5 Phenomenal Christmas Movie Santas

December 25, 2020 by Keith Garlington

Christmas is here which means Christmas movies are everywhere. In the spirit of the season I thought it would be fun to look back at an older Phenomenal 5 that I originally published in 2013. One that focuses on a signature yuletide character. Of course I’m talking about Santa Claus. So today I’m revisiting five of the very best Santas from cinema. Now obviously with so many to consider I wouldn’t call this the definitive list. But I have no trouble recognizing these five jolly old elves as nothing short of phenomenal.

#5 – Tim Allen (“The Santa Clause”)

While I’m not a big fan of this series of movies as a whole, I do really enjoy the first film. “The Santa Clause” tells the story of a selfish father named Scott Calvin who through a nutty accident inherits the position as Santa Claus. Of course a lot of things come with that role – a big round belly, a snow-white beard, etc. Allen is great showing us his character’s transformation from a self-absorbed slug to a loving, caring father and ultimately Jolly Old Saint Nick.

#4 – Ed Asner (“Elf”)

He’s certainly not the main draw in “Elf”, but Ed Asner’s performance as Santa Claus is a key ingredient to this movie’s success. Asner never winks at the camera. Instead he seems completely invested which accounts for some really funny moments. He not only looks the part but he carries himself just as you would imagine his character would. There are several good moments as he manages things at the North Pole but also when his sleigh crash lands in Central Park. Fun and fitting – that is how I would describe Asner’s portrayal.

#3 – Tom Hanks (“The Polar Express”)

I know some people have problems with Robert Zemeckis’ motion-captured animated film “The Polar Express”. Not me. I’m a fan and it has become one of our holiday favorites. And while he doesn’t appear until the very end of the film, Tom Hanks is a wonderful Santa Claus. What makes him such a great Santa has a lot to do with the buildup. The film truly creates a larger than life, jaw-dropping perception of Santa and we the audience see him through the awe-struck eyes of those children. The animation is gorgeous and Hanks fits the picture perfectly.

#2 – Jeff Gillen (“A Christmas Story”)

How can a movie Santa Claus who only appears for 3 minutes of a film have such a prominent position on this list? Easy – when he gives us such a hilarious and utterly timeless scene. This is what Jeff Gillen does in the modern holiday classic “A Christmas Story”. His tired and grumpy department store Santa grows more and more irritable as he approaches the end of his Christmas Eve shift. Grumbling elves and Gillen’s bored and dismissive delivery doesn’t provide young Ralphie with the best experience, but it sure is a load of fun for us.

#1 – Edmund Gwenn (“Miracle on 34th Street”)

Let’s be honest, who else could be number one? In my book Edmund Gwenn’s fabulous portrayal of Santa Claus is the perfect blueprint for how to play the character. Gwenn’s Oscar-winning performance still stands out today and from the first moment you see his Kris Kringle you can’t help but be drawn to him. He has the demeanor, the cheer, the charisma, the childlike exuberance. And with the exception of one old grump, he makes everyone around him happier and every circumstance better. Edmund Gwenn embodies the character to absolute perfection and he is unquestionably the best movie Santa Claus.

So what do you think of my list? Agree or disagree with my choices? Please take time to share your choices in the comments section below. And of course…Merry Christmas!

REVIEW: “Wonder Woman 1984” (2020)

December 24, 2020 by Keith Garlington

2020 began with a number of exciting blockbusters scheduled for release. But then COVID-19 hit leading to one disappointing postponement after another. Warner Bros. was bold enough to test the big screen waters in early September with Christopher Nolan’s big budget mindbender “Tenet”. But its sagging box office numbers showed other studios that many anxious moviegoers simply weren’t comfortable returning to the theaters. That proved to be the final nail in the coffin for 2020 Hollywood tent-poles.

Well, it was ‘almost’ the final nail. “Wonder Woman 1984” was still slated for a Christmas Day release but in this crazy year nothing is for certain. And then came the earth-shaking announcement that Warner Bros. would be releasing its entire lineup of delayed 2020 movies throughout 2021 in theaters and on the HBO Max streaming platform on the same day. They went on to say the move was kicking off with “WW84” on December 25th. And just like that one of the year’s most anticipated blockbusters was only a few weeks away.

