Arthur Christmas

Released in the US on November 23, 2011.

"Oscar Takes A Holiday" continues with our review of Arthur Christmas, which features Jim Broadbent as the voice of Santa Claus.  Broadbent won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 2001 film Iris.  

Jim Broadbent shows off his Oscar at the 74th Academy Awards ceremony.

Here's today's review:

Arthur Christmas (James McAvoy), son of Santa Claus (Jim Broadbent), is responsible for answering letters sent to Santa.

He receives a letter from a girl named Gwen (Ramona Marquez) who lives in Trelew, UK.  Gwen's letter asks Santa to bring her a pink bicycle for Christmas.   

Santa Claus is actually named Malcolm, he’s the 15^th man to take on the role of Santa.  His father, known as Grandsanta (Bill Nighy), previously filled the role.

On Christmas Eve, Santa is traverses the globe on a giant high tech sleigh called the
S-1.  

Grandsanta believes that Christmas was better in the old days when he delivered toys in the traditional sleigh pulled by flying reindeer.

Santa's son (and heir-apparent) Steve (Hugh Laurie) is in command on the bridge of the S-1. 

Santa and his elves deliver presents in a manner that resembles a covert paramilitary action.  Steve believes that this will be his father’s last year as Santa and he expects to take over the role.

As Christmas Eve turns into Christmas morning, Santa and company arrive home and begin celebrating another successful night of gift delivery.

Suddenly, the elves realize that one gift has gone undelivered.  Arthur figures out that it’s the bike intended for Gwen.  Santa and Steve say it’s no bother, millions of kids got their presents, they’ll get it to Gwen in a few days.  

Arthur protests, saying every child deserves a gift from Santa on Christmas morning.

Arthur’s concern falls on deaf ears, until Grandsanta decides to help him deliver the gift.  He tells Arthur they will deliver the bicycle to Gwen, using his original sleigh (which he calls "Evie") pulled by six flying reindeer.  

They’re joined by an elf named Bryony Shelfley (Ashley Jensen), who specializes in gift wrap, but has always wanted to deliver presents.  They head off to Trelew on a journey that takes them around the world, with several detours.

Can Athur, Grandsanta and Bryony deliver the bike before Gwen wakes up Christmas Morning?

J.A. Morris says:

I liked Arthur Christmas quite a bit when it was first released and it holds up after multiple viewings.  I thought the voice actors were all excellent, but James McAvoy carries the film.  He creates a character that embodies kindness who loves Santa and Christmas more than anything.  Arthur is willing to risk life and limb in order to deliver Gwen's bike.  His love of the holiday rubs off on his older family members who feel lost in the shuffle of the "military-style" delivery of presents.

It's such a great performance that you forget this is the actor who played Professor Xavier in multiple X-Men films. 

The animation, just like other Aardman movies looks amazing.   The reindeer are absolutely gorgeous and look very realistic. 

If I have any problem with Arthur Christmas, it's that Santa doesn't immediately drop everything and get the present to Gwen's house ASAP.  In the story, Santa feels like he's lost control of the delivery of presents, so much so that he feels like an after-thought in the operation that's mostly directed by Steve.  

So I get it, but...he's still Santa Claus!  I don't think I'm spoiling too much of the film when I tell you that Santa comes around before it's over, but it still bugged me a bit.  

Arthur Christmas features great animation, excellent voice-acting and an entertaining adventure.  Recommended, but my above feelings about Santa keep me from giving it my highest rating.

J.A. Morris' rating:

.5


3 and a half candy canes.

RigbyMel says: 

I've been a fan of Aardman animation since discovering Wallace & Gromit in the 1980s.  The level of detail in their films always manages to impress and Arthur Christmas is a lovely holiday offering produced by the UK studio in collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation.

This movie manages to find a nice balance between old and new as well as capturing the holiday spirit without being soppy in doing so.    The characters are all very well defined and delightfully quirky.  Goofy, clumsy Arthur's love of Christmas and his determination shine through (as do the eyes on his fuzzy reindeer slippers).

We have a somewhat befuddled Santa/Malcom, his hyper competent and unflappable wife (voiced by Imelda Staunton), crochety, irascible Grandsanta (voiced by Bill Nighy), and tech-obsessed elder brother Steve (voiced by Hugh Laurie), who each have their own ideas as to how things should be run. 

