Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 836th Edition

Welcome to the 836th edition of my series.  I decided to do a special holiday release on this one.  I hope everyone is having a good holiday however celebrated.  This month, I did a full holiday focus which I have not done in the past.  I got the idea from my fellow film geeks Harriett and Winslow who had a good list of suggestions.  I tried to find selections that at least had some sort of holiday reference. 

Scrooged (1988):  Richard Donner directed this classic variation of the Charles Dickens classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL.  Bill Murray stars as tv executive Frank Cross who is very selfish and only seems to care about his work and ratings.  He is visited by the ghost of his late mentor Lew Hayward, played by John Forsythe, who is obviously our Marley and warns of three ghosts coming to visit him.  Karen Allen co-stars as Claire who is Frank's old flame that he lost through his work selfishness.  John Glover, Bobcat Goldwait, David Johansen, Carol Kane, Nicholas Phillips, Michel J. Pollard, Alfre Woodard, Mabel King, Jamie Farr, Robert Goulet, Buddy Hackett, John Houseman, Lee Majors, Pat McCormick, Brian Doyle-Murray, Mary Lou Retton, Al Weber, Jean Speegle Howard, Mary Ellen Trainor, Jack McGee, Anne Ramsey, Wendie Malick, Joel Murray, Maria Riva, Miles Davis, Paul Shaffer, and many others co-star or have cameos, some of which as themselves.  This is a very popular version of the Dickens classic with Murray perfect for his role.  This delivers a lot of laughs while also providing a good message.  This also has an underrated music score from Danny Elfman.  An interesting thing I read is that Donner wanted everyone to have Christmas Day off and Paramount refused saying they should continue onto Christmas Day so Donner fired everyone and rehired them on December 26th to continue filming.  Great holiday classic that still holds up today.

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988):  I follow up with another holiday comedy from the same year.  John R. Cherry III directed this holiday comedy starring Jim Varney in his iconic role of the bumbling but lovable Ernest P. Worrell.  Ernest meets the actual Santa Claus, played by Douglas Seale, who is trying to pass the torch to children's tv show host Joe Carruthers, played by Oliver Clark, to take on the helm of Santa Claus.  With the help of runaway teen Harmony, played by Noelle Parker, Ernest looks to save Christmas as we know it.  Gailard Sartain, Billie Bird, Robert Lesser, Patty Maloney, and many others co-star in this holiday comedy.  For those that enjoy Ernest P. Worrell should really like this movie and this might be the best one.  I really have not revisited this character in a long time but was good to see Varney again in his iconic role and his many disguises.  I also see what people are seeing about John Cena kind of looking like Ernest, especially in one of Ernest's disguises.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.  

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020):  Here is a horror comedy that takes place around the holidays.  Jim Cummings wrote and directed this horror comedy and also stars as Officer John Marshall who while already dealing with a lot of personal issues, has a lot of brutal murders the resemble possible werewolf killings.  Riki Lindhome, Robert Forster, Chloe East, Will Madden, Annie Hamilton, Jimmy Tatro, Hannah Elder, Kelsey Edwards, Skyler Bible, Anne Sward, Demetrius Daniels, Kevin Changaris, Chase Palmer, Daniel Fenton Anderson, Rachel Jane Day, Marshall Allman, and many others co-star in this comedy horror movie.  This is Forster's last movie which was released over a year after his death.  This is a pretty fun entry that combines the gore and the comedy very well.

Festive Season (1958):  This is my short film for the week which is technically an episode from the anthology series ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS and one that takes place around the holidays.  Arthur Hiller directed this episode of the series which starts and ends with an amusing introduction from Hitchcock himself.  Edmon Ryan plays family attorney John who visits feuding siblings Celia and Charlie, played by Carmen Matthews and Richard Waring, in hopes he will be able to get them to reconcile.  Nothing doing as Charlie is still bitter toward his sister blaming her for his wife's death and plots to kill her.  This is not for those looking for some upbeat holidays but it was good to find a holiday episode to put on here.  This is available to watch on Peacock along with the rest of the series.  

Holiday (1938):  George Cukor directed this holiday romantic comedy based on a play by Philip Barry.  Cary Grant stars as Johnny Case who is engaged to the wealthy Julia Seton, played by Doris Nolan.  As he gets to know her family, he finds that he relates more to Julia's black sheep sister Linda, played by Katherine Hepburn, and her drunken brother Ned, played Lew Ayres.  Edward Everett Horton, Henry Kolker, Binnie Barnes, Henry Daniell, and many others co-star in this movie.  Just seeing the cover, I think just about everyone can guess where this is going.  This does have a good message of money not being everything.  This has some really funny moments like a puppet show scene.  This a remake of the 1930 movie of the same name but was unable to find a copy so settled for this one.  This also takes place around the holidays and was really worth a watch.

