Monday, January 10, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas Criterions!
First of all, I hope all you lovely people out there had great holiday fun, whatever it may have been!
Today, I'm talking about my Christmas excitement, complete with a brand new concert ukulele! IT'S TOO GOOOOOOOD!!
Ain't it pretty?
But I'm here today to talk about movies. Christmas movies, in that... they were movies I got for Christmas. They're not about Christmas or... nevermind. I'm very excited to crack into these, and I'd like to get opinions or recommendations! I'm breakin' these down into sections. Here we go!
CRITERIONS
Modern Times - One of my favorites that was just released on Criterion. Can't wait to take a look!
Onibaba - Another one of my favorites! Oh, how I've missed it! I need to give it a re-watch soon!
Videodrome - This is the first Criterion in my possession that's replacing another edition of this movie. Very excited, because (what a shock), it's another one of my favorites!
Ace in the Hole - Yeah. We can just assume that this and the next one are favorites of mine, so... yeah.
Peeping Tom - It's been said. Next!
The Man Who Fell To Earth - OH MY GOD! Finally, a movie I haven't seen yet! I'm really, really excited for this one! I've been waiting for a year to see this! AND NOW IT'S IN MY GRASP!
My Dinner With Andre - I also haven't seen this one, but I'm quite looking forward to it.
NOT CRITERION, BUT STILL AWESOME
The Apartment - Great Billy Wilder flick. A must see.
Die Hard - Would you believe it? I haven't seen this movie. I guess it's a good one to whip out during the holiday season...
Alien AND Aliens - Two of my favorite action/sci-fi/horror movies ever. Too good!
The Conversation - I've seen bits and pieces of this one. Definitely want to check it out soon!
Twin Peaks - OK, so this is a TV show, but it's been recommended to me a lot, AND it's created by David Lynch. Sounds awesome to me!
ANIMATION
Animaniacs, Vol. 1, 2, 3 - Excuse me everyone. I've got a date with my childhood.
Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro - I've never seen this one, but being a Miyazaki fan, I really want to. It looks different, but cool!
And now, we enter a new realm for Luke Mochrie, and that is the realm of...
BLU-RAY
(The Complete) Metropolis - I need to give this one a re-watch. Especially now that it's got 25 restored minutes! Woo!
House (Hausu) - I fucking love this movie. I've been waiting so long to own this movie. I'm going to watch this movie. Then, I'm going to love this movie some more.
Batman Returns - Haven't seen it since I was a youngin'. Really wanna check it out again. Gotta watch Batman AND Batman Returns. DOUBLE FEATURE BABY!
Anyway, that's my new DVD/Blu-Ray collection of the season! I'm very happy, and I can't wait to get started on these bad boys!
Today, I'm talking about my Christmas excitement, complete with a brand new concert ukulele! IT'S TOO GOOOOOOOD!!
Ain't it pretty?
But I'm here today to talk about movies. Christmas movies, in that... they were movies I got for Christmas. They're not about Christmas or... nevermind. I'm very excited to crack into these, and I'd like to get opinions or recommendations! I'm breakin' these down into sections. Here we go!
CRITERIONS
Modern Times - One of my favorites that was just released on Criterion. Can't wait to take a look!
Onibaba - Another one of my favorites! Oh, how I've missed it! I need to give it a re-watch soon!
Videodrome - This is the first Criterion in my possession that's replacing another edition of this movie. Very excited, because (what a shock), it's another one of my favorites!
Ace in the Hole - Yeah. We can just assume that this and the next one are favorites of mine, so... yeah.
Peeping Tom - It's been said. Next!
The Man Who Fell To Earth - OH MY GOD! Finally, a movie I haven't seen yet! I'm really, really excited for this one! I've been waiting for a year to see this! AND NOW IT'S IN MY GRASP!
My Dinner With Andre - I also haven't seen this one, but I'm quite looking forward to it.
NOT CRITERION, BUT STILL AWESOME
The Apartment - Great Billy Wilder flick. A must see.
Die Hard - Would you believe it? I haven't seen this movie. I guess it's a good one to whip out during the holiday season...
Alien AND Aliens - Two of my favorite action/sci-fi/horror movies ever. Too good!
The Conversation - I've seen bits and pieces of this one. Definitely want to check it out soon!
Twin Peaks - OK, so this is a TV show, but it's been recommended to me a lot, AND it's created by David Lynch. Sounds awesome to me!
ANIMATION
Animaniacs, Vol. 1, 2, 3 - Excuse me everyone. I've got a date with my childhood.
Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro - I've never seen this one, but being a Miyazaki fan, I really want to. It looks different, but cool!
And now, we enter a new realm for Luke Mochrie, and that is the realm of...
BLU-RAY
(The Complete) Metropolis - I need to give this one a re-watch. Especially now that it's got 25 restored minutes! Woo!
House (Hausu) - I fucking love this movie. I've been waiting so long to own this movie. I'm going to watch this movie. Then, I'm going to love this movie some more.
Batman Returns - Haven't seen it since I was a youngin'. Really wanna check it out again. Gotta watch Batman AND Batman Returns. DOUBLE FEATURE BABY!
Anyway, that's my new DVD/Blu-Ray collection of the season! I'm very happy, and I can't wait to get started on these bad boys!
