Browsing Category: Movies

  It’s that time of year again, it’s getting dark earlier and what can we do with all these extra-long evenings? Watch Christmas movies of course! But with the plethora of holiday cinema to choose from, how do we decide which films are worth our limited viewing time? To aid in this decision, I have composed the following list of Christmas movies that should have a little something for everybody. We start with the classics, you shouldn’t have any problems finding several of these airing on any given night in the week or two leading up to Christmas Day. It’s a Wonderful Life – Possibly the most beloved and acclaimed holiday movie of all time. Frank Capra’s tale of of what might have been is still one of those movies that holds up despite it’s age. Miracle on 34th Street – Whether it’s the 1947 original or the 1994 remake, this is another movie that doesn’t lose it’s gooey goodness with repeated viewings. The tale of Santa on trial and the power of believing never gets old. And the yuppie-centric John Hughes remake is worth watching if only for the performance of Sir Richard Attenborough. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) – Forget the Jim Carrey foolishness. If you want pure, unadulterated, Dr Seuss fun then there is only the 1966 TV special by the legendary Chuck Jones. A Christmas Story – The classic tale of Ralphie Parker and his quest to get the Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas – “You’ll shoot your eye out.” A Charlie Brown Christmas – The quintessential made for TV holiday special. Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the whole Peanuts gang learn the true meaning of Christmas. In recent years, a new crop of Christmas movies have come along that should also be given fair consideration. Firstly there are the family-friendly choices. The Santa Clause – Tim Allen is forced to become the new Santa Claus in this new holiday favorite. The movie begins on a rather dark note with the accidental death of the old Santa Claus but it quickly glosses over that and turns into a family treat. The Polar Express – On Christmas Eve, a doubting boy boards a magical train that’s headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus’s home. Based on the best-selling children’s book, this movie definitely a modern classic. A pioneering effort in motion-capture animation. And it’s got Tom Hanks, who doesn’t love Tom Hanks? National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – A Griswold family Christmas, what’s not to love? Chevy Chase is in prime form. Jingle All the Way – An indictment of western commercialism of Christmas or Arnold Schwartzenegger in a silly holiday romp, you decide. Either way it’s worth seeing at least once if only to see Arnie punch a reindeer. The Nightmare Before Christmas – Another modern classic. Often debated as to whether it is a Halloween or Christmas movie, it’s fits fine as either. The story of how Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween finds Christmas Town and makes the holiday his own. A stop-motion trip through the unconventional mind of Tim Burton. Elf – The story of how Buddy, the most unlikely of elves saves Christmas. With anybody else playing the lead role, this would have been just another holiday movie that fades into obscurity in a year or two (anybody remember Santa Claus: The Movie with Dudley Moore?). Will Farrell brings Buddy to life with his trademark energy, commitment and spot on comedic timing. Watch it. 8 to 80, you will end up laughing. For the more adult audiences we have a few choices as well. Bad Santa – A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid. It’s Billy Bob Thornton as Santa Claus, ’nuff said. Rated R. Scrooged – Bill Murray is a Television executive with no conscience or morals who gets the Christmas Carol treatment while trying to organize a star-studded live broadcast of the Dickens classic. Rated PG-13 but contains quite a bit of adult humor. Love Actually – Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Rowan Atkinson, Billy Bob Thornton and Hans Gruber…I mean Alan Rickman all in one movie written and directed by Richard Curtis. Eight stories of love interwoven through the five weeks leading up to Christmas in London. Of particular note are the performances of Keira Knightley watching the wedding video and Emma Thompson’s tour de force emotional breakdown to Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now”. Rated R. And to finish it out, a few Christmas movies that might not fit the normal mold of feel-good holiday entertainment, but they are definitely Christmas classics in their own right. Edward Scissorhands – The Frankenstein story updated to a modern love story by Tim Burton in his unique style. This marks the first teaming of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. Why is it Christmassy? There’s snow at the beginning, the end and somewhere in the middle as well… and for some reason, even during the sunny scenes, it just kinda has that holiday feel. Brazil – Tis the season of dystopian futures, harried technocrats and secret police! Terry Gilliam’s reality-twisting masterpiece sees a pawn in an Orwellian nightmare world, a simple bureaucrat, abandon the safety of his normal life to follow a woman who’s literally from his dreams. Once off the beaten path, he meets rebel freelance plumbers and becomes a suspected terrorist himself. What has all this to do with Christmas? Well, it takes place at that time of year – allowing a few bonus swipes at the commercialism the film decries – and also features cinema’s most shocking visit from Santa Claus, as armed police take his place. Rated R. Trading Places – It’s a Christmas-set story where a couple of evil old bankers get their comeuppance, but the Frank Capra comparisons end there.

