
The Christmas Chronicles movie review: the Kurt Russell–as–Santa Claus movie you didn’t know you needed
Kurt Russell’s hot biker Santa is naughty and nice, but this otherwise discount holiday schmaltz is only half onboard with him.
film criticism by maryann johanson | handcrafted since 1997
Kurt Russell’s hot biker Santa is naughty and nice, but this otherwise discount holiday schmaltz is only half onboard with him.
Thinks it’s edgy and transgressive, the punk little brother of all those other stodgy comic-book movies, but it isn’t. It’s just slightly more candy-colored.
Immensely intense and suspenseful. Disaster filmmaking at its most gripping, yet there is nothing in the least bit exploitive or sensationalized about it.
Inexcusably self-indulgent. Tarantino gratifies his enormous self-love and his amusement at his own genius at the expense of all else.
Too long, too convoluted, too sentimental, and too ridiculous. Some will say those are its good points. Will they embrace the homoeroticism too?
One of the most fun heist movies ever, bursting with snappy humor and a twisty cleverness that knows that you know that you are getting conned, too…
Patti asked to gaze at Kurt Russell, because, as she said, he’s “ruggedly handsome.” Check…
U.S. AND CANADA/OPENING WIDE Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: It’s tanking in the U.K., and now it gets a shot at tanking in North America. [trailer] review to come If you can’t make it to the multiplex, try: • Big Trouble in Little China (1986): In which Kurt Russell goes up against an … more…
U.S. AND CANADA/OPENING WIDE Shrek Forever After: Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, and Puss square off against the evil tyrant Rumpelstiltskin. Scary. [trailer] review to come If you can’t make it to the multiplex, try: • Shrek 2 (2004): Still the best in the series, with one of the greatest character intros ever (for Puss in Boots). … more…
We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but the idea of just lying on a tropical beach — even if you have to pretend the sofa is made of sand — sounds so much more appealing. But you can have a multiplex-like experience at home with a collection … more…