A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)

I think we just have to accept by now that A Christmas Story will never be the seasonal staple here in the UK that it is over in America. I have been a fan ever since I eventually made time for it, and I was aware that it was far from the only film to be based on source material written by Jean Shepherd. I became aware of this film a couple of years ago, but was hesitant to make time for it. After all, what could possibly feel like a worthwhile continuation of the original story? Especially after we already had A Christmas Story 2.

Not only does Peter Billingsley return to play Ralphie Parker, now a grown man with a family of his own, he also worked with Nick Schenk on writing the screenplay. I cannot tell you if there was more to source from Shepherd's work, but I can say that this feels nicely in line with the first film.

It's the first Christmas since the passing of his father, and all Ralphie wants to do is make it a wonderful time for his family (wife, Sandy, played by Erinn Hayes, and kids, Mark and Julie, played respectively by River Drosche and Julianna Layne). He is passed along a number of responsibilities by his mother (Julie Hagerty), also spends time trying to become a published writer, and reconnects with some old friends (including Flick, once again played by Scott Schwartz).

Director Clay Kaytis knows what he's doing with this material. Having previously worked on a more modern take on Christmas lore, The Christmas Chronicles, which had the major benefit of being a star vehicle for Kurt Russell, he easily settles into the cosiness of the '70s setting here. It's a chance to make use of some nostalgia (both for the time period and the original movie) and show that, despite the many changes in tech and shopping methods, the pressures of Christmas remain the same for those wanting their families to have the best time. Nothing here is very high stakes, yet we all know that it's a huge deal for Ralphie, which makes it a huge deal for those accompanying him on his journey.

Billingsley does a fantastic job in the lead role, avoiding immaturity while also being helped by memories and callbacks to keep reminding us of the very famous boy he once was. Hayes, Drosche, and Layne are a very enjoyable family unit, Hagerty is a delightful mum (as she always has that certain Hagerty softness as an inextricable part of her personality), and it's great to see Schwartz, RD Robb, and even Zack Ward returning to portray the adult incarnations of their characters they last portrayed back in 1983.

It's different enough from the original movie to avoid feeling stale, particularly when we're now getting the viewpoint of the adult who can still vividly remember his childhood Christmas experiences, but full of references and little details that keep it strongly connected to that holiday classic in all the right ways. It also helps itself by not maintaining a tone that is in line with the first one; funny, gentle, and sweet, even dipping into schmaltz occasionally (which is easier to forgive here when it feels earned). 

7/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Witness Infection (2020)

A comedy horror movie that is neither funny enough nor scary enough, and doesn't even do a good enough job with some lashings of gore and carnage, Witness Infection is almost a textbook example of how NOT to deliver a zombie comedy. The fact that it is written by two of the stars should have set my Spidey-sense tingling.

Robert Belushi plays Carlo, a nice young man who happens to be the son of a mobster (played by Carlos Alazraqui). He has a brother (Dominic, played by Bret Ernst) who is more at ease with their mobster status, but Carlo is required to marry his brother's girlfriend (Patricia, played by Erinn Hayes) in order to make peace between his family and that of a rival mobster (played by Maurice LaMarche). Carlo puts his foot down, but his timing couldn't be worse. Some bad sausage has created an outbreak of zombiefication.

I've previously seen The Funhouse Massacre from director Andy Palmer, which showed that he could make an enjoyable comedy horror movie, but this film makes him look a lot less competent, and a lot of that is down to the script, although a few of the performances also don't help matters. Written by Alazraqui and Jill-Michele Melean, this is a film that seems to have been written by two people who have only ever seen the weaker movies in the zombie sub-genre. Or maybe they just watched Cooties (which I know many people liked more than I did) and figured that was enough research to give them a solid grounding to work from. They were very wrong. And what you end up with is a mix of characters that it is very difficult to care about, sloppy effects, and a sorry dearth of laughs. I understand that the effects may result from a not-entirely-successful crowdfunding attempt (5% of their flexible goal was raised) to add more to the movie once filming had finished. Maybe there's a lesson there, one in which people are reminded to try and use some inventiveness and actual heart instead of relying on money to patch over shoddy work.

Belushi isn't terrible in his main role, but he often feels sidelined as the zombie plot unfolds. The fact that there's no feeling of any real threat doesn't help, it means that viewers are never all that invested in his journey. Melean does better onscreen than she does with the writing, playing Gina, the woman that Carlo is genuinely interested in having a relationship with. Alazraqui and LaMarche are fine in their roles, Hayes does well with what she's given, and Tara Strong is always welcome onscreen (although she doesn't get to do a lot here). It's hard to figure out who is most annoying, however, between Ernst and Vince Donvito. The latter plays a friend to the leads, and someone who is interested in being an amateur film-maker. Which means his only real reason for being there is to make pointed references to other, better, films. That's it. And I'd love to think that we'll soon retire the laziness of the film character being a film fan in order for the film to cram in lots of nods and references they don't have to put any effort into, but it ain't gonna happen.

I didn't get on board with this one from the beginning, and my mood wasn't helped by the fact that it didn't seem to do enough to improve the standards of the audio and visuals, but it went from bad to worse. At least it allowed me to come up with one of my favourite last lines for any review I have written thus far. After the haunted hotdog instalment of Creepshow 3 and now this, perhaps it's best to stop trying to craft horror plots around dodgy weiners. 

3/10

https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews

It's A Disaster (2012)

A very small-scale disaster movie, It's A Disaster isn't all that concerned with disaster at all, at least not in the traditional sense. It's a comedy about relationship disasters, although it also happens to take place during an actual, relatively unseen, disaster.

Tracy (Julia Stiles) is taking her new boyfriend, Glen (David Cross), to a brunch that will allow him to meet a few of her friends. Also in attendance are Buck (Kevin M. Brennan) and Lexi (Rachel Boston), Shane (Jeff Grace) and Hedy (America Ferrera), and hosts Pete (Blaise Miller) and Emma (Erinn Hayes). Things start off as tense and awkward as these things normally do, but the tension rises up a notch when Pete and Emma make an announcement. And then a bunch of dirty bombs explode nearby, which really looks likely to spoil the whole day.

Written and directed by Todd Berger, this is a small film that never tries to pretend otherwise. Thankfully, one or two scenes help to remind viewers of a whole world outside the house that the characters are stuck in. The majority of the movie, however, concerns mounting pressure amongst eight people inside four walls.

The cast all do a decent job. Stiles is someone I don't usually really like, for some reason, but she's very good in this role. Cross is as enjoyable as ever, Miller, Hayes and Grace are all just fine, and Ferrera is a lot of fun (especially when deciding that her time might be better spent creating a drug concoction to help her get wasted). It's Brennan and Boston who bring the ensemble down. They're not necessarily bad, they're just stuck with the weakest characters, a couple painted in comedic brushstrokes that feel too broad compared to the rest of the film.

Aside from the treatment of those two characters, the script is a good mix of relationship stuff that we've all seen many times before, some fun character moments, and a few great lines. It's not the most original premise, that much is obvious from the opening scenes, but it does enough to win viewers over by the time it gets to the end.

I doubt most people will like it as much as I did though, and I still can't quite put my finger on why I liked it so much. Give it a go anyway, and thank or curse me when the end credits roll.

7/10

http://www.amazon.com/Its-Disaster-Blu-ray-David-Cross/dp/B00C3DIYDM/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1402801232&sr=1-3&keywords=it%27s+a+disaster