Okay, just finished watching The Replacement Killers and was trying to decide if it is in fact one of the best action movies ever made. It is. Off the top of my head, I’ve compiled a semi-short list of what I consider to be some of the most badass action movies of all time. Some may be lacking in certain areas like budget, plot, acting, etc. But hey, they’re about the action, the rest is mostly optional. Dr. No – 1962 James Bond’s investigation of a missing colleague in Jamaica leads him to the island of the mysterious Dr. No and a scheme to end the US space program. What makes it badass: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress and Jack Lord in the first James Bond movie, nuff said.   Shaft – 1971 Cool black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter. What makes it badass: It’s Shaft, John Shaft. You’re damn right! Death Race 2000 – 1975 A champion of a brutal cross-country car race of the future where pedestrians are run down for points has a change of heart while being hounded by rivals and a conspiracy seeking to stop the race. What makes it badass: It’s a typical low-budget Roger Corman classic, you can never go wrong there. Mad Max – 1979 In a dystopic future Australia, a vicious biker gang murder a cop’s family and make his fight with them personal. What makes it badass: “The chain in those handcuffs is high-tensile steel. It’d take you ten minutes to hack through it with this. Now, if you’re lucky, you can hack through your ankle in five minutes. Go!” Escape From New York – 1981 In 1997, when the US President crashes into Manhattan, now a giant max. security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue. What makes it badass: Snake Plissken. Raiders of the Lost Ark – 1981 Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis. What makes it badass: It’s the original and still the best. The movie that brought us Indiana Jones. The melting head. Aliens – 1986 The planet from Alien has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough? What makes it badass: While James Cameron is a poor substitute for Ridley Scott and the movie lacks the creepy atmosphere and suspense of the original, it’s got even more badass alien action. “Game over, man. Game over.” Big Trouble in Little China – 1986 An All-American trucker gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown. What makes it badass: Kurt Russell in another John Carpenter classic. Kim Cattrall is hot. ‘Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, “Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.”‘ Highlander – 1986 An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponent, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize”. What makes it badass: Sean Connery, sword fights, decapitations. There can be only one. Lethal Weapon – 1987 A veteran cop, Murtough, is partnered with a young suicidal cop, Riggs. Both having one thing in common, hating working in pairs. Now they must learn to work with one and other to stop a gang of drug smugglers. What makes it badass: It is the pinnacle of 80’s buddy cop movies. The film that helped define the genre. Die Hard – 1988 New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building. What makes it badass: The movie that made Bruce Willis into an action star. No steroids, no kung-fu, he gets the crap beat out of him but he just keeps coming because he’s too stubborn to give up. The big-screen debut of Alan Rickman, whose inspired portrayal of Hans Gruber will go down in history as one of film’s best villains. “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.” The Killer (Dip huet seung hung) – 1989 A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded, only to be double-crossed by his boss. What makes it badass: Chow Yun-Fat, John Woo. The shootout at the beach house was filmed in 28 days; 20,000 rounds of ammunition were fired. The final shootout at the church took 36 days and 40,000 rounds. At the time of filming it set the record for most shots fired in a motion picture. The Last Boyscout – 1991 A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician. What makes it badass: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans (you know, the funny Wayans brother), written by Shane Black and directed by Tony Scott. Halle Berry in that cowboy stripper outfit. Taylor Negron’s deliciously evil portrayal of head-henchman Milo. “Yes, officer. As a matter of fact there is a problem. Apparently there are too many bullets in this gun.” Tombstone – 1993 A successful lawman’s plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona, are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating. What makes it badass: I’m your huckleberry… The Crow – 1994 A man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée’s murder. What makes it badass: The dark, the rain, the violence, it sets a Blade Runner-like feel to the movie. Possibly over-shadowed at the time of it’s release by the death of Brandon Lee, his performance was stunning and proved that if given a decent script (unlike several of his previous films) he could