Tag Archives: Comedy

White Christmas Review

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The holidays are almost upon us and that means that Christmas is coming! It’s easily still one of the biggest days of the year and it always will be. There’s nothing quite as epic as watching a Christmas film to bring on the holiday cheer. This title came out in 1954 so it had to come to blows with the original Godzilla film, but if anything can give it a good fight…it’s this title! It’s a pretty fun Christmas film that has its flaws, but manages to still capture the Christmas spirit.

The film starts out with the army having trouble holding their ground. They manage to do all right for themselves and that’s where Bob and Phil step in. It was an ordinary day on the job for them until a wall collapses and Phil saved Bob at the expense of his arm. It was sprained or maybe broken. To repay his debt, Bob agrees to work as a duet with Phil and they become a global sensation. They get a letter from one of their old army buds a while later to check out a possible sister act and that’s when the film really starts. The plot shifts after the two guys and the two girls all head up to Vermont where a struggling hut is trying to stay afloat. Can this motel/hotel/lodge be saved by the combined efforts of these performers? Time to find out!

Well, it’s more or less what you would expect from a classic romantic comedy. The writing is pretty strong and it easily shatters the kind of film that they would make nowadays in this genre. The banter is always around and the characters are decently likable. Bob was actually pretty cool for the majority of the film, but then he crumbled towards the end and he couldn’t get back up on his high horse. One aspect of the film that probably didn’t do it any favors was its run time of 2 hours. I do think that 2 hours is the minimum length for a film, but you have to come up with a lot of good scenes if you want it to work. Most of the scenes are pretty good, but they probably could have cut out a few songs during the film. It would have sped up the plot progression a little. You know, the first half of the film actually goes perfectly for the four main characters, which is unheard of. All of the tension and drama is in the second half.

There is no real soundtrack, but this is a musical so I suppose that I can comment on the songs. The voices are pretty good for the most part so that isn’t an issue, but I didn’t care for the dances that went along with it. It’s like Spagetti and Pizza. They taste good together, but just give me the Spagetti and leave the Pizza for later! We don’t need singing and dancing to be done at the same time. I’m more or less okay with singing, but I could definitely have gone without the latter. At least most of the songs are Christmas related, which is always cool.

The main problem in the film that leads to the climax involves a misunderstanding between Bob and Betty, but I think it could have been handled better. As it stands, it makes Betty look pretty terrible since she is convinced that Bob has betrayed her without even giving him a chance to tell his side of the story. You should never go with third party information unless it’s absolutely necessary. She definitely overreacted there and I only blame Bob for the part where he says that they should try to get things back to how they were the other day. He could have phrased that in a much better way since that made it look like he just wanted some romance.

Speaking of which, Bob was pretty cool for a while. He was pretty good at the musicals and he was a solid army guy. He was pretty nice and he was always willing to help a pal out. He knows that Phil will trick him at every opportunity, but he still lets him hang around. Then, Betty and Judy appear and things start to get dicey for Bob. He handles the whole romance thing decently at first, but then he gets thanked by the assistant at the lodge and everything about his character gets smashed to pieces. It’s meant to be a funny scene, but it was pretty terrible and made him look like a pretty desperate person. It’s really hard to bounce back from something like that.

Likewise, Betty was a decent character until the whole misunderstanding happened. Then, that made her look pretty bad and it went on for a while, which certainly did not help her case. She found a pretty spiffy new job in about a day, which certainly says something about her talents as a singer, but just leaving the state like that was certainly not the right thing to do in this situation.

Phil likes to use his fake arm injury to blackmail Bob, but he is technically just doing it in a joking way. He’s a pretty nice guy and he really looks out for Bob. That being said, he basically falls into the love at first sight angle in an instant and he basically cornered into engaging someone due to political interests of both parties. He’s a decent character through and through for the most part, but I can’t say that I am a fan of his. Likewise, Judy doesn’t have as much time to get development as Betty since she is shoved to the side with Phil as far as the plot is concerned. She is the character who kicks things off with the plot twist though so she is pretty crucial in how the whole thing played out. Without her on stage appearances, the play could have crumbled.

