Miss You Already celebrates besties and BFF's

Movie Title:    Miss You Already

Grade:  B

Rating:  PG-13, 1 hour 52 minutes

In a Nutshell:    With such a title, you already know how this movie ends. 

It’s a sad journey that will make you laugh and cry, especially if you’ve ever watched someone you love fight the cancer battle. 

Sure, the script is designed to attack your tear ducts, but the target audience (women besties) won’t care.  While new ground isn’t uncovered in this film, it’s a BFF reminder to live with love.

Uplifting theme: 

• A true friend loves and forgives in good times and in bad.
• Life.  It’s precious.  Live it.
• Your loved ones are precious.  Love them every day the very best you can.

Things I liked:

• Toni Collette has lost weight and looks great.  She has come a long way from “Muriel’s Wedding.”  She gives a truly stellar performance.
• Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette have great chemistry together.
• It’s a fairly accurate representation of the emotional and physical ups and downs of going through cancer.
• You get to see some beautiful landscapes of England.
• The baby birth scene was hilarious and beautiful.
• I didn’t recognize Jaqueline Bisset at first as a blonde.  She’s beautiful in any hair color.

Things I didn’t like:

• Milly and Jess had their first kiss at the same time with the same boy. Gross.
• There is a lot of drunk singing, bad behavior, and emotional manipulation of the audience.
• It takes some people longer to grow up and overcome selfishness.

Funny lines:

•  “It’s too late for drugs.”  - Nurse who is helping Jess in the birthing room

“It’s never too late for drugs.” –  Jess

• “I should have called an Uber.” – Miranda
• “How could the tumor have gotten so big?” – Jess

“Because it’s aggressive, like you!” – Milly

• “That was after Milly ate…organic mushrooms.” - Jess

Interesting lines:

• “Try saying no to someone with cancer.” - Jess

Tips for parents:   

• This is a very slow-moving drama that won’t interest most kids.  The subject matter is serious and a wide range of adult behavior is displayed (drinking, adultery, partial nudity, drugs, cancer.)
• Millie has breast cancer, so you see X-rays of her chest, as well as everything else that goes with the topic (discussion, vomit, etc.)
• Some profanity, as well as British profanity  

Krampus spreads creepy Christmas cheer

Movie:    Krampus

Rating:   PG-13

Grade:   B

In a Nutshell:    Described as a comedy horror, “Silent Night, Deadly Night” is what this movie offers to those who are interested in a more ominous Christmas story than the traditional offerings this time of year.   Krampus is “the shadow of St. Nicolas, a much darker spirit – not to give, but to take.” 

This is what happens when “belief is forgotten and the Christmas spirit dies”, so wear your best Santa hat to the theater.

Uplifting Theme:

·         “Don’t give up on miracles and each other.” - Omi

·         “A shepherd’s gotta protect his flock.” – Howard

·         “It’s not what you do, it’s what you believe.” – Omi

·         “Be good.” - Omi

Things I liked:

·         Krampus is actually a real story from German folklore.  The grandma, Omi, speaks German in the movie to add some authenticity to the tale.  There are subtitles for most of the things she says.

·         The talented cast includes Toni Collette, Adam Scott, David Koechner, and Conchata Ferrell.

·         I liked the Universal Studios and Legendary Pictures logos covered in ice at the very beginning of the movie to let you know it wasn’t going to be your average warm and fuzzy Christmas film.  I always appreciate little details like that.

      If you like images like these, then this movie is for you.  If not, you might want to skip it.  (They were taken at Universal Studios to advertise the new Krampus movie and featured during Halloween when I was there.)

      

    

·         One of the scariest images is watching Christmas shoppers fight and trample each other on Black Friday at the beginning of the movie.   Ha ha   It’s truly frightening how some people treat each other in the pursuit of materialism.

·         SPOILER ALERT:  The teenage daughter played by Stefania LaVie Owen had such a potty-mouth and crappy attitude that I was relieved when she was knocked off first.

·         There are a few jump-out scares that most people will get a kick out of.  I sat all the way through the ending credits, thinking that there would be a jump-out scare to reward loyal audiences, but nope.  The credits did show, however, cute Christmas pictures from the cast and crew of the film.

Things I didn’t like:

·         Aunt Dorothy (played by Conchata Ferrell) had absolutely no redeeming qualities.  It would be a true nightmare to spend Christmas with someone like that.

·         As a mother of 3 Eagle Scouts, I was mad when Howard made fun of Eagle Scouts!

