We’ve finally arrived in December and with that come the influx of the Christmas movie releases we are expected to endure. Three out of the four major releases this week are all Festive. It’s a real mixed sack of excitable to throw in the bin when no one is looking presents for you this week.
CHRISTMAS WITH THE COOPERS
When four generations of the Cooper family come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events turn the night upside down, leading them all towards a surprising rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of Christmas.
This film is more a tale of people finding out who they really are and how they feel when you strip down the bravado and dig deep down into the soul, it’s really rather depressing. This isn’t a typical Christmas comedy, a complete disappointment.
For the full review click here.
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
Radical scientist Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy) and his equally brilliant protégé Igor Strausman (Daniel Radcliffe) share a noble vision of aiding humanity through their groundbreaking research into immortality. But Victor’s experiments go too far, and his obsession has horrifying consequences. Only Igor can bring his friend back from the brink of madness and save him from his monstrous creation.
McAvoy is fun to watch and both he and Radcliffe give superb performances, but the whole premise of this film is just a little bit of a letdown. It would appear that the emphasis has been greatly laid on the visual effects and boys toys and gadgets than actually making this remake of an old classic tale into anything fresh. The screenplay leaves a lot to be desired and has enough cheese to make a tasty toasted cheese sandwich.
Related Article: The Coming of Age Of Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy
KRAMPUS
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.
All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.
Krampus is a refreshing take on the normal festive movies we get bogged down with, it brings to life an almost forgotten tale of the darker side of festive folklore. Full of comedy and the right amount of scares this tale is a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, a thoroughly enjoyable watch.
Full Review out Friday the 4th December.
THE NIGHT BEFORE
Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) have been friends since childhood, and for a decade, their yearly Christmas Eve reunion has been an annual night of debauchery and hilarity. Now that they’re entering adulthood, the tradition is coming to an end, and to make it as memorable as possible, they set out to find the Nutcracka Ball – the Holy Grail of Christmas parties.
It’s full of bromance, expletives and debauchery, some would say drenched in adolescent humour but would you expect any less from Rogan and Gordon-Levitt in tale of coming of age? A hedonistic tale of boys just wanting to have fun before adulthood and responsibility kicks in. This isn’t one of your worthy Christmas corkers that we all love but it still has a sizable amount of belly laughs which will make you want to revisit every Christmas.
OUR PICK OF THE WEEK: KRAMPUS