I’m not sure how anyone thought this movie was a good idea. Taking Hansel and Gretel from the classic Grimm fairy tale and making them adult witch hunters obviously sounded good to someone. Add a two-time Oscar nominee as the lead, make it 3D, and load it with tons of blood and gore and you have a sure-fire classic, right? Well that’s “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” in a nutshell. Not the ‘sure-fire classic’ bit, but the rest is an accurate description.
As ludicrous as the concept sounds, “Hansel and Gretel” isn’t the worst movie you’ll watch and forget. That’s mainly because the film has a sense of humor about itself. It’s as if it knows it’s a loud and dumb movie, and it’s perfectly content to be just that. Writer and director Tommy Wirkola attempts to create an odd mix of action, comedy, and horror out of a fairy tale that is pretty gruesome in itself. The problem is the humor only occasionally works. It does lighten the tone at times, but the gags often fall flat. That leaves the action and horror, both of which leave something to be desired.
As I mentioned, Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and his sister Gretel (Gemma Arterton) are all grown up now. They are traveling witch hunters who are summoned to the town of Augsburg to help find some missing children thought to be abducted by witches. The siblings soon find out that something much more sinister is at work when an evil grand-witch named Muriel (Famke Janssen) reveals herself. She has evil plans centered around some goofy Blood Moon ritual that’s requires child sacrifices, a witch’s heart, and other nonsense. Hansel and Gretel quickly find out that saving the day is going to be tougher than they originally thought.
That’s really all there is to the movie. The main story is pretty bland and the backstory, which attempts to add some depth, really isn’t all that interesting. As I mentioned, there is some humor that occasionally works. For example Hansel is a bad diabetic as a result of his candy/witch encounter as a child. Some of those silly touches do lighten things up a little and offer the occasional chuckle. But they also clash with the more serious tone that we often get.
“Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” is your common ‘one-and-done’ movie. You’ll watch it once and probably won’t visit it again. That said, it’s really hard to recommend seeing it the first time. I like Renner and Arterton (a lot actually), but they aren’t enough to make this film rise above its material. Again, is it the worst movie you’ll see? Hardly. Does it have a few moments that work? Well, yes. But are there a number of better ways you could spend your time? Most definitely. But you probably knew that the moment you saw the film’s title.
Out of all the movies we watch each Christmas season, no other holiday film hits me quite like Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life”. Over the years this 1946 gem has become a perennial favorite. But this beloved feature can’t be easily pigeonholed as a simple Christmas movie. Its so much more. It’s a tremendous bit of filmmaking full of warmth, some really funny humor, a well-written story, a terrific ensemble, and a heartfelt ending that I still adore. It’s a true motion picture classic that shouldn’t be reserved for just the holiday season.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is the movie that introduced me to the great Jimmy Stewart. Over the years, he would grow to be one of my favorite actors. Here he plays George Bailey, an adventure-minded young man who desires to shake off the dust of his small hometown and see the world. But in his close-knit community things don’t always go as planned. And in George’s case, circumstances would always arise that managed to keep him in Bedford Falls.
The story (co-written by Capra, Frances Goodrich, and Albert Hackett) is an adaptation of Philip Van Doren Stern’s short story “The Greatest Gift”. It begins close to its end. George as is at the end of his rope and is thinking about taking his own life. But Heaven has heard the many prayers of his family and friends and is set to intervene by sending George’s guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers) to remind him of the wonderful life he has lived. In order for the plan to be successful, first Clarence needs to know about the man he’s saving. So he (and the audience) are shown how George’s life has unfolded.
We’re shown that at a young age George Bailey had a significant influence on Bedford Falls. That influence took off after he finished high school and went to work with his father at the Bailey Building and Loan, the only thing in town the miserly money-grubbing Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) couldn’t get his hands on. It’s George’s fight with Potter that leads to his troubles. But it’s also the thing that leads to an important revelation – he truly has had a wonderful life.
The beautiful and charming Donna Reed plays Mary Hatch who first catches George’s eye at a high school dance. The spark between them is undeniable and over time they marry. Stewart and Reed have a delightful chemistry which is evident in every scene they share. Reed really impresses with her ability to convey the love-sick sweetness of young Mary as well as the motherly concern and maturity of older Mary. Together, she and Stewart are a treat.
