What I Watched This Week #156 (Dec 23-29)
Santa Claus: The Movie
dir. Jeannot Szwarc/1985/1h48m
I had completely forgotten about Santa Claus: The Movie, a childhood favourite of mine that I watched so much I wore out the VHS, until I saw it while scrolling through Amazon, so I thought I'd see if it holds up. The first hour of the film sees how Santa (David Huddleston) became the man we know and love today, while the second half of the film becomes a bit of a muddled mess with two plots shoehorned in to give the film some action. One is about a homeless boy in New York and his rich, little girl friend, and the other is about one of Santa's elves, Patch (Dudley Moore), becoming corrupted by slimy businessman B.Z. (John Lithgow). This makes the film feel very rushed and tonally inconsistent, with the whimsical magic of the first part getting thrown out for some bland action. Huddleston, who is now most recognisable as The Big Lebowski, makes for an excellent Santa. He has all of the charm and warmth that you need, and also a slight edge to him that makes sure the naughty children get what they deserve. Lithgow is a hammy, pantomime villain and Moore is strangely subdued and sincere, with neither performance really fitting into place. A strong start let down by a messy third act, even with my nostalgia goggles on I can only give this a 6/10
It's A Wonderful Life
dir. Frank Capra/1946/2h10m
It's A Wonderful Life stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a selfless everyman with big dreams in a small town who spends his life putting everyone else first. On Christmas Eve his business accidentally loses thousands of dollars and he is driven to consider suicide. The greatest Christmas film ever made. It's that simple. No other film's ending can make me feel real happiness and joy the way this one can. Jimmy Stewart's first film after serving in WWII, he puts it all out there in the scenes where George breaks down, not able to contain his emotions any longer. That's real pain and desperation and it hits so hard. He is surrounded by a fantastic supporting cast including Donna Reed as his wife Mary, Henry Travers as his guardian angel Clarence, and Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter, the town's very own Ebenezer Scrooge – except there are no ghosts here to scare him straight. This film is both sweetly sentimental and painfully real, and incredibly it does both perfectly, with the tones never clashing. A beautiful miracle of a film. Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings. 10/10
A Christmas Dream
dir. Borivoj Zeman, Karel Zeman/1945/11m
This short film from what was formerly Czechoslovakia is by Borivoj and Karel Zeman (no relation) and combines live action, shot by Borivoj, and stop-motion animation, directed by Karel. It tells the story of a little girl who discards her old doll in favour of a new one she got for Christmas. That night she dreams that her old doll comes to life, clowning around her room to her delight. This is a charming little film with some really impressive animation, especially for the time (Karel would go on to direct some incredible animated films, I highly recommend Invention for Destruction and The Fabulous Baron Munchausen). This is like a prototypical Toy Story that I'm sure was a huge influence on John Lasseter and the rest of the Pixar team, and I think still holds up today as a little sprinkle of childlike wonder that is tailor made for Christmastime. 8/10
The Muppet Christmas Carol
dir. Brian Henson/1992/1h29m
The best adaptation of the best Christmas story is also one of the most faithful to the source material and historically accurate in terms of costume and set design despite starring The Great Gonzo (Dave Goelz) as “a blue furry Charles Dickens who hangs out with a rat”. Michael Caine is a pitch perfect Ebenezer Scrooge, playing the role like he's in a Royal Shakespeare Company production and thus giving the film a real gravitas. He only accepted the part on the condition that he do it that way, and his performance is a large part of why this is a genuine masterpiece and, in my opinion, the best work he's ever done. The fact that he can deliver the line “why, this is Fozziwig's old rubber chicken factory” and imbue it with real emotion is worth the price of admission alone. To make things even better, this is also a musical with banger after banger after banger. Scrooge's introduction song, where we see the entire population of London singing about how much of a sh*t he is, is one of the best in musical history. 10/10 Lime's Film of the Week!
