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In case you haven’t seen the intro from my entry dated
1/26/19 (it’s in my archives whenever you want to read it), I’m no longer going
to review every single movie I see. I’m
going to review one, with the occasional bonus, and just give ratings for the
rest from now on (unless I decide to pick it up again in the future). You can always ask me why I gave the ratings
for the films without reviews though (via comments or the e-mail addresses
under the ‘About Me’ section).
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Violent Night OK/G
David Harbour, he of Stranger
Things fame, plays Santa, literally, in this new holiday film from the
director of Dead Snow and Dead Snow 2. Santa ends up stranded at a large house in
Connecticut when criminals hold the family inside hostage in hopes of obtaining
something (Large house? Why wouldn’t
someone want to steal from it?). Things
do get violent as the title states when Jolly Old St. Nick helps defend this
family throughout the night. Yes, Santa
is the good guy, if you didn’t see previews or read about it, not quite like
Billy in Silent Night, Deadly Night
(although I think there may have been at least one nod to that film here). I’m guessing this is going to be compared to Die Hard the most. There were references and nods to Home Alone too (and I’d say those scenes
were worthy). I was impressed with some
of the violence, particularly what happens after a decoration is shoved into an
eyeball, and when Santa goes wild while a Bryan Adams song is playing. It is often a typical action flick wherein
the good guys inevitably prevail over the baddies, and I don’t think I’m giving
anything away by saying that either; plus, I didn’t tell you how anyone was defeated (another violent
scene I was impressed with, and shocked by, is what befalls the main baddie
played by John Leguizamo). Generally a
fun film when all is said and done, even if it often does feel typical. 12/13/2022
Christmas Bloody
Christmas OK/G
I couldn’t wait to watch this after hearing it was a holiday
horror film involving a robotic killer Santa Claus (which is now available on
Shudder and AMC+). I do love Yuletide
horror movies. I was actually reminded
of Hardware in addition to Silent Night, Deadly Night. Other than seeing a brief news segment
stating the Santa’s were recalled, I don’t recall seeing or hearing how this
human-size festive robot (with a very human demeanor) went rogue (not too much
time is wasted before it does so either).
How the hell did this animatronic Kris Kringle know to look for an axe
before he first went apeshit? How did it
know where the two main characters lived after spotting them walking from a
distance before driving away? There’s no
way it would’ve been able to keep up with them.
How did it know how to operate a shotgun for the first time? And how the hell did it know how to drive an
ambulance?!!! I’m willing to suspend all
logic, sometimes, for entertainment if I actually enjoy it. Clearly this film is flawed, but I did enjoy a decent amount of it. I was likely expecting too much from it the
first time while taking it all in. Some
of the violence may be over the top, but the film is sure nice to look at, and definitely
not low-budget. I liked getting to know
the two main characters as well, they conversing about movies and music (in
regards to one of their debates---Pet
Sematary Two is certainly a worthy sequel, but it’s not better than its
predecessor!; and at least she said Child’s
Play 2 was her favorite of that
franchise---mine too!). This appears to
be one of those “turn the brain off and enjoy the ride” features. I’ll definitely watch it again…12/15/2022
Other movies I've seen and their ratings (see above):
The Apology (2022) >>>OK/G
Mad God >>>OK/G
(Shudder)
Who Killed Santa? A
Murderville Murder Mystery
>>>EH/OK
(Netflix)
A Wounded Fawn >>>EH/OK
---Sean O.12/17/2022
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