Netflix And Chill: Operation Christmas Drop (2020)

A Christmas movie that tries to maintain that seasonal feeling while being set in a very warm and non-Christmassy environment, Operation Christmas Drop has a tougher time than most making you feel the contrast of the winter chill and the fuzzy warmth of good deeds done by good people. The fact that it comes close, and certainly delivers on the latter part of that equation, is testament to the worthwhile story at the heart of it. That's not to say that it's a great film, and it still suffers in comparison to other Christmas movies that are happy to fill the screen with tropes and shots of snow-covered landscapes, but it does much better than expected at delivering a message of festive cheer.

Kat Graham plays Erica, a young woman sent from Washington to an island Air Force base, with a mission to check the efficiency there and make any recommendations for improvements (which could ultimately lead to the closure of the base). Once there, she is placed in the care of Andrew (Alexander Ludwig) AKA CLAWS, and it's not long until she sees how things are done on the island, with everyone donating their own time and talent to maintain strong relations with the many other islands in the local area. The big focus, the tradition that got the Air Force base noticed in the first place, is the upcoming Christmas air drop, with gifts and supplies being dropped during planned flights that take place at the same time as Santa might normally be making his rounds. Congresswoman Bradford (Virginia Madsen) doesn't see this as a good use of taxpayer dollars, but Erica might eventually see enough positive repercussions from the operation to be able to persuade her that the base should be allowed to carry on doing what it has been doing so well for many years already.

As is often the case with these things, writers Gregg Rossen and Brian Sawyer have a filmography overflowing with films in this vein (well, they seem to have moved between Christmas movies and a series of "Crossword Mysteries" TV films). Inspired by the real events at Andersen Air Force base, so much so that there is a lovely little cameo for Bruce Best AKA Brother Bruce, as well as photos during the end credits alongside text describing the good work done there, Rossen and Sawyer plug a familiar formula into a plot that mixes good cheer and a celebration of the oft-overlooked humanitarian work done by military personell during times they are not in any active warzone.

Director Martin Wood, much like the writers, now has a few of these movies to his credit, as well as work on a number of TV shows (including Virgin River, which everyone seems to have dived into during the past few months), and he handles the material well enough. Without any of the usual Christmas spectacles to make use of, Wood instead makes good use of a script that keeps moving between various characters, including a very cute gekko, and easily conveys the good feeling that can come from helping others in need. Which is arguably much more in line with Christmas traditions than, for example, rushing to try and get your hands on the latest best-selling toy.

The leads are as bland and "safe" as expected, although both Graham and Ludwig become more enjoyable to spend time with as they start enjoying their time together and working more as a team. Madsen makes for an enjoyable "villain" and the rest of the supporting cast includes upbeat and sweet turns from Jeff Joseph, Janet Kidder, Trezzo Mahoro, Bethany Brown, and Rohan Campbell, as well as the aforementioned Brother Bruce.

Not the best film of this kind, but very few of them get close to the top of the tree, but it's enjoyably different. I wouldn't mind seeing other films in this vein, using Christmas as a backdrop for a story that showcases the good work done by some people year in and year out, instead of the many that seem to focus on just one season bringing about a major change in the mindset of a lead character. Let me know of any obvious titles I may have forgotten, and I'll be sure to check them out.

6/10

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Netflix And Chill: The Monster (2016)

Part horror movie and part an effective study of a seriously damaged mother-daughter relationship, The Monster is yet another worthwhile horror that gets things right by ensuring that both of the main components are given the right amount of care and attention.

Zoe Kazan is Kathy, a mother driving her daughter, Lizzy (Ella Ballentine), to go and live with her father. There doesn't seem to be too much sadness about this, not from either party, and a lot of that has to do with the problems that Kathy has had with alcohol. The daughter has sometimes had to act like the parent, which has rarely been appreciated, especially when Kathy has been trying to hang on to some new asshole boyfriend. As they drive along a quiet road at night, they hit a wolf that runs out in front of them. But it seems that the wolf was running way from something. Something bigger, and much more dangerous.

Written and directed by Bryan Bertino, The Monster is so good that I'm even willing to forgive him for the awfulness of Mockingbird. It's a decent creature feature elevated by the portrait of a parent-child relationship that has already spent some time being put through the wringer, which leads to the strongest mix of love and hate that you can have in any damaged relationship.

Kazan is very good in her role, being allowed to give a performance that shows her at her worst, in a number of flashbacks were her selfish, and abusive, behaviour is shown, and also at her best. No matter how good she is, however, the star here is Ballentine, who has to consistently show a wider mix of emotions, and also a sharper mind, as the child so used to acting like the adult, with the resentment and the sadness, and maturity, that brings. There are some other characters who pop onscreen to be put in peril, but the main one is, Jesse, a roadside mechanic who has been called to the scene. Aaron Douglas gets to play this role, which is written in a slightly odd way. I'm not sure if Bertino wanted viewers to consider Jesse as a potential danger, or if he was just playing up the fact that being stuck in a broken-down car in an isolated road makes EVERYTHING seem like a potential danger, especially to a mother and young daughter. Whatever his reasons, Jesse is the one part that doesn't work as well, but that's no fault of Douglas, who does just fine.

There's not much to comment on elsewhere. The cinematography seems to have been kept slightly too dark in order to hide any flaws in the creature design (which isn't that bad, but would have been better if they had avoided showing it out in the open so often), and the music by tomandandy is far from their best work, although that is probably just my preference for some of their more bombastic numbers. The creature is interesting, imperfect in a way that still has you trying to take in some of the details, but there's really nothing else onscreen, visually, that makes a strong impression (with the exception of a very tender moment that shows Lizzy looking after her mother after some alcohol-induced illness).

Despite criticising the overall look of the film, The Monster is well worth your time. It's not a film that's wanting to give you beautiful frames and original imagery. It's a film exploring something painful and depressingly common. It's a film about parents who can act like monsters, and it just happens to also have another monster in it.

8/10

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