A Disappointing End to the Year...

With the New Year right around the corner the time to reflect on the year 2014:

After being absent for 4 years and one month, I decided that the break had been long enough and it was time to write again.  I promised not to review a film every day but it didn't take long before I was pumping out a film every day (just about).  

At the tail end and very beginning of November/December, we took a family trip to Walt Disney World in Florida and it threw off my reviewing schedule and therefore I have not been able to get back into the swing of film reviewing.

What started out as a pretty decent blog year turned into a disaster at the very end.  I am disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm I have had here at the end of the year but I am determined to turn it around.  

I hope that 2014 has been a good year for you readers and I hope nothing but the best for you in the New Year.  Come back to see what all I have in store for you and when you do, Don't Forget the Popcorn!

A Christmas Story

Movie Title--  A Christmas Story

Release Year--  1983

Running Time--  1 Hour and 34 Minutes

Director--  Bob Clark

Cast--  Peter Billingsley, Jean Shepherd, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, Scott Schwartz, Ian Petrella, R.D. Robb, Zack Ward

Young Ralphie tries to convince everyone from his parents to Santa that his perfect Christmas would include a Red Ryder B.B. Gun.

Adult Ralphie Parker (Jean Shepherd) narrates while panning over his hometown, telling the story of  the Christmas of  his 9 year old self (Peter Billingsley).  All Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle.  He slips an advertisement into one of his mother's magazines for her to find while she is flipping through it.  He then goes down to breakfast and tries to keep a collected composure as he tries to find a way to slip in his request of Christmas.  He fails at this miserably and when his mother asks what he wants for Christmas, he loses all composure and tells her about the B.B. Gun with her response being "You'll shoot your eye out". 

Ralphie finds another chance to get in his request for the gun when his teacher asks the class to write a paper about what each students wants for Christmas.  Ralphie is proud of his paper but is disappointed when it comes back with a C+ on it, as he had expected an A+, and a note from the teacher that said "P.S.-  you'll shoot your eye out!".

Ralphie then realizes that his final hope is from Santa Claus himself.  They go to the department store to see Santa but are faced with a long line that they stand in for hours.  When Ralphie and his brother Randy (Ian Petrella) get to see Santa, the elves are pushy because the store is getting ready to close and Santa is in a hurry to get everyone out because he is not interested in staying past closing without being paid overtime.  When it becomes Randy and Ralphie's turn, Randy is sent crying down the slide exit that takes the children down from the top of the "mountain" that Santa is sitting on.  Ralphie is then placed on Santa's lap and his mind goes blank.  When he doesn't tell Santa what he wants for Christmas, Santa tells him that he will give him a football and starts to push Ralphie down the slide when he stops himself and he climbs back up to the top and tells Santa about the gun that he wants.  Santa looks at him and says "You'll shoot your eye out", then sends Ralphie down the slide.

Ralphie is discouraged but does not plan on letting it ruin his Christmas, hoping that by some chance he actually got the Red Ryder B.B. Gun that he asked for.

So, there is so much more to this film than what is described above, like the leg lamp, Ralphie and the "Oh Fudge" incident or the "pink nightmare", but most people have seen this film, so I didn't feel like I needed to get into a ton of the details for this one.  As a child, this film is great.  As an adult, parts of this film are a little cheesy but funny and still a good view.

There are so many great quotable moments from this film.  One of my favorites is the line about Ralphie looking like "a pink nightmare".  For any super fans of this film (and may not know), the actual "Christmas Story" house is in Cleveland, Ohio.  I have actually visited the house and the small museum that is across the street.  It is really cool to see the film and then see where it was filmed.  If you are ever in or around Cleveland and you enjoy this film, you should totally check it out.

Also, for anyone that has never seen this film, the network TBS plays a 24-hour marathon of it starting on December 24th (8 p.m. eastern) that ends the same time on December 25th.  If you have never seen this film, you have a 24 hour period to catch it.  I think that everyone should view this film from beginning to end at least one time.  Settle down sometime with the family and watch this film laughing all the way, just Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Merry Christmas

or

Happy Holidays

(for those that don't celebrate Christmas)

Home Alone

Movie Title--  Home Alone

Release Year--  1990

Running Time--  1 Hour and 43 Minutes

Director--  Chris Columbus

Cast--  Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, Roberts Blossom, Devin Ratray, John Candy, Kieran Culkin

When 8 year old Kevin McCallister is accidentally left behind when his family flies to France for Christmas decides to defend his home against burglars while everyone is away.