·         The characters all start bickering within minutes of getting together and that’s long before Krampus shows up!  Of course, that’s part of the storyline, but it’s unpleasant to watch.

·         Some of the timing seems off, making for rough transitions.

·         I don’t like watching and hearing babies cry in movies, but this one is pretty cute.

·         Don’t think too hard, because some things simply don’t make sense in this movie.

·         Creepy Advent calendar.

·         The expressions on everyone’s faces at the end of the movie were kind of weird and I wasn’t sure what director Michael Dougherty was trying to say.

Funny lines:  

·         “Maybe they should have to take a test before they’re allowed to breed.” – Sarah

·         “I also believe in dessert before dinner.” – Omi (Grandma)

·         “Where’s the nog?  I need to get merry.” – Aunt Dorothy  

·         “It looks like Martha Stewart threw up in here.” – Aunt Dorothy as she looks at all of Sarah’s Christmas decorations

·         “I never liked kids, even when I was one.” – Aunt Dorothy

Interesting lines:

·         “Why do we have to put up with all their crap just because we share DNA?” – Max (played by the adorable Emjay Anthony)

“Because that’s what family is.” – Tommy

·         “Hot chocolate makes everything better.” – Omi    (True)

Tips for Parents:

·         Quite a bit of profanity, including an F-bomb.

·         There are creepy versions of snowmen, elves, and Santa Clause that might frighten young children.  Kids aren’t going to like Jack-in-the-Box and maybe even gingerbread cookies anymore.
      People, including kids die.
      While the ultimate message is good, it's not a happy, care-free Christmas movie for the entire family.

Tips for surviving a Krampus visit:

·         Keep the fire hot.

·         Get a back-up generator

·         Stock up on firearms and ammo

·         Know where your fire extinguisher is

·         Start believing in Santa Clause again 

The Boxtrolls movie is artistically outstanding, but stylistically icky

Movie Title:  The BoxTrolls

Grade:  B

In a Nutshell:  From the quirky and creepy creators of Coraline and Paranorman , this family flick has a steampunk feel to it and features the voice talents of Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Elle Fanning, and Jared Harris. 

Based on the book Here Be Monsters! (The Ratbridge Chronicles) by Alan Snow, this dark and dirty animation feels more like an unnerving mixture between Charles Dickens and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street for kids…if that’s your cup of murky tea.  While the animation is impressive, it’s not entirely appropriate for young children.

The clay-mation style is known as stop-motion, but this film also includes CGI, making it an interesting blend of actual objects and pixel magic.

Uplifting theme: 

• “Cheese, hats, boxes…they don’t make you.  You make yourself.” – Eggs
• Stand up and fight for yourself and what’s right.

Things I liked:

• Laika does an amazing job with depth-of-field.  There is so much to see in each screen shot.
• The 3D effect is pretty impressive, especially the fog and smoke.
• Artistically speaking, the animation was outstanding.  Stylistically, it wasn’t my favorite.

Things I didn’t like:

• There were more disgusted “ewwww’s” than charmed “ahhhh’s” from the audience.  Lots of ick moments.
• Some of the Cockney accents were hard to understand, especially in the beginning of the movie.
• The BoxTrolls sound like Gollum in Lord of the Rings.
• I don't see merchandising for this movie going very far.  Who wants to play with a creepy, dirty troll in a box?

Funny lines:

• “Do you think the BoxTrolls understand the duality of good and evil?”  - Mr. Trout
• “If you’re going to eat me, just get on with it.  I’m sure I’m delicious.” – Winnie
• “Be prepared to say bye-bye to your brie, cheerio to your cheddar.”  - Archibald Snatcher
• “We’re the exterminators of justice.  We exterminate justice.”  - Mr. Pickles
• “Curds Way? How do I get there?”  - Eggs

“Milk turns into it.”  -  Winnie   (Get it?  Curds and whey…)

• “The Briehemouth!”  - Lord Portley-Rind
• “A woman like that is like raw, bold, maybe a little stinky.”  - Lord Portley-Rind

Tips for parents:  This is a twisted version of Victorian England that includes some violence, but no profanity. You might need to explain to your kids how leeches were actually used as a medical device long ago and that some people are lactose intolerant.  The BoxTrolls gather discarded items, but they also steal.  The villain is an unhinged cross-dresser and truly evil. There is discussion in the movie about what a good father is and does.  I think young children will be both frightened and bored.

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