The rest of the supporting cast are equally great. Barrymore is pitch-perfect as the story’s despicable antagonist who has he hands around the throats of everyone in town. Travers has a ton of fun playing Clarence, the most unlikely of guardian angels. His back-and-forth’s with Stewart offer some of the film’s best moments. And then there is Thomas Mitchell as the absent-minded uncle Billy. The rest of the cast wonderfully brings life and personality to George’s family and Bedford Falls.
But at the end of the day this is Stewart’s show. He brings depth and personality to George Bailey and portrays him in a way that only Stewart could. He’s the charismatic engine that drives this unforgettable and utterly timeless classic. Surprisingly “It’s a Wonderful Life” wasn’t the most well reviewed movie when it was first released. But over time, especially during the Christmas season, it has earned the high praise it has so richly deserves.
Fans of the “Vacation” films have followed the Griswold family on a cross-country vacation, a European vacation, and even a Las Vegas vacation. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is arguably the funniest of the “Vacation” movies and focuses on their attempt at a “good old-fashioned family Christmas”. Of course anyone familiar with the Griswolds knows this is easier said than done, especially with the well-meaning but blundering patriarch Clark at the helm. For audiences the results are pretty hilarious.
Chevy Chase reprises his role as Clark Griswold. He’s still not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but a he’s good husband and father. As mentioned, this time he sets out to have a traditional family Christmas. That includes venturing out in the wild to find a real Christmas tree, aggressively decorating the outside of his house with Christmas lights, and inviting his parents and in-laws to his home for the holidays. Naturally Clark’s lovable ineptitude ensures that none of his ideas work out as planned, and that’s a big part of the fun.
Beverly D’Angelo returns as Clark’s ever-patient and supportive wife Ellen who (as in every “Vacation” movie) perfectly understands her husband’s propensity for overdoing things. She’s the sometimes calming voice of reason and a perfect complement to her nutty husband. Chase and D’Angelo have always had a terrific chemistry which has always been a strength in every “Vacation” movie.
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Aside from Clark and Ellen, the movie is filled with an assortment of great and infinitely quotable characters. This time around Juliette Lewis plays their daughter Audrey while Johnny Galecki plays their son Rusty. E.G. Marshall steals several scenes as Clark’s cantankerous father-in-law, Art. Doris Roberts is really good as Ellen’s boozy mother, as is John Randolph as Clark’s supportive father. There’s also William Hickey as the stogie-chomping Uncle Lewis and Mae Questel as the near-senile Aunt Bethany. They arrive later in the film but bring some big laughs with them. And how can I not mention Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Nicholas Guest as the Griswolds’ snooty next-door neighbors.
But the real stand-out is Randy Quaid as cousin Eddie, a character who has earned his pop-culture renown. He and his family show up to the Griswold home uninvited, and that’s when things really turn wacky. Eddie is a dimwitted bum and unashamed moocher, but he’s family nonetheless. Everything from his wardrobe to his mannerisms firmly fit into the ‘crazy uncle’ mold. And then Quaid throws in some zany touches all his own. It’s safe to say he doesn’t just steal scenes, he steals the movie.
Like the other films in the “series”, Clark eventually loses his mind and things go from bad to worse as every one of his good intentions blow up in his face. And we get to shamelessly laugh all the way through. At the same time, the ‘National Lampoon’ tag means you’re going to get innuendo and a handful of gags risqué enough to keep this from being what some will consider “family friendly”. But its laughs are undeniable and the script (written by the late, great John Hughes) hits nearly every note.
“Christmas Vacation” has so many scenes and just as many lines that you just can’t forget. Director Jeremiah Chechik has a blast taking so many of the familiar family and Christmas traditions and accentuating them in a way that only the Griswolds could. It’s hard to believe that “Christmas Vacation” is already 33 years old. Yet during that time the film has evolved into a perennial holiday classic. Who would’ve thought?