The McCallister family have all gathered at the home of Peter (John Heard) and Kate (Catherine O'Hara) McCallister on the eve of the family's big Christmas trip to Paris.  A police officer (Joe Pesci) is standing in the foyer trying to find the homeowner so he can have a word with him but the hustle and bustle of the children in the house is getting him no where.  Peter and Kate's son Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is one of the younger members of the family and is told he can not watch a movie that the older children are watching, so he goes to complain to his mother who tells him to go into his room and pack his suitcase.  Kevin realizes he doesn't know how to pack a suitcase but is blown off and ridiculed by his older siblings and cousins.  

When the pizzas arrives, the police officer invites the pizza boy and soon Peter shows up and the officer asks him about his plans for the Christmas holiday.  Peter responds by telling the officer they are going to Paris for Christmas and they have the affordable kind of security; locks on the doors and automatic timers to turn the lights on.  The officer then leaves, along with the pizza boy after being paid.

Kevin comes into the kitchen to get pizza and learns that his older brother ate all the cheese pizza that was ordered for him just because he knows that Kevin doesn't like the other toppings on his pizza.  At that point, Kevin snaps and attacks Buzz (Devin Ratray), causing a huge chain reaction, ending in chaos and Kevin being sent to the third floor to go to bed.  Kevin tells his mother that he never wants to see any of them again and that he wishes that his family would just disappear.

During the night a storm blows in and knocks out the power in the neighborhood.  The family is awoken by express vans at their front door to haul them to the airport.  Amongst the chaos, Kevin is forgotten and only when Kate is on the plane flying to Paris does she realize that Kevin is not with them.

Kevin wakes up to find the house completely empty and the cars still parked in the garage.  He realizes he is alone and believes that he had actually made his family disappear.  He is overjoyed at the fact that he is alone but that joy soon turns to fear when he hears Harry, who had disguised himself as a police officer to stake out homes to rob and his partner Marv (Daniel Stern) try to break in.  Kevin temporarily scares them away, then goes to hide under his parent's bed.  He finally summons up enough courage to call himself the man of the house and goes outside when he is met with his neighbor, "Old Man" Marley (Roberts Blossom) who is rumored to have killed his entire family in 1958, running him back into the house.

On Christmas Eve, Kevin overhears Marv and Harry discussing breaking into his house and decides to rig it with traps to stop the burglars and protect his home.

I have loved this film since I was a child.  It is super entertaining and appropriate for just about every age.  As an adult it is easy to see how silly it is; what 7 year old child would have the mind to think up everything Kevin does in this film?  Don't get me wrong, kids are smart and they have big imaginations but there was a lot of ground for this child to cover and did, to save the day.  But even seeming a little silly now, if you get past all of that, it is actually very good.

No matter what age you are, I think this is a good film to sit down and watch together as a family.  The children will get a good laugh and I am sure for any of the people out there that were children when this film was released (like me) it will be a very nostalgic view.  Get together as a family for this one and Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Well, Hello There!

I just want to pop in and say hello and that I haven't forgotten you!  I took a family trip out of town and with Christmas coming up, I have had a hard time getting back into the swing of things.  Starting December 23, I should be back on a regular schedule and able to do more reviewing.  Thanks for coming back day after day and next time you do, Don't Forget the Popcorn!

A Christmas Carol

Movie Title--  A Christmas Carol

Release Year--  2009

Running Time--  1 Hour and 36 Minutes

Director--  Robert Zemeckis

Cast--  Jim Carey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins

An old miser is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve in hopes to change his ways before it is too late for his soul.

Christmas Eve 1836, Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carey) is with the undertaker, paying for burial services for his business partner Jacob Marley (Gary Oldman).  He is cold and crass over the whole business, even being so cheap as to take the coins from over Marley's eye's to make up for the loss he had to pay the undertaker.  As he makes his way back to his counting house "Scrooge and Marley", the people on the street do their best to try to avoid him or become silent in his presence.

Seven years later, Scrooge is working in his counting house with his employee Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman).  Bob is bundled up trying to keep himself warm due to Scrooge's unwillingness to use enough coal to keep the shop warm.  He is eyeing the lock box that holds the coal when Scrooge's nephew Fred (Colin Firth) comes into the building.  Fred tells his uncle "Merry Christmas" and is met with a "Bah!  Humbug!" from Scrooge.  When Fred invites Scrooge for Christmas dinner, Scrooge refuses and puts down Fred's cheerfulness for the season.

