I had sorta planned to do a big ol' Holiday Movie Marathon, kinda like I did throughout October for Halloween, considering there are actually a LOT of good movies in which Christmas is a big part (even if they're not really Christmas movies exactly), but Finals put the kibosh on that.  So I didn't start until today, with...

1984's classic Gremlins, one of the three movies I credit the most with getting me into movies in the first place (the other two being "The Neverending Story" and "The Goonies").  My Mom will tell you that I made her take me to see this at least 5 times in the theatre, and even though I hadn't watched it in several years, I found that I still knew it frame-for-frame.  Extremely talented genre filmmaker Joe Dante ("The Howling", "Piranha", "The 'burbs", "Matinee") invests the film with the kind of clever, loving in-jokes that only a true blue B-movie fan could, the special effects are still quite engaging and the cast is great, especially cute-as-a-button Phoebe Cates.  Whatever happened to her anyway?  In summation: "Gremlins" is awesome (as if you didn't know that).

And tonight I went to see...

RED CLIFF  (2009)  **1/2  When a warmongering prime minister (Fengyi Zhang) advances his armies against two rival kingdoms, he unwittingly prompts his adversaries (Chen Chang and Yong You) to work together in this martial arts action-adventure. The ensuing conflict culminates in the epic battle of Red Cliff, a struggle by the sea involving more than one million soldiers. Tony Leung co-stars in director John Woo's big-budget spectacle.

My Review: If nothing else, this proves that John Woo can stage terrific action scenes without guns (though he still makes sure to include a back-to-back-heroes shot and one Mexican stand-off).  The battle scenes in this movie are breathtaking to behold, and "Red Cliff" is recommendable for the sheer size and scope alone.  The dramatic stuff and the characters, though, are pretty dull, which is a shame considering that interesting characters are pretty vital in sustaining a 2 1/2 hour movie.  Without a good human element, even great battle scenes eventually get tedious.

A couple recent viewings...

Over the last couple days I re-watched the bizarro 1980 horror film "Christmas Evil" on FearNet On Demand, and enjoyed it just as much as I did when I first saw it a couple years ago.  Truly one of the strangest, most inimitable films ever made, it is not just the cheap, slasher-in-a-Santa-costume horror film that many assume it is (or like the lame, more popular "Silent Night, Deadly Night" that came a few years later).  It's actually a strangely affecting, weirdly moving, "Taxi Driver"-like character study about a Christmas-obsessed loner who finally snaps over the holiday season and decides to assume the role of "Santa", bringing toys to kids and punishing some of the adults who he believes are ruining Christmas.  The violence is restrained for the most part, and in the lead role Brandon Maggart is really something to behold.

It's got a lot of genuine, oddball quality to it, but yes, it also functions as a cult film.  There's a reason that John Waters loves it and contributes a commentary track on the DVD.  It's damn funny at times (often unintentionally, but not always), and the did-that-really-just-happen? ending must be seen to be believed.  A true blue original.

Also, I went to see "The Road" again tonight, with Kierre this time.  I'm happy to say that it held up very nicely on a second viewing.  It has a hypnotic quality, and its commitment to its own bleak vision is commendable, especially considering that no matter how bleak it gets there is some kind of hope there, barely discernible under all the grime and blood.  Plus, it's one of the most visually interesting films of the year.

NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU  (2009)  ***   A companion piece to Paris, je t'aime, this valentine to New York cleverly blends nearly a dozen love stories, each presented by a different filmmaker. From Central Park to Brooklyn and Queens, each tale features the Big Apple as a central character. The writer-directors include Shekhar Kapur, Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner and Allen Hughes, and the cast features Shia Lebeouf, James Caan, Julie Christie, Christina Ricci, Ethan Hawke and dozens more.

Mr Review: I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection of interwoven, New York-centered short films, having just sorta-liked "Paris, Je'Taime" (which was the same idea, different city).  In that film, a couple of the films were spectacular and the rest were just kinda ok.  In "New York, I Love You", though, no single film totally bowled me over, but I had a pretty strong "like" for almost all of them, making it a more pleasurable viewing experience overall.

My favorites include the Natalie Portman-directed short about a father (Cesar De Leon) spending the day with his young adopted daughter (Taylor Geare), Joshua Marston's ("Maria Full Of Grace") film following an old couple (Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman) through Coney Island as they lovingly bicker, and a haunting sketch about the relationship between a lonely opera singer (Julie Christie) and the immigrant bellhop (Shia LeBeouf) at her hotel.  The one starring Ethan Hawke and Maggie Q is pretty neat, too.  These kinds of things are always a mixed bag but this one's less "mixed" than most, and even the rough edges are intriguing.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG  (2009)  ***1/2  Down in New Orleans during the fabulous Jazz Age, young Princess Tiana (voice of Anika Noni Rose) searches for true love and comes face-to-face with snooty debutante Charlotte (Jennifer Cody), ancient voodoo priestess Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis) and the evil Dr. Facilier (Keith David). But with the help of her mother (Oprah Winfrey), a trumpet-playing alligator and other friends, Tiana's fairy-tale dreams may come true after all.

