Tuesday Night is Film Night is back after a one week hiatus, due to other commitments, a school parents evening to be exact, to discuss GCSE's.
Ironically, 31 years ago I was taking my 'O' Level's and tonight's film, or more precisely, the book from which tonight's film was based, formed part of my 'O' Level studies.
So, it has been a long time in the waiting to actually view the film, based on the book, that caused me so much trouble all those years ago.
Tonight's film was;
To Kill a Mockingbird
Based on the 1961 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Harper Lee; To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) stars Gregory Peck as the Southern state lawyer Atticus Finch and although, as you all will hopefully know, the story centre's on Finch's defence of a black man wrongly accused of rape, there is so much more to this film than that.
Firstly, the film accurately reflects the story as originally told by Harper Lee. We see the world through the innocent eyes of the young children of the story, Gem and Scout Finch, the son and tom-boy daughter of Atticus. In fact it's Scout who narrates parts of the film, in the form of her older, wiser self.
Secondly, it is an important story to be told and although the book and the film is over 50 years old, the messages transcend time and are as important now as they were then.
Moreover, the layered story gives a richness and fullness to film, possibly more than the book, where the main thread of the narrative following Tom Robinson's defence is counterbalanced with the fascination, and somewhat scary, although sometime humorous fascination of the never seen Boo Radley character. Never seen until the end that is, where he makes an appearance, portrayed by a rather young Robert Duvall.
It is probably not necessary for me to detail further the story, as most of us had to study it for English at school and it should be well known. However, I would suggest that if you never seen the film, but have read the book, then the film is a must-see and one that should grace the shelf of any discerning film buff. Gregory Peck is outstanding, giving one of the finest courtroom scenes ever to grace the screen.
Special note must be paid to Mary Badham (Scout) and Philip Alford (Jem), as they do an outstanding job portraying the Finch children, as it is through their eyes that we see the truth in this tale.
It's a classic film, based a classic book, I just wishI had watched it 31 years ago, it may have helped me pass my English Literature 'O' Level!
The average score in this household is 7 out of 10, but it's a classic, so buy it anyway!
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
The Family Man - 15th January 2013
Tonight we watched a film, that to all intents and purposes should have been viewed over Christmas, but time did not allow. It is not necessarily a Christmas movie per se, but it is festive and has all the correct undertones for a festive feelgood movie, but what is it you may ask? Well, tonight we watched;
The Family Man
Released in 2000, The Family Man stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni in a movie set around Christmas time in New York.
Cage plays Jack Campbell, who we meet at the start of the film, saying his goodbyes to his sweetheart Kate Reynolds (Téa Leoni), as he embarks on what is suggested to be a year in London, however it doesn't turn out that way and after the opening scene, we cut to Jack 13 years later, who is now a very successful and very rich investment broker. Kate is clearly no longer in the picture.
From here we depart from the set up phase of the movie, our characters have been introduced. We have their back stories. And we have their current positions. From this start, we take up the fantasy and somewhat festive life swap scenario, so prevalent in stories of this kind. And that is not such a bad thing, A Christmas Carol being the original and best of this genre.
So a chance meeting, with what turns out to be Jacks' first ghost or his guardian angel, or his inner conscience, or whatever form the initiator of the "life change" takes, if you follow my drift, and we see Jack fall asleep, only to awake in his alternate world, living the life that would have been, if only he had not boarded that aeroplane to London.
So he now lives a life of domestic bliss, married to Kate, with two kids, a dog, a steady job selling tyres and a house in the suburbs of New Jersey.
All Jack has to do, is work out why, how, when and what. Why is there? How does he get back? When does he get back to his 'real life'? And what is his 'real life' anyway?
The Family Man is a really good example of a film of this genre. We see the alternate consequences to decisions that were made years ago. How one decision can make so much of a change in ones' life.
At just over two hours long, it is quite a long film, for this type, but it does fill the story fully and certainly keeps you guessing as to which way Jack and Kate will go. And which is the 'real life' for them?