Christmas movies are their own special brand of films. Much of what makes them good is centered on how well they tie into this wonderful holiday season. You can’t separate them from the holiday, and their success depends on that relationship to Christmas. Jon Favreau’s “Elf” is a perfect example. Soaked with Christmas lore, “Elf” captures the sentimental spirit of Christmas within its clever and often times hilarious story. “Elf” is inseparable from Christmas and your perception of the holiday will naturally impact your perception of this movie. That’s probably why I can forgive its few flaws and appreciate it as a true holiday treat.
Will Ferrell stars which can sometimes throw up a few red flags for me. Ferrell and this movies often follow a fairly overused formula where he plays someone in an absurdly out-of-place position (see movies such as “Semi-Pro” and “Blades of Glory”). But unlike those movies, it really works here. He plays Buddy the Elf, a toymaker at Santa’s workshop in the North Pole. How’s that for a wacky fit?
But there are several noticeable differences between Buddy and his fellow elves, none more glaring than the fact that he’s 6’5 and not very good at making toys. His father, Papa Elf (hilariously played by Bob Newhart, fully decked out in a bright elf costume with green tights) decides it’s time to reveal to Buddy that he’s really a human being. Feeling uncertainty about where he truly belongs, Buddy sets out on a journey to find his real father. His quest takes him to the magical world of New York City.
Image Courtesy of New Line Cinema
It’s here that the absurdity really kicks in. Buddy arrives in the Big Apple in full elf garb where his elf mentality immediately clashes with the concrete jungle. He comes face-to-face with many new and exotic things including New York cabbies, coffee shops, and the Lincoln Tunnel. It’s often hysterical watching Buddy’s elf sensibilities smash up against big city life. The fish-out-of-water script provides plenty of funny moments. Of course it gets a little sappy at the end, and the baked-in holiday cheer means the ending is fairly predictable. But that goes hand-in-hand with Christmas movies. You pretty much know what you’re going to get.
Then there’s the terrific and committed supporting performances. I especially love James Caan as Buddy’s real father, Walter Hobbs. He’s a shrewd children’s book publisher who spends more time at work than with his wife (Mary Steenburgen) and his young son (Daniel Tay). Then there’s Zooey Deschanel as Jovie, a Gimbel’s department store worker who catches Buddy’s eye. Much like Walter, she’s in desperate need of some Christmas spirit, something that Buddy has in spades. Ed Asner is a wonderful fit as Santa Claus, and Faizon Love has several great scenes as the Gimbels toy department manager.
“Elf” is utterly absurd and unashamedly silly and I say that as a compliment. Even if you aren’t a Will Ferrell fan, he’s an absolute blast in this fun and festive holiday treat. It may be handcuffed by its Christmas movie boundaries, and it certainly dips into sentimentality at the end. But it’s such a warm and clever film; one with plenty of good gags and family-friendly laughs. It may not be up everyone’s alley. But for many, it’s a film that has become one of the “must watch” movies of the Christmas season. That’s certainly the case at our house.
It seems like only yesterday that we film critics were putting the 2021 movie year to bed and hashing out our obligatory Top 10 lists for the year. Now here we are again, sifting through everything we’ve seen over the last 365 days and choosing what we deem to be the “best” of the bunch. It’s all pretty silly but undeniably fun. As always, leaving certain films off my list was pretty agonizing. But that’s the nature of these things. So without further ado, let’s get to it. It’s time to recognize the “best” movies from 2022 (according to me, for whatever that’s worth).
So let’s kick off this annual ritual by giving some love to the terrific movies that just missed my Top 10. Here is my #11-20….
#20 – “The Fabelmans”
#19 – “Thirteen Lives”
#18 – “After Yang”
#17 – “Brian and Charles”
#16 – “The Menu”
#15 – “The Eternal Daughter”
#14 – “Avatar: The Way of Water”
#13 – “Women Talking”
#12 – “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”
#11 – “RRR”
#10 “Broker” – South Korean filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda makes movies I often love. So it’s no surprise that his latest, “Broker” ended up on this list. It’s yet another beautifully composed and constructed character study from Kore-eda. One that navigates some thorny moral ground yet is wrapped in the filmmaker’s signature warmth and grace. “Broker” has a lot going on, but Kore-eda always keeps his characters at the center. And with the help of some top-form performances, these emotionally complex characters bring humanity to this equally heartfelt and heartbreaking story.