And, of course, we have the intrepid elf Bryony (as voiced by Ashley Jensen) who works in the wrapping department and is just as determined as Arthur to see to it that little Gwen gets her (fully-wrapped) bike! 

Bryony!

Even the more minor characters like Grandsanta's elderly, be-coned reindeer are well-drawn characters.

There are amusing gags that will appeal to both adults and kids.  My particular favorite is the accidental "alien encounter" scene when Arthur and Grandsanta land in the middle of the U.S.

The ultimate message of the film is two-fold: 1) every child deserves a present on Christmas and 2) dysfunctional families (even Santa's!) still love each other and the holidays can help bring them closer together.

Arthur Christmas endeavors to show us how exactly Santa manages to deliver all those presents in just one night, and it is also an enjoyable family comedy adventure story.  Like J.A., I can personally vouch that it stands up to repeated viewings and it can be enjoyed by kids from 1 to 92.  Recommended.

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 candy canes!

Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space

Premiered October 26, 2009

"This isn't just any night, it's OUR night, and when it finally comes we gots to terrify."
- The Missing Link

"Modesto? Why is it always Modesto?" 
-Susan "Ginormica" Murphy

This TV special is a sequel to Dreamworks' feature length animated film, Monsters vs. Aliens, which was released in March 2009. 

A flying saucer enters Earth's atmosphere and dumps green slime on a pumpkin patch.   Jeb (Peter Ramsey), the patch's owner, hears an odd noise and goes outside to investigate. Suddenly, he is attacked and wrapped in pumpkin stalks!  The next day, pumpkins are being given away at Jeb's farm. (Free for all "Humanz"!)   Dozens of families take them home to make jack o'lanterns.

Our heroes, the monsters, are now working as special ops agents for the U.S. government.  They are hanging out in their secret base and discussing Halloween.  The Missing Link (Will Arnett), B.O.B.* (Seth Rogen) and Insectasaurus are looking forward to the holiday and discussing what their costumes will be.  Link has missed Halloween for years (since he was cryogenically frozen).  He's excited about participating, saying that as they are monsters, Halloween is their night, and he can't wait to go out and scare people.  Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie) isn't so enthusiastic about the occasion and feels that "All Hallows Eve is more trick than treat."  His disillusionment stems from when he was a little boy and was beaten up by a gang of bullies on Halloween night. They took all his candy including his swirly pop!  Ever since then, he has avoided celebrating Halloween.  Susan a.k.a. "Ginormica" (Reese Witherspoon) returns from a false alarm call involving a yeti and joins in the discussion, her zombie cheerleader costume idea doesn't impress Link, but Susan thinks they should all get out and have some fun.

Their boss, General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) shows up and tells them a UFO has been sighted near Modesto, Susan's hometown.  The gang are ready for action.   Monger tells them to be quiet about it, and just act like they're in town to celebrate Halloween with Susan's parents.

The Murphy home --- all ready for Halloween

Susan's parents out on their porch

We cut to Modesto where Susan's parents, Wendy (Julie White) and Carl Murphy (Jeffrey Tambor) are decorating their house for Halloween.  Their home looks like a Halloween card come to life - they are just about ready for their big Halloween party!

The Murphys' yard - Children of the Candy Corn!

Death By Chocolate Fountain in the Murphys' yard

Susan and the others arrive, and rather unconvincingly try to stick to their "cover story" of just being in town for Halloween.   Dr. Cockroach produces a threatening looking ray gun and scans Susan's parents (and assorted trick-or-treaters) to make sure they are actually human and not aliens. Susan claims she "finally managed to get a night off."   Her parents joke that they thought Modesto would have to be invaded by aliens again for them to get to see her.   Susan says that's ... just ... ridiculous!   (Oops!)

B.O.B. is excited at the prospect of CANDY!

The gang decides to split up to cover ground more effectively and maybe do a bit of trick or treating in the process.

Dr. Cockroach gets a swirly pop!

Dr. Cockroach tries to explain the nuances of trick-or-treating to B.O.B., who is a little slow on the uptake, but definitely on board with the idea of free candy.   B.O.B. forgets what he's supposed to say at the first house and stares blankly at a little old lady who opens the door.   Dr. Cockroach intervenes -  the old lady is impressed by his "costume" -- "it's really quite disgusting," she says.  She gives Cockroach ... a Swirly Pop!  Suddenly,  Dr. Cockroach is filled with childlike enthusiasm for Halloween and he and B.O.B. embark on a full-fledged quest for CANDY!

