Happiest Season

This review may contain spoilers!

 

This is a very classic take on the family romantic-comedy genre but adds a very unique voice by centring the narrative around an LGBT romance. I would give Happiest Season a 7.5/10.

 

Happiest Season follows Abby and Harper, a young couple going back to meet Harper's parents for the first time at Christmas. The only problem is Harper hasn't come out to her family yet and isn't confident about doing so yet, forcing Abby to pretend to be her 'roommate/friend'. The inevitable complications of hiding from and sneaking around the family lead to dysfunctional comedy and heartbreakingly moving scenes in equal measure, it's a very light film but it carries a lot of weight. This film works so well because it carefully lays out traditional aspects of the Christmas rom-com that are very easy to connect with and laugh at; moments like sibling squabbles at the ice rink or heated discussions and advice from the best friend over the phone. But at the same time these light moments are what make this film so appealing and easy to watch. What makes this film so worth staying for is this well told narrative around identity, family and how coming out affects these things. Throughout the film we see what a beautiful relationship Abby and Harper have, the happiest these two ever seem is when they can be free to connect with one another. However, as the film goes along we see Abby grow more fearful and trapped, she feels like she's losing Harper and having to fight to keep in a situation that she never expected to be this tough. Meanwhile, Harper is in a scenario in which she is terrified what she might lose if she reveals her sexuality to her family; being around her family causes her to become more and more distant towards Abby. The film builds towards this really powerful conclusion that shows what happens when a family so torn apart by image can become when they learn to come together. It's areally beautiful movie with strong themes around the value of love and family, it's the sort of uplifting thing that really ties out this year well.

 

Kristen Stewart, who played Abby, is an excellent protagonist in this film and continues to find refreshing new roles that highlight her ability as a performer; Stewart really illustrates the conflict her character feels between the love and hurt caused by her onscreen partner. Mackenzie Davis, who played Harper, is such an explosion of genuine emotion every time she pours her heart out in a scene; when Davis is agonising over how scared she is or proclaiming with joy how much she cares you really cannot believe any differently. Victor Garber, who played Ted, feels like this stern busybody leader within his household; Garber has a very hard edge to him throughout the film but he peels that back to show how much he loves his family in a steady and natural way. Mary Holland, who played Jane, is this very high energy wild card who you really warm up to throughout; Holland is so full of joy and genuinely compassionate delivery that you cannot help but love this role. Aubrey Plaza, who played Riley, has this stoic and brittle exterior with a somewhat distant delivery when first she is introduced; watching Plaza connect with Stewart's role and reveal the painful history of coming out her role went through makes for an amazing performance. Jake McDorman, who played Connor, is a very charismatic if not sometimes unobservant old friend role; McDorman has this very likeable way of presenting himself and you really feel a sense of history between him and Davis.

 

However, the best performance came from Dan Levy, who played John. At first what makes Levy so great is that he's by far the strongest comedic talent in the cast. He has this very confident, quick-witted delivery that is quite funny and he goes into every scene with a strong amount of energy. The friendship between him and Stewart is enjoyable because while she's very grounded, he can go extremely high tempo. I like that Levy can enter a scene and almost sense how to present himself to give a nice balanced dynamic with the other performers he shares scenes with. Near the end of the film we really get to see John come into his own as a character, describing how hard it is for those in the LGBT community to come out, even emotionally imparting the difficulties his character faced when he came out. It was this heartbreaking moment that really upped the ante for the feature and told a story that was more than just your typical Christmas rom-com.

 

There were some elements of Happiest Season that meant this film struggled to get off to a strong start. Most notably was the quirky nature of the household, the patriarch of the family (Ted) was running for mayor of his district and so everyone had these highly elevated personalities or occupations, things that highlighted the family as being tied to a very successful politician. It was a quirk that made the situation or some of the characters rather hard to connect to or believe at times. The cinematography for the film really didn't do anything too new, often sticking to quite blocky or generic shots to map out a scene. The editing reflected this easy style by keeping to a very mild pace with simple cuts and transitions. The score for the film was quite uninspired, there was a very light melody throughout that could have belonged to any Christmas film and the soundtrack was packed with similar fare. 