There were a few other characters like The General and his assistant, but they aren’t extremely crucial to the story. The General wants to join the Army again instead of living in such a peaceful place, but I have to disagree with his notion. He apparently spent all of his retirement savings on the place so ditching it now would not be a good idea at all. He made for a pretty good general and he’s possibly the best character in the film, but he’s mostly relegated to the sidelines. He makes sure to talk tough until the very end! His assistant wasn’t that good since she is the one who causes the big problems in the film. It’s good that she knows what is going on at all times, but she should have done a little more research before making her big announcement.

The romance can be a bit much as the second half of the film is full of it. The first half was pretty light in that respect and I can safely say that it was a lot better than the second half. The writing really gets to shine while Bob is still antagonistic and having a civil debate with Phil. That slowly starts to change as the film went on and you can’t help, but think that the film could have been pretty fun if they had just been rivals to the two girls. That would have certainly been an interesting twist right? One thing I can say for the film is that there are no really bad scenes just as there are no Great ones. It’s simply a good, retro Christmas story. (One song happens so suddenly that I thought it was a parody)

Overall, White Christmas is a good film. Considering that one of the genres is basically romance, it certainly handles itself better than you would expect. I do think that they should have dialed down some of the dancing and maybe eliminated a song or two to make things better though. The romance can also be a little more frequent than you may like, but at least we have the beginning where they are all just friends for a while. It’s the kind of film that’s pretty happy from start to finish and it’s certainly a good way to get set for Christmas. I recommend it to you if this film sounds like it’s your thing and if you want an alternative, just check out Jingle All The Way.

Overall 5/10

Groundhog Day Review

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I probably should have heard of this film before, but I only have a vague notion that I may have heard it prior to the week before I actually watched this movie. I liked Christmas Do Over and the concept is pretty similar except that it’s not taking place on Christmas. Groundhog Day is significantly funnier than the last few films that I’ve seen, but it also manages to fall into more film holes than the others.

The plot involves a man named Phil Connors and he’s (not) excited about the big Groundhog Day celebration. He covers it every year for the news, but he doesn’t enjoy it. Two other characters by the names of Rita and Larry are coming to assist him. Phil avoids them and get through most of the day, but then he finds out that the blizzard (Which he predicted would not happen in this area) has blocked his only way out of town. Phil goes to bed with a heavy start and begins his infinite loop inside of the day. He doesn’t have any reality superpowers so getting out of this loop will take every bit of skill that Phil has. Will his best be enough to end this crisis? That’s what the film asks the audience as it unfolds.

“Phil……Phil Connors!” is the main character and I love the way that Ned yells his name. Phil is definitely someone who you can root for at first. He’s very sarcastic and he spends most of his time mocking the other characters and being a bad sport about everything. He doesn’t like the hotel and he doesn’t like the coffee. Phil can barely hold in his contempt for the actual Groundhog Day Celebration and he lowers his comrades’ spirit whenever he can. After that, his true character bubbles to the surface and I can safely say that it ruined his character.

I liked Phil at first, but then he used his time travel as a way to make false relationships and add unnecessary romance to the story. That really makes him no better than guys like James Bond and Captain James T. Kirk. Phil couldn’t really redeem himself after that because he simply went way too far. Phil is one of those characters who has some good traits, but it destined to remain in my “awful characters” section along with Kamina. They have the potential to be likable characters and then throw it out of the window for their own personal desires. It’s not worth it and they realized this too late. At least I can always smile at the memory of Phil punching out Ned….Ned Ryerson!

Ned…..Ned Ryerson is the best character in the film and he’s someone that you don’t mess with. He always laughs at the misfortune of others and he’s very good at being an insurance employee. He put the pressure on Phil and he didn’t back down as things got tough. At the same time, he knew when it was time to get out of there and make a new plan. I won’t be forgetting Ned anytime soon and his name is just plain epic. It’s why I loved the banter between him and Phil. Both of them would use each other’s full name in fake surprise during greetings.

Rita is the main heroine and she’s a decent character at best. It’s probably rough to have to work with someone like Phil. She doesn’t do extremely well because Phil has the time advantage, but she still could have looked better. She shouldn’t be doing anything with Phil since it’s only been a day and they got too buddy buddy in other times. She should at least be suspicious for a few more days after Phil’s big change in personality. As a supporting character she is okay, but the romance between her and Phil is unnecessary at best and cringe worthy at worst. I almost wanted Larry to get more screen time…almost.

