CHRISTMAS EVIL
7.5/10 (hard to rate this one)

Not to be confused with the controversial, more exploitive “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” writer-director Lewis Jackson’s YOU BETTER WATCH OUT — also known as the pulpier titled CHRISTMAS EVIL – has been issued on DVD a few times over the years, but never more satisfyingly than Vinegar Syndrome’s new Blu-Ray edition.

If you’ve never seen Jackson’s film – and have the right perspective on it – you’re in for a treat. Neither a gratuitous slasher film (despite having several bursts of gore) nor a perverse black comedy (despite John Waters’ presence on one of the disc’s commentary tracks), “Christmas Evil” is a bizarre, at-times surreal psychological thriller about a toy maker (Brandon Maggart) wounded by a childhood trauma who simply loses all connection with reality one Christmas Eve. You see, Maggart’s character, Harry, watched as his mother had an affair with Santa Claus one Christmas, and he’s spent seemingly forever since whistling yuletide carols and wishing he was Santa Claus.

Seemingly harmless and put upon (except for his obsession with marking down the peculiar “naughty and nice” patterns of neighboring kids), Harry eventually loses it after he’s pushed around at work by his boss and ridiculed by church-going yuppies…to the point where Harry’s Santa becomes one of his city’s most wanted while the body count begins to mount.

Though billed as a typical slasher movie of its era, “You Better Watch Out” is too slowly-paced and not violent enough in the long run to satisfy most horror fans. But at the same time, that’s not the kind of film Jackson’s movie is trying to be: though it’s clear that Harry is a few steps over the line in the sanity department, you come to sympathize with him as his obnoxious bosses care only about the bottom line and not the sick kids at the hospital where Harry wants to donate toys. Harry’s helpless victims are the people who’ve taken advantage of the purity of Christmas, as it were – a message rammed home in the movie’s outrageously demented finale, which mixes elements of Clement Moore and “Frankenstein” and needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.

With an eclectic soundtrack that mixes portions of classic perennial tunes with an electronic score typical of the era, “You Better Watch Out” is one of the weirdest films of its type but also one of the most interesting “alternative holiday” offerings out there.

Vinegar Syndrome’s Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack boasts a terrific, DNR-free 4K restoration of a film that’s occasionally been part of numerous low-budget video releases. The disc’s 1080p AVC encoded transfer is culled from Jackson’s own print of the film, bearing his preferred title (“You Better Watch Out”) and running time, which is a few minutes shorter than other released versions. Jackson is on-hand here to contribute a brand-new commentary track, along with a commentary from Troma’s old, out of print DVD, plus Synapse’s DVD track featuring film director (and fan) John Waters and Jackson. Waters is actually quite good at asking Jackson questions about the production and its distribution, so the talk is a nice compliment to the director’s own, more technically oriented commentary and will come as a nice bonus for fans.

Other special features – mostly carried over from the Synapse DVD – include some 26 minutes of audition tapes featuring tests from JoBeth Williams, George Dzunda, David Rasche, Michael Beck and Lindsay Crouse (what a bizarre alternate version that would’ve made!) among others, plus seven minutes of deleted scenes, storyboards, and highly amusing screening comment cards (my favorite: “Why???”).

“Christmas Evil”/”You Better Watch Out” isn’t a classic but it’s a unique and wild ride that’s managed to attract its own, small following over the years, though not horror addicts by and large, who undoubtedly prefer the less subtle and more crass thrills of the hideous “Silent Night, Deadly Night” films.

For curious viewers, Vinegar Syndrome’s Blu-Ray/DVD is a most welcome release perfectly timed for holiday consumption. If you’ve had enough of the sweetness and can’t stand to watch the continued, crass commercialization of Christmas in general — definitely give it a spin with eggnog by your side.

Andy, your review reminded me of this old SNL sketch...

http://www.obkb.com/media/tv/series/reg ... snl84h.mpg

AndyDursin wrote:Hans Zimmer scoring 12 Years a Slave doesn't show much evidence of that unfortunately.

Yeah, have to agree with you there.

sprocket wrote:

AndyDursin wrote:Hans Zimmer scoring 12 Years a Slave doesn't show much evidence of that unfortunately.

Yeah, have to agree with you there.

Zimmer's scoring of the near-hanging of Chiwetel Ejiofor has to be THE most grating piece of film music of the past several years. Where's Rachel Portman when you need her...?

There was a time (very recently) that I would watch an Oscar nominated film like 12 Years a Slave because I thought it must be a good movie. Then I watched Gravity, which I hated.

Now, I think 'award winning movies' are those which have been promoted as such, and it is not so much a reflection of their inherent quality.