My only criticism is, the ending was somewhat up in the air, although you can see where they are going to, there was no real closure and it wasn't a definitive answer. Which is a real shame, as up until the last 5 minutes, it was a good, romantic, funny, touching and enjoyable film. It just required one extra closing scene, just to reaffirm the ending. Never-the-less, a really good film, certainly one to watch around Christmas and a really great example of the genre.
I suppose I should round off with a mark out of ten, as is the requirement now! So, we give The Family man; 7 out of 10.
The Family Man
Released in 2000, The Family Man stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni in a movie set around Christmas time in New York.
Cage plays Jack Campbell, who we meet at the start of the film, saying his goodbyes to his sweetheart Kate Reynolds (Téa Leoni), as he embarks on what is suggested to be a year in London, however it doesn't turn out that way and after the opening scene, we cut to Jack 13 years later, who is now a very successful and very rich investment broker. Kate is clearly no longer in the picture.
From here we depart from the set up phase of the movie, our characters have been introduced. We have their back stories. And we have their current positions. From this start, we take up the fantasy and somewhat festive life swap scenario, so prevalent in stories of this kind. And that is not such a bad thing, A Christmas Carol being the original and best of this genre.
So a chance meeting, with what turns out to be Jacks' first ghost or his guardian angel, or his inner conscience, or whatever form the initiator of the "life change" takes, if you follow my drift, and we see Jack fall asleep, only to awake in his alternate world, living the life that would have been, if only he had not boarded that aeroplane to London.
So he now lives a life of domestic bliss, married to Kate, with two kids, a dog, a steady job selling tyres and a house in the suburbs of New Jersey.
All Jack has to do, is work out why, how, when and what. Why is there? How does he get back? When does he get back to his 'real life'? And what is his 'real life' anyway?
The Family Man is a really good example of a film of this genre. We see the alternate consequences to decisions that were made years ago. How one decision can make so much of a change in ones' life.
At just over two hours long, it is quite a long film, for this type, but it does fill the story fully and certainly keeps you guessing as to which way Jack and Kate will go. And which is the 'real life' for them?
My only criticism is, the ending was somewhat up in the air, although you can see where they are going to, there was no real closure and it wasn't a definitive answer. Which is a real shame, as up until the last 5 minutes, it was a good, romantic, funny, touching and enjoyable film. It just required one extra closing scene, just to reaffirm the ending. Never-the-less, a really good film, certainly one to watch around Christmas and a really great example of the genre.
I suppose I should round off with a mark out of ten, as is the requirement now! So, we give The Family man; 7 out of 10.
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Source Code - 8th January 2013
Happy New Year!
Tuesday Night is Film Night returns after the Christmas break and we start the New Year with a new (ish) film, tonight we seek the truth behind the;
Source Code
I could make this review very short and sweet, if you liked Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap, then you'll love Source Code, intrinsically it is the two stories combined.
Basically, Source Code is an action thriller where a soldier wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find out who has planted a bomb on a Chicago commuter train.
Source Code is a top secret programme, where they take the last 8 minutes of someones life, which is retained in memory and with a suitable victim, replay those 8 minutes, again and again until they discover the truth.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Captain Colter Stevens who is an Afghanistan veteran co-opted onto the Source Code programme, to infiltrate the last 8 minutes of the life of another man, who is onboard a Chicago commuter train, trying desperately to find the bomber before the bomb goes off, so 8 minutes get replayed constantly, with subtle differences each time as Captain Stevens gets close to the truth.
The Ground hog day / Quantum Leap reference is fitting, as the scenario is replayed and replayed, until such times that Colter is close to his man. And as in Quantum Leap Colter Stephens takes on the appearance of the stranger on the train.
It is really quite good, there is a lot more to it than what I describe here, but to say too much would spoil the plot and sub plots.
