Even with all the distractions offered from Christmas channels and festive films I simply cannot stop thinking about J. K. Simmons' terrifying performance in Whiplash. When you seen it in January it is guaranteed to leave you breathless.
ELF
* * * * *
2003 // DVD
"After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity."
(ALL IMAGES SOURCED FROM www.imdb.com UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE)
"Buddy the Elf, what's your favourite colour?!"
When Elf's on it's officially Christmas, so what better way to kick off the festive season on December 1st than to watch this while decorating the tree? It's probably the most quotable film of all time and it's fully deserving of its place at the top of nearly every 'Best Christmas Films' list.
Everyone's seen Elf, and if you haven't then why on earth not?
WHIPLASH
* * * * *
Odeon Screen Unseen, Crewe // 2015 // In UK cinemas 16th January 2015
"A promising young drummer enrolls at a cutthroat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential."
Whiplash is an astonishing and utterly breathtaking film. It's not out till January in the U.K., but rather excitingly it was the mystery film for Odeon's Screen Unseen, so audiences were treated to a surprise preview screening. The reception of the film at various festivals over the last few months has been overwhelmingly positive, and it's incredibly easy to see why.
It's devastating, thrilling and completely brutal.
J. K. Simmons delivers a powerhouse performance as the monstrous music teacher Fletcher that is an acting masterclass in villainy and emotional manipulation. Watching him is exhausting, terrifying and ridiculously inspiring as he does as many actors famed for their comedy skills do, and shows how his abilities in drama far outstrip his dramatic contemporaries who in the same way couldn't turn their hand to comedy and be equally as successful. Simmons thoroughly deserves the spotlight he's being thrust into coming into awards season as he is the menacing highlight of the film even from a supporting role.
Artistic ambition and musical education seem to be presented more often than not in a romantic manner on screen, and it's a testament to directer Damien Chazelle that he presents the struggle to be great and the extent to which artists have to push themselves in a highly competitive industry as an intense and difficult journey littered with obstacles and setbacks. There is nothing easy or clearcut about it, and through Andrew's (Miles Telller) education it's shown that often the journey is just as fulfilling as reaching the destination, and the cost of succeeding can be more devastating than failing.
Whiplash is filled with passion, crazed commitment and is unapologetically as electrifying as Teller's final drum solo. It's the type of film that stays in your head for days (probably months too) as you replay every insult from Fletcher, every moment of self-flagellation from Andrew, and breathe a sigh of relief that the sheer level of sacrifice required to succeed and the abuse endured as a result hasn't happen to you...
PITCH PERFECT
* * * *
Sky Movies // 2012 // DVD
"Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school's all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition."
With more a cappella puns than it seems humanly possible to fit in a movie, a hilarious script and an ensemble cast that all manage to shine and almost hijack the entire attention of the film, Pitch Perfect was on to a winner from the moment it hit cinemas. Two years down the line and it's still insanely quotable, impossible not to like and as brilliant as ever with every viewing.
It may be like Glee with the onslaught of upbeat pop songs but it's infinitely better. After all, any film that features a scene-stealing character called Fat Amy and Anna Kendrick's rendition of Cups is worth watching in my book.
THE HOLIDAY
* * *
2006 // DVD
"Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love."
There's nothing overly special about The Holiday by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a cosy and adorable (albeit extremely unbelievable) Christmas romance. I watch it every year, ignore all the bad parts and still manage to be swept up in the story. Director Nancy Meyers manages to capitalise on the festive spirit making this so easy to watch - I doubt a film with this cast, based on the same concept of house swapping and the events that unfold would have any of the same impact at another time of the year.
LAST VEGAS
* *
Sky Movies // 2014 // DVD
"Three sixty-something friends take a break from their day-to-day lives to throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas for their last remaining single pal."
Remember how bad The Hangover Part III was? Well Last Vegas is just as bad. It coasts along on the back of the four huge stars at the heart - Morgan Freeman, Robert de Niro, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline - but even they can't save it from being an undoubtedly poor film. It's all very predictable and there are just too many jokes at the expense of the mens' age: it seems like a 100 minute dig at older people and how they don't belong in Vegas at all. If anything it's all a little insulting and not at all as hilarious as it was obviously intended to be.
