Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Thirty years after the defeat of Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire, the galaxy is threatened once again from a far more dangerous enemy: the First Order. Risen from the ashes of the Empire, the First Order seeks to continue the Empire's goal of complete galactic domination. Headed by Supreme Leader Snoke and his Dark Jedi apprentice Kylo Ren, in order to fulfill their destiny as the dominating force the First Order must find all of the separated pieces of a map which could lead to the whereabouts of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, who has gone missing for a good portion of the last thirty years. The Resistance races to find the map before the First Order so they can put a stop to the murderous regime.


DISCLAIMER: I WILL DO MY BEST TO STAY AWAY FROM MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE MOVIE YET, HOWEVER I MAY HAVE TO GIVE SOME MINOR SPOILER DETAILS IN ORDER TO GIVE MY FULL REVIEW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.


As a huge Star Wars fan, I was really looking forward to seeing The Force Awakens. I'm not ashamed to admit I was actually counting down the days leading up to its release I was so excited. Coming out of the theater, I can thankfully say that J.J. Abrams effectively recaptured the magic of the original trilogy that was lost in the prequels (not to say the prequels were entirely horrible, they all have their redeeming values, but still...). It's been a long time since I've been in a movie where 2 hours goes by and it feels like only 30 minutes. In some ways I both love and hate this, but Abrams manages to leave more questions than answers - some of which are almost obviously going to be answered in the next installment. 


I've heard people argue that The Force Awakens is basically a remake of A New Hope. I can see where they're coming from, but after thinking about it for a day or two since walking out of the theater, I can honestly say the story itself is different, but J.J. Abrams takes quite a few visual elements from A New Hope. The Starkiller base in which the First Order is located looks a heck of a lot like the Death Stars previously used in the original trilogy, only bigger and more devastating, this time embedded into an entire planet instead of a space station the size of a small moon. Kylo Ren seems to take on a similar role to Darth Vader, and Snoke can possibly be considered as a stand-in for Emperor Palpatine. All the visual cues from previous films evokes a sense of something the audience has seen before, but there's enough there in story, performance, and visuals to stay away from being a complete remake. It was awesome being able to see the old gang back together. I will say though, I am glad Abrams gives the newbies a chance to shine instead of this being a complete fan service film. Daisy Ridley and John Boyega as Rey and Finn respectively were great in each of their roles. In the beginning, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren was great, but there were parts almost reminiscent of Hayden Christiansen as Anakin Skywalker in the prequels where he came off more like a spoiled brat than a true villain. I hope to see more development of his character into a true villain in Episode VIII, because I was left wanting more from him. Same goes for a few other characters, it almost seemed like The Force Awakens was just the beginning and their true character development would be in Episode VIII. Not necessarily a bad thing in the long run, but for me it brought the overall movie down from being the best in the franchise to probably second or third best. 


In the end, I can easily say that longtime Star Wars fans and casual fans alike will without a doubt love The Force Awakens (this is already evident considering there are reports of it already reaching an estimated $120.5 million in its opening day, and projected to be over $200 million by the end of the weekend). I know I sure did. I can already tell you I'm personally going to see it at least 1-2 more times in the theater and then buy once it gets released on DVD.

Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

The Grinch hates anything and everything having to do with Christmas. Living next to the little town of Whoville doesn't make things any easier. For 53 years he's put up with the Whos in Whoville participating in their Christmas traditions. He soon has enough, and plans something evil - to stop Christmas from coming to the good people of Whoville. And so he takes a sled and some bags, and goes down to the town to steal all the toys and decorations so the Whos wake up with a frown. But as he makes he makes his way back, his plan falls apart. Could it be that the Grinch is beginning to have a change of heart?

This visual retelling of one of the more popular stories by Dr. Seuss is without a doubt one of the best Christmas specials ever. What makes it so wonderful is not only the narration by the legendary actor Boris Karloff - who also voices the Grinch himself - but the animation itself is very well done. The song Mr. Grinch is also positively evil and yet at the same time a whole lot of fun. It's one of the rare occasions where the TV/film adaptation is just as good, if not better, than the source material. Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) is one of the few Christmas movies I make sure I see at least once every year during the holidays, I love it that much. I personally would consider it a true Christmas classic.