Link growls

Link wants to make up for lost time, he attempts to "scare the caramel" out of the neighborhood children.  He fails miserably -- people repeatedly mistake him for Shrek and Kermit the Frog.

Unimpressed kids in monster costumes

We cut to the home of one of the families who picked up a free pumpkin at Farmer Jeb's pumpkin patch earlier in the day.  They are preparing to carve their jack o'lantern -- their little boy suggests they name it "Wicked Jack".   Suddenly, the pumpkin comes to life, sprouts arms and legs and terrorizes the family!  Wicked Jack (Rainn Wilson)  then proceeds outside and rallies other, smaller pumpkins to join it in attacking the neighborhood.

Wicked Jack gathering the other mutant pumpkins

Wicked Jack grows into a giant and steals candy from children while fighting our hero monsters.  The monsters realize that the pumpkins gets bigger with every bite of candy they consume (don't we all?).  Eventually, the mutant pumpkins coalesce into one HUGE organism and gravitate towards the biggest supply of candy in Modesto: The Murphy house!    Chaos reigns! 

Can the combined might of Susan,The Missing Link, B.O.B., Dr. Cockroach and Insectasaurus defeat the mutant pumpkins?  You'll have to watch and see!

* B.O.B., if you're interested,  stands for "Benzoate Ostylezene Bicarbonate", which basically translates to  "indestructible blob of goo."

Here comes trouble!

J.A. Morris says:

I'd say this is at least as good as the original Monsters Vs. Aliens movie.  And putting the "Monsters" in a Halloween special was a no-brainer.  They're all likeable characters and the voice actors are perfect in their roles.  Jeffrey Tambor and Julie White are also excellent as Susan's Halloween-crazed parents. 

Though it's aimed at kids, there are plenty of jokes and references to horror (and non-horror) movies that only adults will get.  Here are a few examples:
-A cell phone plays John Carpenter's theme from Halloween.
-Gen. Monger says that he loves "the smell of mutant pumpkin guts in the evening.  It smells like victory.", an obvious homage to Apocalypse Now.
-The theme music from Psycho pops up on the soundtrack.
-One of the Murphys' yard decorations is based on Children Of The Corn. 
-And in the image below, Dr. Cockroach resembles a certain Extra Terrestrial.

The plot itself, involving mutant pumpkins is reminiscent of many sci-fi films of the 1950s.

We also get a nice combination of comedy and action.  Cockroach, Link and B.O.B. provide most of the laughs, but the battle scene at the end against Wicked Jack is exciting (even if we don't expect the Mutant Pumpkins to win).

"No one ruins a Murphy Halloween!" 

I am hardly the demographic for Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, but I've enjoyed watching it every Halloween since its premiere.  Time will tell if it will ever be considered a "classic", but it's a lot of fun.
J.A. Morris's rating:
3 and 1/2 jack o'lanterns.

RigbyMel says:

I generally agree with what J.A. Morris had to say about this special - it's definitely fun Halloween viewing that works whether or not you've seen the Monsters vs. Aliens feature film, I think.  There are things to enjoy for viewers of all ages.   The characters are charming in their sit-com-esque quirkiness.  I loved the Murphys' over-the-top Halloween yard displays and the affection for B-movies as well as Halloween in general that is evident throughout.   I do wonder whether there may be a few too many pop cultural references to make this a "classic" in years to come, but as J.A. Morris points out, only time will tell on that score. 

Plus, this happens:

Insectasaurus as "Fat Elvis" - thank you very much!

RigbyMel's rating: 

3 jack o'lanterns

Hop

Released April 1st 2011

Directed by Tim Hill

Hop centers on the story of two characters who are disappointments to their fathers, who bond over this and (eventually) save the Easter Bunny from a usurper.

The film opens on Easter Island, where we’re introduced to a young rabbit named E.B.(Russell Brand). We soon learn that his father is the Easter Bunny(Hugh Laurie), who is hard at work preparing for his worldwide Easter journey. His candy factory(located inside one of Easter Island’s “head” sculptures)is operated by a chick named Carlos(Hank Azaria). The Easter Bunny tells E.B. that someday he’ll take over his job, Carlos is angry thinking he should be the successor.

