Veteran detective and family man Roger Murtaugh is forced to work with suicidal loose canon Martin Riggs to take down a group of ex-soldiers turned drug dealers. If you want to watch a great action film set in Los Angeles at Christmas and produced by Joel Silver, then watch Die Hard. But if that isn't available, and you can stomach a lot of Mel Gibson, you could do worse than settle for Lethal Weapon. It isn't a bad movie, mostly thanks to the solid direction by Richard Donner and Shane Black's banter, but it has never felt like one that lives up to its iconic status. The action doesn't really impress all that much, the plot is undercooked, and the villains are one note. Mr Joshua stands out not because of anything written in the script, but simply because Gary Busey is physically incapable of being forgettable in anything.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Eight years after she was found washed up on the Jersey shore pregnant and with amnesia, small town schoolteacher Samantha Caine hires Mitch Henessey, a typical down on his luck gumshoe, to uncover her mysterious past. They soon discover that Samantha is really Charly Baltimore, a CIA assassin, and her old bosses want her very, very dead. Directed by Renny Harlin, probably the only person who can say “Cutthroat Island is actually one of my better films”, this was another attempt to turn then wife Geena Davis into an action icon. This one is just as ludicrous and bombastic as their previous effort, but much more fun thanks to a playful script by professional Christmas aficionado Shane Black (yes, him again).
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
In 1183, Henry II, king of England and most of France, gathers his family together at Chinon for Christmas so they can exchange gifts, insults (which they have an abundance of), and talk of inheritance. Henry wants his youngest son, snivelling John, to inherit his throne, but his estranged and imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (temporarily released for the holidays) favours their eldest son, brutish Richard. No one wants middle son Geoffrey to be king. The Lion in Winter is basically every horrible family Christmas you've been forced to endure, except this time the family in question is the most powerful in Europe. Because of its theatrical origins, it's a very talky film with lots and lots of scenes of actors strolling around that draughty looking castle nattering to each other, but that isn't a problem when you have dialogue this devilishly good delivered by a first class cast relishing every last bitter insult.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Exactly one year after attending the Christmas party from hell at Nakatomi Plaza, John McClane once again finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Directed by Renny Harlin (yes, him again), this is nothing more than a quick cash-in sequel. There clearly weren't any good ideas for a new movie, so they just shoehorned in as much from the original as possible to make it seem like the exact same movie. Like most sequels, the action is bigger, bloodier, and more bombastic, but also less memorable, just like all the new villains and supporting characters. It's also a good example of the difference between a Christmas movie and a movie that just happens to be set at Christmas.
Rating: ⭐⭐
No doubt struggling with seasonal depression, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, unhappily wanders into the forest alone and stumbles upon the brightly coloured world of Christmas Town. Besotted with this winter wonderland, Jack tries to bring Christmas to his home town with disastrous results. Based on a story by Tim Burton, Henry Selick's stop motion classic is a festive treat full of great songs. It can also double as a Halloween movie, giving you two good reasons to watch it every year. Originally, Disney didn't even want to put their name it, thinking it was too scary for kids, but now plaster it all over their parks every October.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011 More Mark Greig
Nightmare Before Christmas is such a great movie! And I echo your thoughts on it, it's always a fun time.
ReplyDeleteI did like Lethal Weapon, but it's been a long time since I saw it last. Not sure if it would hold up as well for me today.
A nice group of sorta Christmas movies, Mark. Just like Morella, I did once like Lethal Weapon, but I never seemed to want to rewatch it, like Die Hard, and at a certain point, Mel Gibson became so toxic that I wasn't even tempted. I'm sure I saw Die Hard 2, but I honestly don't even remember it. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteOkay, that sounds ambiguous regarding Die Hard, a movie I do rewatch, often around Christmas, and still love. :)
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