Friday, December 24, 2010
A Christmas Carol (1951) Review
Every holiday season, my family whips out the Christmas specials. My parents and I have three main ones. We watch the obvious "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown" and How the Grinch Stole Christmas", which are always a delight. They're short, but they pack a lot of heart in. They're always fun to watch back to back on a cold winter night. The film that I always look most forward to however, is the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol", or "Scrooge" depending on who you're talking to.
The film is a classic retelling of the Charles Dickens story, about the quintessential curmudgeon himself, Ebeneezer Scrooge, played by Alastair Sim. He's a bitter, greedy old man who thinks Christmas is humbug, a word that quite frankly should be brought back into modern vocabulary, but I digress. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by his late business partner Jacob Marley, played by Michael Hordern. He tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (or things to come depending on who you're talking to). There, the three spirits try to help Scrooge re-discover the true meaning of Christmas.
For me, no one can beat Alastair Sim as Scrooge. His performance is nearly perfect. He really knows who to play the bitter, selfish Scrooge, while also playing the warm and generous Scrooge at the end (sorry if I spoiled that for anyone. I figured it was common knowledge, or common sense depending on who you're talking to). He can also be quite funny, and this comes from not out of wit, but out of his more pathetic side while he's bitter Scrooge, and his sheer, boyish excitement when he's... born again Scrooge?
As far as I know, the screenplay is very faithful to both the original Charles Dicken's story, and to it's language (which I could listen to all day, it's so beautifully written). The beauty of this story is that it's obviously set at Christmas, so we quickly assume it's attached to Christmas morals, which is true. The thing is though, it goes so far beyond that. It's one of the few Christmas movies I've seen where the message goes far past just Christmas. From the nature of greed, to the nature of good will. From fear and mortality, to optimism and hope, this movie captures a lot of ideas and thoughts we have around this time of year, and present them in an exquisite manner.
If I have one minute problem with this movie, it's the direction. Not so much with the way the story is told, because the pacing is actually quite excellent, and it hits all the right points. My main issue is that it's pretty dated. The aesthetic is actually pretty unusual, even for 1951. Things like the transitions with the hour glass and the occasionally awkward ghost effects can sometimes cheapen the movie. To tell you the truth though, it never really bothered me that much. It's just something I noticed. Maybe that's part of the charm of it.
The holiday's are never complete without "A Christmas Carol". It's a beautiful story that's timeless (well, except for the direction) and full of heart. In it's writing and in it's performances. While I have minor qualms with the direction, it's hardly worth noting, and you can tell that the director, Brian Desmond Hearst, really loved the story and wanted to do it the justice that it deserved. Out of that came a Christmas treat that I dare say is necessary viewing not just for the holiday's, but for those who are in need of a little optimism.
The film is a classic retelling of the Charles Dickens story, about the quintessential curmudgeon himself, Ebeneezer Scrooge, played by Alastair Sim. He's a bitter, greedy old man who thinks Christmas is humbug, a word that quite frankly should be brought back into modern vocabulary, but I digress. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by his late business partner Jacob Marley, played by Michael Hordern. He tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (or things to come depending on who you're talking to). There, the three spirits try to help Scrooge re-discover the true meaning of Christmas.
For me, no one can beat Alastair Sim as Scrooge. His performance is nearly perfect. He really knows who to play the bitter, selfish Scrooge, while also playing the warm and generous Scrooge at the end (sorry if I spoiled that for anyone. I figured it was common knowledge, or common sense depending on who you're talking to). He can also be quite funny, and this comes from not out of wit, but out of his more pathetic side while he's bitter Scrooge, and his sheer, boyish excitement when he's... born again Scrooge?
As far as I know, the screenplay is very faithful to both the original Charles Dicken's story, and to it's language (which I could listen to all day, it's so beautifully written). The beauty of this story is that it's obviously set at Christmas, so we quickly assume it's attached to Christmas morals, which is true. The thing is though, it goes so far beyond that. It's one of the few Christmas movies I've seen where the message goes far past just Christmas. From the nature of greed, to the nature of good will. From fear and mortality, to optimism and hope, this movie captures a lot of ideas and thoughts we have around this time of year, and present them in an exquisite manner.
If I have one minute problem with this movie, it's the direction. Not so much with the way the story is told, because the pacing is actually quite excellent, and it hits all the right points. My main issue is that it's pretty dated. The aesthetic is actually pretty unusual, even for 1951. Things like the transitions with the hour glass and the occasionally awkward ghost effects can sometimes cheapen the movie. To tell you the truth though, it never really bothered me that much. It's just something I noticed. Maybe that's part of the charm of it.
The holiday's are never complete without "A Christmas Carol". It's a beautiful story that's timeless (well, except for the direction) and full of heart. In it's writing and in it's performances. While I have minor qualms with the direction, it's hardly worth noting, and you can tell that the director, Brian Desmond Hearst, really loved the story and wanted to do it the justice that it deserved. Out of that came a Christmas treat that I dare say is necessary viewing not just for the holiday's, but for those who are in need of a little optimism.
New Blog! Yay!
Hey guys! So, yeah. I thought I would get my own little Blogspot! Here I'll be posting my videos as they come, but will also be doing other things, such as show updates, written movie reviews, random ramblings, or any movie related news that heads my way! It's simply an outlet to talk about tons of that stuff that I love so dearly...
Hope you enjoy! More to come!
Hope you enjoy! More to come!
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