Babes in Toyland (1961):  Jack Donohue directed this fantasy fairy tale musical based on the musical by Victor Herbert and George Bruns.  Annette Funicello stars as Mary Contrary who is about to marry Tom Piper, played by Tommy Sands.  Things get complicated when local miser Barnaby, played Ray Bolger, has Tom killed and forces Mary to marry him.  Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin co-star as Rodrigo and Gonzorgo who are hired by Barnaby to drown Tom but have their own ideas that don't involve killing Tom.  Ed Wynn, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Mary McCarty, Ann Jillian, and many others co-star in this fairy tale film.  Bolger is most known as the Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ and is nearly unrecognizable in this movie.  Wynn is very amusing as Toymaker.  This is the first live action musical that Disney Studios released though there is some stop-motion animation involving the soldiers.  There are also lots of fun music numbers and is a great blend of iconic fairy tale characters.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

Love Actually (2003):  Richard Curtis wrote and directed this ensemble romantic comedy that happens to take place around the holidays.  This looks at multiple tales of love in London England.  Some of these stories involve Bill Nighy as an aging rock star, Liam Neeson as a widowed stepfather, Colin Firth going to some pretty extreme measures to win over his housekeeper, Hugh Grant as the British Prime Minister even dealing with love.  Lots of different stories and characters that I just can't continue to describe.  Laura Linney, Alan Rickman, Gregor Fisher, Sienna Guillory, Emma Thompson, Kris Marshall, Heike Makatsch, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley, Nina Sosanya, Martine McCutcheon, Rodrigo Santoro, Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, Elisabeth Margoni, Lucia Moniz, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Parkinson, Rowan Atkinson, Ivana Milicevic, January Jones, Elisha Cuthbert, Claudia Schiffer, Shannon Elizabeth, Denise Richards, and many others co-star in this ensemble romantic comedy.  I think my favorite storyline was with Neeson as the widowed father trying to form a bond with his stepson and tries to help him talk to his school crush.  This does have some really good and funny stories but is rated R so it is not really a family holiday watch.  

3 Godfathers (1948):  John Ford directed this western variation of the Three Wise Men.  John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, and Harry Carey Jr. star as a trio of outlaws on the run.  They end up meeting a dying woman who has just given birth to a baby son and make a promise to care for that child.  With this happening, they cannot really escape but they refuse to break a promise to a dying woman.  Ward Bond, Mae Marsh, Mildred Natwick, Jane Darwell, Guy Kibbee, Dorothy Ford, Ben Johnson, Charles Halton, Hank Worden, Jack Pennick, and many others co-star in this western.  This is a really good variation of the biblical story and a good story of redemption.  Bond is really good as the town marshall and I'm still waiting to get a documentary about the character actor Ward Bond.   

The Homecoming:  A Christmas Story (1971):  Fielder Cook directed this tv movie and I believe this is the start of what would go onto come THE WALTONS.  This is a very poor but loving family during the time of the depression.  As the family prepare for Christmas, they are concerned that John Walton, played by Andrew Duggan, has not returned home from a job that was out of town.  Richard Thomas co-stars as John-Boy who is the oldest of his siblings and aspires to be a writer.  Patricia Neal, Edgar Bergen, Ellen Corby, Dorothy Stickney, Josephine Hutchinson, William Windom, Cleavon Little, David Huddleston, Woodrow Parfrey, Jon Walmsley, Judy Norton, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott, David W. Harper, Kami Cotler, and many others co-star in this holiday tv movie.  This is a pretty moving holiday movie and a good look at the depression.  This would spawn a long running tv series that would go on into the early '80s.  

Home Alone 3 (1997):  I broke down and decided to finally give this sequel a shot.  Raja Gosnell directed this sequel where we have the Pruitt clan instead of the McCallisters and John Hughes continued to write the script.  Alex D. Linz stars as the 8 year old Alex Pruitt who receives a remote control car and finds that international spies, played by Olek Krupa, Rya Kihlstedt, Lenny Von Dohlen, and David Thornton, are after a chip that is inside it.  Dealing with chicken pox, Alex stays home alone and deals with the spies.  Haviland Morris, Kevin Kilner, Marian Seldes, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Curry, James Saito, Richard Hamilton, Krista Lally, Neil Flynn, Pat Healy, and many others co-star in this holiday sequel.  A young Johansson has her first feature role as Alex's older sister.  The tricks and traps are a little more technological that the first two and thought Alex was a little less sadistic than Kevin McCallister.  Pruitt still holds his own though in this different approach to the franchise.  It would go onto get mostly bad reviews from the critics excluding Roger Ebert who actually liked this one and gave thumbs down to the first two.  This, like the rest of the franchise, is available to watch on Disney Plus.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike in this last of my holiday edition.  Stay tuned for next week which will be more of a return to normal, at least for me, where so far includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Marlon Brando, Debbie Reynolds, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 835th Edition

Welcome to the 835th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone is having a good holiday season so far however celebrated.  I continue my full holiday focus for the month which is the first time I have ever done this.  I still try to give something for everyone.  In football this year, my fantasy team is out of the running but my real team of the 49ers just keep going.  I will shut up now and get on with my selections.