White Christmas

After having served together during World War II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis pick their lives back up where they left off by joining together as a song-and-dance routine act. Pretty soon the act becomes so popular, they are wanted in venues all across the country. As their fame skyrockets, Phil gets worried that Bob won't settle down and start a family before it's too late. As Phil tries to figure out what to do, he and Bob get a letter from an old Army pal telling them about his two sisters who are trying to make their own way in show business. Their friend asks them for a favor in taking a look at the act and giving some pointers to help out the sisters. As Bob and Phil meet the Haynes sisters, they all get along very well, and Phil gets the bright idea to romantically connect the older sister Betty with Bob. At the same time Phil tries to pull this off, he and Bob run into their former commanding officer, General Waverly. As they catch up, Bob realizes how much the General misses the Army, so he concocts a plan to reconnect the entire 151st Division and have them meet together at the General's business, the Columbia Inn. Things get complicated as the two men attempt to get all this together without the General knowing, all while Phil (and at this point the younger sister Judy as well) still tries to get Bob and Betty together. But, with a little careful planning - and a bit of luck - it just might be a wonderful(ly) "White Christmas" after all.

White Christmas ranks very high on my all time favorite holiday classics. If I had to put a specific rank, I'm not sure if it would make my top 5, but it's safe to say it makes my top 10 overall. It's a classic musical that has songs that are easily recognizable, and fun to sing along to. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera-Ellen, and Rosemary Clooney are all simply wonderful in the lead roles. I'm a huge fan of musicals, and this is one I can't seem to get enough of. It hasn't turned into a tradition yet to make sure I watch it every Christmas, but I'm beginning to think I should do so. For those who love song-and-dance/musicals, and not to mention are Bing Crosby fans, I would highly recommend seeking this one out if you haven't seen it yet. Seriously, I can't recommend it enough.

The Ref

Caroline and Lloyd are a bickering married couple of 15 years who have been trying to get their marriage back on track by going to therapy, though lately it doesn't seem to be working. They're up to their necks in debt to Lloyd's mother, their son - who is in military school - has been blackmailing other cadets over personal indiscretions, and Lloyd's extended family is a bunch of dysfunctional people who frequently attempt to get into their (and everyone else's) business. On one such occasion around Christmas Eve, when everything seems to be going especially wrong, Lloyd and Caroline are kidnapped by a burglar trying to get out of the area before he is apprehended by the authorities. Hilarity ensues as the couple try to act as if everything's fine so no one gets suspicious about their new guest during Christmas.

The Ref is a hilarious, and well done comedy with Kevin Spacey, Denis Leary, and Judy Davis as Lloyd, Gus the burglar, and Caroline, respectively. It does get a bit raunchy at times, so I wouldn't recommend it to the younger crowd, but for the more adult audience it's well worth watching. I'd say The Ref is probably one of my favorite performances by both Kevin Spacey and Denis Leary, each of them had me almost literally doubled over laughing with some of the best jokes. It's a comedy I can easily see myself watching over and over and not get tired of it. If you haven't seen it you should check it out for yourself.

Christmas with the Kranks

Every year, Luther and Nora Krank go all out with their Christmas celebrations. They always get the biggest tree, put up a Frosty the Snowman, and throw a huge party for the neighbors. Not to mention, they always make several donations to charities. This year, however, their daughter Blair joined the Peace Corps, so Luther has the bright idea go on a 10-day cruise to the Caribbean, and in doing so skip their annual Christmas celebrations. This riles up the town, and they try to get Luther and Nora to change their minds and stay home. The Kranks resist until they get a phone call from Blair saying she's coming home for a surprise Christmas visit. Nothing could possibly go wrong...right?

Christmas with the Kranks is a pretty funny comedy with some solid performances from both Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis as Luther and Nora Krank. It's also got some sweet messages about the Christmas spirit and spending the holidays with your loved ones. It's not my favorite holiday comedy, but I still enjoy watching it whenever it shows up on TV, or watching it with friends and/or family. That being said, I'm glad that it didn't really do that well to warrant a sequel. In today's day and age where practically every movie gets a sequel - or, so it feels like it anyways - I'm happy that this one's been left alone. If you haven't seen this one yet, fans of both Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis will assuredly enjoy this holiday comedy. It's no classic, but enjoyable.

Frosty the Snowman (1969)

Ah, winter can be a magical time - just ask Karen. You see, she and the other children were playing out in the first snow of the season (which just happened to fall on the day before Christmas) and so they soon decided to build a snowman. As they built it, they used a corncob pipe, a button nose, and two eyes made out of coal. They then used a hat from Professor Hinkle, a professor moonlighting as a (very bad) magician to place on his head. When they did..well, something magical happened.