Mary Steenburgen, who played Tipper, is such an overly high strung role that it feels comical at times; the moments between this character coming across as too uptight to be true and compassionate towards her family feels like a very harsh contrast. Alison Brie, who played Sloane, is such a deadpan stoic role as the jilted sister and GOOP salesperson that I couldn't help but wonder if Brie was a miscast; you never feel like Brie's dismissive and uptight tone suit her and it isn't until the last few minutes of the film that she even manages to find an emotion that fits her range. Burl Moseley, who played Eric, has no chemistry at all with Brie or really any other member of the family; Moseley feels like a role attached on for a visual purpose and is not really much of a character.

Fatman

This review may contain spoilers!

 

This was one unique example of storytelling and a black comedy take on the Christmas movie I could never have expected. I would give Fatman a 7.5/10.

Fatman is the story of a nasty child who hires an eccentric hitman to kill Santa Claus after he receives coal for Christmas. A film like this really can just turn me around, the core concept alone is so bizarre and out of left field that I had no notion of what to expect. The film is quite a unique black comedy that takes what we love about the Christmas film and completely warps it; Santa is disillusioned, the kid is the dark antagonist pulling the strings and Santa's Workshop is engaged in a military contract with the US government in the off season in order to pay the bills. The film casts these things that should be joyful and jolly through a very grounded and cynical filter, Santa possesses a number of magical powers but can't manage to make ends meet in a commercialised world. The film pushes this really brilliant take on how Santa would function in a society that doesn't care so much any more. At the same time the black comedy element is pushed to the boundaries by having to juggle elements like this twisted hitman who hates Santa for not bringing his parents back to him after they died when he was a child, or examining Santa's elves and Santa's supernatural abilities. This film knows it is punching way outside the box and it has fun with this, cracking jokes in a subtle way and often letting the humour unfold nicely through developing circumstances or the bizarre cast of characters on hand. The soundtrack and score for the film are simply brilliant; juggling the brutal tone of a revenge action-thriller with the often comedic accompaniment of a light Christmas melody.

 

Walton Goggins, who played Jonathan Miller, is a very warped antagonist with a strange obsession for collecting other individuals' gifts from Santa; Goggins character is a force bent towards inevitable confrontation who carries a hurt around that is felt throughout the feature. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who played Ruth, is the genuine conscience of the film; Jean-Baptiste is a figure of love and care who helps lift Gibson's Chris Kringle out of his disillusionment. Chance Hurstfield, who played Billy Wenan, is the dark mastermind antagonist pulling the strings token to many great black comedies; Hurstfield's cruel and merciless role is the ultimate take of the mean-spirited kid who fails to embrace the values of Christmas. Eric Woolfe, who played Elf 7, is the rational and driven figure at the forefront of Santa's Christmas operation; the matter of fact way with which he conducts business alongside the way in which he throws himself into peril to save his fellow elves makes this a great character to watch.

However, the best performance came from Mel Gibson, who played Chris. This is a take on Santa that feels very grounded and realistic, for a lot of the film you'd imagine he's a man trying to keep his business afloat in rural Alaska. Seeing Gibson bring to life this weary take on Santa, a man who is so distanced by the greed and selfishness in the world around him is a very interesting take. I enjoy this Santa because he wants to be the spirit of Christmas but he hates how much he has to rely on money to keep his operation functioning, as well as the lack of interest in what Christmas should be about any more. Yet as the film goes along we see the quiet spark of kindness come to the forefront, Gibson talks people out of making bad decisions through his role's connection to others since their childhood. We see Santa/Chris steadily become convinced that things can improve and that Christmas can be what it was again. This optimism is temporarily disrupted by Goggins' hitman attacking Santa's workshop wherein we see Santa become a warrior-like figure, fighting to defend his home. By the end of the figure Gibson seems like this strong, imposing figure who both is capable of being the stoic defender of Christmas and the optimistic giver of gifts we all know and love.

Fatman really masterfully blends two styles of family in a very witty way but there is a lot of empty screen time between key scenes. This film is mostly set up for the big final confrontation and so there are a number of points, particularly in the second act, where there are very meaningless arbitary sequences. These moments tend to be repetitive instances where sub-plots or personal struggles are repeated or brought up for the upteenth time, often to drum home their significance. But it starts to feel like there isn't anything left to engage the audience between first meeting the characters and the big final act confrontation. The visual style for this film is quite dull, with very easily framed shots and blocky cinematography. The editing doesn't improve a very slow-paced tone, often dragging scenes out for all they are worth.

Robert Bockstael, who played Captain Jacobs, is quite a generic take on the military leadership figure; Bockstael's role is often used as an outsider lens into how this take of Santa's Workshop works which leaves little room for him to function as a character.

