Posts Tagged ‘A Christmas Carol’

Hopefully the holidays aren't as hard on you as they are on the Griswalds

Here at Movie-Thoughts we try to be as unbiased in our analysis as we can, but we also like to take your opinion into the equation as much as possible. Public opinion plays a huge roll in the cultural status of films, and such a value must (at least when most appropriate) be considered in a film’s long-term evaluation. Being that it is the Christmas season we would like to know which Christmas/holiday movies you consider to be the best of the best. Our only requirement is that the film you choose be of feature length (80mins or longer) – sorry, votes for A Charlie Brown Christmas or How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated version) wont count. Some movies to mull over are listed below, in no particular order.

The Santa Clause

White Christmas

It’s a Wonderful Life

A Christmas Carol (you must identify a specific version, e.g. the one with George C. Scott, the one with the Muppets, etc.)

Christmas Vacation

A Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

The legitimacy of each vote will be judged on a case by case basis, as many films incorporate the holidays into their storylines (such as Die Hard, Sleepless in Seattle, Edward Scissorhands, and this year’s The Merry Gentleman). So in other words, candidates require only minimal justification. We can’t wait to hear what you think, so let us know by submitting your vote in this post’s comments section or our contact page!

Suddenly Dickens' timeless tale is too scary? Humbug.

After reading numerous reviews of Robert Zemeckis’ newly released A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey, it appears that there are two main congruences among the majority of critics who disliked the film: 1) the film lacks the warmth and emotional weight of the book and other adaptations; 2) certain parts are too scary for children. The lacking of an emotional connection (which no critic I have yet read has successfully explained and/or articulated) is certainly a valid critique if one were to grade the film based purely on a personalized evaluative judgment, but the argument that the film is too scary for kids intrigues me.

Exactly what makes a movie “too” scary for kids? And for that matter, who said the movie was made just for kids? Pixar’s Up, which was released earlier this year to wide critical acclaim and is a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination, opened with a montage that explicated how Mr. Fredrickson and his wife were unable to conceive a child of their own, and how later Mr. Fredrickson eventually became a widower. Those old enough to understand what was being explained got teary-eyed, while little kids just sat there confused. This is certainly not “kiddy” material, and yet it’s at the beginning of a children’s movie. Critics praised this. The consensus is that one reason Pixar is such a fantastic filmmaking company is because their films can be thoroughly enjoyed by audiences of all ages. The point becomes – if Pixar can be heralded for not being afraid to appeal to audience demographics aside from just children, then why criticize Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol for attempting to do the same thing? Read the rest of this entry »

Short Take: The animation will leave you breathless, and the story is satisfyingly loyal

Director: Robert Zemeckis (Beowulf, Forest Gump)

Screenwriter: Robert Zemeckis, Charles Dickens (story)

Cast: Jim Carrey (Yes Man), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Robin Wright Penn (State of Play), Bob Hoskins (Hollywoodland), Colin Firth (Love Actually)

Length: 1h 36m

Synopsis: A retelling of the Charles Dickens classic where when an old, greedy curmudgeon named Ebenezer Scrooge (Carrey) is visited by various spirits on Christmas eve who try to teach him the error of his ways in order to save his soul.

Analysis: Before anything else, I must make something perfectly clear: this film has the absolute best animation of any CG movie yet made. The artists at Imagemovers Digital have achieved a level of detail and realism that, thanks in no small part to new motion-capture technology, outdoes even the incredible animation of Pixar’s Wall-E. With the help of 3D technology the environments in and around Victorian London look real and genuine to the point where you’d swear you could walk around and interact with  them as if they truly existed. The same studio that brought us 2007’s Beowulf, Monster House, and The Polar Express, outdoes itself yet again, leaving us wonder how they can possibly improve their efforts for their next film. Read the rest of this entry »