Welcome to the 832nd edition of my series. I hope hope everyone had a good holiday however celebrated and that we will will all continue to enjoy this time of year. I want everyone to know, I'll accept Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Life Day, or any other greeting you might have or just nothing at all. Starting today and throughout December, I will be doing a full focus on holiday oriented movies. Anything posted will at least have some sort of reference to the holidays. They will include comedy, action, horror, foreign, you name it. They will still be towards my usual format of old and new as well as diversity. I will shut up now and get on with my selections for the week.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996): I start the week out with some holiday action which was directed by Renny Harlin. Geena Davis stars as Samantha Caine who seems to live the perfect life with her husband Hal, played by Tom Amandes, and daughter Caitlin, played by Yvonne Zima. However, she has amnesia and only knows the last eight years. She slowly discovers her past and how violent it was. She enlists private detective Mitch Henessy, played by Samuel L. Jackson, to help her remember who she is and to stay alive. Craig Bierko, Tom Amandes, Brian Cox, Patrick Malahide, David Morse, Melina Kanakaredes, G.D. Spradlin, and many others co-star in this action film. Bierko is as mean as it gets in his very villainous role. I never really see this gets mentioned by those that love action movies during the holidays so I decided to get this one out there. It is a holiday film in that it takes place shortly before Christmas. This is likely not a holiday movie to watch with the family. This has some high octane action with a decent enough story to enjoy this adrenaline rush it can be at times.
Santa's Slay (2005): David Steiman wrote and directed this rather unconventional look at Santa Claus. Former WCW and WWE champion Bill Goldberg stars as Santa who is actually a demon that lost a bet with an angel and had to become the giver of toys and happiness. However, the pact is over and now Santa is out for vengeance and terrorizes a small town. Douglas Smith, Emilie de Ravin, Robert Culp, Dave Thomas, Saul Rubinek, Rebecca Gayheart, Chris Kattan, Fran Drescher, Tiny Lister, James Caan, and many others co-star in this movie. Look for wrestling figure Vince Russo in a bit role in the bar scene. This is my holiday B-movie for the week so one must take this for what it is, a B-movie. This is very violent and very funny. It is not exactly for the family and it is far from being a Hallmark movie. Stay tuned for an end credit scene which will be understood by those who followed Goldberg's wrestling career. This is available to watch on Peacock.
A Bad Moms Christmas (2017): I start with a lot of violence and cheesiness and now I go to the more raunchy. Jon Lucas and Scott Moore direct this sequel, or whatever you want to call it, to the 2016 hit comedy BAD MOMS. Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn all reprise their roles of best friends Amy, Kiki, and Carla who are overwhelmed to give their families the best Christmas ever. Things get even more overwhelming for them when their own moms come, each of which are overbearing in their own way. Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines, and Susan Sarandon co-star as their mothers and are able to acclimate themselves into the story and comedy very well. Jay Hernandez, Justin Hartley, Peter Gallagher, Oona Lawrence, Emjay Anthony, Lyle Brocato, Wanda Sykes, Christina Applegate, Ariana Greenblatt, Jacks Dean, Madison Muffley, and many others co-star in this comedy. I am sure this hits home to many moms out there. This is not for the easily offended and is quite vulgar and raunchy. While it is all these things, it also has a pretty good message. This is for those that can't take the Hallmark movies.
A Christmas Dream (1946): This is my Czechoslovakian short film for the week. Karel and Borivoj Zeman directed this short film that combines live action with stop-motion animation. A little girl waiting for Christmas has a dream of her toys coming to life. This also may not be a dream. This is mostly of worth for the stop-motion animation. I am also usually intrigued by Czech films so I jumped at this one for a selection. This is available to watch on the the Criterion Channel and on Tubi.