There was a debate about how well it ended in our household, I thought it was well done, others thought it not so good. And as long as you can get past the fantastical premise of reliving the last 8 minutes of someones life, then you will enjoy this film.
Source Code, well worth it.
8 out of 10.
See? I've started putting a rating on films, this will be a great way to close off these blogs.
Well here's to a great year of Tuesday Night is Film Night films.
Tuesday Night is Film Night returns after the Christmas break and we start the New Year with a new (ish) film, tonight we seek the truth behind the;
Source Code
I could make this review very short and sweet, if you liked Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap, then you'll love Source Code, intrinsically it is the two stories combined.
Basically, Source Code is an action thriller where a soldier wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find out who has planted a bomb on a Chicago commuter train.
Source Code is a top secret programme, where they take the last 8 minutes of someones life, which is retained in memory and with a suitable victim, replay those 8 minutes, again and again until they discover the truth.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Captain Colter Stevens who is an Afghanistan veteran co-opted onto the Source Code programme, to infiltrate the last 8 minutes of the life of another man, who is onboard a Chicago commuter train, trying desperately to find the bomber before the bomb goes off, so 8 minutes get replayed constantly, with subtle differences each time as Captain Stevens gets close to the truth.
The Ground hog day / Quantum Leap reference is fitting, as the scenario is replayed and replayed, until such times that Colter is close to his man. And as in Quantum Leap Colter Stephens takes on the appearance of the stranger on the train.
It is really quite good, there is a lot more to it than what I describe here, but to say too much would spoil the plot and sub plots.
There was a debate about how well it ended in our household, I thought it was well done, others thought it not so good. And as long as you can get past the fantastical premise of reliving the last 8 minutes of someones life, then you will enjoy this film.
Source Code, well worth it.
8 out of 10.
See? I've started putting a rating on films, this will be a great way to close off these blogs.
Well here's to a great year of Tuesday Night is Film Night films.
Monday, 17 December 2012
Elf - 17th December 2012
Here we are again and tonight we have the last Christmas movie before the big day. There will be no Tuesday Night is Film Night on Christmas Day, as on Christmas Day we will be watching The Sound of Music, or The Great Escape or whatever classic film they will be showing for the 1,000th time!
The more perceptive amongst you may note that tonight (17th of December 2012) is actually a Monday, well we need to be a bit flexible with our days, as our busy social calendar is overflowing this time of year, with various concerts, parties and evenings out to attend.
So, Tuesday Night is (a Christmas) Film Night (on Monday Night, as we're off to a Carol service tomorrow) presents;
Elf
Apparently Elf is a bit of a modern day classic, but I've never seen it. Well, I've seen clips of it and to be honest, I didn't like what I saw. It looked childish and a tad silly. So it was with some reservations that we sat down to watch the whole film.
Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised at the movie as a whole. The story follows Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) who was adopted at birth and found his way to the North Pole, via Santa's sack.
There he grew up, (literally up) and became the biggest of Santa's elves.
After some time, it was obvious that Buddy was different, this is where he discovers his origins and heads back to New York, to find his father.
So that is the scene set, the standard formulaic Christmas story now kicks in. Buddy's dad turns out to be an workaholic, uncaring person, (he is on the 'Naughty List') and has no time for his own son, let alone a son he knew nothing about, who appears from nowhere, in the shape of Buddy.
Buddy also comes into contact with Jovie, played by the lovely Zooey Deschanel. Jovie is employed in the toy department of large store. So here is our love interest.
Buddy attempts to integrate back into his father's life, but as always it ends up badly and we see them part and it takes a visit from Santa and a whole load of Christmas spirit to get them all back together.
So yes, it is your bog standard Christmas story, good versus bad, happy against sad etc. etc. but it is really funny in places. Ferrell is a very convincing, hapless and gormless elf. James Cann, plays Walter Hobbs, Buddy's sour faced dad. The omnipresent (or so it seems from our recent films) Mary Steenburgen (and that's no bad thing, as she is delightful) plays Walter's wife Emily.