As Fred leaves the building, two gentlemen enter and after exchanging greetings with Scrooge, request a donation from him for the poor.  When he is asked for the donation, Scrooge asks if the work houses and prisons are still in working order.  When the gentleman (Cary Elwes) answers that yes they are but most would rather die than go there, Scrooge suggests that they should then get to dying and decrease the "surplus population".  The two gentlemen then leave the shop without another word.

At the end of the day, as Scrooge is locking up shop, he tells Bob that he can have the whole day off for Christmas even though he feels like it is robbery to pay a man a full day's wages for not working.  He then tells Bob to be at work early the following day and Bob happily makes his way home through the streets of London as Scrooge slinks off to his own home.  While Scrooge is trying to open his front door, he drops his keys in the snow and when he stands back up to open the door, he is shocked to see the door knocker look's like Jacob Marley's face.  After a moment the vision is gone and he makes his way inside.

As Scrooge is settling down for bed the bells in his home begin to ring on their own and the doorknob to his bedroom begins to turn.  Suddenly a large spectral lock box flies through the door and lands at Scrooges feet, accompanied by a few more and finally the specter that is attached to it by heavy iron chains.  The specter reveals that in life he was known a Jacob Marley and he is there to warn Scrooge of his fate in the afterlife if he does not change his ways.  Marley tells Scrooge that his chains are heavy and long and that Scrooge's where heavier and even longer than his own.

Marley then tells Scrooge that he can still redeem himself and after initially not believing that Marley is real, Scrooge asks him how it can come to be.  Marley then tells Scrooge that three spirits will come to visit him; the ghost of Christmas past (Jim Carey), the ghost of Christmas present (Jim Carey) and the ghost of Christmas yet to come (Jim Carey) and that only by seeing how his life has developed and heeding their warnings will he be able to change his fate.

I have mixed feelings about this film.  There are a lot of things I like about it while at the same time there are a lot of things I don't like about it.  Although I don't feel like Jim Carey does a bad job at the same time I feel like they could have selected a lot better actor, preferably British, to play the part of Scrooge.  Carey's serious parts are very serious but it is too often broken up by a humorous phrase, funny face or strange movement.  "A Christmas Carol" is meant to teach a serious lesson about how the actions in your life effect your afterlife and to always keep kindness and charity close to your heart but in order to get viewers for this animated film, there are zany and over the top humorous moments that seem to drown out the seriousness of the story.

My least favorite character in this film is the ghost of Christmas present.  The constant laughing and over zealous spirit tends to wear a person's nerves a little thin at times.  Also the facial animation freaks me out a little bit.  I am not sure exactly what it is about the faces in this film that I dislike so much but they are just strange.

I also don't think this film is for small children.  "A Christmas Carol" is meant to be dark, it is a story about how the consequences of a person's actions affect what becomes of them later in life and although this film is animated, it does have more than a few very dark moments.  I think this film is not really suitable for younger children, and ten and eleven may even be too young for this film.

Make your own decision when it comes to this film but whatever you do, Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Love Actually

Movie Title--  Love Actually

Release Year--  2003

Running Time--  2 Hours and 15 Minutes

Director--  Richard Curtis

Cast--  Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightly, Andrew Lincoln, Laura Linney, Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Gergor Fisher, Martine McCutcheon, Kris Marshall, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Rowan Atkinson, Lucia Moniz

Eight weeks before Christmas, several separate stories that in some cases weave in and out of each other, showcase love in varying stages.

As people are greeting their friends and loved ones at Heathrow International Airport in London, David's (Hugh Grant) voice fills the screen, in which he remarks that when he begins to get down with the state of the world, he thinks of the arrival gates at Heathrow and the love that is shown there.

(See picture below).

Five weeks before Christmas and washed up rock and roll star Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) is in the studio while his manager Joe (Gregor Fisher) watches during his recording session for a Christmas revamp of one of his most popular songs.  During one of his takes, Billy comments to Joe that the remake of the song is crap.  As Christmas draws nearer, Billy becomes drawn into a battle for the number one Christmas song of the year with a band named "Blue".  Billy encourages the public to vote for his Christmas song to be number one and give an "old washed up" rocker a chance instead of voting for the typical Christmas winner.

