Sunday, December 20, 2009

Must Watch Christmas Movies & TV Shows: Drama


1. Joyeux No
el (2005)
This 2005 French film details the events of a Christmas Eve truce between the Germans,
the French, and the Scots during the winter of 1914 in this Worlmed War I story. When a
German soldier and tenor sings Silent Night in the original German in the middle of No
Man's Land, the song brings all sides together and a truce brings enemies together. But,
what are the ramifications that are spawned by this new friendship? You will have to
watch and see. Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film for 2005.

2. The Christmas Shoes (2002)
This heartwarming TV movie tells the story of a young woman (Kimberly Williams) dying
of congestive heart failure who is about to leave behind a mechanic husband and a
young son who works hard to find just the right present for his mother's last Christmas.
Also, a couple (Rob Lowe, Shirley) are having marital troubles due to the husband's
overtime at work. If you are not balling your eyes out by the end of the movie, it is time
for you to get a heart transplant.

3. One Magic Christmas (1985)
A couple (Mary Steenburgen, Gary Basaraba) is going through hard times after the town's
main source of employment lays off the husband. Wife is grumpy and feeling stressed as
the family's only source of income in a job that she hates (or at least boss that she hates),
hence, not in the Christmas spirit. Husband and kids, however, are in the Christmas spirit
and each have a dream of their own. Yet, how can they bring the Christmas spirit to
mom? Enter Gideon the Christmas Angel (Harry Dean Stanton) who, with the help of the
kids, finds a way to bring the joy of Christmas to their mom.

4. Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
This TV miniseries directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Robert Powell in the title role,
details the life of Jesus from birth to resurrection. The all-star cast includes Anne
Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, James Farentino (in his Emmy nominated performance as Simon
Peter), James Earl Jones, Sir Laurence Olivier, Anthony Quinn, and Olivia Hussey (as Jesus'
mother Mary) plus a whole lot more.




Must Watch Christmas Movies & TV Shows: Comedy

1. Home Alone (1990)
Macaulay Culkin stars as a young boy left behind by his family during the Christmas
holidays. Soon he finds himself defending the homestead against two thieves (Joe Pesci
and Daniel Stern) who have cased his neighborhood for Christmas goodies. A comedy
classic. Avoid its two sequels. Leaving your kid behind once is forgivable, more than
that...call social services.

2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Chevy Chase stars as the head of the Griswold family. All he wants is to provide the
perfect Christmas for his parents and his wife's family. Of course, not everything goes as
planned. Mayhem arises of course. Will the Griswold family have its perfect Chritstmas?
Well, you will just have to find out for yourself.




Sunday, December 6, 2009

Must Watch Christmas Movies & TV Shows: Animated


A listing of the best must watch animated Christmas movies and TV shows or specials.

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Charles Schulz's characters come to life in this animated TV feature where Charlie Brown ponders the true meaning of Christmas. Seems like everyone else is just interested in what they can get out of the holiday. This classic cartoon won the 1966 Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program, nominated for Special Classifications of Individual Achievements for writer Charles Schulz, and earned an 2002 Emmy nomination for the making of the feature.


2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Dr. Seuss' enduring story of the Christmas hating Grinch and his plan to rid himself of the holiday once and for all. Will he be able to do it? Please avoid the live action movie of the story starring Jim Carey...not a kid-friendly movie.






3. Rudolph the Re
d-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
The story of a misfit reindeer born with a big red nose is a timeless classic. Who among us hasn't felt like a misfit? Featuring narration by Burl Ives who also sings the title song.









Saturday, December 5, 2009

Must Watch Christmas Movies & TV Shows: Original Stories

The holiday season begets lots of holiday movie and TV watching. Everyone has their favorites and I know I certainly have mine. For the next few days, I will list them in various categories.

1. Original Stories: means just that. The stories are unique, have made an impact in
American culture, and have often been remade and reto
ld throughout the years.

2. Animated: Best animated movies and TV shows

3. Comedies: Makes you laugh at loud.

4. Drama: Tugs at your heart and soul.



I hope you get an opportunity to watch them.


Original Stories:


1. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
This 1946 movie was the very first movie Jimmy Stewart made after returning from World
War II. The movie received five Oscar nominations including Best Actor for Jimmy Stewart,
Best Director for Frank Capra, and Best Picture. I love this story...how one
person can really
make a difference in the life of others.




2. A Christmas Carol (various versions and years)
Charles Dic
kens' novel of a man needing a second chance to change his life. Ebenezer
Scrooge is given an opportunity to be visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. His old
business partner Jacob Marley shows him what life on the other side will look
for Scrooge
if he doesn't change his ways. The story has been retold many times in plays, musicals,
and of course in movies. The best movie versions of the story are:














a. 1951 version starring Alastair Sim
b. 1938 version starring Reginald Owen
c. 1984 TV version starring George C. Scott (nominated for an Emmy for Best Actor in
a Limited Series or Special).
d. 1999 TV version starring Patrick Stewart


3. A Christmas Story (1983)

During the depression, a boy named Ralphie only has one Christmas wish...a Red Ryder
BB gun. The only response he seems to get from his elders are "you will shoot your eye o
ut!!"
Undeterred, Ralphie works out a plan to make his Christmas wish come true. Lots of
funny moments in this movie. This movie has become so popular in the past few years,
that TNT shows this movies for 24 hours on Christmas Eve. Want a leg lamp like the one
that shows up in the movie? Yes, you can get one!!




4. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

A story about a little girl (Natalie Wood) whose mother raised her not to believe in Santa
Claus. Then enters a sweet old man named Chris who will try everything he can to make
sure the little girl believe in Santa. However, is Chris who we think he is?
Is he just a
sweet old man or is he the jolly old elf himself?






5. Holiday Inn (1942)

A fun story of two friends (Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire) who have different views on
career and life. Crosby, the singer, likes to write music and lead a more quiet life
while Astaire, a dancer, is carefree and loves attention. Crosby makes the decision
to live out in the New England countryside and decides to only work a few times a
year during major holidays. He opens up
his home to people and they celebrate
each holiday with a musical based on the theme for that holiday. The two also
compete for the affection of a lovely lady. The movie was nominated for three
Oscars for original writing, music score and won the Oscar for best song,
White Christmas
. The movie also inspired the hotel chain Holiday Inn.





6. Christmas in Connecticut (1942)

A columnist (Barbara Stanwyck) has gained a reputation for being the best homemaker
in the country (the Martha Stewart of her day). Well, it turns out that she isn't. A
problem arises when a navy man who survived an ordeal during the war returns home
and wishes to have a traditional Christmas dinner. Stanwyck's editor offers her services
not knowing that she isn't the homemaker everyone thinks she is. Mayhem arises when
she promises long-time beau to marry him in order to make use of his country home
so
they can host the sailor and she falls for the said sailor. Please avoid the 1992 TV
version starring Dyan Cannon and directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.




7. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

This classic movie features a more grown up Judy Garland transitioning from girlish
roles to a more adult role. The movie made quite an impact as it featured two great
songs, the Oscar nominated "The Trolley Song" and the Christmas classic "Have Yourself a
Merry Little Christmas." The movie was also Oscar nominated for Best Score, Best
Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. Scene stealer Margaret O'Brien
and Judy Garland
work well together in this story set in 1904 just before the opening of the St. Louis
World's Fair (the fair that introduced the ice cream cone). The Smith family are all
excited about the fair. The two eldest Smith daughters, however, have boys on their
mind especially the boy next door. Lots of wonderful music, great performances, and
great laughs. The movie was directed by Vincente Minelli. He and Garland fell in love
during the making of this movie, they eventually got married and had Liza.




Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Star Trek



The new 2009 Star Trek movie is out on DVD. I saw the movie when it came out in late spring and it certainly bumped off X-Men Origins: Wolverine from its first place spot. This version of
Star Trek certainly satisfied the needs of Star Trek fans and also brought in some new fans who were unfamiliar with the franchise. This Star Trek is action packed, has stunning visuals and special effects, great performances, and a lot of good humor.

This new movie marks the beginning of (hopefully) more Star Trek movies with a brand new cast beginning with the original characters of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Sulu (John Cho). Other characters appearing from the original are Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Sarek (Ben Cross), Amanda [Spock's mom (Wynona Ryder)], and Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). New characters added to the franchise were George and Winona Kirk as Captain Kirk's parents. The new recreated characters have more of an edge than previously.

The movie begins with an encounter with Romulans of the future meet up with the USS Kelvin where the elder Kirk is an officer and takes over as acting captain when the captain of the ship dies in the line of duty. Winona Kirk is in labor with the future captain of the Enterprise while the Kelvin is under attack. This first scene of the movie is the catalyst to the whole movie.

At the same time, we see the life experiences of James T. Kirk and Spock as children and take a peek at the people they are to become later on. We see Kirk dealing with his father's death and Spock having to deal with life as half-Vulcan and half-human. Not being fully Vulcan and not being fully human. You see both characters dealing with their own personal struggles throughout the movie.

The film is a lot more action oriented but retains its humor. If, anything, it is the humor in the film that brings people back again and again. If you are a Star Trek fan, you will find a number of references (both visual and verbal) in the film but a non-Star Trek fan would not feel lost at all. There is plenty for both types of audiences. One thing this movie seems to have been able to do is gain some new fans.

The IMAX version of this film was fantastic and was certainly made for the format. The sound and the music made the experience even better.

This movie is definitely a must see.









Thursday, September 24, 2009

Jumping off the Cliff

What is the matter with Hollywood today? They don't seem to have a creative bone in their body. No wonder the independent film industry is doing so well.

I'm watching Flash Forward on ABC and they show a commercial for a new scifi show where an alien race come to Earth and pretend to be friends at first...and then...well, you know what will happen. The name of the new show is V.