Filth (2013):  Jon S. Baird directed this film based on the novel by Irvine Welsh.  James McAvoy stars as police officer Bruce Robertson who looks to scheme his way into a promotion which includes hurting his own colleagues.  He also has other issues like a drug problem and bipolar disorder which makes his start to question his reality.  Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Imogen Poots, Brian McCardie, Emun Elliott, Gary Lewis, John Sessions, Shauna MacDonald, Jim Broadbent, Joanne Froggatt, Katie Dickie, Martin Compston, Iain De Caestecker, Shirley Henderson, Joy McAvoy, Jordan Young, and many others co-star in this film.  This takes the holiday movie concept to a new level.  Most of it was just in the time it took place so some may not see it as a holiday film.  McAvoy is as unlikable as it gets in this film.  This is a rather underrated British film with a good and dark story as well as good performances.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Ebenezer (1998):  Ken Jubenvill directed this tv movie that puts a whole new twist on the classic novel by Charles Dickens by putting it in the Wild West.  Jack Palance stars as Ebenezer Scrooge who is a land baron, gunslinger, and poker cheat and cheats a local man named Samuel Benson, played by Ricky Schroder, out of his land in a card game.  This leads Benson to challenge Scrooge to a duel for the next day.  As the usual story goes, Ebenezer is visited by ghosts of the past, present, and future in hopes he will change his ways.  Amy Locane, Albert Schultz, Daryl Shuttleworth, Michelle Thrush, Richard Halliday, Susan Coyne, Jocelyne Loewen, Aaron Pearl, Linden Banks, and many others co-star in this western adaptation of the holiday classic.  I used to watch this a lot when it was on the TNT network.  I have always enjoyed this version and was glad to revisit it.  Palance was one of the meaner Scrooges, along with Guy Pearce in the FX version, as his attitude went beyond the greed.  I was able to find a good copy on Youtube.

Fatman (2020):  After an unusual take to the iconic novel of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, I bring a rather unusual take on the iconic holiday character of Santa Claus which was co-directed and co-written by Eshom and Ian Nelms.  Mel Gibson stars as Chris Kringle who along with his wife Ruth, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, are trying to save their dying business.  A very bratty child named Billy, played by Chance Hurstfield is very dismayed to have received coal from Santa and hires a hitman, played by Walton Goggins, to kill Santa.  Robert Bockstael, Michael Dyson, Deborah Grover, Ellison Grier Butler, Eric Woolfe, Lynne Adams, Ekaterina Baker, and many others co-star in this action movie.  Santa is portrayed in a more realistic way where legend is very exaggerated.  Gibson puts a good spin on the character and loved the interracial relationship with Jean-Baptiste.  As mentioned, this is a much different take on the legend with a good blend of action and comedy.  The more cynical holiday crowd should really enjoy this one.  

The Small One (1978):  This is my short film for the week which was directed by Don Bluth when he was still with Disney and before he would go onto carve out his own career in animation.  I finally take the nativity approach this this selection that takes place in Jerusalem.  A young Hebrew boy is ordered by his father to sell his aging donkey that he named Small One.  The young boy goes to the Jerusalem market hoping to find his donkey and best friend a good home.  He is unable to find a buyer except a man that just wanted its hide.  Finally, a kind man named Joseph offers a good deal to the boy.  Sean Marshall, William Woodson, Olan Soule, Hal Smith, Joe Higgins, Gordon Jump, and many others provide their voice in this holiday special.  This is a pretty touch short that is only about a half hour long.  This is Bluth's last work with Disney and this is available to watch on Disney Plus.

Bright Eyes (1934):  David Butler directed this comedy that takes place around the holidays.  Shirley Temple stars as Shirley Blake who deals with a lot of hardship becoming an orphan but never loses her spirit.  She is the center of a custody battle between her aviator godfather Loop, played by James Dunn, and the crotchety Uncle Ned, played by Charles Sellon, who lives with his upper class but very snobby niece and nephew, played by Dorothy Christy and Theodore Von Eltz.  This couple has their own daughter Joy, played by Jane Withers, who may very well be the worst child in film history.  Lois Wilson, Walter Johnson, Brandon Hurst, George Irving, and many others co-star in this film.  The dog in this film is played by Terry who would go onto be most known as Toto in THE WIZARD OF OZ.  This is a bit of a tearjerker at times but still very fun and a pretty moving film.  I still wish Quentin Tarantino could have worked out a comeback role for Shirley Temple in her later years.  