Making a sequel to 2017’s “Wonder Woman” was never going to be easy. Minus its bombastic CGI-heavy finale, the first film is easily in the top-tier of the superhero genre. It was a movie that entertained and inspired; one that felt remarkably fresh yet captured the essence of its comic book source material. It was wonderfully directed by Patty Jenkins who became the first woman to direct a major American superhero flick. And of course it starred the impeccably cast Gal Gadot who instantly became Wonder Woman, not just for a new generation but for old die-hards as well.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.

All of that brings me to the long-awaited sequel, “Wonder Woman 1984”. Most of the key ingredients for a fun and exhilarating follow-up are back. It again sees Patty Jenkins directing and co-writing. It sees Gal Gadot returning as the film’s titular character. It still inspires and in its own unique way still feels fresh. But sadly this time around too many things don’t click. Too many good ideas simply don’t come together. And it can’t quite reach its own lofty ambitions. In the end “WW84” left me fascinated yet baffled; entertained but ultimately disappointed.

“Wonder Woman 1984” is a strange movie. I don’t know how else to put it. It’s strange in terms of story, in terms of structure, in terms of tone. It tries to do so much but it struggles to balance it all. So we end up getting its ideas in segmented chunks. First we get a lengthy prologue set in Themyscira. Next it spends time having fun with its main story’s 1980’s setting. Then it reintroduces Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor who does the ‘fish out of water’ thing. Then it takes its serious turn leading to its inevitable action-packed finish. The nostalgic 80’s playfulness and quirky sense of humor is pretty much restricted to the first half and then all but vanishes in the film’s more serious second leg.

After the prologue which is basically there to lay out the story’s main theme, the timeline shifts to 1984. Diana Prince (Gadot) now works as a head anthropologist at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. She still fights crime on the side as Wonder Woman but keeps a low profile (somehow no one has noticed her? No one?). Some of the film’s more moving moments are when it emphasizes Diana’s loneliness. Despite her prominent position at the museum and a beauty untouched by age that grabs the attention of countless men (crappy ones included), Diana remains isolated and heartbroken, still feeling the loss of her boyfriend Steve from decades earlier.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Diana sympathetically befriends a sheepish new co-worker named Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig). Her character is a fairly familiar one for people who have watched superhero movies. She’s awkward and insecure; a bit nerdy and basically overlooked by everyone other than Diana. Think Jamie Foxx’s Electro or Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy. While discussing a believed-to-be worthless rock, Diana and Barbara unwittingly trigger the stone’s wish-granting properties. Diana wishes that Steve was alive while Barbara wishes she had Diana’s beauty and strength, not knowing that Diana was actually a super-powered Amazon.

One person who does know the stone’s power is failing businessman and television huckster Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal). He manipulates Barbara and is able to secure the stone for himself. He then wishes to be the very embodiment of the stone giving him the power to grant people’s wishes and taking whatever he wants as payment. Pascal makes for a deliciously campy megalomaniac especially in his early scenes. Unfortunately he loses some of his appeal once the film tosses aside its sense of humor.

Wiig is really good channeling the two sides of Barbara. She delivers several good laughs as the timid yet slyly charming outcast and then has a blast as the super confident “apex predator” who grows more and more enamored with her new self. Meanwhile Diana’s wish comes true when Steve’s soul returns in another man’s body. Visually we basically see what Diana sees in her heart which means we see Chris Pine. There are so many obvious questions about this that the movie avoids. Basically Pine is here for comic relief and only in the later scenes does he become something more than a punchline. Ultimately his value as a character is seen in how he changes Diana. How his very presence brings her the joy and happiness she’s been missing. And how the thought of losing him is more than she can bear. So while Pine is clowning it’s Gadot who gives us our emotional connection.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.

The story takes its serious turn as Lord becomes obsessed with gaining (of course) more power. “Why not more? Why not wish for more?” He begins targeting world leaders, granting their wishes then broadsiding them with his demands (the film has some fun dabbling in the world politics of 1984). And the further he pushes his lust for control the closer society comes to a full-on collapse. Sadly Wiig gets back-burned during most of this with Barbara basically reserved for action scene duty and not much more. And then there is the ending. Absolutely no spoilers here, but let’s just say it leaves glaring questions that seem like oversights rather than narrative choices.

