Tag: Christmas
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In Their Own League Advent Calendar: 24. The Muppets Christmas Carol
By Joan Amenn There are few stories so inextricably linked to the holidays than Charles Dickens’ tale of one man’s redemption of his many faults just in time to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas. That it was a ghost story and genuinely creepy in some chapters didn’t disturb the Victorians a bit. Dickens developed […]
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In Their Own League Advent Calendar: 23. Miracle on 34th Street
By Joan Amenn There is something about New York City at Christmas. Skating at Rockefeller Center under the huge Christmas tree, hot pretzels sold on the street corners to keep your hands warm and of course, the stores decorated for the holidays. Not too long ago there were a lot more department stores, each vying […]
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In Their Own League Advent Calendar: 22. Meet Me in St. Louis
By Morgan Roberts “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944) is not strictly a Christmas film, but it does leave an everlasting imprint on the holiday. “Meet Me in St. Louis” has always been a Christmas Eve staple in my household. We very much live our own version of “The Family Stone.” The film holds so […]
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In Their Own League Advent Calendar: 21. “A Very GLOW Christmas”
By Morgan Roberts Wrestling and “A Christmas Carol.” Is there a more perfect combination? That is what “GLOW” chose to do for what ended up being their series finale. In “A Very GLOW Christmas” directed by the wonderful Lynn Shelton, we saw some of our beloved characters tackling (and sleeper holding and turnbuckle face smashing) […]
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In Their Own League Advent Calendar: 14. 8-Bit Christmas
Year: 2021 Runtime: 97 minutes Director: Michael Dowse Writers: Kevin Jakubowski (screenplay by/based on the novel by) Actors: Neil Patrick Harris, Winslow Fegley, Steve Zahn, June Diane Raphael, Che Tafari, Max Malas, Bellaluna Resnick By Tom Moore As a huge fan of “A Christmas Story” and an avid gamer, HBO Max appeared to be delivering […]
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In Their Own League Advent Countdown: 1. The Thin Man (1934)
By Joan Amenn Mr. and Mrs. Charles (William Powell, Myrna Loy) have just arrived in New York City for the holiday season and they are ready to party! However, there seems to have been a murder committed and Nick Charles is called out of retirement to solve it, mostly to amuse his wife. Noir, comedy […]
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Review: Klaus
Chances are you’ve got a few Christmas classics that you like to watch every year. Maybe you enjoy crime-capers like “Lethal Weapon”, “Die Hard”, or “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”. You might prefer holiday horrors with “Gremlins”, “Anna And The Apocalypse” or “Love Actually”. Or perhaps you go with family-fare such as “The Muppet Christmas Carol”, “Elf” or “Home Alone”. With Spanish animation “Klaus”, Netflix has released an instant festive classic for all the family, albeit with a lot of dark humour…
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Retrospective Review: Gremlins
We all know the rules, and instructions can be important: No water, no bright lights, and no eating after midnight (though, when does that one- end?). If you break these very important details, you’ll take an adorable fuzzy creature and trade it with a hellion set to ensue chaos and eat everything in sight. Of course, I’m talking about “Gremlins.” (1984)
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The women in “Elf” are just props – but I still love it
Let me make it clear up front that I really like “Elf” (2003) and no Christmas is complete without it. It’s consistently ranked among the top Christmas films of all time and is screened at cinemas every year. With that in mind, I want to talk about the way the film treats women.
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Review: Black Christmas (2019)
To say that “Black Christmas” is the movie society needs to take note of is a massive understatement. Directed by Sopia Takal and written by herself and April Wolfe, “Black Christmas” is a modern updating of the 1974 classic. Whereas most remakes and reboots take the safe and give us what we as an audience expect, this 2019 update is at once a loving tribute to the original but also pushes it into scary and very real directions. Lead by a standout performance by Imogen Poots as Riley Stone, “Black Christmas” has themes that are sure to resonate with young women. Riley, herself a victim of a sexual assault, is forced throughout to constantly face her abuser and the ramifications of her speaking out against him.
In Their Own League 