Media Notes: Roundup for December 2023

  

 

This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during  December 2023.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available):

Christmas themed movies: 

• A Christmas Karen (2022. Comedy. Holidays. Literary Adaptation). Plot description: "Karen is an entitled middle-aged woman whose demanding nature has alienated her neighbors and family. After a series of instances displaying her privilege and prejudice, Karen receives an 'intervention' by some unconventional spirits." I saw this last year and reviewed it. Still an amusing film for the holidays. Watched 12/2.
• A Christmas Horror Story (2015. Horror. Fantasy. Mystery). Plot description: "Interwoven stories that take place on Christmas Eve, as told by one festive radio host: A family brings home more than a Christmas tree, a student documentary becomes a living nightmare, a Christmas spirit terrorizes, Santa slays evil." I often enjoy anthology horror films, so a Christmas horror anthology sounded like a good idea to watch, plus it has William Shatner as the radio host; his segments sort of hold the stories together as a frame as events happen during his night shift. The stories are interconnected, though that is not clear right away. The film jumps from one story to the other in small segments. The film has some horror, some mystery, some fantasy, and a couple of twists. The Santa Claus in the North Pole segment is particularly well made, but all the stories overall are good. Overall, a pretty good story for the dark side of the holiday. 4 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTV. Watched 12/2.  
• All American Christmas Carol (2013. Comedy. Fantasy. Christmas. Adaptation). Plot description: "A white-trash mom is visited by three ghosts intent on showing her a path to a brighter future." The white trash Christmas Carol, because why not. Cindy Wegman is as messed up as they come, but when the father of one of her kids dies, he returns as a ghost to announce the three ghosts that will come to hopefully scare her into getting her act together.  Things are so bad her kids do not expect Christmas presents at all. Unlike other versions of this story, the ghosts are not exactly functional either. Eric Roberts does an amusing turn as the Ghost of Christmas Present (an elder rock star who died while making a Christmas video, who Cindy idolizes). The plot has some convoluted moments, but overall the basic formula of the classic is there, just with some serious dysfunction. The movie is amusing at times, and naturally has a happy ending. The pacing is a bit inconsistent too. In the end, it was OK, so 2 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/28.
   

Other movies: 

• Batman (1989. Action. Adventure). Plot description: "The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker." This is the 1989 film directed by Tim Burton that brought Batman to the big screen. Michael Keaton portrays Batman with Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier/the Joker. This movie has quite a bit going for it including good cast, Danny Elfman's music, and songs written and performed by Prince. Also going for it is Burton's dark aesthetic which enhances Batman being the Dark Knight in a corrupt and very punk industrial city. First time Batman appears on screen is quite awesome. The film does take some liberties from the comic such a Lt. Eckhardt (a very loose stand in for Bullock in the comics); the character is not perfect but does capture the corruption of the city. I do find Keaton's portrayal pretty good playing Bruce Wayne as playboy but also a bit absent minded and low key and then Batman as dark and imposing. Nicholson' portrayal is pretty good too, even if a big part of it is Nicholson being himself; it works. The movie as a whole works because it leans into the fantasy, a sharp contrast to the gritty films that come later with Nolan. Burton keeps certain elements a mystery, for example, as Joker asks, "where does he get those wonderful toys?" Keeping certain mystery adds to the charm and the sense of wonder. In addition, at times the movie has a bit of a dreamlike element, part of the fantasy. Overall, this is an origin story for the hero, yet there are mysteries and not every question is answered, and that is a big reason this movie is so good and remains a classic. A very good comic book movie. Sure, sequels had to follow, and they did, but this movie can stand on its own just fine. 5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/16. 
• Batman: Death in the Family (2020. Animated. Action. Crime). DC Comics adaptation of the comic series "Death in the Family." Plot description: "Trained as Batman's protege, Jason Todd-turned-Robin sets his sights on bringing down the Joker. But can Batman save him from a fate worse than death?" IMDB describes this as an hour and half anthology volume; it includes the "Death in the Family" story as well as four other stories with other characters like Sgt. Rock. The full DVD has an interactive element where viewers could choose Jason Todd's fate. This just has the story where Todd dies. Note unlike the DVD/Blue Ray, this does not have the interactive features. Overall, giving it a 2.5 out of 5 stars, as it was mostly OK. As I note below, the Death story is the best one of the set. Without the Death story, I'd be rating this lower as the other stories are average at best. Watched 12/27.
  