In one sense I absolutely love the look of the film. Some of the DC movies have been criticized for their dark and gloomy palettes. Not this one. “WW84” is bright and vibrant. Its colors pop off the screen in ways fitting of its neon-loving 80’s setting. But then you get to the special effects, a head-scratching mixed bag of bad character design (sorry Cheetah) to jarringly obvious CGI. It stands out most when Diana is running at super high speeds. Her motions are strangely out of whack, as if she were running in place on a stage and then digitally added to the scene. While there isn’t a ton of action in “WW84”, we do get a couple of exciting scenes, one in a shopping mall and one in the White House, that helps overlook the rougher stuff.

To be clear I did like “WW84”. I like its big-hearted and hopeful message. I still love Patty Jenkins. I still think Gal Gadot is some of the best casting in the entire superhero genre. She carries the movie with an effortless grace. It’s some of the moving parts and the shaky structure around her that unavoidably leaves this feeling like a letdown. Still, there is real entertainment value in breezy big-budget escapism especially after a year like 2020. “WW84” certainly supplies that. But after the greatness of the first film, don’t blame us for expecting more. “Wonder Woman 1984” premieres Christmas day in theaters and on HBO Max.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

REVIEW: “News of the World” (2020)

December 23, 2020 by Keith Garlington

In the crazy world of cinema a seasoned actor or actress can sometimes find themselves inextricably bound to their big screen personas. In other words they can build such a reputation through their characters that they create a very specific appeal that audiences gravitate towards. Tom Hanks is one such actor. The latter half of his career has seen Hanks turn decency into a signature as he consistently turns in one sturdy good-guy role after another.

Some actors have bucked their on-screen image to great effect. Look no further than Henry Fonda in Sergio Leone’s classic “Once Upon a Time in the West”. Shocked audiences didn’t see the blue-eyed big screen nice guy they were accustomed to. Instead they saw Fonda playing a menacing cold-blooded killer. But for Hanks it has become a genuine asset – a dependable hallmark that he has used to bring to life an assortment of memorable and endearing characters. This has never been more true than in his latest film “News of the World”.

The film sees Hanks reteaming with director Paul Greengrass. The two previously worked together on 2013’s Oscar-nominated “Captain Phillips”. Instead of the high seas this time they head to the Old West some five years after the end of the Civil War. Hanks plays Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a Confederate war veteran who now travels from town to town sharing news stories from around the world. Captain Kidd is a bit of a lost soul, haunted by demons from his past and burdened by feelings of guilt and regret. Constantly moving keeps his pain on his heels and reading the stories of others keeps him from dwelling on his own. Interestingly his melancholy and sorrow isn’t obvious right away. Kidd hides it well, but Hanks’ sad, world-weary eyes speaks volumes.

Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures

After an evening reading in Wichita Falls, Texas the Captain heads out for his next destination, coming across a wagon wreckage along the way. Among it he finds the body of a black soldier lynched by racist locals as a message to anyone who dares to challenge their pungent ideologies. He also finds a fair-skinned blonde-haired little girl, distraught and speaking no English (she’s played by the dazzling German actress Helena Zengel). The Captain discovers her paperwork and learns her name is Johanna and that the soldier was transporting her south to her Aunt and Uncle in Castroville. The papers say she was kidnapped as a child and raised by the same Kiowa tribe who killed her immigrant birth parents and sister. But now she’s twice orphaned and has fallen through the crack separating two very different cultures.

Kidd refuses to leave the girl behind, and after getting the runaround at an army outpost in Dallas he commits to taking her to Castroville himself. So the two unlikely companions set out on a 400-mile trek across a lawless Reconstruction-era Texas, crossing paths with an assortment of unsavory types. Greengrass uses their journey as a means to develop a touching human bond. But he also uses it to explore the complex anatomy of a turbulent America; one in the throes of some ugly and often violent growing pains. All while making some keen observations about our country’s modern day complexion.