Freaky

This review may contain spoilers!

 

This is a very fun blend of the intense gore that comes from a slasher film and the camp comedy that body swap features tend to excel at. I would give Freaky a 6.5/10.

 

Freaky is your classic slasher film; quiet, reserved teenage girl is stalked and attacked by the local serial killer. The catch? A mystical blade wielded by the unsuspecting murderer leads to the victim and killer switching bodies come the following morning. Now there is a race against time for Millie to get her body back before the exchange becomes permanent. What I enjoyed so much about this film was that it knew exactly how to balance out its concept. Freaky opens with a classic teenage party slowly being turned to a slaughter as the audience becomes introduced to the killer, there are a number of homages already to beloved slasher films just in these few minutes alone. As the film goes along these moments of intense violence become far more tense once the killer has assumed Millie's form; the antagonist is suddenly far more vulnerable and has to get rather desperate and creative to enact his grisly goals. The light tone of the body swap really fits the high school characters the film generates, a collection of very vibrant personalities who tend to be quite easy to read. Seeing Millie bumble her way through being a large, strong middle-aged man is really funny and once she inevitably blends with her friends it only improves. I found the way the film really leaned into Millie being concerned about her own personal problems and relationship drama while being trapped in the killer's body quite a light campy element that set this feature apart. The cinematography for the film has a number of really unique shots that highlight the features variety of set pieces or supernatural circumstances; in particular the ability to craft a visual style that blends looks from two distinct genres is impressive. The score for Freaky is a nice heightened piece of tension-building music, with a soundtrack that is utilised for maximum comedic effect.

 

Kathryn Newton, who played Millie/ the Blissfield Butcher, was really charming as the meek yet good-natured protagonist; I felt like Newton really showed incredible ability by switching to this vulgar and intense persona after the body switch twist. Misha Osherovich, who played Josh, is one of the scene-stealing performances in the film I thought; Osherovich has a fast hitting dialogue delivery that is seriously funny and livens up the film. Dana Drori, who played Char, is a gruff personality who acts as the stoic guardian of very dysfunctional family; Drori plays to the hardened, serious cop role exceptionally well.

However, the best performance came from Vince Vaughn, who played the Blissfield Butcher/Millie. I was impressed initially with Vaughn as this stoic, hulking killer who had this ease of moving through a set with an intimidating presence. But then after the body swap Vaughn easily reminded us all of his incredible comedic ability to inhabit some very unique roles. Watching this performer lean into being a stressed out teen with a limited ability to deal with the bizarre events that have just transpired is a lot of fun to watch. You get to see Vaughn play to the character laughing and having fun with her firends, crushing on boys and poignantly reflecting on the loss of her father. I liked that Vaughn's approach to this was to honestly play to the character, bringing out some of the better comedic moments by bringing a Millie that was very nearly identical to Newton's. By the end of the feature we get to see Vaughn again as the killer and the way his aggression has become so personal and targeted after the events of the film mark him as a truly scary antagonist to watch.

I never really stopped having fun with this film, often because I felt the film knew it didn't have to take itself too seriously. This film doesn't have much going for it in terms of plot outside of the big genre twist concept. The main family mourn the loss of a father/husband that has created this severe emotional effect upon them all, yet at the same time we have this awkward flirting scene between the mother and body-swapped daughter character for the sake of a joke. Often the film moves away from where it needs to go to where it wants to go, crafting jokes out of the body swap scenario that are so absurd and unlikely to work that it never really feels like it has earned its place. The fact that Freaky is littered with a number of familiar body swap gags or elements makes this a fun movie to watch but does inevitably lower the quality of the overall storytelling. I also found that the dialogue was terrible, with a number of lines that felt corny or like a forced one-liner. The editing for the film set quite a dull pace at times but then struggled to keep up in some of the action sequences with some very discordant cuts.

Katie Finneran, who played Paula Kessler, really gave a hammed up performance in this film; the way she goes a little over the top with her scene with Vaughn makes it one of the more uncomfortable scenes to watch. Uriah Shelton, who played Booker, bungles his way through the main romantic lead; he just struggles with the body swap genre elements and treated scenes that he shared with Vaughn like an amateur. Melissa Collazo, who played Ryler, gives quite a generic school bully performance; I felt Collazo could have potential but she never shied away from sticking to the bully role that we've seen countless times before. Celeste O'Connor, who played Nyla, is rather forgettable as the friend role; O'Connor unfortunately often finds herself the third main performer in scenes stacked with the features best talent.