#9 “Top Gun: Maverick” – Who knew that after 36 years a “Top Gun” sequel would gross nearly $1.5 billion at the box office? Even better, who knew it would be one of the year’s very best movies? Yet here we are with Tom Cruise reprising his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in a film that’s everything you want a blockbuster to be. And while I don’t deny the film’s nostalgic draw, Cruise and company aren’t just rehashing old material. They’ve given us a meaningful next chapter along with the best aerial fighter footage ever put on screen. It’s an jet-fueled blast from start to finish.
#8 “The Quiet Girl” – Few movies from 2022 had an affect on me quiet like “The Quiet Girl”, the astonishing feature film debut from writer-director Colm Bairéad. This tender yet subtly heartbreaking coming-of-age drama is as hushed as its young lead character (delicately played with by a wonderful newcomer, Catherine Clinch). The story’s patient, organic rhythm sucks you in, and Bairéad conveys so much information and emotion through his quiet observations. And the film ends with arguably the most crushing final shot that I’ve seen this year or in recent years. Bairéad is truly a filmmaker to watch.
#7 “The Banshees of Inisherin” – I’ve had a pretty up-and-down relationship with the films of Martin McDonagh. But I fell so hard for his latest, which turns out to be one of the funniest movies of the year and also one of the saddest. It features a brilliant ensemble ripe with awards worthy turns from Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan. But it’s all anchored by McDonagh’s brilliant screenplay which takes us to some dark and somber places yet has us laughing nearly every step of the way.
#6 “Decision to Leave” – South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook is impossible to put in a box. Case in point: his latest feature “Decision to Leave” which is arguably his best film to date. At times this juicy genre stew plays like a hard-boiled noir; other times it’s a simmering psychological romance. It can surprise you with its unexpected dark humor and move you with deep sense of longing. Its visual language is as compelling as the mystery, and the whole thing keeps us guessing throughout. It’s a hard movie to define, but that’s part of what makes it so special.
#5 “White Noise” – No movie on my list marches to its own wacky beat quite like “White Noise”. And that’s one reason I love the film so much. Noah Baumbach turns out to be the near perfect choice to tackle Don DeLillo’s “unfilmable” 1985 novel. While “White Noise” left an impression on me after seeing it the first time, it completely won me over after a second viewing. Baumbach gives us plenty to relish that is outside his normal comfort zone. But his signature humor and character work remain, giving the film the same offbeat allure that us Baumbach fans adore.
#4 “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” – I’ve always had a soft spot for the story of “Pinocchio”, and I wasn’t about to miss Guillermo del Toro’s take on the age-old tale. What I wasn’t expecting was to be completely swept away by his stunning stop-motion triumph. Nothing about the movie feels rehashed. Del Toro adds his own spins to the story, his own twists to the characters, and his own imagination to the world-building. It’s enchanting and heartfelt yet darkly funny and a bit macabre. It’s voiced to perfection, immaculately scored, and animated with painstaking detail and incredible artistry.
#3 “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood” – I’ll watch anything Richard Linklater puts out, and this year he released a movie I’ll be watching over and over again. “Apollo 10 1/2” is a smile-inducing autobiographical jaunt which beautifully braids Linklater’s own childhood memories with a surprisingly tender youthful fantasy. There really isn’t much in terms of plot. Instead, it plays like a motion picture scrapbook, and I loved every second of it. And the cool mix of rotoscope with 2D and 3D animation was icing on the cake. Now if only Netflix had promoted it!
#2 “The Batman” – I had my concerns about cranking up another Batman series/franchise. But in the film’s gritty opening scene, director Matt Reaves proved he had a fresh new take that was well worth exploring. Everything that followed clicked right into place, from the spectacular cast to the immersive world-building to the dark and ominous tone. And rather than following the stock comic book movie blueprints of today, “The Batman” falls more in line with the edgy crime thrillers of David Fincher. Overall it’s a welcomed jolt to the genre and a showcase for Reaves who has something pretty special on his hands.