It becomes evident over time that both Captain and Johanna are meant to represent a wounded and fractured nation. But there are so many more layers to their individual characters and their uncommon relationship. The script (written by Greengrass and Luke Davies and adapted from a 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles) portrays both as tragic figures, each alone in a hard and unforgiving world. Yet their attachment grows with each ugly encounter and dangerous hardship (and there are several).

Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures

One comes when they cross paths with a thug (Michael Angelo Covino) who offers to “buy” Johanna. He doesn’t take kindly to being told “no” which leads to the film’s action high mark – a thrilling and brilliantly devised shootout set on a jagged rocky hillside. Another is when they cross into a county ran by an oppressive and bigoted gang leader named Farley (a convincingly vile Thomas Francis Murphy). A tension-soaked sequence follows that speaks to our current issue of truth versus propaganda. Thankfully there are some helpful hands along the way and they’re nicely played by some wonderful familiar faces including Ray McKinnon and Elizabeth Marvel.

“News of the World” simmers with current day relevancy, but it very much looks and feels like a classic Hollywood Western in large part thanks to cinematographer Dariusz Wolski. Perhaps best known for his collaborations with Ridley Scott, Wolski brings a painterly beauty to the sparse rugged territory and some of his images would feel right at home in a John Ford picture. And whether his camera is in a cramped dimly lit room full of news-hungry townsfolk or gazing over a sprawling countryside without a person in sight, his compositions crackle with life and sharp period detail.

It’s hard to believe that this is the first Western Tom Hanks has ever made. He’s such a natural fit especially at this stage of his career. But what a wonderful time for him to jump into the genre and what a great film for him to call his first. In addition to being wonderfully made and exceptionally well acted, “News of the World” is such a timely movie. Its like a soothing balm that comes at the end of a year that’s been full of division, strife, and distrust. Yet here we have a movie about the simple value of showing compassion and doing the right thing. A tender and heartfelt story about finding peace in the most unexpected of places. Yes the film prompted me to ponder our society both past and present. But it also left me with my heart full, which is feeling I welcome after a year like 2020. “News of the World” opens Christmas Day only in theaters.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

First Glance: “The Little Things”

December 22, 2020 by Keith Garlington

What a fun day! Warner Bros. dropped the first trailer for one of my most anticipated films, John Lee Hancock’s “The Little Things”. I loved Hancock’s last two movies 2016’s “The Founder” and 2019’s “The Highwaymen”. But the big draw here is the cast led by three Oscar winners, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, and one of my all-time favorites Denzel Washington. Personally I’ll see anything Denzel does, but all of these extra ingredients only adds to the excitement.

“The Little Things” looks to be a gritty crime thriller that sees Washington playing a Kern County Deputy Sheriff who joins up with a Los Angeles police detective (Malek) in hunting down a brutal serial killer. Their methods clash a bit and tensions rise especially when the slippery prime suspect (played by Leto) begins playing his games. The screenplay is written by Hancock and the glimpses we get of John Schwartzman’s cinematography hint at a dark, moody tone. I can’t wait!

“The Little Things” opens January 29th, 2021 in theaters and on HBO Max. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Another Round” (2020)

December 22, 2020 by Keith Garlington

Filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg and actor Mads Mikkelsen struck gold with 2012’s “The Hunt”, a searing drama about a man wrongfully accused of sexually abusing a child and the hysteria that engulfs a small close-knit community as a result. The two team-up again for “Another Round”, an absorbing character study about middle-aged disillusionment and another home-run for the Danish duo.

A large part of the film was shaped by a personal tragedy. The movie was original set to star Vinterberg’s 19-year-old daughter Ida. But just four days into filming Ida was killed in a car accident. Utterly devastated but determined to make his movie in honor of his daughter, Vinterberg reworked the script with co-writer Tobias Lindholm and made what is “Another Round”. Vinterberg’s goal was to change it to something “life-affirming”, but you can’t miss the undercurrent of sadness that’s felt from the film’s pre-title montage to its exhilarating yet heartbreaking final scene.