Normally, as an adult, when it comes to movies I would prefer something with a little more substance and depth to it. However, there's just something about this Christmas classic that manages to me into the Christmas spirit every time. I've always loved the Christmas season to begin with, and watching this classic every year has become somewhat of a tradition. I always try to catch it when it's on TV during this time of year. I wish there were more like this one that I could consider classic, but these days there's not really anything that quite captures the feeling that Frosty does. If you haven't seen Frosty the Snowman (1969), well then you're missing out on a truly wonderful - and simply magical - classic.

Love Actually

It's been said how love is hard to find these days. At the same time, it's also no secret how Christmas can be considered as a prime time to find love in even the most awkward and random of places. Set against the backdrop of an old, washed up rocker looking to make a comeback with a holiday re-imagining of his hit song from years ago, nine peoples' stories of love are intertwined. Each person, in the course of four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve, experiences love and romance in a variety of ways.

Love Actually is another one of those films that presents a conundrum for me. On the one hand, I loved the story. It felt genuine without being too much of a gushy, uncomfortably sweet romantic film which would feel more at home on the Hallmark channel rather than a theatrical release. Not to mention, it was surprisingly actually very funny for an R-rated comedy. I haven't seen too many of those lately. On the other hand, there were quite a few scenes where, though partially expected since it is rated R, I felt like the film overall could have been so much better and funnier had it toned down some of the content and had been PG13. For example, one of the characters whose story we watch unfold meets their lover on the set of a porn film. I could think of countless situations that would have been better than that one. I get that the point of Love Actually was how love can be found in the most unexpected places, but as I mentioned, there are a ton of other scenarios which would have been better.

Still, despite these misgivings, I really did enjoy Love Actually overall. I don't know if I will ever watch it again, but I thought it was good seeing it this once. However, I'm still on the fence on whether or not to recommend it.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Jake Wilkinson is a selfish, spoiled college kid who would rather spend time with his girlfriend Allie rather than his own family. Not only that, he's developed a reputation at school for finding ways to cheat and "help" the jocks keep up their grades. Even though Jake already made plans for Christmas to spend it with Allie on the beach, Jake's father calls him and makes him a deal: if he can make it home before 6 pm on Christmas Eve, Jake will get his father's Porsche as a gift. Jake makes every effort to make it home before 6, but a series of unfortunate events keep getting in the way. Along the trip, Jake meets different people who help him to understand the true meaning of Christmas and gain a better respect and love for those around him.

I'll Be Home for Christmas isn't the greatest comedy I've ever seen - heck, I wouldn't even put it on my top 20. It's got one of the most basic plots of a road trip where things go horribly wrong that has been done more times than I can count. I also found the acting to be a bit wooden as well, though Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Jessica Biel were good. To be honest though, what it lacks in story and acting, it made up for in the *ahem* Christmas spirit. There were times I had to roll my eyes at the obvious moments of emotional awkwardness, but thankfully it was never too much to make me hate it as a whole. I hadn't seen it before, but I've heard quite a bit from others who had seen it, and I'm glad I watched it. It's one of those I probably won't watch every chance I get, but I would still see it multiple times. It's not a Christmas classic, but it is pretty fun.

Home Alone

At some point, every kid entertains the idea of being out on their own. No parents to bother them, they don't have to do chores like making the bed, and they can do/eat/say whatever the heck they want. Few people get the chance to actually live out that fantasy as a kid. Kevin McCallister feels that way about his family. The youngest in a large family, he often feels left out and ignored. After a particularly rough Christmas as the family is preparing for a trip to Paris, Kevin makes that fateful wish that his family was out of his life. Unbeknownst to him, in a rush to get to the airport his family leaves him behind as he sleeps in the attic. Kevin sees this as a golden opportunity, until he comes across two bumbling idiot crooks trying to break into houses around the neighborhood, including Kevin's. Kevin tries to fend off the crooks as his family in Paris realizes he's back home alone and they attempt to make their way back.

Unlike practically every other person my age, I never grew up watching Home Alone. To be honest, it never really looked that good to me, so I never sought it out to watch it. 25 years later I finally sat down to watch it, and I can't see why people like it so much, let alone consider it a holiday classic. To me it was one of the most overrated and over-hyped movies I've ever seen - and that's saying a lot. The initial story was good, but poorly executed. About 20 minutes in I found myself frequently looking at the time wondering when it was going to end. For a comedy, I laughed at most a total of 2-3 times. It just felt like a over-hyped piece of junk. I'll admit, my opinion might have been different if I had seen it as a kid growing up like everyone else I know. However, as it stands, seeing it as an adult felt like a waste of two hours.