White Christmas (1954):  Michael Curtiz directed this holiday musical with the soundtrack written by Irving Berlin including the title track.  Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye star as Bob Wallace and Phil Davis who after leaving WWII form their own song and dance team.  They meet sisters Betty and Judy Haynes, played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, who are their own sang and dance team.  They all form their own team with romantic twists ensuing.  They end up in a small Vermont town where they try to save a struggling lodge ran by Bob and Phil's former commander General Waverly, played by Dan Jagger.  Mary Wickes, John Brascia, Anne Whitfield, and many others co-star in this holiday musical.  This seems to be the most popular among my Facebook friends as I see this get posted a lot.  Personally, I prefer HOLIDAY INN, also starring Bing Crosby and an Irving Berlin soundtrack, which has a focus on all the holidays including Christmas.  This is still a lot of fun and could be a good double feature to the other one mentioned.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Better Watch Out (2016):  Chris Peckover directed this holiday horror film dealing with a home invasion.  Olivia DeJonge stars as Ashley who decides to take a babysitting job for a 12 year old boy named Luke, played by Levi Miller.  She thinks it will be a fairly easy job but finds there is a home invasion and learns it is no ordinary invasion.  Ed Oxenbould, Aleks Mikic, Dacre Montgomery, Patrick Warburton, Virginia Madsen, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty clever movie and I talk more about it I would give some things away.  It is best to just watch it all unfold.  There is quite a bit of gore so for those that like that type of thing, this is a perfect holiday watch.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972):  I bring some more holiday horror which was directed by Theodore Gershuny.  Patrick O'Neal plays attorney John Carter who has been charged with selling a mansion with a dark past.  The town is reluctant, especially when a serial killer is on the loose and taking refuge there.  James Patterson, Mary Woronov, Astrid Heeren, John Carradine, Walter Abel, Philip Bruns, Candy Darling, and many others co-star in this independent horror film.  Carradine has one of his later appearances and does not speak, maybe because of his condition.  I'm still always open to seeing Carradine.   This is more psychological horror film and is more on the plot than the gore even though there is some.  This is available to watch on Tubi and was worth a look.

It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947):  Roy Del Ruth directed this holiday comedy.  Don Defore stars as army veteran Jim Bullock who is evicted from his apartment building leaving him homeless for the time.  He meets another homeless man named Aloysius T. McKeever, played by Victor Moore, who is living in a mansion while the owners are wintering in the south which happens to be owned by the man that bought Jim's apartment building in Michael J. O'Connor, played by Charles Ruggles.  Aloysius welcomes Jim to join him and are later joined O'Connor's runaway daughter Trudy, played by Gale Storm, who does not lead on who she is at the time but having no issues how are father's home is used.  Ann Harding, Grant Mitchell, Edward Brophy, Alan Hale Jr., Dorothea Kent, and many others co-star in this holiday classic.  I believe this is a rather underrated holiday film from this era.  It is also very good for the holiday spirit with helping one another when in need.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.  

A Christmas Tale (2008):  Like last week, I end the week with a French film though this one not nearly as violent.  Arnaud Desplechin directed this film on the very dysfunctional and broken Vuillard family that has dealt with a lot of illness, grief and banishment.  Catherine Deneuve stars as family matriarch Junon of the estranged family and learns she needs a bone marrow transplant which brings the family together.  Jean-Paul Roussillon, Mathieu Amalric, Anne Consigny, Melvil Poupaud, Hippolyte Girardot, Emmanuelle Devos, Chiara Mastroianni, Laurent Capelluto, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a rather dark holiday family film which has some comedy within all the dysfunction.  Deneuve shines as the matriarch of the family and Amalric is great as the black sheep son.  Good for those not wanting something really upbeat.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which will be the last of the holiday oriented selections and the last for the year..

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 834th Edition

Welcome to the 834th Edition of my series.  I hope you're all having a good holiday season so far however celebrated. I continue my holiday focus for the month which is the first time I have done this in the 16 years I have been doing this movie blog.  I still try to make it very diverse like this week I have some action, fantasy, animation, romance, b-movie, among other things.  I don't really have anything else going on right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Die Hard (1988):  I start the week out with some holiday action which was directed by John McTiernan and based on the novel by Roderick Thorp.  Bruce Willis stars as possibly his most iconic character in NYPD cop John McClane.  John takes a Christmas vacation to visit his estranged wife Holly, played by Bonnie Bedelia, at her work party in Los Angeles.  As the party begins and everyone is enjoying themselves, a group of terrorists lead by Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman, takes the place hostage.  John is out doing his own thing at the time and works to save his wife and the rest of the hostages.  FAMILY MATTERS alum Reginald VelJohnson co-stars as LAPD officer Sgt. Al Powell who becomes John's main contact.  Paul Gleason, De'voreaux White, William Atherton, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Alexander Godunov, Andreas Wisniewski, Lorenzo Caccialanza, Dennis Haydon, Al Leong, and many others co-star in this action film.  This may very well be the most popular holiday film there is if one sees it as a holiday film.  It is a big subject of debate these days but I have come to accept, if the movie takes place throughout the holidays, it is a holiday film.  This centers around a Christmas party at work which is unfortunately interrupted by terrorists.  This is available to watch on imdb tv.

