Welcome to the 912th Edition of my series. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season however celebrated. All my selections this week are holiday oriented in some way and I try to make them as diverse as I can as usual. My next one in two weeks will be the same. Next weekend, December 8-10 is my play YES, VIRGINIA THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS A LIVE RADIO PLAY. Friday and Saturday is at 7:30 pm and Sunday is at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $15 and 10 for kids so go on https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/tix/5665 to reserve your seats. I don't have much else happening so I will just get on with my selections for the week.
Better Watch Out (2016): Chris Peckover directed and co-wrote this holiday horror comedy. Olivia DeJonge stars as Ashley who is babysitting the 12 year old Luke, played by Levi Miller, on a holiday night. Things take a turn for the worse when a home invasion happens and find that nothing is as it seems. Ed Oxenbould, Aleks Mikic, Dacre Montgomery, Patrick Warburton, Virginia Madsen, and many others co-star in this holiday comedy. It is hard to really hard to explain this any further from what I already have described. I have always enjoyed this holiday comedy and is a bit underrated in my opinion. In some ways this is a more extreme version of HOME ALONE.
Gremlins (1984): I follow with another holiday horror comedy but this time a creature feature. Joe Dante directed this comedy which was written by Chris Columbus. Zach Galligan stars as Billy whose father gets him a Mogwai creature that he names Gizmo, voiced by Howie Mandel. Gizmo is a very gentle creature but the rules of a Mogwai are inadvertently broken which results in multiples of that transform into green creatures that wreak havoc all over town. Phoebe Cate, Hoyt Axton, John Louie, Keye Luke, Scott Brady, Corey Feldman, Harry Carey Jr., Dick Miller, Polly Holliday, Donald Elson, Belinda Balaski, Danny Llewelyn, Edward Andrews, Judge Reinhold, and many others co-star in this holiday creature feature. This has remained quite the classic through the years. This is a lot of fun and is a timeless classic.
8 Women (2002): Now I follow up with a crime comedy that also happens to a musical and takes place around the holidays. Francois Ozon directed this French film which is based on a play by Robert Thomas. A family is gathered for the holidays but unfortunately the patriarch of the family has died and has been murdered. This leaves eight suspects within the home that could have done this between the women in the family and those employed. Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant, Danielle Darrieux, Verginie Ledoyen, Firmine Richard, Isabelle Huppert, and Ludivine Sagnier co-star in this film. In addition to the murder mystery, a lot of secrets come out about the characters in this movie as well. This has a great blend of crime and comedy with a well put together cast.
Guess Who's Coming to Christmas (1974): This is my holiday short for the week which is technically and episode of HAPPY DAYS from the second season. The Cunninghams look forward to a family Christmas but Richie, played by Ron Howard, learns that Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler, will be alone for Christmas. Richie then asks his parents if he can join them. Marion Ross, Anson Williams, Erin Moran, Don Most, Tom Bosley, Al Molinaro, Beatrice Colen, Randolph Roberts, and many others co-star in this episode. This is the last episode for Richie's older brother Chuck who just seems to disappear. This was some harmless holiday fun from the popular sitcom that lives on today, a lot of which thanks to an episode where Fonzie jumps over a shark on water skis. This episode and series is available to watch on Prime, Paramount Plus, and Pluto tv excluding season one for some reason.
March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934): Gus Meins and Charley Rogers directed this Laurel and Hardy comedy. The comedy duo star in this fairy tale film as Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee who try to come up with the money for Mother Goose's mortgage on her shoe and keep Little Bo-Peep, played by Charlotte Henry, from the evil Barnaby, played by Henry Brandon. Felix Knight, Florence Roberts, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is also known as BABES IN TOYLAND. This was a lot of fun where much of the fairy tale world come together in what is really a story of love. This might by Laurel and Hardy's best work in my opinion. This does have a cameo from Santa Claus so it fits the season. This is available to watch on AMC+, Filmbox with a Prime subscription, Freevee, Plex, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, and Tubi.
A Christmas Carol (1951): Brian Desmond Hurst directed this film based on the classic novel by Charles Dickens. Alastair Sim stars as the miserly and bitter Ebenezer Scrooge. He sees Christmas as no more than just a humbug and the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley, played by Michael Hordern, visits him to warn he must change his ways so that he does not get Marley's fate of wearing chains. Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Bradley, George Cole, Patrick Macnee and many others co-star in this holiday classic. I think we all know the basic story that Scrooge is visited by three ghosts involving the past, present, and future. Sim inhabits the role perfect where we see the change in him very well. This goes more in depth with the death of his sister and even Jacob Marley. This is a timeless classic that is perfect for the season.
Red Snow (2021): Sean Nichols Lynch wrote and directed this holiday horror movie. Dennise Cisneros stars as struggling vampire novelist Olivia Romo who is alone on Christmas at her late mother's cabin in Lake Tahoe. She finds a wounded bat that lands in her house so she takes it in and tries to nurse it to health only to learn this is a vampire named Luke, played by Nico Bellamy. They strike up a friendship as Olivia stocks up on pig's blood for Luke but becomes suspicious of Luke while his past catches up. Lauren Kennon, Vernon Wells, Alan Silva, Edward Ewell, and many others co-star in this horror comedy. This would have been a perfect selection for the Madness. We also don't get a lot of holiday movies with vampires so I jumped at this when i found it. This is an interesting take to the vampire genre and there is a lot of gore. For those that don't mind the gore, this can be found on Freevee and Plex.