I won't be watching 12 Years a Slave any time soon.

-------

Since this is a movie review thread.

She's All That (1999) 7/10

An appealing teen coming of age comedy about a geeky girl who is pursued by the most popular guy in highschool. Great chemistry between leads Rachael Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze, Jr. can't overcome a limited script, which crashes whenever it had something of substance to say.

The shallowness of the script turned what would have been an emotional basement confrontation between Prinze and Cook into a WTF moment. Everything dealing with adults just didn't work.

Nonetheless, as a comedy I thought it worked very well and it all was rather sweet. Matthew Lillard shook up the proceedings as a loony reality show contestant, one of a few nice touches in this film. Kieran Culkin was also great as Cook's younger brother.

The right --and spectacularly wrong -- ways to make a Western comedy...

-City Slickers (1991): 9/10

Wonderful, warm-hearted film about a trio of lifelong friends (Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby, Daniel Stern) who deal with their various midlife crisis while on a cattle drive across the scenic Midwest, led by a grizzled old-timer cowboy (the terrific Jack Palance). Ron Underwood's film is certainly a different experience watching it today...I was seventeen when it was first released, seeing it in theaters with my Dad, and while I found it very funny and engaging then, it's certainly more relatable now that I'm a year older than Crystal's character. This is a witty, wise and charming film, full of big laughs, scenic locales (shot by the great Dean Semler) and a delightful pastiche of classic Western musical tropes by Marc Shaiman (one of his finest scores). It's also fun to see a very young Jake Gyllenhaal as Crystal's son.

-A Million Ways To Die In The West (2014): 2.5/10

Ugh...call me an old fuddy-duddy, but "in my day", when Blazing Saddles was released forty years ago, it was considered the height of cinematic crudity to have the leading characters engaging in an enthusiastic bout of bean-fuelled, 'round-the-campfire group flatulence. Nowadays we get Neil Patrick Harris explosively evacuating his bowels into not one, but two cowboy hats, before knocking one over and spilling a load of chunky diarrhea right at the camera. Lovely. The latest assault on comedic decency by Seth MacFarlane, this anemic, embarrassing Western farce leans on disgusting "shock" humor, mistimed slapstick, endless profanity...everything but genuinely clever jokes. And it drags on for an interminable two hours, misfiring gags left and right. It doesn't help that MacFarlane, as an on-screen performer, lacks the slightest modicum of charisma or charm, his smug mug just begging to be punched in scene after scene. At least in his crummy cartoons and teddy bear movies, I was spared the sight of seeing his pale, inexpressive face trying to screw itself around his awful punchlines. And it's sad to see talented comic performers like Harris and Sarah Silverman trapped in one-dimensional, painfully unfunny supporting roles. I would have rated it even lower, but for Charlize Theron's supporting performance -- she genuinely seems to be trying to suggest at least a second dimension for her character -- and Joel McNeely's delightful score, the rare modern-day score I could imagine actually buying the soundtrack album for. It's a total cliché-fest, but considering what passes for "music" these days, McNeely's tuneful, rousing soundtrack is a breath of fresh air. Just a shame it's attached to this steaming pile of horse apples.

Monterey Jack wrote:The latest assault on comedic decency by Seth MacFarlane, this anemic, embarrassing Western farce leans on disgusting "shock" humor, mistimed slapstick, endless profanity...everything but genuinely clever jokes.

Wow, I'm impressed you soldiered-on to the end. I couldn't make it past the 20 minute mark!

Paul MacLean wrote:

Monterey Jack wrote:The latest assault on comedic decency by Seth MacFarlane, this anemic, embarrassing Western farce leans on disgusting "shock" humor, mistimed slapstick, endless profanity...everything but genuinely clever jokes.

Wow, I'm impressed you soldiered-on to the end. I couldn't make it past the 20 minute mark!

I have this OCD thing where I can't just watch part of a movie...I always tough it out to the end, no matter how bad it is. I figure if I'm going to bitch about it later online, I should do it the courtesy of watching the whole thing.

Monterey Jack wrote: have this OCD thing where I can't just watch part of a movie...I always tough it out to the end, no matter how bad it is. I figure if I'm going to bitch about it later online, I should do it the courtesy of watching the whole thing.

...and sometimes, it really hurts...

-Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014): 1/10

How do people like these movies on ANY level other than an ironic, it's-so-bad-it's-REALLY-F'IN-BAD level? Running longer than the entire collected filmography of David Lean (or so it felt), the latest assault on the senses by Michael Bay is chockablock with his usual excesses (insane length, nausea-inducing camera moves) and fetishes (Nicola Peltz in shorts so abbreviated they look more like a belt with pretentions), plus all of the expected shameless shilling, with product placements so in-your-face they're unintentionally funny and a final hour set in China for no discernible reason other than pandering to the swelling Asian market. Yes, Shia is mercifully absent, but T.J. Miller gives him a run for the money in the obnoxiousness department (thankfully, he's killed off in the first hour), and Mark Walhberg delivers his lines in his perpetual, breathless gasp (which mostly consist of the usual Bay trailer soundbites like "Look out!" and "GOGOGO...!") with none of the presence and charisma he can summon in the right role. And, as always, Bay peppers his film with genuinely good character actors (Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Titus Welliver) who are directed to look as unprofessional and buffoonish as possible. As soulless and mechanical as studio "product" gets.

ALIEN 3 (extended cut) - 8/10. Yes, I know no one else likes this film, but I still thoroughly enjoy this entry into the series, and I think the extended cut gives the film mroe character development and makes it (for me) more entertaining. The theatrical version made a change that I thought was good from the extended cut, and that was to make the Alien birth itself out of a dog rather than a cow. I would expect the Alien from the cow to have less of a sleek design than if it came out of a dog. However, I prefer the ending in the extended cut in which they do not show the Queen being birthed out of Ripley. The effect in the theatrical version just doesn't look right (though keeping it in there is interesting insofar as a Fincher cynicism is concerned - Ripley finally gets to be a mother again but in such a twisted way as to leave a bad taste in one's mouth...typical Fincher). In the extended cut I enjoy the development of the relationship between Ripley and Clemens, and I still love the burial of Ripley's shipmates juxtaposed against the birth of the protector Alien (Goldenthal's score is really good here). I also like that Golic has a bigger part and the narrative was fleshed out a bit. Guilty favorite...forgive me.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY - 8/10. This completes the Roger Moore "trilogy" of Bond films that I think are his best: TSWLM, MOONRAKER, and this one (honorable mention goes to LALD). What I really enjoyed about this film was the lack of gadgetry and a move back towards Bond using his wits and skills more. It has a couple of things going against it - it looks very dated, and Bill Conti's score at times is very dated and goofy. Also, I noticed that the film doesn't really spend much time in the narrative - rather, it jumps from action sequence to action sequence with a small bit of narrative in between to set up the next action sequence (does that make sense?)...makes it feel like vignettes pasted together. At any rate, Bond seems "normal" in the film and in real danger; even though the film's final confrontation was not this huge battle, it seemed more believeable and "real" for the character. Overall I think this film is a highlight for Moore's Bond, and I always enjoy watching it.

STAR TREK '09 - 8/10. I put this in last night and have to say that it still holds up as a very entertaining and competent return to the ST universe. Chris Pine is an outstanding Kirk, and the rest of the cast nails it. Althought he film has a NEMESIS feel to it, this is what NEMESIS should have been visually and scope-wise. Rick Berman et al did not give TNG the films/exit they deserved. Anyway, on the negative side I wasn't quite convinced that Nero was as sympathetic of a villain as they tried to paint him out to be, and MG's score is unmemorable. His main theme does nothing for me, whereas the themes from TOS and TNG both take me somewhere - it's music that inspires and invites you into the journey. Visually the film is a blast, and the humor was great as well. Overall I felt JJ Abrams and his crew honored ST with the film. It is too bad they waited so long to make the next one.

mkaroly wrote:It has a couple of things going against it - it looks very dated, and Bill Conti's score at times is very dated and goofy.

I've always admired Bill Conti but felt his stylistic approach the action sequences in this film were miscalculated. Hamlisch also played-up a 70s pop sound, but that worked in the more fanciful, tongue-in-cheek context of TSWLM. I found the rhythm section and synths were at odds with the more serious tone of FYEO. I wish he'd gone for something along the lines of F/X.

-Monster aka Humanoids From The Deep (1980): 2/10

Tacky, fitfully amusing horror flick about slimy, amphibious mutants with a need to breed with nubile, topless beach bunnies. Produced by Roger Corman (who else?), this is deeply stupid stuff, only noteworthy for some of the earliest credits for makeup designer Rob Bottin (not one of the shining moments in his filmography) and composer James Horner, turning in an alternately pastoral and shrill effort with plenty of nakedly obvious Goldsmith-isms throughout and numerous ideas that he'd mercilessly rehash for decades afterwards. Worth a viewing for a laugh (the scant 79-minute running time helps), but otherwise pretty dire.