Placido (1961): I go from Czechoslovakia to Spain in this holiday satire. Luis Garcia Berlanga directed this comedy which stars Cassen as the title character who is trying to pay the bill on his vehicle on the holiday before it gets taken but the bank makes it very difficult. Another part of the story are a group of old ladies arrange for each wealthy family to have a homeless person dine with them on Christmas Eve. Jose Luis Lopez Vazquez, Elvira Quintilla, Manuel Alexandre, Maria Frances, and many others co-star in this film. This is quite the satire on class that will make you laugh and cringe. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Little Women (1933): This takes place around the Christmas period. George Cukor directed this film that is the first movie adaptation of the talkie era of the classic novel from Louisa May Alcott. This takes place during the Civil War time and focuses on the women of the loving March family including the daughters Jo, Amy, Beth, and Meg, played by Katherine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Jean Parker, and Frances Dee, and their mother Marmee March, played by Spring Byington. They must all fend for themselves while their father is serving as a minister for the troops. Paul Lukas, Edna May Oliver, Henry Stephenson, Douglass Montgomery, John Lodge, Samuel Hinds, Mabel Colcord, Marion Ballou, Nydia Westman, Harry Beresford, and many others co-star in this film. When I first wrote this, I thought this was the first movie adaptation but there were a couple versions in the silent era. Hepburn is really good in one of her early roles as the tomboyish Jo. The rest of the cast is rounded out very well. This also has a really good message of sticking together in difficult circumstances and is more family oriented than the other selections I have given so far.
Happiest Season (2020): Now I go the LGBTQ route for holiday selections. Clea Duvall wrote and directed this holiday film which is really both a comedy and drama. Kristen Stewart stars as Abby who agrees to go with her girlfriend Harper, played by Mackenzie Davis, not knowing until right before she gets there that Harper has not told her family. It is very difficult for Harper with the fear she might ruin Christmas and for Abby as she questions her relationship. Mary Steenburgen, Victor Garber, Alison Brie, Mary Holland, Dan Levy, Burl Moseley, Aubrey Plaza, Sarayu Blue, Jake McDorman, Ana Gasteyer, Caroline Harris, Jenny Gulley, Dominique Lawson, Michelle Buteau, and many others co-star in this romantic comedy which is a lot more. I felt Stewart shined very well in this film. This is an autobiographical film that DuVall wrote about her own situation. I think just about anyone can learn something by watching this movie. This conveys the price of hiding who you are and how families can make that difficult if they are not careful. This is available to watch on Hulu.
Morning for the Osone Family (1946): This is my Japanese holiday section for the week which was directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. This takes place around the holidays during WWII that takes place around the holidays. This centers around the Osone family which is being torn apart by war and imperialist politics, as well as their war-minded uncle. This movie was filmed after WWII was over and was Kinoshita's first film after the war. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and is worth a look, especially to foreign film buffs.
Home for the Holidays (1972): This is a psychological horror tv movie which was directed by John Llewellyn Moxey. Walter Brennan plays the ailing Ben who summons his four estranged daughters, played by Jessica Walter, Eleanor Parker, Jill Haworth, and Sally Field, to his home on Christmas. He wants his girls to kill his wife Elizabeth, played by Julie Harris, who he believes is trying to kill him. John Fink and Ned Flory co-star in this tv movie. This is a decent effort with quite the cast from this era. They made the most of their network limitations from this era. I was able to find this on Youtube.
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983): I end the week with this animated short and Disney's retelling of the Dickens classic. Scrooge McDuck, voiced by Alan Young, plays the miser Ebenezer Scrooge who we all know is visited by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley, played by Goofy, and is told of three ghosts that will visit him. Wayne Allwine, Hal Smith, Will Ryan, Eddie Carroll, Patricia Parris, Dick Billingsley, and Clarence Nash provide their voices in this animated classic. Mickey Mouse, voiced by Wayne Allwine in his first time as the iconic mouse, plays Scrooge's hapless and humble employee Bob Cratchit. Clarence Nash voices Donald Duck for the last time where Donald plays Scrooge's nephew Fred. We also see a lot of our familiar Disney friends in this half hour showing. I believe this could have been a feature but it still covers a lot of ground for a half hour. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for some more holiday selections next week.
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