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Stealing Christmas, a review by Rich

Title: Stealing Christmas

Runtime:90
Certificate:NR
Year:2003
Genres:Family, Drama

Plot:Tony Danza, Lea Thompson and Betty White star in this modern take on the classic tale Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. After bungling his latest heist, bank robber Jack Clayton (Danza) flees the big city and winds up in the small town of Evergreen. There, he's mistaken by Sarah Gibson (Thompson) and her daughter, Noelle, as the Santa Claus they've hired to promote their family Christmas tree farm. Jack plays along with the misunderstanding while casing a local bank job. That is, until his growing affection for Sarah, his encounter with a kindly shopkeeper (White) and his conscience cause him to question his criminal ways in this hilarious, heartwarming holiday tale you'll want to watch again and again!

My Review:
Nearly unpalettable slush, with possibly the worst lead imaginable in the dull & wooden Tony Danza, a film that unsuccessfully tries to cash in on xmas by portraying bad guy turns good storyline, but fails in every way.
Totally unrealistic, obvious from the first 5 minutes, hammily acted, poor cast, amateur direction, pathetic love story, and miserably bad ending that could not have been more sickly if it had tried.
Definately AVOID this pile of poop.
NOTE - Despite what overview says, this bears zero resemblence to The Grinch in any way.


(From December Marathons - DISCUSSION AND REVIEW THREAD on December 14th, 2009)

The Apartment, a review by Rich

Academy Award Best Picture winner 1960

The Apartment





Wonderful script and totally polished performances by Jack Lemmon and beautiful Shirley MaClaine, this satire is absolutely timeless and the plot intricate and complex, full of coincidences and mishaps.
Punchy and brutally honest, the infidelity is rife amongst the cynical money-driven office workers, and there is sadness in this unsavoury merry-go-round. But tender and tough Fran and wimpy Bud dream of something better, and whilst the film depicts a dark subject the movie always feels bright and breezy.
For anyone that has ever loved somone who loves someone else, it is easy to relate to. For anyone else it is a Hollywood masterpiece, and perfect examples of Wilders directing skills and an ideal platform for showcasing Lemmons acting strengths and mannerisms.
 

(From Riches Random Reviews on February 20th, 2009)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Smallville Marathon #1

I've never read a DC comic (or Marvel for that matter) and I've only watched the four "Reeve" Supermans and Superman Returns. Thus I have no idea what does or doesn't contradict Superman mythology when I watch Smallville, which is an advantage I think.





Synopsis: A meteor shower hits a small town in Kansas: Smallville. But with that shower a spaceship arrives and it contains a small boy that is adopted by the Kents. 12 years later. Clark Kent, Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross are freshemens on the Smallville Highschool. And Lex Luthor, son of Lionel Luthor takes over the management of the Smallville fertilizer plant. But then an accident happens where Lex nearly gets killed - if it weren't for Clark. And a man awakes from a coma in which he had laid for twelve years.

My Opinion: I really liked the homage to the first Superman movie, when Clark missed his school bus and ran across the fields again. I also liked most of the cast from the start. I also thought it to be interesting that Clark didn't already possess all of his abilities. But the pilot plot also introduces the scheme of the show for at least the first season: Freak-of-the-Week. But they also have some minor arcs from the beginning.

Synopsis: The story continues on the day after the Homecoming. Lex still possesses Lana's meteor rock necklace and intends to help Clark with it. But not only Clark and Whitney are interested in Lana but also Greg. He's stalking her until he's stung by a swarm of meteor-infected bugs. Then he becomes dangerous and only Clark is strong enough to stop him.

My Opinion: An ordinary FotW episode. But also the first where Clark has to accept his fate: He may be the rescuer but often he won't be able to take the credit for it. He has to conceil who he is and that will bring him in as much trouble as facing his opponents will do.

Synopsis: The football coach uses a sauna with meteor rocks which gives him the ability to burn things at will. He is also very ambitious and wants his team to win no matter the costs. And Clark wants to join the team even against the will of his father. Meanwhile Lex's father wants his son to fire 20% of the employees in the fertilizer plant.

My Opinion: A good father-and-son-confrontation episode but both confrontations where totally different of course. If I were to imagine Jonathan Kent's early years I can't help but to think of a certain Bo Duke (The Dukes of Hazzard). To watch Lex over the course of the years is also interesting bceause they choose to portray him as "not so bad" guy in the beginning. If he were bad from the start I don't think it would have been that interesting. There's one problem though: Lex is supposed to be 6 or 7 years older than the others (IIRC he was 10 when the meteors hit Smallville) and although Michael Rosenbaum (29 in 2001) is actually 5 years older than Tom Welling (24 in 2001) it doesn't feel that way. When they both face each other they both seem very adult, but Clark is only a 16-year-old Highschool student.

Synopsis: After sudden flashes of headaches, Clark is able to see through things though he can't really control it. But this new ability helps him to uncover a plot to blame Lex for a bank robbery he didn't commit. A girl who has become a bad copy of Lana has the ability to shape-shift and she can fool everybody but Clark. Meanwhile a reporter tries to blackmail Lex with knowledge about his past in Metropolis.

My Opinion: This episode starts several things. Firstly, the tradition to introduce one new ability in every season, in this case his X-Ray vision. Secondly, Lex's obsession with Clark that will presumably never end. And thirdly we see that he has both a past that is at least greyish and that he becomes ruthless when he's threatened.
I doubt I would have noticed it before Buffy but that was the second time in only four episodes that had at least one scene in a cemetery.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on May 22nd, 2008)