My Review: Not being a huge Disney fan (I enjoyed all the classics as a kid but have never felt the need to re-visit them), I was lured to this one by the mainly-pretty-ecstatic reviews, and I'm sure glad I went.  Yet another of 2009's great animated films, "The Princess and the Frog" is engaging from start to finish, featuring beautiful and clever animation, terrific songs, and an engaging set of characters (given life by a talented cast of vocal actors).  It's also funny, exciting, and even a little bit spooky (Keith David's sinister villain and his "friends on the other side" are great, Haunted Mansion-like fun).  The retro animation and 1930's New Orleans setting is a lovely nod to a rich past, but this film has a surprisingly modern point-of-view as well, pointing the way to the future for "old-fashioned" animation. 

A couple recent visits to my DVD collection: last night I watched...

...the great rock documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil, one of 2009's best films.  Hilarious and equally heartfelt, this is the story of one of the hardest working bands you'd probably never heard of before this year.  Though they were there at the right time in the early 80's, they never hit pay dirt like their metal peers did, yet they've never given up.  Now in their 50's, the film follows them on European tours and through the recording of their latest album.  It's all great stuff, both "Spinal Tap"-funny and genuinely moving.

And tonight was movie night at home, my choice, and I selected... 

...Wes Anderson's 2001 masterpiece, The Royal Tenenbaums.  Everything that makes Anderson a wonderful director and storyteller is on full display in this whimsical, tongue-in-cheek family saga set in a storybook New York.  A colorful cast of characters, terrific soundtrack, gorgeous cinematography and sets that are so intricately and lovingly designed that they boggle to mind combine to make a movie truly unlike any other.  I'm so glad Mr. Anderson regained his mojo with the great new "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

THE ROAD  (2009)  ****  In the near future, the world has been virtually destroyed. From the ash-covered, post-apocalyptic remains of Appalachia, the Father (Viggo Mortensen) and Son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) take to the road in search of a better life. The Father's health is failing, lending urgency to a journey impeded by nomadic bands of cannibalistic humans. Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce co-star in this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

My Review: Riveting from first frame to last, "The Road" is one of the most scrupulously realistic depictions of post-apocalyptic survival I've seen.  This is a world in which there are few humans left (following an eerily unspecified cataclysmic disaster) and there is nothing to life except searching for food and fuel, steering clear of cannibal gangs, and keeping moving.  The film is intense and suspenseful, but it doesn't tart things up with excessive action, either.  The violence functions more as unsettling and surprising interludes, an approach that is exceptionally effective and rings true.  The cinematography is also excellent (the film is packed with breathtaking grey landscapes) and Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' score is hauntingly beautiful. 

THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS  (2009)  ***1/2  Corrupt Det. Terence McDonaugh (Nicolas Cage) -- whose bad habits include pain drugs, reckless sports gambling and accepting sexual bribes -- investigates the murder of five Senegalese illegal immigrants in New Orleans. Co-starring Val Kilmer as McDonaugh's partner, Xzibit as drug supplier Big Fade and Eva Mendes as prostitute Frankie Donnenfield, director Werner Herzog's action drama is a loose update of Abel Ferrara's 1992 film, Bad Lieutenant.

My Review: Most people either love Nicolas Cage or they hate him.  Personally, I love the guy.  I love him when he's good, when he's bad, when he's relaxed and when he's insane.  I have a personal affinity for unhinged, crazy Cage, performances that are wonderful and horrible all at once, like in "Vampire's Kiss", "Wild At Heart", "Kiss Of Death", and now "The Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans".  If you like weird, hyperactive, Crazy Cage, man, this is your goldmine.

When I heard that Werner Herzog (of all people) was remaking "Bad Lieutenant" (though it actually has almost nothing in common with Abel Ferrara's 1992 film) with Nicolas Cage in the lead role, I thought it was either the best idea or the worst idea I'd ever heard.  Fortunately it turned out for good.  This is one nutty movie, a traditional crime thriller made by a brash, experimental director and starring one of the oddest and weirdly appealing actors who ever lived, and that's exactly what it looks like.  Not for all tastes, but I ate up every bizarre minute of it!