Mikkelsen has always been an actor able to root out the inner complexities and conflicts of his characters. Here he is magnificent playing a high school history teacher named Martin. Mikkselsen’s emotionally detailed performance reveals a detached man, his eyes lightless, melancholy etched into every expression. Martin is in the throes of a midlife crisis, stuck in a mire of unfulfillment and uncertainty. “I don’t know how I ended up like this,” he laments. He’s lost his fire both at school and at home. His grades-conscious students notice it, even putting together an intervention of sorts. His wife Anika (Maria Bonnevie) also notices and is constantly taking on night shifts at work (you get the sense it’s to get away from her husband).

Image Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films

One evening Martin and fellow teachers Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen) and Peter (Lars Ranthe) attend a birthday dinner for friend and colleague Nikolaj (Magnus Millang). After some needling Martin agrees to join them for some light drinking. As the four begin loosening up Nikolaj shares a hypothesis from Norwegian psychologist Finn Skårderund. His idea was that the blood alcohol content in humans is 0.05% too low and that light day drinking would lead to “increased social and professional performance.” Martin has reached a point where he’s willing to try anything so the four decide to test Skårderund’s theory.

First they set the rules for their cockeyed social experiment. It would consist of daily alcohol consumption maintaining but not exceeding 0.05% BAC. There would be no drinking after 8:00 PM and none on weekends. Throughout the ‘experiment’ each would take notes and report back with the results. Their sets of rules and procedures attempt to give it all a sense of legitimacy, but it’s clear each are trying to fill holes in their individual lives. For a desperate Martin it’s about being able to feel again; about finding the zest for life he once had. It’s about rekindling the relationship with his wife and rediscovering his enthusiasm for the classroom. In other words, for Martin it’s about living again.

It’s really a nutty premise, the kind Hollywood is almost certain to remake and probably botch. But it works here because Vinterberg isn’t as enthralled with the concept as much as he is the people involved. Even when the movie ventures into black comedy territory, Vinterberg’s focus is set firmly on Martin and the other characters. And as silly as the concept sounds, it opens up the characters in a number of surprisingly intimate ways, allowing us to see deeper inside them. This is where the acting shines brightest, especially from Mikkelsen who gives a subdued yet full-bodied performance that can be darkly funny but that is undergirded with an unshakable sense of tragedy.

Image Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films

Interestingly (and wisely) Vinterberg doesn’t judge the four men or their actions. In fact he even hints that there may be some truth to Skårderund’s wild theory after the buzzed teachers begin seeing success both at work and at home (I guess there are reasons for the nicknames “spirits” and “liquid courage”). Also the experiment brings the friends closer together than they’ve ever been. At the same time Vinterberg subtly reminds us that the potential consequences, both personal and professional, are enormous. This becomes even clearer when the four begin stretching their own rules by increasing their daily intake. We know they’re in a precarious position and the tightrope they’re walking could snap at any moment.

I’m still astonished by how effectively Vinterberg brings all of his parts together to make something playful yet perilous; something that sounds absurd but ends up being as captivating as it is provocative. And despite its smattering of dark humor, you can’t miss the elements of Vinterberg’s real-life personal anguish that permeates scene after scene. And what better actor to soulfully channel it than Mads Mikkelsen who (here I go again) gives what’s easily one of the year’s best performances.

For the most part there isn’t a lot of variety when it comes to movies strictly about drinking alcohol. There are your care-free party movies full of boozing but often free of consequences and repercussions. The others are usually sad somber tales of people languishing in the grip of alcoholism. “Another Round” nimbly finds its place somewhere in the middle. It fully acknowledges the pleasures and appeal of drinking for some people. At the same time the film shows that the gap between social drinking and dependency can close quicker than you think. And while a couple of glasses of wine may loosen you up, it’s no cure for deep-seated psychological pain. And in the end that pain is what “Another Round” is most interested in exploring.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Monster Hunter” (2020)

December 21, 2020 by Keith Garlington

Writer-director Paul W. S. Anderson and actress Milla Jovovich are no strangers to movies based on video games. The husband and wife first met in 2002 on the set of “Resident Evil”, an action-horror flick based on Capcom’s popular video game franchise. Since then the two have collaborated in some way on five sequels. And while I would never be so bold as to call those films “great”, they are very honest and self-aware and are made with a very particular audience in mind.