A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994):  Joanna Romersa directed this holiday special which obviously features the Flintstones.  Out in Bedrock, they are doing a community production of Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL where Fred, voiced by Harry Corden, gets to play Ebenezer Scrooge.  As they are getting down to the production, Fred is not doing well in leaving his role on the stage and starts to become Scrooge a bit letting the role get to his head.  Fred's best friend Barney, voiced by Frank Welker, is cast to play Cratchit.  Jean Vander Pyl, B.J. Ward, Russi Taylor, Don Messick, John Stephenson, Will Ryan, Brian Cummings, John Rhys-Davies, Maurice LaMarche, and many others provide their voices in this animated tv movie.  This is a pretty fun variation of the classic and good to relive the Flintstones as it has been awhile.  

How the Grinch Stone Christmas (2000):  Ron Howard directed this adaptation of the Dr. Seuss holiday classic children's book.  Jim Carrey takes the helm of the Grinch who is an outsider in the world of Whoville.  He is very resentful of the citizens there and is determined to ruin Christmas for them.  The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen co-stars as young Cindy Lou and befriends the Grinch feeling there is good inside the tough exterior.  Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon, Clint Howard, Josh Ryan Evans, Mindy Sterling, Rachel Winfree, Rance Howard, Jeremy Howard, T.J. Thyne, Deep Roy, Verne Troyer, Q'orianka Kilcher, Bryce Dallas Howard, and many others co-star in this holiday comedy.  Anthony Hopkins narrates the movie.  Rick Baker has a cameo but he mainly focused on the make-up and did a great job.  I would also recommend looking into Momsen now in her band the Pretty Reckless as mentioned.  Carrey embraces the role of the Grinch making it his own and lots of good attention to detail make this a good holiday watch for the family.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965):  This is what I call my short film for the week which is technically a tv special.  Bill Melendez directed this timeless classic which was written by Charles Schulz.  The holidays have the hapless Charlie Brown, voiced by Peter Robbins, all depressed over the commercialism, among other things.  He gets appointed director of the school Christmas pageant where he tries to restore the proper holiday spirit with the help of Linus, voiced by Christopher Shea.  Ann Altieri, Chris Doran, Sally Dryer, Karen Mendelson, Geoffrey Ornstein, Cathy Steinberg, and Tracy Stratford also provide their voices.  This is a classic that still holds well with each generation.  There are a lot of memorable moments like the tree Charlie chooses and Linus' Monologue.  This is one of the first shows to use actual children for their voices rather than having adults imitate children.  

The Unholy Three (1925):  Now I bring a silent holiday selection which takes place on Christmas Eve and was directed by Tod Browning.  Lon Chaney Sr., Harry Earles, and Victor McLaglen star as a trio of sideshow performers that team up to be con artists to commit a series on robberies.  Mae Busch, Matt Moore, Matthew Betz, Edward Connelly, William Humphrey, E. Alyn Warren, and many others co-star in this silent film.  This is nothing short of weird where we see Chaney in drag and dwarf actor Earles, most known for FREAKS, managing to pass himself off as a baby.  Chaney is in rare form not having heavy prosthetic.  This was remade in 1930 as a talkie which would still have Chaney and Earles while it being Chaney's only talkie.  This is available to watch on Tubi.  

The Shop Around the Corner (1940):  Ernst Lubitch directed this holiday romantic comedy based on the play by Victor Laszlo.  James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan star as Alfred Kralik and Klara Novak who both work in a gift shop and do not get along very well.  They also don't know they are pen pals and write each other letters.  Frank Morgan co-stars as shop owner Hugo Matuschek who is a father figure of sorts to Kralik.  Joseph Schildkraut, Sara Haden, Felix Bressart, William Tracy, Inez Courtney, Edwin Maxwell, Charles Halton, Charles Smith, and many others co-star in this romantic comedy.  This would many years later be remade as YOU'VE GOT MAIL.  Stewart and Sullavan work well together as a two bickering employees not knowing they are in love.  This also is a good look at a gift shop workplace during the holidays.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