THE BOOK THIEF
* * * *
Sky Movies // 2014 // DVD
"While subjected to the horrors of World War II Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. In the basement of her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents."
The Book Thief has been on my 'to-read' list for years, and I'm irrationally a little bit annoyed that I've ended up watching the film before finally getting round to reading the book. Unfortunately, from what I've heard the book is better than the film.
Director Brian Percival - known for Downton Abbey - has managed to craft an interesting take on Nazi Germany, exploring the lives of German civilians and somehow skirting round the Holocaust and any of the traditional cinematic routes used to cover the period. However he's made a touching and emotional film, using 9-year-old Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) as the audience's entry point. The young actress gives a solid performance, and it's her interactions with Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson (plating adoptive parents the Hubermanns) that add a real gravitas to what could very easily slip into total schmaltz.
Most impressive though, is American actor Ben Schnetzer who seems to keep cropping up in numerous films I've seen this year and each time he's turned his hand to something completely different. As Max, the Jew hiding in the Hubermanns' basement, he's fantastic, and his performance forms a link between Liesel's life as rule-abiding Aryan German under Hitler's rule, and the millions of people persecuted in her own country for reasons she clearly does not understand. Their friendship and the secret of his whereabouts drive the film, and his encouragement of Liesel's reading and writing helps cement books as a central theme.
The ending is truly lovely, and although The Book Thief's not as heart-wrenching as the likes of Schindler's List the fact that it doesn't try to be an obvious Oscar movie and instead focuses on telling an emotive story well shows a subtle confidence. It's well made and does exactly what it sets out to, and even though it's occasionally unrealistic it definitely tugs at your heart-strings.
TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT
* * * * *
Sky Movies Disney // 2014
"It's a post Christmas play date and the toys have to go up against the fearsome and aggressive new dino toys."
This weekend Sky Movies premiered Toy Story That Time Forgot as part of the Toy Story collection, and good lord, it's fantastic. Although it's not strictly a film, I've included it in The Ciné File because it features some of the greatest animated characters ever invented, and it slots perfectly into the Toy Story universe. Plus, I think everyone should see it as it's brilliant!
In this post-Christmas play date, Bonnie - the new owner of Woody, Buzz etc. - takes the team to a friends house, and while she's distracted by a new video game the toys go exploring, looking for old friends. Led by Trixie the triceratops they come across a terrifying group of new dinosaur action figures who are all blissfully unaware that they're toys. What unfolds is characteristically hilarious, with so many puns and just the right number of references to other grown up films. A highlight has to be the introduction of strapping warrior Reptillus Maximus (voiced by Kevin McKidd), and the adorable Christmas decoration, Angel Kitty, whose angelic, child-like voice is both ludicrous and too cute to handle.
Toy Story is such a perfect trilogy that it's hard to imagine any more excursions for the characters that won't ruin what's already so wonderful, but here Pixar have shown that it's possible to keep the magic well and truly alive. I'm still not convinced about another feature length film, but these themed shorts are definitely the way forward, with just enough plot and access to the characters to keep an audience of life-long (and new) fans interested.
TOY STORY
* * * * *
Sky Movies // 1995 // DVD
"A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's room."
Watching this as a child it was near impossible to appreciate how technically outstanding Toy Story was, so watching it now is an absolute joy to behold. With every new Pixar offering it's now expected for the audience to be blown away by the animation, but I'm more impressed with Toy Story than anything I've seen in the last few years. The fact that the graphics are so incredible, and that they're a product of the early 90s, is awe-inspiring.
I love absolutely everything about this film, and it's a bold statement but as far as I'm concerned Toy Story is as close to perfect an animated film can get. It's progressed into one of the greatest trilogies of all time and rightfully so: life just wouldn't be the same without Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang!
What have you watched this week? Is there a Christmas film that you watch every December? Let me know in the comments below!
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