• Memorable line from the film, Batman: "The impossible is just the unthinkable lying in wait." 
• The "Death in the Family" story is about 25 minutes of the hour and a half anthology, so a lot is compressed to make the story. The story itself overall is OK, seems a bit rushed at times given the time constraint. Overall, this may be one you should read the story, which has been collected in the volume Joker: Death of the Family (link to my review). 
• Second story in the anthology features Sgt. Rock. Turns out this is a very loose adaptation of the Creature Commandos comics, only this time Sgt. Rock gets to lead the commandos. Karl Urban lends his voice to Sgt. Rock. 
• Third story features Adam Strange. Another somewhat rushed story, this one about a man who loses his family in a raid by Thanagarians, then a Zeta Beam carries him off to another planet where he becomes a reluctant hero. Story is no big deal, and unless you know the character from somewhere else pretty forgettable. 
• Fourth story features the Phantom Stranger. This one has a bit of a mystery tone to it as a group of young hippies come what is allegedly a guru friend's house bringing a new friend. The Phantom Stranger appears briefly initially to warn the new girl not to go in, but naturally she goes in anyhow. Their host is definitely not the gentle guru the others think he is. 
• Last story features Death (Neil Gaiman's Death). In this story, a young man, a starving artist, struggles to keep a steady job. He seems cursed, alienates everyone, and seems destined for permanent failure. To complicate matters, he is haunted by demons (inner demons likely). Until an encounter with Death and her beauty help bring his talent back with strength. But she is Death, and he has to meet his destiny. This is in the end the most moving and bittersweet story in the anthology. This one made watching the rest of the collection worth it.  
• Halo: the Fall of Reach (2015. Animated. Science Fiction. Video game based. Mini-series).  Originally a 3-part mini-series, Tubi presents it as a full hour and four minutes or so film. The film "follows the backstory of the shaping and creation of Spartan 117, The Master Chief." The film is a bit slow as much of it is training and exercises for John, Spartan 117, and his cohort. They are fighting insurrectionists, but soon a new threat to all is revealed as a new alien race threatens mankind, and all that stand in its way are the Spartans. This is basically like a pilot to a series where we learn the origin of Spartan 117 and the other Spartans. Not much going on until the final few minutes. It was OK in the end, so 2 out of 5 stars. Watched 12/27.
• The film is based on the book Halo: Fall of Reach. From what I gather, the film does not do justice to the book. 
• Winchester (2018. Horror. Drama. Biography). Plot description: "Ensconced in her sprawling San Jose, California mansion, eccentric firearm heiress Sarah Winchester (Dame Helen Mirren) believes she is haunted by the souls of people killed by the Winchester repeating rifle." I picked up this film mainly out of curiosity and because it has Helen Mirren in it. In the film, she is the majority shareholder of the Winchester Repeating Rifle Company. When other board members "worry" about her sanity, due in part to her constant construction on the mansion, they send a psychiatrist in to assess her to see if maybe they can take control of the company away from her. Historically, Mrs. Winchester was an extremely savvy investor who in reality did rather well financially overall. In the film then, Dr. Price is there to assess the widow's mental state, and the company hopes the diagnosis will favor them (so they can remove her from company control). However, things soon are not as they seem in the very special house. Price is not exactly a man without faults, heavy drinker and a man of vices with debts that the company lawyer offers to pay plus more if he does his job. So when he starts seeing things, is it his mind, or ghosts? The film takes place in 1906. If you go in expecting any kind of biography or history, you may be disappointed. If you go in taking the film as a haunted house film, then it works well. It is not great, but it is well done, very atmospheric, and with some good suspense. Helen Mirren puts in a good performance, but perhaps this was not too difficult for her. She portrays Mrs. Winchester as haunted but also as a strong and responsible woman, i.e. not insane. It is more of a mystery than full on horror, builds slowly. I ended up liking it as it draws you in a bit at a time, so 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/27.
  
• The film is based on the real Winchester Mansion, which some consider to be haunted. However, many of the haunting claims are either disputed or just debunked. 
• The widow and house have inspired books including a factual biography of Mrs. Winchester, Captive of the Labyrinth, and even a horror graphic novel, House of Penance, which is more a horror fictional take on the story.
•  Jason X (2001. Horror. Science Fiction. Action). I reviewed this back in September 2022. I just felt like a revisit mostly to see the catalog of stupid decisions that enable Jason.  Granted, there would not be a movie without the stupid decisions, but damn, even for a horror movie, the folks here really are stupid. 
• Capone (2020. Biography. Crime. Drama). Plot description: "After 10 years in prison, 47-year-old Al Capone starts to suffer from dementia and comes to be haunted by his violent past."  I picked this up in part because Tom Hardy portrays Capone. Though I did not care much for him in The Dark Knight Rises, he's done other work that looks good like in Band of Brothers. Film looks at the last year or so of his life, retired in Florida, with the Feds still watching him because they believe he has money hidden somewhere and hope Capone will somehow reveal the location. He declares at one point he hid some money, but he never recalls where (if at all). However, with his family assisting, he is forced to sell valuables such as his statues collection to stay afloat and pay debts. A detail that caught my eye is he is 47 or so in the film, a bit younger than me, but he already looks like an old man. Granted, syphilis and dementia will destroy a man, but still it caught my eye.  The movie is not always easy to follow. Part of it is the very non-linear narrative and part of it is we are viewing things from the point of view of a man in the midst of degenerative dementia. Tom Hardy does put in a good performance, and he is the highlight. Other characters are barely there; his wife Mae may be the one we see more suffering as she cares for him. It is also a fairly slow pace film. Folks expecting a standard gangster fare of a lot of crimes, glamour, and violence will be disappointed. If anything, Hardy's portrayal takes away any possible glamour the gangster may have had once. What we get is the story of a man at the end of his life trapped inside a decaying mind and unable to do anything about it. It can be quite horrifying. At moments, this is not an easy film to watch. I ended up liking it, mainly for Hardy's performance, and it is a well filmed movie, looks good, so I am willing to give it 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/30.
• Halo Legends (2010. Animation. Science Fiction. Video game based). Plot description: "The universe of the Halo video game series is expanded in seven short animated films from Japan's greatest anime directors and studios." This is basically an anthology of stories in the Halo universe. The stories vary in quality. Other than the last tale, "The Package" which is CGI, the rest of the stories are all animation, which to be honest look better than the CGI film. Overall, somewhat inconsistent, couple of good stories, others not so much. It was mostly OK, so 2.5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/31.
  