Larry actually doesn’t look that bad at first, but they his character quickly starts to fizzle out. He suddenly becomes the comic relief character and he just wants to make some new friends. That was a pretty unnecessary addition to the film and I don’t know why they bothered to add it. I liked him when Larry was snacking on desserts and insulting the main character behind his back. He should have stuck to that role.

There are certainly more characters in the film, but this is essentially the main cast. The lady in the hotel who always offered Phil coffee was cool. She went straight to the point and she was always polite despite Phil’s unfriendly approach to everything. The actual groundhog was pretty fun and he’s a solid driver. There were many other characters sprinkled throughout the film, but their roles were not very monumental and I’m sure that they will fade over time.

One of the major flaws with the film is the abundance of unnecessary romance. Why did one of the citizens be so eager to have a one night stand with an old (fake) classmate? How could the no nonsense Rite quickly get tricked into romance? It was all very forced and it certainly didn’t do any wonders for the film. The romance wasn’t ridiculously long, but there were more scenes of it than I’ve seen in a film for a long time. Each scene gradually lowered the enjoyment value of the film until I cheered as the real plot took over (temporarily) and got rid of the romance. Those romance scenes are the different between a great comedy film and one that forgot its place.

There isn’t much of a soundtrack for this film, but the songs are there. It can just be tough to notice them, but the radio song is another matter. We heard it quite a few times and the song is definitely catchy. I never really expect a big soundtrack for any live action movies, much less a comedy one. That being said, it’s always a pleasant surprise to have any that I can remember after it is over.

Phil ended up living through the cycle for over 6 months and possibly a whole year or longer. That’s pretty intense and it would have been pretty scary to keep going on forever. I do think that the movie ends a little too happily and there aren’t really any big twists. I believe that the film could have used a few of those and it would have been that much better. Just ending on a twist would have been a nice change of pace for me.

We do get treated to a pair of car chase scenes when Phil is having one of his episodes. The drive with the Groundhog started off in a great way, but then things went sour quickly. This film did not need a mild case of animal violence on its shoulders as well. It’s very mild because the death is quick and we don’t see it, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Groundhog didn’t make it. That was unnecessary.

Overall, Groundhog Day was one of the funniest films that I’ve seen in a long time. The humor was pretty solid and Phil really stole the show with his facial expressions and one liners. If Phil and Rita had not been such unlikable characters by the end, then the film could have done better. Taking away their romance and the other romance scenes would have made the film be a lot closer to a masterpiece. This is a good film if you’re looking for a solid comedy, but the romance really does drag it down. Instead, I recommend watching Christmas Do Over at the plot is very similar, but it takes place on Christmas. A nice twist if I do say so myself. One thing that I give the film credit for is the fact that Phil decides to eat as much as he can because the food won’t hurt him the next day. Brilliant.

Overall 4/10

Sonic Select Volume 8 Review

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It’s been too long since I got to read a good Sonic comic. This is from the Sonic Select series and since it mainly covers the Tails miniseries; it’s a decent way to jump back in. The comics were a little more retro than the cover would have you believe, but that’s mainly a good thing. It feels like reading an old Marvel or DC comic, but with the likable Sonic characters. It’s a pretty quick read, but definitely worth checking out.

The collection brings a brief intro story where Tails must fight against an Octobot so show us how Tails got his sub. That brings us to the main story when Tails decides that it’s up to him to stop Eggman. The Freedom Fighters have been treating him like a kid lately and stopping Eggman will force them to admit that he’s just as much of a fighter as them. This 3 part epic sees Tails go through all sorts of adventures and he won’t stop until Eggman’s plans have been foiled. Things get a little more dicey for Tails when the infamous Crocbot steps in to complicate matters. Tails is going to have to use every bit of power that he’s got if he wants to win this.

The collection also brings a very brief story at the end, which is a very large change of pace. It takes place in the modern day and the art looks to be more 90’s to 2000’s level. Sonic and Tails are training when the cops from the multiverse say that they need Tails to save everything. Sonic tags along and we find out that Knuckles messed up and Mogul now has unlimited power. He’s literally crushing the multiverse and there are only two dimensions (zones) left. Tails is supposed to be the chosen one so all of the Tails from the different dimensions arrive. Will the real Tails be able to use these guys in order to defeat Mogul or are they all doomed? Sonic’s around so at least Tails has an ally that he can count on. Let’s the battles begin!