8-Bit Christmas (2021):  Michael Dowse directed this new holiday film which was written by Kevin Jakubowski which is based on his novel of the same name.  Neil Patrick Harris stars as Jake Doyle in the modern day when he is telling his daughter Annie, played by Sophia Reid-Gantzert, about a time when he was 10 years of age and his efforts to get the original Nintendo when it first came out in the '80s.  Winslow Fegley plays Jake as a 10 year old who is determined to get that Nintendo but has a lot of obstacles in his way.  Steve Zahn, June Diane Raphael, Bellaluna Resnick, Che Tafari, Santino Barnard, Max Malas, Braelyn Rankins, Cyrus Arnold, Chandler Dean, Jacob Laval, Katia Smith, David Cross, Kathryn Greenwood, and many others co-star in this film.  I saw this as a cross between A CHRISTMAS STORY and REEFER MADNESS.  If you do not understand my second reference, you might just have to watch it which can make a good double feature.  This is a coming of age and feel good movie that teaches us to appreciate what we have in life.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

We're No Angels (1955):  Michael Curtiz directed this film based on the play by Albert Husson and takes place during the holidays.  Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, and Aldo Ray star as three escaped convicts who plan to rob a local store but get hit with a little holiday spirit when they see how nice the family is that run the store.  They try to help the struggling store and deal with the selfish owner Andre, played by Basil Rathbone, who is a distant relative to the family.  Joan Bennett, Leo G. Carroll, John Baer, Gloria Talbott, Lea Penman, John Smith, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is a rare comedic film for Bogart and shines well as the reluctant hero.  At one point, I was going to be in this show as the character Andre with a local theater group but unfortunately did not get off the ground.  This is a very funny movie and a pretty good holiday that emphasizes the holidays pretty minimally for those that aren't that big of holiday movie fans.  

The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978):  This was a tv special that happened the year after the first STAR WARS movie which got made behind George Lucas' back.  One of the main stories is Han Solo, reprised by Harrison Ford, and Chewbacca, played by Peter Mayhew, trying to get Chewy to his family for Life Day, which is their version of Christmas, but are in a battle with the empire.  The next story is of Chewbacca's family which consists of his wife, son, and father where they are all worried about Chewbacca makes it home on time for Life Day.  These also consist of scenes of Wookies speaking to one another without any subtitles.  Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, James Earl Jones, Bea Arthur, Art Carney, Diahann Carroll, Harvey Korman, and even Jefferson Starship co-star in this tv special.  We also get the introduction of Boba Fett in this movie.  There are also music numbers out of Bea Arthur and Carrie Fisher.  Yes, this is actually very laughable and is one George has tried to destroy every copy possible.  There are a lot of bootleg copies out there that also have the commercial breaks.  I found this on Youtube and found one with the Rifftrax commentary thought it did cut out the Boba Fett scene and I believe the Jefferson Starship scene but still has some very good riffing helping to be more watchable.

Inside (2007):  This is my French film for the week which was co-directed and co-written by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury and is likely the most gory of these holiday movies I have featured so far.  This does take place during Christmas Eve.  Alyssin Paradis stars as Sarah who is about to have her baby after all the tragedy she has gone through.  The day before she is to give birth, she is visited by a mysterious woman, played by Beatrice Dalle, who is determined to have a child and tries to get Sarah's unborn baby.  Dominique Frot, Tahar Rahim, Aymen Saidi, and many others co-star in this horror film that takes holiday horror to a new level.  I messaged my friend Dennis the Librarian Menace that I was watching this and when I told him the directors, he immediately said "oh, those two".  I will let know right away this is not for everyone and really isn't for me but it kept my attention the whole way though with my jaw down most of the time thinking "wtf".  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and for those who like a lot of gore in their movies, this will not disappoint.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my segment "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville" which has multiple selections.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which continue the holiday edition.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

Bad Santa (2003):  Steph was very intent on watching this movie and thought she had the dvd but did not so I hit the library and decided on getting this and its sequel.  Terry Zwigoff directed this raunchy comedy.  Billy Bob Thornton stars as miserable conman Willie who along with this partner in crime Marcus, played by Tony Cox, rob a department store and take the rest of the year off.  Things get complicated when a young boy named Thurman, played by Brett Kelly, is convinced Willie is the real Santa and is unable to get him out of his life.  Lauren Graham, John Ritter, Bernie Mac, Lauren Tom, Ajay Naidu, Lorna Scott, Alex Borstein, Billy Gardell, Lisa Ross, Bryan Callen, Tom McGowan, Octavia Spencer, Cloris Leachman, Matt Walsh, and many others co-star in this holiday comedy.  This is Ritter's last movie before his untimely death.  This is the holiday movie geared more to the more cynical side.  This is not for the family and is politically incorrect on many levels.  This will always have its place in holiday history and is available to watch on Pluto TV.

