnight which has dire consequences. The creatures go from cute and cuddly into scaly, greedy beasts known as Gremlins, whose only goal is full on chaos. Once more of the creatures have spawned, they lay siege to the town with murderous glee and maniacal destruction in mind. With the Gremlins running wild and terrorizing the sleepy town, it’s up to Billy and his girlfriend Kate(whose quick thinking comes in handy) to stop the maniacal creatures once and for all.

Joe Dante behind everything with his excellent direction of the shocking but wholly engrossing material. One can tell he is relishing the destruction of suburbia with unusual and twisted ways being employed by the title creatures. Dante has his tongue firmly in cheek for this outing and I’d all the better for it. Shots of black humour colour so much of Gremlins that you can’t imagine the movie without it there. Irony and juxtaposition play a significant role in making Gremlins so wildly watchable and full of mayhem. For instance, the fact that such nasty little critters spawn from one of the cutest things put on screen is deliciously arch. And the various filmic references( Snow White makes an appearance as the Gremlins take a break from their carnage to sing along with it) are very much in keeping with Dante’s pop culture nods that regularly appear in his movies. Plus, while the town of Kingston Falls looks lovely, some of the residents are far from pleasant. Billy’s neighbour is a xenophobic man, but worst of the bunch is the penny-pinching old bag Mrs. Deagle. These two people are ones that are targeted first by the Gremlins, in a sort of grim poetic justice. I mean who can forget what happens to Mrs. Deagle? It’s a movie I’ve seen a million times and yet I never tire of it. A lot of that is down to the tightrope being walked between tongue in cheek humour and outright shocking carnage being depicted. Not many movies can get both camps right, but Gremlins is a success on blending these two disparate things into a sinister yet hard to resist ride. A great example of both the humour and horror is the scene in the kitchen, where Billy’s mother demolishes a bunch of hungry Gremlins. Now until this point, we’ve seen Billy’s mother as mainly just a supportive homemaker. But when the attack starts, she goes to town on the beasts with ferocity that is hilarious and alarming. And it can’t be stated enough how memorable and iconic the move and especially Gizmo and the crazy Gremlins have become in film history. The effects used for Gizmo and the Gremlins is still excellent, ensuring that all of them have a semblance of personality in the grand scope of things. Jerry Goldsmith’s score is an extremely lively and creepy one, that gets across the maniacal mischief of the Gremlins and the shocking spectacle of a picturesque town under seasonal attack.

Zach Galligan makes for a likable hero as he is a regular guy who is trying to undo what he accidentally set in motion. He is relatable and the very ordinariness of him is a gift that Galligan uses to his advantage. Phoebe Cates is similarly excellent as his girlfriend, possessing a certain girl next door charm and smarts that is endearing. Both actors are ones that make you immediately like them, because they seem like regular people who you want to succeed in stopping the eponymous creatures from even more destruction than they’ve already caused. Hoyt Axton is delightfully sly and oblivious as the inventor father whose gadgets are not quite the best, while Frances Lee McCain comes into her own as the avenging mother who protects her house fiercely. Polly Holliday is nastiness incarnate as the horrible neighbour who ends up at the mercy of the Gremlins in a very satisfying sequence that is as shocking as it is grimly amusing.

Devilishly sinister and darkly hilarious in parts, Gremlins is Christmas movie making with a difference that is sure to entertain audiences the world over. If it’s one outrageous ride into scares and chuckles you need, Gremlins is the required cure. After watching and reviewing Gremlins, I think this is the time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Wishing Everyone A Merry Christmas

22 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Announcements

≈ 52 Comments

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Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish all of my followers a very Happy Christmas. I thank you all for another year of support and loyalty. It’s this love that really makes a mark on me. So as I’m going to be busy with Christmas and family over the next few days, I’ll wish you all a wonderful time today. That doesn’t mean I won’t be on my blog until then, just not as frequently as usual. I will be properly back around the 27th to catch up. Until then, I hope it’s a good one. And as my present, here’s some sexy festive cheer for you all.

What Movies Are You Watching Over Christmas?

14 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Blogging Questions

≈ 84 Comments

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Christmas Movie Watching

I just picked up a television listings and have been scouring to see what is on over this festive period. Which sparked my curiosity about what you all will be watching. Is there anything specific you always watch every Christmas? Or is it the luck of the draw.

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