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
dir. Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham/2024/1h15m
Wallace (Ben Whitehead) and his exasperated canine companion return for the first time since 2008's A Matter of Loaf and Death in this feature length film. The plot sees Wallace invent a smart-gnome, Norbot (Reece Shearsmith), to help Gromit with his gardening. Unfortunately, penguin criminal mastermind Feathers McGraw, seeking revenge for the events of 1993's The Wrong Trousers, is able to hack into it from his cell in the zoo, and soon an army of evil gnomes is terrorising the town. It feels so good to be back in this world, and this film retains the warm, cosy aesthetic of the other films and also its sharp sense of humour. The physical comedy and slapstick is also still on point – I love the way the evil gnomes move, they are a great addition to this cast of characters. Whitehead does a decent job replacing Wallace's original actor, Peter Sallis, though at times it does come across as an impersonation of Sallis rather than his own take on the character. Peter Kay is very good as the local policeman, and Lauren Patel plays off him really well as an enthusiastic trainee. Not quite on the level of their best work, this is still a delightful film well worth watching. 8.5/10
Heretic
dir. Scott Beck, Bryan Woods/2024/1h51m
Heretic is a religious horror about two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton (Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East), out spreading their gospel when they knock on the door of the charming Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who is very enthusiastic about them coming in and having a chat. What follows is a game that will test their faith to its breaking point. This is a fairly well made film that is elevated by a fantastic lead performance from Grant, who has had a really interesting and diverse range of roles in the last decade or so. He starts off here as his usual affable and stutteringly charming self, but the slow move to threat and menace is so subtle that you don't notice it until you realise that you're suddenly scared for these two young women. It does get a bit repetitive, with the film really labouring the point at times, making the film drag, and the payoff is not as satisfying as the genuinely interesting and creepy premise, but Grant pulls it all together. Thatcher and East are both very good, particularly at the start where we're really made to care about and sympathise with them, but once Grant opens that door he steals the show. 7/10
Conclave
dir. Edward Berger/2024/2h
From religious horror to religious drama with Ralph Fiennes starring as Cardinal Lawrence, the man tasked with overseeing the process to elect a new pope after the sudden death of the last one. Among the front runners are the progressive Bellini (Stanley Tucci), the conservative Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) and the slimy Tremblay (John Lithgow). This is a film with more politicking, deal making and back stabbing than any political thriller, with a really tight script that manages to sustain the intrigue and tension throughout the runtime. Fiennes is visibly straining under the pressure of his position, coming across as the only honest, god fearing man in the group. It's a measured, controlled performance where everything is happening under the surface. The direction makes excellent use of shadows to represent the shady dealings going on in the Vatican. Even if you have no interest in religious matters I still think you will be totally engaged by this film. 9/10
Gladiator II
dir. Ridley Scott/2024/2h28m
The award for most unnecessary sequel of the year goes to Ridley Scott's follow up to his Oscar winning swords and sandals epic, this time with Paul Mescal in the lead as Hanno, a man taken into slavery by the Romans after they sack his city and kill his wife. He is soon bought by Denzel Washington's Macrinus and must fight for his freedom against a pair of mad and tyrannical emperors, Geta and Caracalla (Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger). Very far fetched and silly – I burst out laughing at the “Hail Dondus” scene – this is still entertaining and action packed, with some really fun colosseum sequences, one of them featuring sharks! I have only seen Mescal in the emotional dramas Aftersun and All Of Us Strangers, but he feels just at home here as the lead of a big budget blockbuster. He's also able to bring some credibility to some of the heavier moments, especially in his scenes with a returning Connie Nielsen who plays Lucilla, Maximus's love interest from the first film. Don't go into this expecting it to be as good as the original and you'll have a blast. 7/10
Dahomey
dir. Mati Diop/2024/1h8m
This experimental documentary tells the story of 26 of the thousands of artefacts taken from the African kingdom of Dahomey – modern day Benin – in the 19th century as they are prepared to be shipped back home. The first half of the film is narrated from the perspective of one of the artefacts, a statue of a king, as he ruminates on his place in the modern world and the effects of colonialism. The second half films a debate between university students in Benin discussing those very issues. The dreamy ethereality of the first half is juxtaposed with the urgency and immediacy of the debate. This feels like the present having a conversation with the past through the medium of film, and I could have watched the debate for another hour. 8/10
Monsters, Inc.
dir. Pete Docter/2001/1h32m
John Goodman stars as Sully, the best scarer working at Monsters, Inc. who use the screams of children as a power source. When a little girl called Boo (Mary Gibbs) suddenly appears in the monster world Sully and his best friend Mike (Billy Crystal) must get her home, and they uncover a huge conspiracy in the process. Pixar continue their run of instant classics here with a really imaginative, original, funny and heart warming film. The voice cast all perfectly match their characters, with some great support from the likes of Steve Buscemi, James Coburn and Jennifer Tilly. The quality of the animation also continues to improve, with the big leap forward here coming with the fur textures that makes Sully look especially huggable. This also has one of the most touching endings in the Pixar filmography that is still able to bring a tear of happiness to my eye. One of their very best 9.5/10
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