V is a remake of a 1984/85 show that only lasted for 19 episodes. Yet, it was kind of interesting. The so-called friendly human like aliens were actually lizard aliens that needed humans for food.

No doubt the remake will have a bigger budget than the original and will hopefully have better writing. The same thing happened with Battlestar Galactica. BG was a show that originated in the 80s and was brought back with a bigger budget and interesting takes on the characters (including gender changes on the original main characters).

Hollywood has ceased to take any risks whatsoever. Most of the movies coming out from there are remakes of TV series and a lot of those have been duds because the studio deviated from the formula that made those shows work in the first place, i.e. Bewitched. Even though the Brady Bunch movies were done by the original creators of the show, doing it as satire really didn't work for me at all.

Hollywood needs an influx of fresh creative blood. Hollywood needs to be overthrown with new talented and creative people who can work at making real change. Get rid of the fuddy duddy bean counters and get some people that are ready to jump off the cliff.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


This will be my very first movie review ever, so here goes nothing!!

Since the beginning of the summer movie season, I've been going to the movies with a lot more frequency than previously because I finally have a couple of buddies that I go to the movies with finally. One of them will usua
lly pop in MSN chat and ask if I want to go to see a movie with them. Sometimes we go some place to eat before the movie. I've been going to movies that usually I wouldn't have bothered to go by myself but I go for the good company. One of the movies that we went to see this summer was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.


Now, you must realize
that I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since I last saw the last Harry Potter movie. You also must know that when the last book of the Harry Potter series was published, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I purchased it but also found myself unable to read it right away because I needed to read all the previous books in the series. So, about two years ago around this time of the year, I went about the task to checking out the Harry Potter book series from beginning to end. The books are fairly easy reads and I managed to get them all read in about a month's time. My favorite place to read was the Starbuck's across the street from where I live. Usually I would enjoy a nice hot chocolate and a slice of lemon loaf while perusing through the pages.

So, you can imagine when I read the Half-Blood Prince, all the shock that I went through when one of the major characters of the book series dies and all the ensuing that occurs at the end of the book. Yes!! It was definitely
good read!! But, I was in deep shock when a major character died and I couldn't believe that J.K. Rowling would do that. So, that by the time I did get to read the last book of the series, all along I kept thinking that the character would return to life again...surely, he wasn't dead, but no, he remained very much dead.

So yes, I was expecting a lot from the movie version of the Half-Blood Prince. Oh, what a disappointment the movie was!! You must realize that for those of us who read the book, the movie was the worse one in the series. So many things wer
e left out from the book and new things that didn't happen in the book were plugged in. You've probably seen the numerous Harry Potter websites protesting the sacrilege done to the movie. The thing is that I saw this movie twice with my movie buddies, the regular movie and the 3-D. I was disappointed in the 3-D movie since I didn't know beforehand that it would only be shown on 3-D for twenty minutes at the beginning of the movie. Had I known that, I would not have forked over the $ 14.00 to view it.

The movie (unlike the book) emphasized the teenage angst between Hermione, Ron, and Lavender, as well as, Harry and Ginny's blossoming romance (a rom
ance which I never found believable in the book much less in the movie). What a waste of film!! The book emphasizes Lord Voldermort and his background but all the detail of that information was not included and it is pivotal in order to understand what happens on The Deathly Hallows. There was also a much greater mystery when it came to Harry's potions book and its previous owner the Half-Blood Prince, as well as, Malfoy's activities pertaining to his assigned mission by Lord Voldermort.

But, what cannot be forgiven, are the last scenes of the movie where a major character dies and a fierce battle at Hogwart's ensues (at least in the book). The movie ag
ain disappoints. The long awaited climax didn't happen and flopped like one big wet noodle.

What is scary is the fact that this same director will direct the two part Deathly Hallows movies. Please bring back Chris Columbus for the last movie of the series!! Please!! That is the only thing that will save the Harry Potter series movies.

Maybe the theatrical movie releases may not be the vest venue for the Harry Potter movies (though most of the movies have been very good and entertaining) but in order to do it proper justice to the books, maybe each of the Potter books would best be shown as a television miniseries.


My rating:



Below average

Saturday, August 29, 2009

What is Carlos the Critic?


Carlos the Critic is my little piece of heaven where I review movies. I am an avid movie watcher and now I have an opportunity to share that love for movies with others. My love for movies began from the time I was very young but it certainly grew after my family moved to the U.S. when I was 14 years old. I loved all the old movies that I watched on TV especially the Abbott & Costello movies, numerous classic movies, and much more. Movies have certainly embedded itself into American culture.

I will review both old and new movies, as well as, recently released and those on DVD. Rankings will be from 1 to 5 with 1 being awful and 5 being excellent.

What will I consider in making that determination? Writing, directing, performances, cinematography, etc. Comments pertaining to appropriateness for family viewing will also be made.