Mark (Andrew Lincoln) is the best man for his best friend Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and is helping him prepare to meet his bride, Juliet (Keira Knightly) at the alter.  After Peter and Juliet are wed and begin their decent down the aisle as husband and wife, a band begins to play the song "All You Need is Love" by the Beatles.  Members of the band were strategically placed throughout the wedding attendants and when their time comes to play their parts, they stand with their instruments, revealing themselves.  Peter looks back at Mark knowingly and although Mark tries to deny that it was his doing, it is obvious that he planned this surprise.

During the reception, Mark is his usual cold self toward Juliet but he is constantly filming, not taking the camera away from the newlyweds.  At one point, one of the guests Sarah (Laura Linney), approaches him and asks if he is in love with Peter.  After denying that he is in fact not in love with Peter, they begin talking about how poorly the DJ is doing and then he sends Peter and Juliet off on their honeymoon.

Once they return, Peter calls Mark at work and tells him that he has Juliet on the line for him and not to be rude to her.  Before Mark can argue, Peter patches Juliet through and she asks if she can have a look at the video he shot at the wedding because something was wrong with the camera that she had there to film the wedding, causing everything to have a turquoise glow.  Mark then tells her that he will do his best to find it be he didn't think he had it anymore.  After a few days go by and Juliet doesn't hear from Mark, she unexpectedly shows up at his home.  He invites her in and she asks again about the video tape.  He tells her that he can't find it and he thinks that he erased it but as he is saying this, she finds the tape on his self with his other videos.  She pops the tape into the player and begins to watch the footage as Mark stands anxiously behind her.  

She is soon very confused once she realizes that the footage is completely of her and even states that he never spoke to her or acted friendly toward her and when he responds with the answer that it was an act of "self preservation", she realizes that he is in love with her but has been keeping it a secret out of respect to her and Peter's relationship.  Mark then tells her to let herself out and rushes off, unsure how he will face her or Peter again.

Jamie (Colin Firth), a friend of Peter and Juliet's, is getting ready to attend their wedding while his girlfriend is laying in bed sick.  She tells him that she doesn't feel up to going to the wedding and that she is going to stay home and rest, so he attends the wedding with his friend Sarah.  Between the wedding and reception time, Jamie rushes home to check on  his girlfriend and finds his brother there when he arrives.  When Jamie asks him about his presence in his home, he replies that he has come to borrow a few CD's and a moment later, Jamie's girlfriend is yelling for him to come back to bed so they can get a few more "shags" in before Jamie comes home from the wedding.

After this, Jamie packs up and goes to his cottage in France, intent on being alone and working on his novel.  When he arrives, he learns that he has a new house keeper, Aurelia (Lucia Moniz), is from Portugal and only speaks in her native tongue.  Despite their language barrier, they learn to communicate and they spend some "quality" time with each other every afternoon when he drives her to home.  They two of them eventually and unknowingly fall in love with each other although neither can express it to the other because of the inability to  understand the other's language.

Once Jamie arrives back in England, he realizes that he truly is in love with Aurelia and begins to learn Portuguese so that he can communicate his feelings to her.

Harry (Alan Rickman) is the director of a design agency and he has called one of his employees, Sarah, into his office.  Mia (Heike Makatsch) comes into his office to inform him that Sarah was on her way when he asks her how she has been settling in as his new secretary.  She gives him a suggestive answer but before anything can go any further, Sarah comes into the office.  Mia closes the door as she leaves and Harry asks Sarah to have a sat and asks her how long she had been working for him.  After she gives her answer he then asks how long she has been in love with Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), the company's creative director.  She is shocked to learn that he knows this but is even more shocked to learn everyone at the company, including Karl, knows that she is in love with him.  He then suggests that she do something to pursue Karl and put the rest of the office out of their misery.  

Karen (Emma Thompson) is at home when her friend Daniel (Liam Neesson) calls but she rushes him off the phone to learn from her daughter that she has been chosen to be the "first lobster" at her school's nativity play.  Next she is seen attending the funeral of her friend Daniel's (Liam Neeson) wife, Joanna.  

Joanna has recently died, leaving Daniel with her young son Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster).  Karen is the only friend that Daniel has to talk with about the death of his wife and the way his stepson is dealing with his grief.  After a visit from Karen, Daniel decides to take Sam out and find out if he is having more troubles than grieving his mother.  Sam reluctantly tells Daniel that he is in love with one of his classmates and although he thinks about his mother all the time, he can not get this little girl out of his mind.  Relieved, Daniel asks Sam if he thinks he is a little young to be in love but Sam answers no.