#1 “All Quiet on the Western Front” – 92 years after Lewis Milestone’s 1930 film, Edward Berger has delivered a jaw-dropping remake of a landmark classic. This searing epic-scaled polemic brandishes the same scathing anti-war messaging. But Berger and DP James Friend utilize today’s technology to deliver powerful imagery both on the battlefield and on the faces of the young soldiers sent to die there. It’s a relentlessly bleak account that emphasizes the brutality and inhumanity of war, resulting in some of the most visceral battle sequences ever put to film. Yet the human cost always remains its focus. An unforgettable masterpiece.
The buzz for Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” has been deafening with most of the excitement swirling around Brendan Fraser’s lead performance. As a long-time appreciator of Fraser, it’s nice to see him back on screen with a meaty attention-getting role. I just wish he was attached to a better movie. As it is, “The Whale” sinks under its heavy theatrics, some frustrating character treatment, and occasions of off-putting insensitivity.
Penned by Samuel D. Hunter who’s adapting his own 2012 play, this stagy chamber piece is a hard movie to grasp. “The Whale” has enough baked-in subject matter to prompt quite a response, and it has a way of making us root for it. But getting past some of its questionable choices and shaky storytelling proved to be a big ask. Even worse, there’s a dull but nagging falseness to the film that no amount of melodrama could fully numb. And while Aronofsky demands our empathy (more so than earning it), his film can be as mean-spirited as it is heartbreaking.
Fraser dons pounds of latex and makeup to play a morbidly obese man with congestive heart failure named Charlie. At 600 pounds, Charlie can barely get around and is home-ridden. He teaches college classes from his couch via Zoom, but hides his appearance from his online students by saying his laptop camera is broken. Even worse, Charlie has sunken into a deep depression following the death of his partner, a former student he ran off with, deserting his wife and eight-year-old daughter. The combination of grief and guilt has driven Charlie to eat himself to death.
The entire film takes place in Charlie’s dark stuffy house which contributes to its staginess. But Fraser holds our attention through a performance that features more than just a physical transformation. He’s also the movie’s emotional core. But for someone who is in nearly every scene, it’s surprising how little we learn about Charlie from Charlie. Instead, Aronofsky leans on four supporting characters who stop by the house from time to time. It shortchanges Fraser by forcing him to sit back, watch, and react to the speechifying of others.
Easily the most interesting of the supporting characters is Liz (Hong Chau), Charlie’s lone friend and personal nurse. She’s irritable nearly to the point of being annoying early in the film. But we get a better grasp of her once the reasons for her frustrations surface. It’s a little different for Ellie (Sadie Sink), Charlie’s estranged daughter who’s still bitter because he abandoned her and her mother Mary (Samantha Moon). Sink is a terrific young actress, but Aronofsky keeps her stuck in one gear – perpetually angry and cruel to the point of being a bit robotic. It isn’t until her final scene that she’s actually given a chance to lower the temperature and show another side of her character.
The most poorly conceived character of the bunch is Thomas (Ty Simpkins), a door-to-door missionary who makes Charlie his own personal redemption project. Thomas belongs to some vague non-denominational church called New Life which is custom-made to be Aronofsky’s punching bag. It’s too easy of a target. But where Thomas’ story really goes off the rails is in the second half when Aronofsky introduces all sorts of corny, overwrought family drama. Thomas quickly goes from fairly interesting to annoying.
“The Whale” is weighed down by a few other frustrations. Take how the supporting characters unload their stories through glaringly staged monologues or confessions (their “big moments”). Or how the movie beats us to a pulp with its heavy-handed messaging rather than revealing it organically. You won’t find an ounce of subtlety anywhere.
But worst of all is how Fraser’s performance is sometimes lost under the heavy latex and makeup. Not due to anything he’s doing, but because Aronofsky’s gawking at the actor’s transformation sometimes veers too close to heartless voyeurism. There are times when the film seems to look at Charlie with disgust, which is at odds with its bigger message of finding a person’s beauty and goodness within. And no amount of hokey sentiment and emotional manipulation can fully earn our empathy, especially during the moments when the movie doesn’t seem to have any. “The Whale” is now showing in select theaters.
Keith & the Movies 