IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me copies of some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Part 3 talked about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah. Part 4 discussed Tom and Jerry the Movie and Godzilla Vs Kong. Part 5 was all about Wrath of Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Space Jam. Part 6 had discussed Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Part 7 discussed In the Heights, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic edition. Part 8 discussed A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption. Part 9 talked about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence. Part 10 discussed The Outsiders, Cry Macho, Malignant, the Many Saints of Newark and the Mad Max film collection. Part 11 talked about Dune, Matrix: Resurrections, The Batman, Dog and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Part 12 discussed Elvis, DC League of Super Pets, The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Part 13 has returned to share some classics with 8-Bit Christmas, Casablanca, A Christmas Story, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Polar Express, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Casablanca
I had never seen this film previously and had been told many times I had to. This was the perfect opportunity. Having finally watched it I didn’t find it as enjoyable as I hoped. It simply did not live up to the hype.
A Christmas Story
The classic Christmas tale that my family loves to hate. It’s one of those films that is required watching, at least once but despite the annoying kid it’s not a bad movie.
Elf
This is another classic I hadn’t seen before. Everyone I knew praised this movie as one of the best Christmas films made. My kids loved it despite a slow start. I thought it wasn’t bad, much better than A Christmas Story.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
This is the classic Christmas film we love to watch. We watch this every year and it still holds up. As much as a more modernized version might be enjoyable I don’t think they could ever match the hilarity or magic of this film.
The Polar Express
Focusing on the magic of the holiday this is the story of a train ride on Christmas Eve where a group of children are given a chance to meet the man in red himself. This film never fails to captivate our kids from start to finish and the animation quality is still top notch.
8-Bit Christmas
This is the first unique Christmas film I’ve seen in a couple years at least. The movie is about the quest of a boy to get himself the original Nintendo Entertainment System and everything that happens along the way. This film was a ton of fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Three Thousand Years of Longing
Alithea is an academic that is on a lecture circuit and while visiting some local shops purchases a small glass bottle that catches her eye. After some vigorous cleaning a genie appears offering her three wishes in exchange for her freedom. The cast was fantastic and the film was just as good. We were glued to this one until the end.