Saint Judy

This review may contain spoilers!

 

This film is an inspired true story with a cast that really lifts this feature up into something worthy to watch. I would give Saint Judy a 7.5/10.

 

Saint Judy is a biopic about Judy Wood, a famous immigration lawyer who championed for reform in the American laws of asylum in defense of women. I found this to be really engaging because of the lead character, Judy Wood, and the struggle she and her client went through in order to achieve an asylum verdict within the US court system. From the moment we are introduced to Judy she becomes a figure who seeks out the best in others and fights for that quality, doing good no matter what the odds against may be. She has this ability to not give up on a case, to never quit no matter what needs to be sacrificed, which the film weighs up both in a positive and negative light. The feature shows an incredible insightful, if not idealised version of what the US immigration system can look like and how some migrants are severely impacted by both the system and the history of the country they have fled. The focal point of the film highlights the story of a woman who attempted to empower women in her village through a demonstration, but was attacked, arrested and abused for her efforts. The struggle of getting the US legal system to recognise this woman as a political victim seeking asylum and not merely a woman seeking asylum is such a gripping point of tension that I found myself hooked almost constantly. The cinematography for Saint Judy had this subtle and stylistic way of framing that I thought spoke highly of the director's style; there were these awe-inspiring shots of framing Judy throughout the I.C.E. detention city or in her own offices that was incredibly powerful.

 

Michelle Monaghan, who played Judy Wood, is an amazing protagonist for this feature; Monaghan has this compelling strength and delivery that makes her ability to fight through persuasion very convincing. Leem Lubany, who played Asefa, plays a complex character who has to endure a number of harrowing events throughout the feature; I think Lubany presented a role who was able to rebuild herself and find her strength remarkably well. Common, who played Benjamin Adebayo, has this restrained and respectful approach to being a Government-migration lawyer that I found really sincere; Common's ability to present a strong delivery around the meaning of how I.C.E. has changed over the years was an impactful scene. Alfre Woodard, who played Judge Benton, presents such a measured, neutral judge figure brilliantly; I admire how Woodard crafted a role who could talk to both sides of a debate with respect and intelligence. Mykelti Williamson, who played Dikembe Mustafa, was a role that had a tendency towards stealing the show a bit; Williamson had this stoic approach towards Monaghan at first which grew and changed into kind-hearted friendship as the film went along. Kevin Chapman, who played Officer King, was a stern overbearing figure that came across as a figure of duty and an antagonist at times; Chapman had this sort of callous indifference towards those he detained that shone a light on an aspect of I.C.E. worth highlighting.

 

However, the best performance came from Alfred Molina, who played Ray Hernandez. This grizzled legal veteran is quite a gripping character when we first meet him and he really throws us (and the protagonist) into the harsh, indifferent world of immigration law. Molina embodies a legal practitioner who is renowned for his practice and his ability to perform, but he has become completely detached from the needs of his clients. This is a figure who once fought for something but has buckled under financial pressure and the need to provide for his family to become someone who has lot their interest and so clashes with Judy (Monaghan) on a regular basis. Watching Molina steadily pull his role back by finding inspiration in the journey of Judy Wood, eventually supporting her and doing better legal work himself is a nice well-rounded touch that I appreciated. 

Saint Judy is this fantastic story with a great struggle and interesting lead role at its heart, but there are a number of moments in which the writer seems at odds with matching up to what they are writing. There's a lot of dialogue moments in which the moral is roughly pushed in rather than subtly inserted, more than that the film tends to have this light delivery that always posits the idea everything will turn out for the best. Judy Wood is at times held up to be like a white messiah surrounded by immigrants who rely and depend on her more than anything; in one scene Wood is depicted as dreaming of herself walking past corridor after corridor of barred migrants who are pleading her to help them. There is a sense that Judy truly can do no wrong and lifts these people up simply by championing for them. The film isn't always like this, but when the film doesn't know how to approach certain complex scenes this is the path it takes instead of examining events with some scrutiny. The editing for the feature can either set a slow pace or chops up scenes in a very awkward way, often disrupting the flow of a nice camera angle to swiftly cut away to an alternate option. The soundtrack for the film feels confusing at the best of times with old tracks that kill the tone or a sudden blend of modern pop and hip hop which sets a confusing contrast.

