Welcome to the 884th Edition of my series. I decided to do a holiday edition and tried to make it as diverse as I could. THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER was a very well received show and was hard to see go. We shall see what is next for me. I hope everyone has a good holiday however celebrated. I don't have much else to say so I'll just get on with my recommendations for the week.
Hawkeye (2021): I start the week out with this Marvel mini-series which was directed by Bert, Bertie, and Rhys Thomas. Jeremy Renner reprises his role of Clint Barton aka Hawkeye who is looking forward to Christmas with his family. Hailee Steinfeld stars as Kate Bishop who has mastered archery through the inspiration of her idol Hawkeye and aspires to be a superhero. Clint's dark past comes to haunt him and must team up with Kate who finds herself in the middle. Florence Pugh, Vera Farmiga, Tony Dalton, Fra Zee, Aleks Paunovic, Piotr Adamczyk, Alaqua Cox, Linda Cardellini, Cade Woodward, Carlos Navarro, Ava Russo, Ben Sakamoto, Clayton English, Ivan Mbakop, Adetinpo Thomas, Robert Walker Blanchard, and many others co-star in this mini-series. This is my favorite of all the Marvel series. Renner and Steinfeld are a great duo in this series. I would recommend having watched AVENGERS: ENDGAME and BLACK WIDOW before watching this one as those movies play into this series. Stay tuned for the mid-credit scene in the last episode. I hope to see ROGERS: THE MUSICAL become an actual musical someday. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Tokyo Godfathers (2003): Now I bring some holiday Anime which was directed by Satoshi Kon. This takes place in Tokyo and centers around three homeless people who are like a dysfunctional family. These people could not be any different being a teen, a trans woman, and a middle-aged bum which all have their own sordid pasts. They come across a baby in the trash and set out to find the parents. This is a really good take on the variation of the Three Wise Men and is more of an anime drama than anything. This is a very touching story and a more unconventional holiday story for those looking for something different. This is available to watch on Tubi.
The Gingerdead Man (2005): Charles Band directed this horror comedy. Gary Busey stars as Millard Findlemeyer who is a convicted killer and and killed by the electric chair. Millard manages to get his soul into some cookie dough and becomes the evil gingerbread man. No, I have no explanation of how Millard was able to pull this off. Robin Sydney, Ryan Locke, Larry Cedar, Newell Alexander, and many others co-star in this movie. This does not really reference when it takes place but with the gingerbread and all that there is a little holiday spirit to it. This is fun if it is not taken too seriously. I have not tried the sequels, maybe another time. This is available to watch on Tubi and Freevee.
The Thin Man (1934): This crime comedy takes place during the holidays. W.S. Van Dyke directed this film based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett. William Powell and Myrna Loy star as married couple Nick and Nora Charles with Nick being a former detective. Nora talks Nick into getting back to the detective game to investigate a murder that happens among people they know. Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gomball, Porter Hall, Henry Wadsworth, William Henry, Harold Huber, Cesar Romero, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is the start of the iconic trio of Nick, Nora, and their dog Asta. This is a really good murder mystery comedy that holds up today. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Scrooge (1970): Ronald Neame directed this musical version of the classic novel by Charles Dickens. Albert Finney stars as the miser Ebenezer Scrooge who does not like the Christmas season and takes it out on everyone around him. The Ghost of Scrooge's former business partner Jacob Marley, played by Alec Guinness, visits him and warns that if he does not change his ways that he will end up in chains like Marley. Then as the story goes, he is visited by three ghosts to show him the error of his ways. Edith Evans, Kenneth More, Laurence Naismith, Michael Medwin, David Collings, Anton Rodgers, Suzanne Neve, Frances Cuka, Derek Francis, Gordan Jackson, Roy Kinnear, Mary Peach, Paddy Stone, Kay Walsh, and many others co-star in this holiday musical. Leslie Bricusse wrote the music for this show and were a good diverse group of songs. Finney is a great Scrooge and Guinness does a great job as Marley. This is available to watch on Paramount Plus and Plex.
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942): William Keighley directed this comedy that was based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Monty Woolley stars as lecturer Sheridan Whiteside who slips on the ice and and has a hip injury when visiting an Ohio family. He must stay confined to the house and wreaks havoc among the household. Bette Davis co-stars as Sheridan's hapless secretary Maggie Cutler. Ann Sheridan, Richard Travis, Jimmy Durante, Billie Burke, Reginald Gardiner, Elizabeth Fraser, Grant Mitchell, George Barbier, Mary Wickes, Russell Arms, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is what I just got done doing so I finally watched the movie where I played Beverly Carlton, played by Gardiner in this movie. It was mostly along with this movie with some slight rewrites. Davis does a good job playing against type in this movie. Many asked me what this show is about and I really never had an explanation. This takes place during the holidays so it qualifies for this edition. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Lucky Christmas (2011): I am now playing into the Hallmark crowd. Gary Yates directed this Hallmark movie. SAVED BY THE BELL alum Elizabeth Berkley stars as single mother Holly who has fallen on some hard times. Her luck seems to have finally changed when she wins the lottery. However, her car is stolen and the ticket was in the glove compartment. Jason Gray-Stanford co-stars as construction worker Mike whose friend takes the car when he passes out and tries to return it to Holly while falling in love. Mitchell Kummen, Julia Arkos, Robert Hucuak, Alicia Johnston, John B. Lowe, and many others co-star in this movie. Nothing to explain here, it's Hallmark so quite predictable but even I need a little feel good every once in a while. This is available to watch on Hallmark Movies Now, Peacock, and Pluto TV.
Black Christmas (1974): Now I play to the holiday horror crowd. Bob Clark directed this classic holiday film that takes place in a sorority house. Olivia Hussey stars as Jess who is one of the sorority sisters must deal with strange phone calls and the disappearance of one of them. Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon, 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 film. This is another one that is hard to explain without giving too much away. It is a holiday slasher film so take that for what it is worth. They have remade this a couple times but do not match this classic. This is available to watch on AMC+, Peacock, Crackle, and many other free streaming apps.
Dead of Night (1945): This is a British anthology film which has one segment centering around Christmas. Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, and Basil Dearde all contributed to the directing with stories written by H.G. Wells, E.F. Benson, John Baines, Angus MacPhail. Mervyn Johns stars as Walter Craig who is stuck in a recurring nightmare and when going to a cottage, he has never met the guests but has seen them in his dreams. Roland Culver, Mary Merrall, Googie Withers, Frederick Valk, Sally Ann Howes, Judy Kelly, Miles Malleson, Michael Redgrave, and many others co-star in this anthology horror film. This has some really good and different stories of the supernatural and is a good to watch all year round but does have some Christmas reference. This is available to watch on Fandor with a subscription to Prime.
Four Christmases (2008): Seth Gordon directed this holiday comedy. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon star as couple Brad and Kate who both have divorced parents and have four Christmas events to go to in the holiday. Each one have their own unique dysfunction and Brad and Kate learn a lot about each other in the Christmas visits. Mary Steenburgen, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Jon Favreau, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, Dwight Yoakam, Katy Mixon, Colleen Camp, Jeanette Miller, Jack Donner, Steve Wiebe, Peter Billingsley, and many others co-star in this dysfunctional holiday comedy. I feel that Yoakam as Pastor Phil made this whole thing worth a watch. I believe Steenburgen is I saw some of this when I was at my own family Christmas and it seemed pretty funny and a good way to end this edition. This is good for those who don't want to see those sappy Hallmark type holiday movies. 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 for the beginning of 2023 for the next one.
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