Sonic doesn’t appear a whole lot, but his brief appearances are pretty epic. He’s nice enough to apologize after the brainwashing done by Eggman and he is pretty brave when he goes up against Mogul. If not for all of the bystanders, I’m pretty sure that Sonic could have taken down Mogul on his own. He is Sonic after all and Mogul wasn’t able to land a single hit on the hedgehog thanks to his speed. This is why Sonic overwhelms most opponents and Mogul wouldn’t be an exception. Sonic definitely proves why he’s typically the main character.

Tails is the main character of the collection and he gets a lot of screen time as a result of this. Tails essentially represents the sidekick who wants to level up as he embarks on all sorts of dangerous quests, but always ends up getting rescued. He retreats into his comics where he changes the facts a little bit to show the world that he is the true hero. It’s pretty bold, but his comics were pretty great so I’ll cut him a little slack. The heroes were definitely being pretty condescending so going out to take on Eggman was the right call. Tails just made a big mistake when he let personal feelings get in the way of the mission. He never really recovered from that.

It’s lucky for Tails that there is a group of underwater Freedom Fighters as well as a Rodeo version. Without them, things definitely would have been dicey for him. Tails definitely gets thrown around a whole lot, but he’s still a pretty likable character. This was before he became known as the smart character of the group so we don’t see a lot of gadgets, but I’m okay with that. Seeing Tails as an adventurer in training is definitely more exciting and Tails does his best to fight the villains on his own. I wouldn’t mind seeing more Tails comics in the future and especially if they’re set in this era. He’s a fun supporting character who can hold his own series.

Eggman is always amusing to see onscreen because his minions insult him all of the time. Eggman typically ignores them, but they can be pretty bold about this. Eggman still does have his moments and his plan to get Tails in the grinder nearly worked thanks to his latest robot. Eggman’s role is pretty minimal after that, but his constant yelling at Crocbot is also fun. The Sonic comics definitely wouldn’t be the same without Eggman and I wish that the current games had kept this design. This was definitely Eggman at around his prime. (Only Adventure 2 Battle could stack up to this one)

I can’t say that I really remember Crocbot prior to this collection, but he seems like a decent villain. He’s basically the wild west version of Eggman and his minions are a lot more respectful. No insults to the Crocbot. He strikes terror into the hearts of many and he’s a decent fighter. He’s not a terrific villain and he lacks Eggman’s charisma, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with and I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.

Mogul is the final villain from the last comic and what he lacks in personality, Mogul makes up for in sheer power. His design was never my favorite since he doesn’t appear to be too fast, but he does have energy blasts. Mogul’s as generic as they come, but we can’t give detailed backgrounds to every character. It just wouldn’t work after a while right? Mogul fits the villain role and that will need to be enough.

The art for the majority of the comics is the old 70s art that we’ve all grown used to. It definitely works for the comics since we have a lot of puns and the art helps with the facial expressions. It may not be 5 star art, but the art is definitely pretty good and it’s nostalgic. There weren’t many battle scenes so I can’t say how it would perform in that area, but it appeared to get the job done and that’s good enough for me.

These comics are very light tones and are similar to the boat stories. The name escapes me at the moment but it had many memorable lines like “Blistering Barnacles” and “Thundering Typhoons.” Really great lines and this collection has a lot of solid ones as well. There is basically a pun a page and I like how Tails continues to mock just about everything. He tells the wise old echidna that he has no time to talk to statues and it’s a bold line. That’s what I liked about these days int he comics; the characters were very bold. It’s a give and take because comics of this era didn’t usually have a lot of fights, but the well played comedy and puns are enough of a counter to make this collection memorable.

Overall, this was a pretty great batch of comics. The final comic in particular was a big change of pace since the multiverse was suddenly at stake and we had a villain who could crush universes. That’s pretty huge and Tails got to step up and get a pretty epic super form. The early comics may not have had as much stakes, but we got to meet a lot of characters and Tails learned a valuable lesson. I would recommend this comic to all comic readers and I don’t see why you wouldn’t like it. This may be volume 8, but it’s safe to jump in since the comics are mostly just the Tails stand alones. This is why Sonic comics are typically so great! Solid cast, art, and plot.

Overall 7/10