OCTOPUSSY – 4/10. This is a frustrating film for me. The second half of the film generally plays better than the first half. On the one hand there is the taxi chase, one of the most buffoonish sequences I have ever seen in a Bond film. It is almost like they were parodying themselves; the sequence is so clownish as to be representative of the worst of the Roger Moore tradition. Everything from the one-liners to the tennis sound effects all seemed to be a big joke and very un-Bondish. And yet, in the second half of the film, we get the best of the Moore tradition in the bomb sequence. Someone (maybe Paul?) had mentioned this before I think – whoever did I agree with them…Bond is visibly agitated and desperate to get to the circus and disarm the bomb, and the sequence as a whole (from Bond’s discovery of the train car switch to his disarming of the bomb) is one of the best suspenseful sequences in a Bond film – I really felt the tension. Moore was great with subtle emotional reactions (perhaps in this case not-so-subtle; contrast the circus scene in OCTOPUSSY with his kicking the car off the cliff in FYEO).

There are things that work for me in the film: the auction, the circus sequence, and the opening sequence. I thought Jourdan was a classy villain – not really dangerous per say, but classy…someone Bond might have been had he gone bad. But I don’t really find the story as a whole compelling. The big fight scene at the end seemed rushed, Barry’s score seemed very “by the numbers,” and even the airplane stunts at the end weren’t all that impressive to me (maybe because we already had an aerial stunt in the movie’s opener). I just can’t connect with this film…for me Moore was clearly “past it” as Bond and I wanted something a bit more engaging and less silly. I still struggle with this movie.

ALIEN: RESURRECTION – 4/10. This is another frustrating film for me. I think there are some god sci-fi elements in the film. For example, I like that the film takes on the ethical and moral dilemma with cloning; the doctor’s comment towards the end that Ripley’s gift to the Alien Queen made it “perfect” is a pretty bold statement, as I would say it made the Alien Queen imperfect since she could only produce one offspring at a time. Linked to that issue is the arrogance of humanity in its attitude of superiority over nature. The idea too that androids are more humane than the human beings it interacts with is also an interesting sci-fi issue that the film attempts to address. But despite those issues being there (and others, such as humanity’s stubborn insistence on destroying itself through pride) the film never quite gets there in terms of delivery.

There are things that I like about the film: I like the visual palate and the wet, dark corridors. I liked Ripley’s character and her coming to terms with who she is – similar but different, a genetic mix of Alien and human as a result of the cloning process. I thought the scene where she confronted her other clones was very powerful and worked well. The two different endings were also interesting – the original theatrical ending implied hope moving forward, whereas the special edition ending implied hopelessness moving forward. And sometimes I thought Frizzel’s score was okay – I especially liked his melody for Ripley.

But…while all the elements were there for a good film, ultimately I think it failed to deliver on what it promised. I was not very convinced by the Newborn Alien; I guess there wasn’t a ton you could do with it, but it wasn’t as horrifying as I thought it should have been. Ripley’s ambiguous sexuality (and the sexuality portrayed in the film as a whole) wasn’t perhaps as cutting-edge or as provocative as it could have been. The ensemble cast also didn’t quite gel with me – they played things very clichéd but there were too many jokes…and Ron Perlman (for better or worse) stuck out like a sore thumb. In all I think all the ingredients were there – but they way Jeunet put it all together just didn’t quite make the grade for me.

I'm probably prejudiced because "Octopussy" was the first Bond film I saw theatrically, and I enjoyed it so much I saw it four times that summer of 83. I've always liked it better than FYEO in part because of Barry's returning again to score and also because it has a more relaxed feel to it and manages to blend in effectively the different threads of the separate villains of Kamal and General Orlov. It might have been nice if Octopussy herself had been more of a villainess and not Bond's quick ally as she became but in the end this didn't bother me much because I had a good time overall. I also like how Kristina Wayborn is a rare case of the secondary Bond girl not getting killed!

Eric Paddon wrote:I'm probably prejudiced because "Octopussy" was the first Bond film I saw theatrically, and I enjoyed it so much I saw it four times that summer of 83. I've always liked it better than FYEO in part because of Barry's returning again to score and also because it has a more relaxed feel to it and manages to blend in effectively the different threads of the separate villains of Kamal and General Orlov. It might have been nice if Octopussy herself had been more of a villainess and not Bond's quick ally as she became but in the end this didn't bother me much because I had a good time overall. I also like how Kristina Wayborn is a rare case of the secondary Bond girl not getting killed!

I am picking up what you are laying down Eric, as that is actually how I feel about THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS - it was the first Bond film I got to see in the theaters, and I saw it something like six times the year of its release (a couple of times by myself and the other times with difefrent friends, classmates, and co-workers). Not many people are high on TLD, and it does have its problems, but I am much more forgiving of it than other Bond films (for example, OCTOPUSSY, A VIEW TO A KILL, etc.).