25 Days of Christmas

Not a great movie, but a very entertaining one and should hold up pretty well over time.

7/10

Ya know, this would be a fun one to drink to with family. Never knew there was a Chuck Norris Christmas movie, I'm glad I know now.

I would totally drink a beer with Doomsday and watch this so you might be right.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is awesome.

TRADING PLACES (1983)



Most people involved with Trading Places say the movie is based on the works of Mark Twain. Director John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Coming to America) is not one of those people. He's usually an honest guy and a straight shooter. So he's the first to admit that the movie is based on one of the early Three Stooges shorts where rich people bet if they can adapt to high society or not. They don't and the short ends with a pie fight. And it's that mentality that made Trading Places a comedy classic. No lessons are learned. No characters "change their ways." The whole movie is a giant middle finger to rich powerful people who take advantage of the disadvantaged. In the movie, two old geezers, played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, get into a nature vs nurture debate and decide to prove it by turning their best employee into a homeless person with a criminal record and then turning a poor Black kid into a millionaire. Those roles are played by Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. And if you think their switcheroo will give them a new perspective in life, it kinda doesn't. Aykroyd spends the whole time trying to get revenge and Murphy is too nice to go along with the geezers, so they team-up with a prostitute, played by Jamie Lee Curtis and her breasts, to destroy what's left of the geezers' lives. Then the movie ends with the three of them enjoying life at a private beach. 31 years later and this movie is still insanely relevant and a great crowd-pleaser. If you're one of the few people who haven't seen it, now is a great time to watch it. It takes place during the holiday season and it's one of the better movies you can watch in December.

A+ 

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (2012)



This movie, from DreamWorks animation, got lost in the shuffle of the winter movie season in 2012 but it is slowly finding an audience. And I'm glad because it's really good. It's about Jack Frost (Chris Pine) joining forces with holiday mascots to stop The Boogeyman (Jude Law) from letting darkness and negativity take over the world. The concept is a bit sappy and the design of the characters and their world is a bit creepy, but the story is so well-told that it doesn't matter. Plus, the re-interpretation of the holiday mascots are creative. Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin) is portrayed as a general. The Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) is shown as a no-nonsense worker. The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) is like the spiritual one in the team. The Sandman is basically the comic relief. And their efforts to save the Earth are filled with good drama, fun action scenes and genuine laughter. Rise of the Guardians offers something for everyone and the whole family can enjoy it together.

A

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (2000)







Like every child who grew up in post-1960's America, watching Chuck Jones' cartoon adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Grinch was a Christmas tradition. So when I heard that Ron Howard was making a live-action movie with Jim Carrey, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, this was back when Jim Carrey was still a respectable actor and comedian, so there was potential for greatness. On the other hand, Ron Howard might fuck this up. And it turned out to be the latter. I absolutely hated this movie when it was released and was SHOCKED when it became the highest grossing movie of 2000. I thought people had lost their minds and hoped they would come to their senses. That was 14 years ago. So... I give up. You guys win. The Grinch is amazing and a classic. Give it all the awards and honors. Whatever. I don't care anymore. But if it makes you feel any better - not that my opinion matters - I get it. The Grinch is funny because "he's us." Ron Howard and Jim Carrey turned him from the angry creature with a small heart into a millennial. That's fine. I guess it's funny. But also understand that it completely destroys the magic of the story. We're not supposed to be The Grinch. The fact that we've become one is a little sad and I'm sure Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jones are rolling in their graves. They warned us about this shit and we ignored them.

D+

FRED CLAUS (2007)



Remember that movie where Vince Vaughn plays Santa Claus' brother? You don't? I'm not surprised. Everyone ignored it back in 2007. But let me tell ya, it's pretty good, and try not to be a Grinch about me enjoying the movie. Fred Claus is not as silly as it sounds. Even though there's a lot of slapstick comedy and sappy explorations about sibling rivalries and the meaning of Christmas, it's also a very adult movie about family issues. And I don't mean "adult" in a sophisticated way. I mean adult content. I honestly don't think children fully understood what was happening in the story. For example, there's a scene where Vince Vaughn gets an intervention and then throughout the therapy session the focus changes to Santa Claus - played wonderfully by Paul Giamatti - and his wife starts complaining that he's so fat he can't "get it up" anymore. Isn't this supposed to be a kids movie? I'm amazed Fred Claus got a PG rating. It crossed the line many times and that's what I love about it. It has enough Christmas-y stuff to entertain your grandparents, but make no mistake, it's still a Vince Vaughn comedy.

A-

I like this movie and think it's a little underappreciated, too.  For the same reasons as well.

I'm really anticipating NE's review of Kirk Cameron's magnum opus, Saving Christmas.

I love The Grinch 2000 and Bad santa.