The cast is adequate, the story is mediocre, but the laughs are high. It has all the ingredients for a classic Christmas film and would stand the test of time, to be seen year in, year out.
Not as good as some, but better than others. And as the movie's tagline goes; "This holiday, discover your inner elf".
OK then. Enjoy.
The more perceptive amongst you may note that tonight (17th of December 2012) is actually a Monday, well we need to be a bit flexible with our days, as our busy social calendar is overflowing this time of year, with various concerts, parties and evenings out to attend.
So, Tuesday Night is (a Christmas) Film Night (on Monday Night, as we're off to a Carol service tomorrow) presents;
Elf
Apparently Elf is a bit of a modern day classic, but I've never seen it. Well, I've seen clips of it and to be honest, I didn't like what I saw. It looked childish and a tad silly. So it was with some reservations that we sat down to watch the whole film.
Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised at the movie as a whole. The story follows Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) who was adopted at birth and found his way to the North Pole, via Santa's sack.
There he grew up, (literally up) and became the biggest of Santa's elves.
After some time, it was obvious that Buddy was different, this is where he discovers his origins and heads back to New York, to find his father.
So that is the scene set, the standard formulaic Christmas story now kicks in. Buddy's dad turns out to be an workaholic, uncaring person, (he is on the 'Naughty List') and has no time for his own son, let alone a son he knew nothing about, who appears from nowhere, in the shape of Buddy.
Buddy also comes into contact with Jovie, played by the lovely Zooey Deschanel. Jovie is employed in the toy department of large store. So here is our love interest.
Buddy attempts to integrate back into his father's life, but as always it ends up badly and we see them part and it takes a visit from Santa and a whole load of Christmas spirit to get them all back together.
So yes, it is your bog standard Christmas story, good versus bad, happy against sad etc. etc. but it is really funny in places. Ferrell is a very convincing, hapless and gormless elf. James Cann, plays Walter Hobbs, Buddy's sour faced dad. The omnipresent (or so it seems from our recent films) Mary Steenburgen (and that's no bad thing, as she is delightful) plays Walter's wife Emily.
The cast is adequate, the story is mediocre, but the laughs are high. It has all the ingredients for a classic Christmas film and would stand the test of time, to be seen year in, year out.
Not as good as some, but better than others. And as the movie's tagline goes; "This holiday, discover your inner elf".
OK then. Enjoy.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Four Christmases - 11th December 2012
And so onto the penultimate Christmas movie before the big day. This week we (hopefully) play it safe with a Christmas film released in 2008. Apparently, according to the tagline; "for them the holidays are a real nightmare.....". Is this true? Let us find out about their;
Four Christmases
As we've said, Four Christmases was a 2008 Christmas release, starring Reece Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, John Voight, Mary Steenburgen, Kristen Chenoweth, the list goes on.
In fact you will probably have to sit there with IMDB, to answer that ever present question;
"I know him/her from somewhere, what were they in?"
So all in all a pretty decent cast.
Reece Witherspoon is absolutely gorgeous as ever, playing Kate. Kate is in a relationship with Brad, (Vince Vaughn). Who between them have managed to avoid any Christmas holidays with their respective parents, who are all seperated or divorced, (hence the title. Four parents, Four Christmases).
Each year Brad and Kate spin out a tale of them doing charity work overseas, when in fact they are living it up in Fiji, for the festive period.
Except this year. This year, a fog bound San Francisco airport puts pay to their travel plans and an inoppurtune appearance on the local news, means that their secret is out.
There is only one thing for it, they will have to visit each parent and their families in turn.
There's the synopsis. The rest of the film follows Brad and Kate and their unravelling relationship, as they descend on each parent in turn. The laughs are plentiful and hearty. The feelgood nature of the film is kept fairly low key, but inevitably with this style of Christmas movie, you have a happy start, a falling apart, followed by a triumphant ending, where it is all good again. It's no different with Four Christmases, but the storyline is really quitegood. The layered approach with the multiple supporting characters enhancing the absurd arrangments and behaviours of the families, brings a fresh approach to the festive feelgood film.
