Month: December 2021

Ralph Richardson is the parson of a remote village whose extended family comes to his home for Christmas. Unbeknownst to him, all three of his adult children are harboring deep secrets that they feel unable to share with their religious and conventional father. The film is very quaint and British. I appreciate most that there is no big flare-ups or fights as if the characters are trying to respect the family Christmas setting. But the tension is palpable and the characters act in less than desirable ways toward each other until the secrets can be revealed and addressed. 

At Christmastime, little Patti Brady is set to make her six month switch from living with her father, Errol Flynn, to moving back in with her mother, Eleanor Parker. During the switch-off, it’s obvious the adults have feelings for each other, but unfortunately Flynn’s womanizing ways rear their ugly head. He is not deterred by this nor the various other obstacles (another love interest for his former wife, a visiting Marine who his daughter has less than honestly been corresponding with) that get in his way. It’s a very sweet Christmas time romance. Patti Brady is cute as the precocious and adorably named Flip. Despite the somewhat stalker nature of the role, Flynn is impossibly charming, whether dressed in a Santa suit or displaying his Humphrey Bogart impersonation. 

On a stop in Salt Lake City, hobo Bernard Hughes decides attempts a Christmas-time reunion with the son he abandoned many years ago, played by Gerald McRaney. He quickly bonds with the grandchildren he’s never met while his son is understandably more aloof. It’s fairly standard made for television fare, hitting the mild notes of family strife while maintaining its feel good Christmas-ness. I enjoyed the portrayal of closeness in the found family hobo community and also the not often used in film Utah location.  

Not being a huge fan of slasher films, I have been apprehensive about this particular title despite its Christmastime setting. Luckily, for me at least, the majority of the slashes are mostly concentrated in one chunk of the film. Right before Christmas break, a sorority house has been receiving obscene phone calls. Simultaneously and unbeknownst to the residents, a killer has snuck into their attic. The killer’s identity is kept secret from the other characters and from the viewers to great effect. The Christmas break setting adds good tension as the viewer witnesses murders where the other women assume the victim has just left for the holidays. The ending and killer’s motivations are left creepily ambiguous, perfect to fill in with your own imagination or allowing for sequels even if they don’t come.    

Forest Whitaker is an inventor and toymaker who loses his creative spark when his apprentice steals his newest design. Years later, his granddaughter whom he’s never met comes to visit and helps him find his way. Last year when I first watched this, I found it a bit strange and lacking. The whole production is a weird and somewhat jarring mix of steampunk, Victorian, but modern sensibilities. The songs and Christmas touches are mostly a miss and the ending is a bit silly, but I do really enjoy the energy given in the dancing sequences and the dazzling details and colors in the costumes and sets. The cast as a whole, including Keegan-Michael Key, Anika Noni Rose, Ricky Martin, and young Madalen Mills, really shines.