The Family Stone (2005)

I am not sure whether it is the streaming effect or whether people genuinely hold this film in high esteem, but 2023 was the year that I finally couldn’t seem to avoid seeing The Family Stone mentioned as a standard Christmas movie favourite for many people. So I figured I should see what all the fuss is about. I am still none the wiser, despite some good moments here and there that either deliver chuckles or tug on the heart-strings. 

Dermot Mulroney plays Everett, a young man who decides to take his girlfriend along to the usual family Christmas. The problem is that his girlfriend, Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker), seems a bit uptight and prone to confuse herself while stressed. This amuses some of the family, but also eventually causes them to become upset as Meredith appears to display some horrible bigotry. Things get messier and messier, not helped by Everett’s brother, Ben (Luke Wilson), taking a shine to Meredith while her sister, Julie (Claire Danes), proves to be quite a surprise distraction for Everett.

Written and directed by Thomas Bezucha, The Family Stone has plenty of snow, a number of Christmas traditions, and a final scene that underlines the good intentions it was aiming for. Unfortunately, it also has a bunch of people who seem quite horrible, either unprompted or due to the escalating circumstances they’re caught up in, and it’s hard to find anyone to fully care about. I am not sure that I wanted anyone here to have a happy ending, and the tone fails to get the balance of sweet and sour right.

The cast aren’t bad, and they all do what they can to elevate the material they have to work with. Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson are absolute highlights, the mother and father trying to maintain order as things start to slip further and further out of control. Parker can do uptight and stressed very well, and she manages to become more likable when she finally gets a chance to relax as she continues to struggle with her own awkwardness. Mulroney and Wilson feel well-suited to their respective roles, Danes shines in a way that will have many viewers questioning why she never got enough huge movie roles, Rachel McAdams is irritatingly bratty, and there are fleetingly worthwhile moments for Tyrone Giordano, Brian White, Elizabeth Reaser, and Paul Schneider.

I cannot say I disliked this, the cast alone kept it watchable and more entertaining than it otherwise would have been, but I also cannot say that I actually liked it. The whole thing has a mean spirit that doesn’t feel counter-balanced by enough festive cheer, and it’s strange to watch such an ensemble cast of characters that only have a few people you hope have a relatively happy ending.

I already know that many people feel different to me on this one. I hope there are maybe some others who agree with me though, if only to make me feel less like I am taking crazy pills for being so disappointed with it.

5/10

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Prime Time: Dark Harvest (2023)

Based on what seems to be quite a popular YA book by Norman Partridge, Dark Harvest is a film with some nice moments of Halloween atmosphere to it, but not much else.

There’s a small town with a strange and deadly tradition that involves forcing a number of young men to fast before setting them on the task of stopping a supernatural creature named Sawtooth Jack getting from the cornfield to the town church. Many will die, but one person will be a victorious hero, allowing them to leave town and enjoy a much better life. Richie (Casey Likes) isn’t supposed to take part in the event, only one family member takes a turn and his older brother already won, and has been gone since that time, but he decides to break the rules, assisted by a young woman named Kelly (Emyri Crutchfield). As the night goes on, Richie starts to become more curious about the creation of Sawtooth Jack. There may be more than just a hibernating “demon” coming out into the open tonight.

Directed by David Slade, a director who came out swinging almost two decades ago with a double-whammy of Hard Candy and then the cinematic adaptation of 30 Days Of Night, Dark Harvest has a style and cool visual palette that feels very much in line with the cinematic signature of Slade, but it’s lacking something essential in the script.

The person responsible for getting this from novel to script form is Michael Gilio. Gilio was one part of the writing team responsible for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves, but he clearly works better with others than he does on his own. While some individual elements here work, mainly the scenes that put atmosphere ahead of the plot, most of the film is a disappointing mess, with poor explanations and unbelievable motivations built on a central idea that isn’t given enough proper care and attention. The script is a weak foundation, and nothing stays settled for too long before collapsing. The third act is fumbled and wobbly, undercutting a finale that ends up having no impact whatsoever.

It doesn’t help that the casting feels misjudged. Crutchfield is excellent, and it’s usually good to see Jeremy Davies (who plays the father to our lead) onscreen, but nobody else makes a strong impression. So it all rests on the shoulders of Likes, but Likes isn’t captivating enough to keep things watchable. If you can watch this without being bored at least once then please let me know your secret.

I cannot recommend this, and I really wish I could, but it at least has some great seasonal atmosphere running through it, and there are a few individual scenes that I really enjoyed (all of them involving Sawtooth Jack, a well-realised creation you might end up rooting for more than anyone else onscreen). Disappointing, but certainly not unwatchable.

4/10

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Netflix And Chill: Ouija: Origin Of Evil (2016)

I had heard that this prequel to Ouija was actually quite a good horror movie but I just couldn't bring myself to give it a watch before now. Yes, it was directed by Mike Flanagan, who also co-wrote the script with Jeff Howard, but it was a prequel to Ouija, which was just crap. I should have had faith, in both the people who advised me that I would enjoy this film and the talent of Flanagan (who hasn't done anything yet that I have really disliked).

Set in the 1960s, this is the tale of a widow (Lina Zander, played by Annalise Basso) and her two daughters (Alice, played by Elizabeth Reaser, and Doris, played by Lulu Wilson). Lina offers readings to people in order to make money, helped by her daughters (who hide away and help to create the effects that show contact has been made with the spirit world), and it looks like they can add to the whole performance when they find an old Ouija board. Unfortunately, they break a number of the golden rules, which lets an evil force into their lives, communicating to everyone through young Doris.

There are a number of jump scares here, and a number of absolutely predictable moments (one or two repeated from the first film), but Flanagan also knows how to just creep viewers out. Once the opening act of the movie is done, with characters established and the Ouija board made use of, things start to get freaky very quickly. And the scares are all the better because of being grounded in a film that feels close enough to something from at least a few decades ago. This may not be a 100% accurate period film but there are enough touches, from the opening credits to the appearance of the film (even including added "cigarette burns" for extra authenticity), to make it feel like something you would have caught in the early days of VHS.

The performances are all excellent, with Basso, Reaser, and Wilson wonderful in their individual turns and also as a strained family unit, and there's a fine supporting turn from Henry Thomas, playing a priest/teacher who helps the family figure out just how bad things are for them. Parker Mack may be the least of the central cast members, playing the young man, Mikey, who is forging a relationship with Alice, but he is also good in his role.

A couple of visual tricks may be overdone, although the white-eyed and gaping-mouthed look never stops being scary to me, and there's obviously the fact that those who watched the first film will know how things should play out, but none of that stops Ouija: Origin Of Evil being a surprisingly brilliant mainstream horror that manages to hit the beats that it has to while also providing a few hair-raising surprises along the way.

Although you can watch this, and enjoy it, by itself, I still grudgingly encourage others to watch the first film first, if only to give you more appreciation when you then see how Flanagan and Howard tied things together here.

8/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.