Ben Schnetzer, who played Parker, leaned a little too strongly into his character's traits of being a rich kid cruising off his rich father's lifestyle for my liking; Schnetzer always came across as quite an indifferent role who never really learned or grew as the feature went along. Gabriel Bateman, who played Alex Wood, is quite a generic take of a kid living through a divorce in a film; the warm connection with central parent figure turning bad and then turning good again in the final act was a bit obvious for my taste. Waleed Zuaiter, who played Omar, was quite a muted role who existed to prop up the story of Asefa; however, because Lubany did such a strong job it felt like Zuaiter was this unnecessary link in that narrative. Peter Krause, who played Matthew, was the completely severe ex who entered the film far too late; Krause presented a figure who seemed nothing but hostile in terms of his role's personality and then had a complete 180 by the final scene for absolutely no reason.

The Witches

This review may contain spoilers!

 

This might just be the worst Roald Dahl film adaptation yet. I would give The Witches a 3/10.

 

The Witches is an adaptation of a Roald Dahl novel of the same name, in which a young boy and his grandmother accidentally become embroiled in a plot involving a High Witch and her coven. I think this film is at its most entertaining when it tries to push on the realms of fantasy and horror. Making the witches as abnormal as possible so that you become fascinated by how they look, move and act is a strong choice. I think there is an element to this film that is a little offsetting and scary, whether that be from the witches or the dangerous scenarios the protagonists find themselves within. The score for the feature has a very adventurous style to it that lends extreme amounts of energy to scenes, I felt like I was listening to a love letter to 90s family cinema scores.

 

The best performance came from Anne Hathaway, who played the Grand High Witch. I felt this was a role in which Hathaway had a lot of room to play but once she had found her style for the Witch, had to find a way to remain fixed with it. This was a wildly devious and sinister character with little to no remorse for the actions she took. I found that Hathaway readily embraced what made this role so inhuman, cutting to the darkest parts of the role and using human qualities to project this otherly nature of the character. I certainly felt the voice of the role and the wild delivery could go right to the edge sometimes, but nevertheless Hathaway remained consistent in delivering an antagonist that was menacing throughout.

 

This film never managed to really get underway, losing itself to a narration-heavy opening and a first act that didn't know how to get to the point. The first act is crammed with a long introduction of the main character, his grandmother, the historical setting and the tragic set of events that have brought them together. There are a number of scenes here that inch along at a snail's pace, sometimes achieving nothing at all and certainly not doing a great deal to make us feel for these characters. I was longing for the thrill of a family movie that promised a supernatural twist; sadly this didn't lend much help to the plot either. The witches were barely introduced before we were sent down a ten minute exposition and flashback explanation that actually made something so very fantastical sound utterly boring. The film eventually became a bit of a heroic adventure against the bad guys but it was quite simple; at times even more reminiscent of a narrative style that felt outdated. You never really felt like the heroes were in any real danger and often the good guys didn't have to work hard to get out of a moment of conflict. The feature was also seriously inconsistent about whether it wanted to present its information via narration or through characters who were present in the story; ultimately opting a messy blend of both. The cinematography was pointedly dull, often losing style in order to set up for a special effects shot. Meanwhile, the special effects didn't even have the good graces to be nice to look at; often the visuals were quite at odds with what was on-screen, especially the CGI animals.

 

Chris Rock, who voiced the Older Heroic Mouse, sounds like he's just straight up reading his lines into the mic at times; you're never sold on his character and Rock fails to make his copious interruptions to the story sound interesting. Jahzir Bruno, who played Hero Boy, was not a great protagonist for this film; Bruno deadpanned a lot of his lines and constantly struggled to portray a variety of complex emotions. Octavia Spencer, who played Grandma, had a lot of responsibility o carry a lot of this film both in terms of character and exposition; but this was a role Spencer couldn't quite muster to and ultimately she started even coming across as monotonous. Codie-Lei Eastick, who played Bruno Jenkins, was probably the most annoying actor in the film; as far as young performers went Eastick pulled out all of the bad tricks: delivering lines loudly and without emotional range. Stanley Tucci, who played Mr Stringer, was wasted in what might be the most boring character of his career; Tucci flounders in a role whose sole function seems to be the blandest talking character in any scene he's in. Kristin Chenoweth, who voiced Mary, feels at odds with the much younger voice cast she's paired with; Chenoweth has this really grating voice that doesn't fit and makes her role seem like an awkward addition to the main cast.