• The opening "Origin" story in two parts to be honest is a bit on the slow, somewhat boring side. 
• The story about the Arbiter is told much as a samurai, honor, and revenge story; it works well enough. This and "The Package" may be the reasons to watch this anthology.
  
• "Odd One Out" is a bit of parody of the genre with a Spartan that is, well, a bit clumsy. The overall humor of the story is a nice contrast to the usual fare.  
• For fans, "The Package" is the only story pretty much featuring Spartan-117 (Master Chief). Also the one with the most action for fans of the game.  

 

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I ke. ep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

• A Cook's Tour (2002-2003. Cooking. Travel). This was Anthony Bourdain's first television show right after writing the book Kitchen Confidential (link to my review of the book). The show features a still young Bourdain traveling the world. Episodes are about 21 minutes or so long (it was a half hour show on television). TubiTv has the full two seasons, and I started watching it this month. 
• In the first two episodes of the first season, he visits Japan. In the second episode he visits a licensed chef that prepares blow fish; yea, the fish that can kill you if not prepared properly, a Japanese delicacy few dare to try.
• Blade: the Series (2006. Action. Fantasy. Horror. Comic book adaptation). Television series based on the Marvel character, it follows up after the film Blade: Trinity. I do not really recall this one from the time it was on Spike TV, but it is only 13 episodes, including a 2-part pilot so I figured I would give it a try. Rapper and actor Sticky Fingaz (Kirk Jones) portrays Blade this time. The series starts a bit slow in setting up, but then becomes a sort of cat and mouse game between the high ranking vampire, a new vampire seeking revenge for the brother the high ranking vampire, Marcus, killed, and Blade. The series is not a big action event like the films, but the story overall is decent. The series does humanize Blade a bit more; he is not as invincible as he may seem in the films, but the attitude is there. Fans of the films may appreciate where this story goes, though it ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. It was clear a second season was likely planned, but then never got made. Via TubiTv. Watched during weekend of 12/29.
  
• Series does have some interesting vampire concepts and lore. For example, the "pacifist" House of Leichen that feeds on cloned blood to avoid killing. They are sort of gurus the other houses leave alone.
  
• Man v. Food (2008-2012. Reality. Food. Travel). Plot description: "In each episode, [Adam] Richman explores the 'big food' offerings of a different American city before facing off against a pre-existing eating challenge at a local restaurant."TubiTv brought in the first three seasons that feature Richman (the host changed after season 4). I admit that though it is a fun show to watch at times, and I appreciate learning about different cities and their food places, competitive eating is not something I like much to be honest. Still, the episodes are only about 25 minutes, so this is an easy show to binge watch. Watched the three available seasons through the month. 
• Another detail I observed as I watched the episodes is that many, not all but a good amount, of the challenge food are serious carbohydrate bombs. Definitely not food for diabetics and others sensitive to carbs. 
• In Season 3, Episode 7, he travels to Puerto Rico for a challenge.
  
• Peacemaker (2022 to present. Superheroes. Comedy. Action). Plot description: "After recovering from the injuries he suffered during the events of The Suicide Squad (2021), Christopher Smith / Peacemaker is forced to join the mysterious A.R.G.U.S. black ops squad 'Project Butterfly'. They are on a mission to identify and eliminate parasitic butterfly-like creatures who have taken over human bodies around the world." Though I have seen mixed reviews on this, I saw the DVD at the Eastside Branch of the Lexington Public Library, and I decided to take a chance on it. The season is only 8 episodes, so I figure I can handle that. The series is not great, but it is pretty good. John Cena is the highlight portraying Peacemaker. The guy can put out good acting work. Robert Patrick portraying his father does well as he always does when portraying a villain. The overall alien invasion story is good, though the last episode does get a little preachy in the end as Goff explains the butterflies/aliens rationale for trying to conquer Earth. The humor does tone down a bit after the first couple of episodes, but overall the drama is good. I ended up liking it, and Eagley was a favorite for me. One good thing the series has is the musical selections. I'd say a 3 out of 5 stars. I may look for the second series if and when it comes out down the road. Watched 12/9; yes, I binged it on a Saturday.