Notable performances for me are Reece Witherspoon, (totally gorgeous). Along with Vince Vaughn, they seem to bounce off each other, which is required in this film. Jon Voight and Robert Duvall as the fathers are fantastic and so natural. However, my favourite has to be Mary Steenburgen, who looks to be getting younger, as she gets older. She puts in a sterling performance as the cougar style mother of Kate. Mary Steenburgen also starred in another of our favourite Christmas movies; One Magic Christmas and is as lovely now as she was then.
Overall Four Christmases is a good family, funny, festive film. Running in at just 88 minutes, it is not too long, so can be enjoyed when you have an hour or so to spare. There are some great laughs in it too, with a soupçon of romance and a mere hint of sadness. So it is not too heavy at all. In fact it is most enjoyable.
I really wished we had started doing a scoring system for films, but 139 films into this blog, I'm not sure I want to go back through them now, however just say that we did, Four Christmases would certainly get a good 7 out of 10.
Four Christmases
As we've said, Four Christmases was a 2008 Christmas release, starring Reece Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, John Voight, Mary Steenburgen, Kristen Chenoweth, the list goes on.
In fact you will probably have to sit there with IMDB, to answer that ever present question;
"I know him/her from somewhere, what were they in?"
So all in all a pretty decent cast.
Reece Witherspoon is absolutely gorgeous as ever, playing Kate. Kate is in a relationship with Brad, (Vince Vaughn). Who between them have managed to avoid any Christmas holidays with their respective parents, who are all seperated or divorced, (hence the title. Four parents, Four Christmases).
Each year Brad and Kate spin out a tale of them doing charity work overseas, when in fact they are living it up in Fiji, for the festive period.
Except this year. This year, a fog bound San Francisco airport puts pay to their travel plans and an inoppurtune appearance on the local news, means that their secret is out.
There is only one thing for it, they will have to visit each parent and their families in turn.
There's the synopsis. The rest of the film follows Brad and Kate and their unravelling relationship, as they descend on each parent in turn. The laughs are plentiful and hearty. The feelgood nature of the film is kept fairly low key, but inevitably with this style of Christmas movie, you have a happy start, a falling apart, followed by a triumphant ending, where it is all good again. It's no different with Four Christmases, but the storyline is really quitegood. The layered approach with the multiple supporting characters enhancing the absurd arrangments and behaviours of the families, brings a fresh approach to the festive feelgood film.
Notable performances for me are Reece Witherspoon, (totally gorgeous). Along with Vince Vaughn, they seem to bounce off each other, which is required in this film. Jon Voight and Robert Duvall as the fathers are fantastic and so natural. However, my favourite has to be Mary Steenburgen, who looks to be getting younger, as she gets older. She puts in a sterling performance as the cougar style mother of Kate. Mary Steenburgen also starred in another of our favourite Christmas movies; One Magic Christmas and is as lovely now as she was then.
Overall Four Christmases is a good family, funny, festive film. Running in at just 88 minutes, it is not too long, so can be enjoyed when you have an hour or so to spare. There are some great laughs in it too, with a soupçon of romance and a mere hint of sadness. So it is not too heavy at all. In fact it is most enjoyable.
I really wished we had started doing a scoring system for films, but 139 films into this blog, I'm not sure I want to go back through them now, however just say that we did, Four Christmases would certainly get a good 7 out of 10.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
The Muppet Christmas Carol - 4th December 2012
Let's cut to chase this week, no beating around the bush, the story is a classic and the film is a perrenial Christmas favourite, but what did we think of;
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Right then, it may not be a case of where to start with this review, it may be where to finish.
The Muppets take the Charles Dickens Christmas classic and convert it to the big screen, but do they make a good job of it?