Harry checks back in with Sarah to see if she has made any progress with Karl and she tells him no.  On the way back into his office, he stops and asks Mia if she has found a place to have the company Christmas party.  Again, Mia answers him with a suggestive answer and it intrigues Harry while at the same time making him nervous and anxious.

David, the newly appointed Prime Minister arrives at 10 Downing Street for the first time and is greeted by his aide , then introduced to the staff, including a newly appointed junior member of the household, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon).  There is an immediate spark between the two of them.  

Soon, David and his staff are discussing the policies that are to be reviewed when the President of the United States of America (Billy Bob Thorton) come to London for a visit.  Some of his cabinet think that he needs to take a stand against the policies while others believe that since it is the first visit with the new PM, they should be friendly and nonagressive.  David agrees with the staff that advise him to be friendly but finds himself disgusted with the president once he sees that he sexually harass all the women on the staff.  When he discovers the president harassing Natalie, his jealousy causes him to speak his mind about the president bullying the cabinet about the existing policies and announces that he has no intention of being bullied any longer.

Karen calls her brother David to congratulate him on the stand he took while on national television and once she gets off the phone with him, tells her husband that she feels so small when her older brother is taking stands for England and all she had done all day was make paper mache lobster heads.  When Harry, he husband, asks what they are listening to, she answer Joni Mitchell and remarks on how much she likes her music.

Harry's company Christmas party is being held at Mark's art gallery and when Karen goes off to do her wifely duty and speak with the people from his office, Mia walks up and asks Harry to dance.  Karen notices what is going on and later asks Harry about Mia, then warns him be careful when it comes to her.  They go to bed but the idea of Mia sticks in Karen's head.

The next day, Harry tells Mia that he is going to be out of the office for a while because he is going to be Christmas shopping when she asks him if he was going to buy her something.  The question catches him off guard but as soon as he is out of the building he calls and asks her what she needs and she said that she didn't want something she needed, she wanted something pretty.  He meets Karen and together they go into a department store and while she goes off to pick up the "boring" gifts intended for their mothers, he slips off to the jewelry counter and picks out a necklace to give to Mia.  After learning the price he decides to buy it but the clerk takes so long to gift wrap it that Karen spots him and he leaves the necklace behind.  

Later Harry goes back and buys the necklace.  He returns home late from work and when Karen questions him he asks her if a man can have his secrets and after taking off his coat, leaves the foyer.  Making sure he is gone, Karen suspects that he has gone back to buy the item she had seen him looking at at the jewelry counter and finds a box in the pocket.  She catches a glimpse inside the box and when she later sees the box wrapped under the tree with a special note from her to him on it, she is excited, only to find that she has been made a fool of.

David, after feeling strain between him and Natalie, requests that she be moved to a different position so that they don't have to cross paths.  His request is immediately put into effect but he still can't get her off his mind.  

On Christmas Eve he is left with a stack of cards from the staff and comes across one from Natalie admitting that she is in love with him.  After giving the card a second look, he decides to pursue Natalie and tells his driver that he wants to go to Wandsworth.  Once they get there, they end up on Harris Street where Natalie lives.  David realizes that he doesn't know her house number, so intent on finding her and telling her of his feelings for her, he begins to knock on every door in an effort to find her.

Daniel does what he can to help Sam with the problem of being recognized by Joanna, the girl he loves.  Once Daniel learns that the girl's name is the same as Sam's mom, he is determined to try to help Sam in any way he can.

While  watching Billy Mack's new music video, Sam comes to the realization that girls love musicians.  Daniel reminds Sam that he does not know how to plan an instrument and Sam tells him in response that that is not a problem.  He then begins to learn the drums and signs up to play the drums as member of her band in hopes to get noticed.  After the Christmas performance Sam believes that he has missed his chance to tell Joanna how he feels due to her flying home to America that same night but Daniel rushes him to the airport and helps him slip through security in a last ditch  effort to speak to Joanna.

I absolutely love this film.  When the holidays come around, it is one of the first I pull off my shelf.  This film is great throughout the Christmas season but I think it really is one of the best to pull out in the beginning and then maybe once again a week or so before Christmas day when the magic of Christmas has started to wear off a little.  It is such a good film to help bring out the Christmas spirit in anyone.  

Instead of the basic, "Christmas magic" films, this film is about love and how it can bring out the good in everyone (or just about anyway).  This film reminds you to step back, forget about all the bad in the world and focus for just a moment on the love you have in your life.  It also helps to remind you to step up and tell the people in your life how you really feel about them.  