Bad Santa 2 (2016):  Things came up that night and we had to reschedule but decided to this this sequel which was directed by Mark Waters this time.  Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox reprise their roles of Willie and Marcus as they plan to rob a Chicago fundraiser and joined by Willie's mother Sunny, played by Kathy Bates, who is even worse than her son.  The tension of this trio complicate the heist.  Brett Kelly reprises his role of Thurman all grown up but has not changed.  Christina Hendricks, Ryan Hansen, Jenny Zigrino, Jeff Skowron, Cristina Rosato, Lombardo Boyar, and many others co-star in this holiday sequel.  This is even raunchier than the first one and does have some funny moments like Bates as the overbearing mother.  This is also available to watch on Pluto TV.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983):  I came across this at the library on dvd and decided to check this out and Stephanie was okay watching this.  George Schaefer directed this tv special based on the novel by Barbara Robinson.  Loretta Swit stars as Grace who is changed with putting on and directed the annual Christmas Pageant.  The Herdman siblings decide to bully their way into the show and end up as the leads as the others don't want to get beat up.  Despite the complications, Grace is determined to put on the best Christmas pageant ever whatever it takes.  Fairuza Balk makes her debut as Grace's daughter Beth.  Antony Holland, Janet Wright, Jason Michas, Lynne Gorman, Anna Hagan, Deoborah Tennant, and many others co-star in this tv special.  This is frequently put on as a play by community theaters and my mom actually once played the role of Grace.  This is only about 48 minutes long and is a pretty amusing show and has a pretty good message.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 833rd Edition

Welcome to the 833rd Edition of my series.  I continue my focus on all holiday oriented or at least referenced films.  I will still look to keep the diversity as I always do and try to accommodate to everyone's holiday taste in some way.  I don't really have much else happening so I will just get on with my selections for the week.

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017):  I start the week out with this British zombie musical comedy which was directed by John McPhail.  Ella Hunt stars as Anna who looks forward to Christmas but a zombie apocalypse breaks out.  Anna and her friends must band together to survive and save their loved ones.  Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Marli Siu, Ben Wiggins, Mark Benton, Paul Kaye, Sean Connor, Euan Bennet, Ella Jarvis, Ruth McGhie, Kirsty Strain, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a fun take of the zombie genre that adds musical numbers and something different for the holidays.  Just remember though, there is no such thing as a holiday ending.  This is available to watch on Pluto TV.  

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992):  Last week I had the Mickey Mouse and friends and this week, I use the Muppets for my adaptation of the Dickens classic.  Brian Henson directed this adaptation of the novel by Charles Dickens and is his directorial debut.  Michael Caine stars as miser Ebenezer Scrooge who we all know is very bitter about Christmas and is visited by three ghosts to show him different parts of his life.  Kermit the Frog, voiced by Steve Whitmire, and Miss Piggy, voiced by Frank Oz, play Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit.  Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, David Rudman, Jessica Fox, Steven Mackintosh, Raymond Coulthard, and many others co-star in this film.  We see about all of out Muppet friends in some way or another.  Paul Williams wrote the soundtrack and a few really good music numbers.  Caine is great in the role of Scrooge.  This is a really good version of the story as long as you like the Muppets.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

Last Christmas (2019):  Paul Feig directed this holiday romantic comedy which was inspired by the George Michael's song of the same name.  GAME OF THRONES alum Emilia Clarke stars as Kate who is an aspiring singer working in a year-round Christmas store.  Her life is full of bad luck and bad decisions but things change when she meets a kind hearted young man named Tom, played by Henry Golding.  Emma Thompson, Michelle Yeoh, Boris Isakovic, Maxim Baldry, Margaret Clunie, Patti Lupon, Lydia Leonard, Madison Ingoldsby, Rob Delaney, Peter Serafinowicz, and many others co-star in this film.  Look for Wham member Andrew Ridgeley as an audience member.  The star of movie in a sense was the music of George Michael whose music is used a lot in this movie.  Thompson in addition to being in the movie also co-wrote the story with her husband Greg Wise.  The two leads work well together in a pretty well-written love story with good use of the soundtrack.  Now for those who are playing "Whamageddon", I guess this is not the time to watch it.  

The Christmas Party (1931):  This is my holiday short for the week that is kind of a slice of Hollywood.  Child star at the time Jackie Cooper stars in this as himself who wants to throw a Christmas party for his teammates on the football team.  His mom allows it but learns there are too many people to Jackie asks Louis B. Mayer permission to hold it on one of the Hollywood soundstages.  Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Marion Davies, Jimmy Durante, Clark Gable, Norma Shearer, and a few others make cameos as themselves and helping out at the party.  This is a pretty good look at Hollywood from that era.  This is available to watch on Youtube and is only about ten minutes long.

