Netflix And Chill: A Castle For Christmas (2021)

Okay, these films still woerk within the Christmas movie formula, but there have been various extra tropes that have become popular over the past decade or so. Instead of just focusing on a successful businesswoman holidaying in a small town where she falls for a man who spends his time looking ruggedly handsome and chopping trees (replanting at least two for each one he cuts down, of course), there are many films that have our lead character falling for a charming royal, spending time in a grand estate/castle, and/or being amusingly bamboozled and warmly welcomed by the residents of a small Scottish town. A Castle For Christmas is one of these films.

Brooke Shields plays Sophie, a very successful author who has just upset most of her fanbase by killing off a very popular character. Needing to get away from everything for a while, to keep away from the angry mob and spark her creativity again, Sophie heads to Scotland, visiting a castle that she remembers being a big part of her family many years ago. The good news is that the castle is up for sale. The bad news is that it is currently owned by a grump Duke named Miles (Cary Elwes). Sophie and Miles butt heads as they negotiate moving ahead with a sale that the latter doesn't really want to see through to completion, but there's also a spark of romance there.

Written by first-timer Ally Carter and the more experienced Kim Beyer-Johnson, A Castle For Christmas is absolutely everything you want/expect it to be. It allows the stars to shine, keeps things moving towards a very Christmassy finale (of course), and fills the screen with a number of supporting characters who see the reality of the central situation before our leads do. Director Mary Lambert knows what she needs to do, and she gets the job done, helped by a cast that approach the material with plenty of enthusiasm.

Shields has fun in her role, and gets to establish her character believably enough with an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in the opening sequence (featuring a cameo from . . . Drew Barrymore). Elwes also has fun, his amusing grumpiness almost making up for his attempt to deliver his dialogue in a Scottish accent. Almost. The other good thing is that the two look well-suited to one another, and it's somewhat refreshing to watch this kind of tale based around a couple who are in their late fifties/early sixties (not that either Shields or Elwes look as rough as I will at that age). Lee Ross is good value as Thomas, a helper to the Duke, a tour guide, and general handyman, and extra fun comes from some local knitting club members who befriend our lead (the knitters played by Andi Osho, Tina Gray, Eilidh Loan, and Stephen Oswald).

It's quite bland and safe, as so many of these films are, but it's also good enough to make you smile and enjoy the distraction while you get everything prepared for your own festive celebrations. I've already watched it twice, because I first watched it last year and forgot to write up a review, and neither viewing made me resent giving it my time, although I should note that I didn't find it as enjoyable and cute to see the Drew Barrymore scenes this time around (considering her woeful lack of judgement during the recent major strike action).

6/10

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Freeway (1996)

Written and directed by Matthew Bright, Freeway is a deliriously demented riff on Little Red Riding Hood. It's sleazy, often ridiculous, and a hell of a lot of fun.

Reese Witherspoon stars as Vanessa Lutz, a young woman travelling to stay with her grandmother after her mother and stepfather are once more carted off to jail. Vanessa accepts a lift from a pleasant man named Bob (Kiefer Sutherland), but it's not long until friction develops, and Vanessa finds herself in a whole lot of trouble.

As entertaining as it is crude and obvious, Freeway is often tasteless, occasionally tense, and darkly comedic throughout. It's also polished enough to make it all more palatable, considering just how potentially dark a number of moments are. You may forget how many boxes are checked off by the time the end credits roll, but Bright includes drug addiction, prostitution, child molestation, and much more on this winding journey to grandma's house.

Witherspoon is on top form in the lead role, alternating between unbelievable naivete and tough sassiness, depending on the situation. It's a performance on a par with her turn as Tracy Flick. Sutherland is equally enjoyable, initially charming and kind before revealing a more predatory nature within. Dan Hedaya and Wolfgang Bodison are both fun as a pair of cops trying to find a serial killer, Brooke Shields does a great job as a protective wife, and Brittany Murphy adds another slightly kooky role to her long list of slightly kooky roles. In fact, with Amanda Plummer also here in a small role, the movie could easily overbalance into twitchy lunatic mode, but it doesn't.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Bright is smart enough to tie everything in to the fairytale that he's working from without overdoing everything. Most of them are hard to miss - the red jacket worn by Vanessa, the surname of a character clueing you in to their role in the story - but others are . . . . . . . okay, also hard to miss, but that doesn't matter. Overlaying the original tale with a layer of trashy fun allows it to feel enjoyably unique, even as it hits a lot of obvious beats.

Freeway isn't a film to recommend to everyone, but I recommend it to everyone anyway. If you dig it then you will REALLY dig it. If you don't then I'm sure it won't be the worst that you've sat through.
                                                                                                                                                       
9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Freeway/dp/B0000517CV/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1402535501&sr=1-3&keywords=freeway

Speed Zone (1989)

AKA Cannonball Run III. Or not.

Originally devised as a third Cannonball Run movie, Speed Zone has to settle for being a very poor distant relative to the first two movies. Thankfully, it has a role for the very likeable John Candy and that saves it from being completely unwatchable. That's not to say that, for some reason, those involved don't keep trying to make as many bad choices as possible.

The plot is as slim as it was in the previous Cannonball Run movies (that this isn't actually a sequel to but we all know that it is, really). A race across the USA allows drivers to drive various cars at illegally high speeds and everyone involved really wants to win. End of central premise. Of course, people have different motivating factors and skillsets. Matt Frewer, for example, plays a man who keeps trying to win by using his wiles as well as his driving skills. John Candy is just a nice, steady guy who reflects that in his driving style, with the lovely Donna Dixon overacting badly as his passenger. Eugene Levy may not actually drive in the race but his double-decker hairdo deserves at least some kind of consolation prize.

Directed by Jim Drake, and written by Michael Short, there just isn't enough of anything here to please fans of, well, anything. The cast includes those already mentioned plus Peter Boyle, The Smothers Brothers (two men I took an immediate dislike to, I'm afraid), Melody Anderson, Shari Belafonte, Tim Matheson, Art Hindle, Brian George, Joe Flaherty and then cameo roles for Jamie Farr, Brooke Shields, Michael Spinks, Alyssa Milano, Carl Lewis, Lee Van Cleef and some others. The automobile action isn't all that exciting, although one or two stunts do stand out as high points. Then we have the comedy content, which isn't all that great in terms of quantity and quality.

I suppose the biggest failing with Speed Zone in comparison to the Cannonball Run movies is summed up thus: The first two movies featured stars of yesteryear having a lot of fun together with one or two new faces joining in with the fun. This movie features a number of relatively "new" faces having fun with one or two stars of yesteryear joining in. That shouldn't be enough to make this such a bad movie but it is. It highlights just how much great chemistry, charisma and goodwill was thrown onscreen during the first two movies.

If you're an obsessive completist then you'll still want to get a hold of this but I don't recommend it (and I'm the guy who bought Jaws: The Revenge on DVD because I had the preceding three movies).

4/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cannonball-Candy-Brooke-Shields-Region/dp/B003JNTCP4/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1336394781&sr=1-1