This film is loaded with a lot of big stars, some of them however were not too well known and would go on to make it big after this film-- Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes on "The Walking Dead", Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson on "Sherlock" and Bilbo Baggins in "The Hobbit" trilogy and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in "12 Years a Slave", just to name a few.  Most of the cast is more well known-- Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Colin Firth and Keira Knightly, again just to name a few, but the film is so well written and acted out that the cast of stars never make the film feel crowded.

I would suggest this film to anyone that asked, even if I know it wouldn't be up their alley.  This film is just an all around great film.  It isn't just a chick flick; the British humor helps to make it funny and sentimental without being completely mushy and girlie.  Watch this film by the tree and Don't Forget the Popcorn (to string for the tree of course.)!

A Merry Friggin' Christmas

Movie Title--  A Merry Friggin' Christmas

Release Year--  2014

Running Time--  1 Hour and 28 Minutes

Director--  Tristram Shapeero

Cast--  Robin Williams, Joel McHale, Lauren Graham, Clark Duke, Candice Bergen, Oliver Platt, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Time Heidecker, Pierce Gagnon, Bebe Wood, Ryan Lee, Amara Miller, Mark Proksch

Boyd Mitchler is forced to spend Christmas with his estranged family but when he realizes that he left his son's Christmas presents behind, he tries to make a 8 hour round trip before sunrise to save the idea of the magic of Christmas.

When Boyd Mitchler (Joel McHale) is 5 years old, his father ruins the magic of Christmas for him by telling him that Santa is not real.  In the present, Boyd is a grown man that has done well for himself.  He manages a hedge fund, is married to Luann (Lauren Graham) and has two children, Vera (Bebe Wood) and Douglas (Pierce Gagnon).  Although his daughter has outgrown the "Santa Claus" stage, his son Douglas still very much believes in Santa and because of this, Boyd does everything he can to preserve the innocents of the season for his son.

Boyd's perfect holiday plans hit a snag when his younger brother Nelson (Clark Duke) calls to tell Boyd that he had a newly acquired baby, due to his ex having an affair, getting pregnant and having a child, then abandoning the baby with Nelson.  Nelson then asks Boyd to be the Godfather to the child and when Boyd agrees, Nelson tells him that the baptism will be on Christmas Eve.  Boyd then realizes that attending the baptism means having to spend his holiday with the family he has estranged himself from.  Not wanting to disappoint his brother, Boyd and his family pack their things to make the trip to his parent's house.  

A mishap when they arrive causes Virgil "Mitch" Mitchler (Robin Williams) to come sarcastically back into Boyd's life.  After the baptism and a very tense Christmas Eve dinner, the children are sent to bed and as the adults are putting out the presents from Santa, Boyd realizes that Douglas' presents have been left at home.  Determined to keep Douglas' belief from being jeopardized, Boyd is determined to go on the round trip trek to his house and back before the kids wake up, but hits a few snags along the way.

So this film was only okay.  There were a few funny events but some of the jokes fell a little short and a lot of the humor was predictable.  It was like the script was given to Robin Williams and Joel McHale but they were told there wasn't much room for improvising.  It lacked some of the creativity and humor it could  have had if these two funny men would have been given a bit of creative license.

On top of that, Robin Williams was not the usual funny man he tends to be in his films.  He was moody, disgruntled and quite sad at times and the reflection of the film makes you wonder if that is how he truly felt or if he was just acting to the small amount of material he was given.

This is not going to be a memorable Christmas film.  The talent of the "funnymen" in this film just seems to be wasted in the long run.  If you are hoping for one last great Robin Williams film, you will only be disappointed if you watch this one.  Watch it because you want to see Robin Williams one last time but don't set your standards too high.  Make your own decision but Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Hercules

Movie Title--  Hercules

Release Year--  1997

Running Time--  1 Hour and 32 Minutes

Director--  Ron Clements, John Musker

Cast--  Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, Susan Egan, Bobcat Goldthwait, Matt Frewer, Rip Torn, Josh Keaton, Samantha Eggar

Hercules, the son of the Greek Gods, Zeus and Hera, is stripped of his immortality as an infant and has to prove that he is a true hero to gain it back.

The world is ravaged by titan's but Zeus (Rip Torn) comes along and imprisons them under the ocean, making the world a safe place.  This secures his place as the king of the Gods and soon after, he and his wife Hera (Samantha Eggar) have a son they name Hercules (Josh Keaton, Tate Donovan).  All of the Gods are happy for the arrival of the new born baby, all except Zeus' brother, Hades (James Woods).