Backfire (1950):  Vincent Sherman directed this film noir that takes place during Christmas Eve.  Gordon MacRae stars as Bob Corey who is nursing injuries in a Veterans' series.  He learns that a friend of his had disappeared under mysterious circumstances which may involve murder.  Bob sets out with his nurse Julie, played by Virginia Mayo, to investigate what is happening finding more than he wants.  Viveca Lindfors, Dane Clark, Edmond O'Brien, Ed Begley, Frances Robinson, Richard Rober, Sheila Macrae, and many others co-star in this film.  This has holiday reference to it but is not really a holiday film.  This is a pretty intriguing and complex film noir that will require full attention.  

Black Christmas (1974):  Now I bring the popular holiday slasher which was directed by Bob Clark.  This centers around a sorority where a group of sorority sisters are making their holiday plans but are getting some creepy phone calls and soon learn there is a killer on the loose.  Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey, John Saxon, Keir Dullea, Marian Waldman, Andrea Martin, James Edmond, Doug McGrath, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin, Michael Rapport, Leslie Carlson, Martha Gibson, and many others co-star in this horror film.  This is perfect for horror fans to watch for the holidays and is a rather underrated horror movie in my opinion.  They made a great low-budget movie and it is usually just acknowledged for a Christmas holiday movie but really ranks with some of the best.  I have not seen the two remakes that I am aware of but I doubt they can top this one no matter their budget.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Rare Exports (2010):  This is my Finnish holiday film for the week which was directed by Jalmari Helander.  This is a very strange story that tells the legend of Santa Claus in a small town.  Santa is unearthed by archaeologists and shortly after that, children begin to disappear leaving the town to band together.  Jorma Tommila, Onni Tommila, Peeter Jakobi, Tommi Korpela, Rauno Juvonen, and many others co-star in this fantasy horror film.  I don't have any better explanation than what I game.  I will say that it is different and clever.  As the tagline says, "this Christmas, everyone will believe in Santa Claus".  This is available to watch on Hulu.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945):  Now I go the romantic comedy route again which was directed by Peter Godfrey.  Barbara Stanwyck stars as food writer Elizabeth Lane who lives a great life on a farm with a husband and baby.  Her boss Alexander Yardley, played by Sydney Greenstreet, insists that she put on Christmas for him and returning soldier Jefferson Jones, played by Dennis Morgan.  The only problem is that none of these claims are true, she is not a cook, she is not married, and she has no children so with the help of a couple friends, she puts on a front hoping this does not expose her to her boss.  Reginald Gardiner, S.Z. Sakall, Robert Shayne, Una O'Connor, Frank Jenks, Joyce Compton, Charles Arnt, and many others co-star in this holiday comedy.  I know I've featured a lot of violence on this one so for those that prefer to have laughs, this is a good choice and really a good choice in general for holiday films.

The Gathering (1977):  Now I continue with a tv movie which was directed by Randal Kleiser.  Ed Asner stars as the dying Adam Thornton whose focus was always his career and not his family.  It is days before Christmas and convinces his estranged wife Kate, played by Maureen Stapleton, to have a Christmas so he can apologize to the kids but worries how it will go over after all these years.  Rebecca Balding, Sarah Cunningham, Bruce Davison, Veronica Hamel, Gregory Harrison, James Karen, Lawrence Pressman, John Randolph, Gail Strickland, Edward Winter, Stephanie Zimbalist, and many others co-star in this holiday Christmas tv movie.  This is one of the very few live-action projects to be produced by Hanna-Barbara.  This is a pretty good holiday movie on making amends and reconnecting with family.  This has gone rather underrated through the years and deserves a look.

Batman Returns (1992):  I end the week with a holiday superhero movie which was directed by Tim Burton.  Michael Keaton reprises his role of Bruce Wayne who might be Batman from the 1989 film BATMAN.  Now Batman is dealing with the Penguin, played by Danny Devito, and Catwoman, played by Michelle Pfeiffer.  Christopher Walken stars as the corrupt businessman Max Shreck who tries to help the Penguin.  Michael Gough, Michael Murphy, Cristi Conaway, Andrew Bryniarski, Pat Hingle, Vincent Schiavelli, Steve Witting, Rick Zumwalt, Anna Katarina, Gregory Scott Cummins, Travis McKenna, Doug Jones, Branscombe Richard, Paul Reubens, Diane Salinger, Stuart Lancaster, Sean Whalen, and many others co-star in this superhero film.  Reubens plays the Penguin's father in the beginning.  This is some pretty fun stuff here with Keaton as a great Batman.  It also takes place during the holidays making it a good watch for this time of year.  This would be the last one directed by Burton and the last time Keaton plays Bruce Wayne.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned next week for some more holiday films.