Their latest video game-to-big screen venture is “Monster Hunter”, yet another popular Capcom franchise but one lacking the movie genre allure of something like “Resident Evil”. Still it caters to the same audience and will likely live or die based on how that group turns out for it. That’s because there’s simply not much there for those with no connections to the games or for anyone in need of the slightest bit of depth. “Monster Hunter” is far more interested in cranking up a new franchise than creating relatable well-conceived characters and giving them a good story to tell.

Photo Courtesy of Screen Gems

Jovovich stars as Captain Natalie Artemis, a US Army Ranger and head of a United Nations joint task force. She leads a team of interesting faces but dull and forgettable personalities who sport macho military handles like Axe, Link, Dealer, and Dash. And if you’re interested in learning more about them, don’t be. “Monster Hunter” certainly isn’t. Instead all we get is some laughably bad soldier banter. Nothing of substance. Even Jovovich’s Artemis, the clear star of the movie, is paper-thin and woefully underwritten. All we’re allowed to learn about her is that she’s tough, she can fight, and she can adapt. That’s it.

Stationed in some unidentified desert country, Artemis and her unit are sent out to find Bravo Team who never reported back following their last patrol. During their search they encounter a sandstorm that’s actually hiding a mysterious portal. In a snap the team is sucked in and transported to another dimension. One with a considerably vaster desert and one massive creature who doesn’t like trespassers. The outmatched soldiers quickly learn they don’t have the firepower to fight such a beast so they hightail it towards a lone rocky island in the ocean of sand with the mammoth monster nipping at their heels.

As they tend to do in movies like this, the team members are picked off one by one. Meanwhile on the rocky refuge (yea right) is Tony Jaa playing a character simply called the Hunter. He spends the first half of the movie jumping from boulder to boulder watching Artemis and her team in various states of peril and shooting the occasional exploding arrow at a monster. When Artemis is the only one left, the Hunter (who has been stranded there for who knows how long) reveals himself, not with a handshake and a “help me get off this rock.” Instead his first impulse is to attack her which leads to a pointless series of fight scenes that just delay their inevitable come-together moment. That’s the only way to kill the sand monster and to find a way home. Oh, and there’s that ominous tower in the distance that’s sure to have some part in all of this, right?

Sarcasm and snark aside, “Monster Hunter” actually delivers exactly what it promises and criticizing it for not delivering more seems a little unfair. It’s silly, bombastic, get-away entertainment. Nothing more, nothing less. Anderson and his effects team put together some really impressive set pieces and visually there are a lot of interesting things going on. And later the film opens up some intriguing new environments. Also Anderson seems to have a real reverence for his source material. His film drips with fan service from the sets, the monsters, the weapons, the attire. And can we take a quick second to appreciate Ron Perlman who shows up later with the most hilariously dreadful wig I’ve ever seen in a movie (and yes, I’m counting that as a plus).

Photo Courtesy of Screen Gems

But I also can’t begrudge anyone who wants interesting characters or some semblance of a coherent story. There are a few decent moments between Jovovich and Jaa when the film briefly turns into a buddy survival adventure. But otherwise the story leaves nothing worth talking about. And you can bet its eye-rolling non-ending will leave some feeling annoyed and unsatisfied. And while the creature effects and bigger set pieces range from good to great, some of the more up-close action must have been hacked to pieces in the editing room. The frantic quick-cuts make the scenes borderline indecipherable.

While I am an unapologetic player and appreciator of video games, they don’t exactly have a glowing track record when it comes to big screen adaptations. I don’t think “Monster Hunter” will do much to change that. But honestly I don’t think Anderson and company care. They’ve set out to make a certain kind of movie for a certain kind of moviegoer. If nothing else, some people will enjoy it just for the non-stop action and CGI spectacle. But that doesn’t hide the glaring lack of story and character development. Or the frustrating non-ending that seems much more interested in teasing a future movie rather than finishing this one. “Monster Hunter” is now showing in theaters.