Hades is jealous of his brother and has a plot to overthrow Mt. Olympus, the home of the Gods, and become leader.  He enlists the help of the Fates and learns that in 18 years the planets will align and that will be the best time to release the titans and conquer Mt. Olympus.  He is then warned that as long as Hercules has his strength, he will not succeed.  He concocts a formula that will turn Hercules mortal and sends his minions Pain (Bobcat Goldthwait) and Panic (Matt Frewer) to give Hercules the potion and then kill him.  Pain and Panic succeed in kidnapping the baby but before he can drink every last drop, a man and woman stumble across them.  The couple take Hercules in as their own son.

Flash a few years forward and the now mortal Hercules is a teenager.  He still has his super human strength which has made him an outcast because he doesn't know how to control it and he tends to get him in a lot of trouble.  Hercules begins to wonder where he has come from when his parents reveal to him that they are his foster parents.  They give him a gold medallion that they found on him when he was a baby and tell him that on it is the symbol of the Gods.  He takes the medallion and leaves home, on a journey to discover who he truly is.

Once he learns his father is Zeus, he is sent to find Philocetetes (Danny DeVito) to train to become a hero. Once he has grown and studied for a while, Phil takes Hercules to Thebes to prove himself as a hero.  On the way into the city, they come across a maiden in distress and Hercules saves her.  He learns that her name is Megara (Susan Egan) and he is instantly smitten with her but she is stone cold toward him.  When Hercules leaves, Hades appears, asking Meg if she accomplished the task he had sent her to do and she tells him that Hercules interfered.  Hades then employs Meg, who is in his debt, to find out what Hercules' weakness is.  Hades soon realizes that Meg is Hercules' weakness, and in the end ultimately making Hercules choose; his life or Meg's.

This is not one of my favorite Disney Animated Classics.  I never saw this film as a child and now that I am an adult, I realized it is alright that I missed this one as a child.  I feel like this film isn't really for children, since there are a lot of references that lean heavily on the stories of the God's from ancient Greece and a young child is not going to understand that.  The jokes that rely on the references to the Greek God's aren't even very funny if you are not aware of their origins.  It just feels like a lot of the humor in this film is a little over a child's head.

I hated Danny DeVito in this film.  His Phil is already not a super likable guy but DeVito's harsh tones and brash voice make him that much more unbearable.  I feel like Meg isn't likable either; she is cold and abrasive and then about a hour or so in she just flips a switch because she is "in love".  She doesn't soften any in between.  At one point you see her alone and she has a moment where she could seem like she is trying to soften some but the very next scene with her in it, she is just as cold and harsh as before.  There is no progression between her dislike for Hercules' disruption to her discovery that she is in love with him and it makes it hard to like her because of it.  Even Hercules feels kind of flat in this film.

I would say, if you are looking for a film to share with the kids, leave this one on the shelf unless you feel like you absolutely have to see every Disney Animated Film.  Whatever you decide, Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Movie Title--  Sin City:  A Dame to Kill For

Release Year--  2014

Running Time--  1 Hour and 42 Minutes

Director--  Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez

Cast--  Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, Eva Green, Powers Boothe, Dennis Hoysbert, Ray Liotta, Stacy Keach, Jamie King, Christopher Lloyd, Jeremy Riven, Christopher Meloni, Juno Tempe, Marton Csokas, Lady Gaga, Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Julia Garner

Lives intersect and play out through the dark and dangerous streets of Basin City.

When Marv (Mickey Rourke) regains consciousness he sees that he is surrounded by a wrecked police car and a few dead young men but he doesn't remember the events that have lead him to this place.

Remembering that it is Saturday, he knows that he was in "Kadie's Saloon" earlier in the evening watching Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba) dance.  Deciding that he is in no mood to watch Nancy, he steps outside into the alley only to witness a few frat boys attempting to burn a homeless man alive.  Marv intervenes and is shot in the arm by the leader of the frat boys.  Marv believes that the young man calls him "Bernie Boy", so he pursues the group to find out the reasoning behind the name.  

Marv steals a police car and blacks out when he crashes into the back of the the frat boy's car.  Once he wakes up he pursues the last two young men into The Projects and reveals that he was raised there and it is a very rough part of town.  With the help of the deadly residence of The Projects he finishes the young men off and as he is killing the leader, he questions him about the name he was called.  The man explains that he called him a "Bernini Boy", referring to the maker of the expensive coat he was wearing, which causes Marv to wonder how he had come to acquire the coat.