Remember the Night (1940): Mitchell Leisen directed this holiday film. Barbara Stanwyck stars as Lee Leander who is on trial for shoplifting and the prosecutor John Sargent, played by Fred MacMurray, manages to get it delayed feeling it would be difficult to get a conviction on the holidays. John feels guilty that that Lee will have to stay in jail for the holidays not having the money for bail and arranges for her bail as well as taking her with him to visit his family. While there, Lee experiences a family love he has never had and John starts to fall in love with her making him conflicted on what to do when they get back. Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Willard Robertson, Sterling Holloway, Fred Toones, and many others co-star in this holiday film. I had not come across this one before but glad I did find it. It is a pretty moving film with Stanwyck and MacMurray working very well together which was their first of four teamings. This is available to watch on Plex.
Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973): This is my Czech film for the week which was directed by Vaclav Vorlicek. Libuse Safrankova stars as Cinderella in this adaptation and is an unpaid servant to her widowed stepmother. Pavel Travnicek co-stars as the Prince who is not quick to marry and prefers things like hunting to his royal duties. Cinderella gets three magical hazelnuts, one of which she uses for the ball and the Prince takes most interest in her. This is an interesting adaptation to the classic story. Czechoslovakia tends to make rather unusual films with what I have seen and this does not fall short. I don't think there are any real holiday references but it is billed as a holiday movie and is shown in a handful of European countries during the holidays. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Blue Christmas (2017): I end the week with this holiday short that was written and directed by Charlotte Wells. This takes place in Scotland in 1968 where Jamie Robson stars as debt collector Alec who goes to work on Christmas Eve to avoid his mentally unstable wife Lily, played by Michelle Duncan. This leaves their son that struggles with his mother while Alec i out making people miserable. This is about 15 minutes long and not the most upbeat holiday film. It does take a good look at how people deal or not deal with their main concerns. This can be viewed on Youtube.
Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my "Holiday Corner" segment for some more holiday films. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple weeks which so far includes Catherine Deneuve, Catherine O'Hara, Bruce Campbell, Judy Garland, Bob Hope, Michael Caine, and many others.
HOLIDAY CORNER
Thanksgiving (2023): Having recently seen this, I thought I should include this horror film even if we are past the title holiday. Eli Roth directed and co-wrote this slasher film. This takes place in Plymouth, Massachusetts which is essentially the birthplace of the holiday. A Black Friday which was really later on Thanksgiving night results in tragedy. The next year, those involved get targeted by a killer that dresses up like a pilgrim. Patrick Dempsey, Ty Olssen, Gina Gershon, Gabriel Davenport, Karen Cliche, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, Derek McGrath, Katherine Trowell, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Mika Amonsen, Amanda Barker, Shailyn Griffin, Tim Dillon, Chris Sandiford, Addison Rae, Tomaso Sanelli, Jenna Warren, and many others co-star in this holiday slasher. Through the years we have had plenty of Halloween slashers, some Christmas slashers but I don't feel we have any real significant Thanksgiving slashers until now. This is everything a slasher fan would want which have some fairly original killings. This also comes from a mock trailer for the 2007 GRINDHOUSE. There is also a lot of campy humor to make this more enjoyable. There is a lot of gore so it is not for everyone but for the tolerant I say get to the theaters while you still can.
Violent Night (2022): Now for some holiday action which was directed by Tommy Wirkola. A burned out Santa Claus, played by David Harbour, ends up at the wrong house at the wrong time which a group of mercenaries, lead by John Leguizamo, attack the estate of a wealthy family. They get more than they bargained for though when Santa shows that he can fight. With the help of the HOME ALONE educated child Trudy, played by Leah Brady, Santa takes on these terrorists. Beverly D'Angelo, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, Cam Gigandet, Andre Eriksen, Brandan Fletcher, Mike Dopud, Alexander Ellio, Mitra Suri, Phong Giang, Finn McCager Higgins, Rawleigh Clements-Willis, Stephanie Sy, and many others co-star in this Holiday action film. This is also very violent and a lot of fun. This has a touch of DIE HARD and HOME ALONE in it with a touch of references to other movies. This is available to watch on Prime.
Rocky Balboa (2006): Some might ask how a ROCKY movie fits into a holiday section. This has nothing to do with Christmas, nor does it have anything to do with Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. December 26th is Boxing Day. That is a day to celebrate the sport of boxing I am sure of it so maybe make a day of it with boxing movies. Sylvester Stallone wrote and directed this film while reprising his title role. Rocky owns a restaurant and relives the glory days all the time by telling his customers some stories of his career. He is trying to make the most of his time with Adrian having died of cancer. When a virtual fight between Balboa and the current champion Mason "The Line" Dixon, played by boxer Antonio Tarver, happens Rocky decides to come out of retirement upon Dixon's challenge for an exhibition fight. Dixon gets a lot more than he bargains for and gets more than an exhibition. Milo Ventimiglia, Burt Young, Geraldine Hughes, Tony Burton, A.J. Benza, James Francis Kelly III, and many others co-star in this film. I thought this was a great return to the franchise that did not forget its predecessors while becoming its own movie. We could use more people like Rocky Balboa in this world. Rocky's turtles Cuff and Link are also in this movie and are the same turtles from the original. This is available to watch on HBO Max and maybe consider this franchise for the 26th of December.
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