The story has been copied a thousand times, it is and always will be, the definitive feelgood Christmas story. The story of greed, avarice and scorn, making way for repentance, forgiving and kindness. The ultimate turnaround story, delightfully, thoughtfully and masterly written by Dickens, but have the Muppets ruined it?
No.
The best thing about The Muppet Christmas Carol, is their faithfulness to the original story. As I said A Christmas Carol, is the definitive Christmas story, altering it, more often than not detracts from the story. Dickens got it right first time, there's no need to amend it.
The Muppets stick very close to the original, including in most places the original prose as written by Dickens. Obviously there are some amendments to fit the characters, to the available Muppet cast. A degree of poetic licence is exerted for instance, by having Waldorf and Statler play Jacob and Robert Marley, doubling up on the Scrooge and Marley partnership in the original.
I think, that they have got the characterisation right, Kermit plays Bob Cratchitt, Miss Piggy; his wife Emily. A natural partnership.
Fozzie Bear is old Fezziwig, or rather Fozziewig. Perfect.
Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker are magnificently cast as the charitable gentlemen asking Scrooge for a donation for the poor.
As well as the characters, we have the luxury of Gonzo as the narrator (Charles Dickens) providing a perfect platform for plot embellishment, as he can describe the action and fill in the background. Rizzo the Rat is the voice of the audience, questioning Gonzo on the story on our behalf.
The only real casting doubt I have about The Muppet Christmas Carol is Ebeneezer Scrooge himself. Michael Caine would not have been my choice as the squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner, that is Scrooge. However, it seems to work, although I always think he is going to say; "Muppets, bloody thousands of them!"
It is also a musical film and Michael Caine proves he is no singer, but he makes a good effort. And I won't dismiss the film purely because of Mr. Caine minor failings.
The only other negative point I will make is, on certain releases of the DVD, there is one song cut from the original film, which is a real shame as the song; "When Love is Gone" is a wonderfully sad love lament, sung by Belle to the young Ebeneezer. A real poor piece of editing.
However, all in all, The Muppet Christmas Carol is a classic, very true to the original story, funny, poignant and sad, but ultimately extremely rewarding.
It should be in everbodys top 10 Christmas movies of all time.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Right then, it may not be a case of where to start with this review, it may be where to finish.
The Muppets take the Charles Dickens Christmas classic and convert it to the big screen, but do they make a good job of it?
The story has been copied a thousand times, it is and always will be, the definitive feelgood Christmas story. The story of greed, avarice and scorn, making way for repentance, forgiving and kindness. The ultimate turnaround story, delightfully, thoughtfully and masterly written by Dickens, but have the Muppets ruined it?
No.
The best thing about The Muppet Christmas Carol, is their faithfulness to the original story. As I said A Christmas Carol, is the definitive Christmas story, altering it, more often than not detracts from the story. Dickens got it right first time, there's no need to amend it.
The Muppets stick very close to the original, including in most places the original prose as written by Dickens. Obviously there are some amendments to fit the characters, to the available Muppet cast. A degree of poetic licence is exerted for instance, by having Waldorf and Statler play Jacob and Robert Marley, doubling up on the Scrooge and Marley partnership in the original.
I think, that they have got the characterisation right, Kermit plays Bob Cratchitt, Miss Piggy; his wife Emily. A natural partnership.
Fozzie Bear is old Fezziwig, or rather Fozziewig. Perfect.
Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker are magnificently cast as the charitable gentlemen asking Scrooge for a donation for the poor.
As well as the characters, we have the luxury of Gonzo as the narrator (Charles Dickens) providing a perfect platform for plot embellishment, as he can describe the action and fill in the background. Rizzo the Rat is the voice of the audience, questioning Gonzo on the story on our behalf.
The only real casting doubt I have about The Muppet Christmas Carol is Ebeneezer Scrooge himself. Michael Caine would not have been my choice as the squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner, that is Scrooge. However, it seems to work, although I always think he is going to say; "Muppets, bloody thousands of them!"