Cocky young gambler Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) arrives in Sin City and heads straight to "Kadie's Saloon".  Once he arrives, he picks up a young waitress named Marcie (Julia Garner) and takes her as his good luck charm, then goes to the slot machines and proceeds to hit the jackpot on each machine that he plays.  With the money that he acquires he buys his way into a backroom, high stakes poker game that is hosted by the powerful Senator Roark (Powers Boothe).

Johnny wins over and over again, eventually beating Roark.  When the game is over, another player at the table warns that Johnny should gather his winnings and leave town but instead Johnny decides to take Marcie out on the town.  While they are out, Johnny is attacked and after he gets free he tells Marcie to go to his hotel room and wait for him and is then forced into Roark's limousine.  

Once inside Roark reveals that he is aware that Johnny is his illegitimate child but then goes on to admit that the only child he ever considered to be his own flesh and blood was his now deceased son Roark Jr., then leaves Johnny to suffer for humiliating him at the poker game.  Once Johnny recovers, he finds that Marcie is has been murdered by Roark's goon's and is determined to set things right.

In an attempt to get away from his violent past, Dwight McCarthy (Josh Brolin) is working as a private detective while trying to stay sober and dealing daily with his demons.  He is hired by a woman to tail her businessman husband (Ray Liotta) to discover if he is cheating on her or not.  While tailing him, Dwight learns that he is indeed cheating and steps in to save the young hooker (Juno Temple) he has been having an affair with once he realizes that the businessman is planning to kill her.  Soon after this, he receives a phone call from his ex-lover Ava Lord (Eva Green) begging him to meet her at "Kadie's Saloon".  

Against his better judgement, Dwight goes to "Kadie's" and begins to ponder over the reasoning she would want to meet him after leaving him four years prior for her now husband Damion Lord (Marton Csokas).  When she shows up she begs him to forgive her and implies that her husband is mistreating her.  Not long after her arrival, her chauffeur Manute (Dennis Haysbert) shows up to escort her home.  

Although Dwight tries, he can not get Ava out of his mind and he goes to her home to try to learn more about her situation.  He watches as Ava swims nude but is caught by Manute and is given a severe beaten for it.  When Dwight returns home he finds Ava, nude in his bed and unable to resist her, the two of them have sex.  When they are done, Ava tells him that Damien and Manute are torturing her, then once again Manute arrives and beats Dwight up.

Dwight then seeks the help of his friend Marv to save Ava.  They go to the Lord compound where Marv tears out Manute's eye and Dwight beats Damion to death.  Ava then thanks him for helping to murder her husband and shoots him.  Marv takes Dwight to Old Town where his old flame Gail (Rosario Dawson) helps to save his life.  After having reconstructive surgery on his face, he begins to plot his revenge on Ava.

Four years after the death of Detective John Hartigan, Nancy is having trouble dealing with his suicide.  She is obsessed with taking revenge on Senator Roark, believing that it is his fault Hartigan killed himself.  While she is trying to cope, Hartigan's ghost is hanging around unable to reach her but trying to help her anyway.  

The night that Johnny arrives Nancy attempts to shoot Roark but is unable to.  She then begins to toughen herself up but hallucinates that Roark comes to her and threatens her, so she slices her face up. Afterward, she convinces Marv that Roark has done this to her.  With his support, they go to Roark's compound to exact their revenge.

When this film came to the theater I was very eager to go see it but I missed it, so I picked it up right away when it was released on DVD.  I must say that I am happy that I missed it in the theater.  This film was just not as good as the first.  I was actually disappointed that this film was not better than it was.  Comparatively this film was a huge flop.  Perhaps it is because the first film was different and original so by the time they finally got around to making the sequel this style wasn't as fresh and new any longer, but whatever the reason, it just didn't hold up very well.  

The best part by far is Johnny's story.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt does an excellent job in this film and he really becomes the best this film has to offer.  His story is simple, easy to relate to and not over blown.  I will say, although he is by far the best in this film, his ending is the lamest.  I was really mad at the end of his story because of the way it ends; to me it was a sorry ending to the best part of the film.

I am not saying the film is awful, I am just saying it doesn't hold a candle to the first film.  If you go into this one expecting the same quality you got in the first you will be disappointed but if you go in with an open mind you may enjoy it.  Make your own decision about this one, just Don't Forget the Popcorn!