The story moves to the suburbs of Los Angeles. A little boy named Fred, wakes up early on Easter and catches a glimpse of the Easter Bunny delivering eggs & candy. It’s a memory he’ll treasure all his life.

We cut to 20 years later, Fred(James Marsden) is now an adult slacker who can’t keep a steady job and moved back in with his parents (Gary Cole and Elizabeth Perkins), who are frustrated with his lack of ambition. His sister Samantha (Kaley Cuoco) gets him a job interview with a videogame company, and asks him to house sit at her boss’s mansion. He’s not interested in the job but tells Sam he’ll humor her and apply.

At the same time, E.B. is due to be appointed Easter Bunny, but he’d rather play drums in a rock band. He doesn’t think he’s cut out to take over for his father. Using a magic rabbit hole, he flees to Hollywood to pursue his rock n roll dream.

The Easter Bunny is furious at E.B. and sends his Pink Berets (a team of rabbit-ninjas) to bring him home. Meanwhile, Carlos and his fellow chicks are plotting a coup against the Easter Bunny.

Fred is driving and accidentally hits E.B.. When he picks up a rock to put him out of his misery, E.B. shocks Fred by asking him not too. E.B. needs a place to stay, so he uses Fred’s guilt to let him join in on his housesitting gig.

Fred tells E.B. not to go upstairs. He disobeys this order, leaving carrot stems all over the house and running a jaqcuzi until it overflows, making a mess upstairs. E.B.’s antics make Fred late for his job interview at the videogame company. The Pink Berets show up and chase E.B. around the office and run into Fred, causing him to botch the interview. E.B. asks Fred to help him get to an audition for a talent show overseen by David Hasselhoff, Fred agrees but says he’s wants E.B. to leave him alone after the audition.

The audition is a success,but the Berets show up again and attack both of them. They escape and E.B. tells Fred his backstory and his reluctance to take over for the Easter Bunny. Fred doesn't believe him until he poops jelly beans. Fred remembers his childhood encounter with the Easter Bunny and decides that he will take over as Easter Bunny. He begins vigorously decorating eggs and gathering candy in preparation for his Easter journey around the world. But before he can do that:

The Berets invade the mansion, E.B. escapes by faking his own death. Fred is accused of killing E.B. and taken to Easter Island. At this point, Carlos takes over, imprisons Fred and the Easter Bunny and is magically transformed into a rabbit-chick hybrid.

Spoiler Alert: E.B. regrets abandoning Fred, so he returns to Easter Island just in time to save his father and Fred. He overthrows Carlos and becomes the new Easter Bunny, just in time for Easter. Fred accompanies E.B. on the journey and becomes his new fulltime assistant, thus finding a job he loves.

JA Morris says:

Hop is entertaining, but just good enough to be disappointing. At “press time”, Marsden is 37 years old and too old to play a “20-something” character, but he’s still convincing as a wide-eyed manchild. It’s not easy acting with animated characters, but he pulls that off too. I don’t care much for Russell Brand, but he’s okay as E.B., but E.B. isn’t very sympathetic as a protagonist. He takes a bit too long to “wake up”, accept his role as Easter Bunny and save the day.

Having the Easter Bunny based on Easter Island was cute, and the candy factory assembly line scene is how I imagined candy was made when I was a kid. And the Easter Bunny’s sleigh was cool too, a nice way of showing how he travels around the globe.

But ‘Hop’ is ultimately not a very good movie. The story jumps around and E.B. isn’t very sympathetic as a protagonist. He takes a bit too long to “wake up” and save the day.

“But won’t kids like it? And isn’t that what matters about a movie like this?”

If I was a kid, I probably would have enjoyed it once, but not cared too much if I ever saw it again. Which is too bad, because the list of Easter movies & tv specials is short.

My review:

2 and ½ Easter Eggs

RigbyMel says:

On the surface this movie had a lot going for it (good voice cast, neat computer animation, pretty good live action cast, fun concept) but the execution left me wishing it was better than it was. As it was, it was mildly entertaining but kind of empty, which is a shame.

My rating: 1 and 1/2 Easter eggs