It is also a musical film and Michael Caine proves he is no singer, but he makes a good effort. And I won't dismiss the film purely because of Mr. Caine minor failings.
The only other negative point I will make is, on certain releases of the DVD, there is one song cut from the original film, which is a real shame as the song; "When Love is Gone" is a wonderfully sad love lament, sung by Belle to the young Ebeneezer. A real poor piece of editing.
However, all in all, The Muppet Christmas Carol is a classic, very true to the original story, funny, poignant and sad, but ultimately extremely rewarding.
It should be in everbodys top 10 Christmas movies of all time.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Deck The Halls - 27th November 2012
It's hard to believe that tonight is our 4th Christmas movie for 2012! And we're not in Advent yet. Tonight, we move away from the 'made for TV' offerings of recent weeks and attempt to watch a 'proper' festive film. This week we look to;
Deck The Halls
It sometimes gets really hard to write originally and enthusiastically about films, especially festive feelgood movies. You know that it will be the same format regardless of storyline. Set the scene. Establish the plot. Is it good versus evil. Or miserly versus giving? Build the rivalry, build the tension. Hit the point where they cannot go on and then repent and live happily ever after.
It's no different with Deck The Halls.
Danny de Vito stars as Buddy Hall, who moves into the neighbourhood, alongside Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick). After some initial banter, the rivalry between the two begins, with Buddy intent on stealing Christmas, with a huge display of lights on his house.
Finch is your more traditionalist, when it come to the festive season and was always the one who admired Christmas the most, enjoyed it the most and made the most effort. However, Buddy seems to be moving in on the act and starts the process of decorating his house with more lights than everyone else.
So we have the Christmas rivalry, the somewhat evil Buddy Hall against the hapless Steve Finch. You all know that it will go the full course, with bigger, better, brighter lights. More antagonistic behaviour etc. etc.
However, it is a funny film. There are quite a lot of laughs on the way. De Vito and Broderick make an ideal partnership in their feuding and are ably supported by their wives played by Kristin Davis (Kelly Finch) and Kristin Chenoweth (Tia Hall).
The story is reminiscent of a TV series called Christmas Lights, starring Robson Green and Mark Benton. I would say the TV series is slightly better than the film, but that doesn't take away the fact that Deck The Halls is a worthy Christmas movie and one to watch should it be on.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas.
Deck The Halls
It sometimes gets really hard to write originally and enthusiastically about films, especially festive feelgood movies. You know that it will be the same format regardless of storyline. Set the scene. Establish the plot. Is it good versus evil. Or miserly versus giving? Build the rivalry, build the tension. Hit the point where they cannot go on and then repent and live happily ever after.
It's no different with Deck The Halls.
Danny de Vito stars as Buddy Hall, who moves into the neighbourhood, alongside Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick). After some initial banter, the rivalry between the two begins, with Buddy intent on stealing Christmas, with a huge display of lights on his house.
Finch is your more traditionalist, when it come to the festive season and was always the one who admired Christmas the most, enjoyed it the most and made the most effort. However, Buddy seems to be moving in on the act and starts the process of decorating his house with more lights than everyone else.
So we have the Christmas rivalry, the somewhat evil Buddy Hall against the hapless Steve Finch. You all know that it will go the full course, with bigger, better, brighter lights. More antagonistic behaviour etc. etc.
However, it is a funny film. There are quite a lot of laughs on the way. De Vito and Broderick make an ideal partnership in their feuding and are ably supported by their wives played by Kristin Davis (Kelly Finch) and Kristin Chenoweth (Tia Hall).
The story is reminiscent of a TV series called Christmas Lights, starring Robson Green and Mark Benton. I would say the TV series is slightly better than the film, but that doesn't take away the fact that Deck The Halls is a worthy Christmas movie and one to watch should it be on.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas.
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