The Life of Chuck (2025) is such a disappointment.
The trailers make it look like a much better, and put together, film than it actually is.
I wonder if King’s novella is just as bad, or rather the film is simply a poor adaptation.
On a whim the other night we landed on Alice, Darling (2022) to watch. Moments into the film we could tell that it was a Canadian production.
For those not from The Great White North, Canadian television and film productions have a certain understated flair to them. It’s hard to pin down what makes a Canadian production standout, other than you immediately know when you are watching one.
During the first 40% of the film we figured it was going to end up being a bust. Luckily, it was a slow burn of a watch that really came together in the final 30-45mins. The build up to the finale was easy to spot and anticipated, but it wasn’t clear if the crescendo would ever actually arrive.
I’m glad we stuck with the film because it was a rewarding watch in the end. Not a rewatch, but an easy recommend.
Since yesterday was Valentine’s Day, we figured we’d watch something at least somewhat romantic. Given that we rarely have enough time in the evenings to stay awake through a full-length (2+ hour) movie, we aimed for a 90-minute flick. At that length, the options are usually limited to family-friendly films or romantic comedies. We went with the latter.
Not knowing much about it beforehand, Aloha (2015) seemed like a promising choice, given its star-studded cast: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, John Krasinski, and Danny McBride. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to realize we’d picked a lemon.
It’s hard to tell whether the movie was trying to be a romantic comedy, a half-baked spy thriller, or a social commentary on billionaire egos. Maybe all three? Whatever the intent, it failed to deliver anything meaningful.
There were fleeting moments of romance, and I caught myself laughing out loud a few times, but not often enough to feel engaged. In hindsight, we should have gone with a rewatch of Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)— a film that delivers from start to finish.
Where Olive Trees Weep (2024) is an important but deeply troubling film. It shines a light on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, digging into the core issues at the heart of this international crisis.
I’ve never fully understood the details of this conflict—especially how things escalated to where they are today—so watching this documentary was eye-opening, to say the least. It frames the situation as a violent colonization effort, carried out by a nation representing a people who themselves endured one of the most horrific atrocities in history, the Holocaust. This perspective is not something we often hear in mainstream media, and it really made me pause and reflect.
I’m not about to claim expertise in this—or any—international conflict. But it’s clear that systematically oppressing an entire population and trying to erase them from both their land and existence is indefensible. Whether it’s under the guise of security, the rights of another group, or historical injustices, there’s no justification for the level of ongoing violence and hate directed at Palestinians.
But back to the documentary...
One thing that didn’t quite land for me was the inclusion of Gabor Maté. Don’t get me wrong—his work on trauma is powerful, and his perspective is valuable. But in this film, it felt like an afterthought. He’s featured here and there, but his involvement isn’t given much weight. The segment at the end, where he works with women who survived unimaginable violence, felt rushed and oddly placed. It seemed like the filmmakers tried to cram in his contributions without giving them the depth or context they deserved.
That said, Where Olive Trees Weep is still an incredibly moving and important film. It’s one I’ll be encouraging others to watch because it opens up a conversation that we all need to have.
This year, in an attempt to break away or enhance the typical holiday movie viewing that happens in our household, I've decided to give more time to watching festive films while adding some new and/or underapprecaited titles to the rotation. 1
This year, in addition to our lineup of staple holiday films, I / We will also be watching the films listed below.
No specific order or priority. No specific rhyme or reason, other than it's either been a while since I've seen them or have had recommendations give to me.
I'm looking forward to increasing the density of holiday cheer this year.
Remove Cameron Diaz from this movie (or any movie for that matter) and you'd have a near-perfect love story and sleeper holiday film. The relationship between Jack Black and Kate Winslet is near perfect. There's lots of predictable and memorable one-liners that remain stuck in one's head:
"She's on location in, New Mexico."
I wish this film was better than it was. The story line sounded promising but the delivery just wasn't there. At the end of the film— yes, I made it all the way to the end; there were just too many unfinished plot lines and unanswered questions.
Although I fell asleep during this year's screening, this has to be one of the funniest holiday films that I've ever seen. The jokes never get old and they provide fodder for back-and-forth quips between me and my spouse throughout the year. And... the inclusion of a blonde Zooey Deschanel puts the film over the top.
This Canadian film is a one-time watch; I've seen it a few times now and it simply doesn't hold up. It crosses many boundaries that likely shouldn't be crossed. Coopers' Camera is what you would get if you mixed _FUBAR (2002)_ with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989).
This one’s easily at the top of my Christmas movie list and never seems to get old. The quick pace of the scenes and steady character development make it easy to stay engaged, no matter how many times I’ve watched it (probably a hundred or more at this point). The film thrives on its awkward moments, layered with unexplained family quirks and subtle hints of love and affection—it’s hard to find much not to enjoy.
If I could change one thing, though, I’d replace Sarah Jessica Parker with someone else. That might smooth out some of the awkwardness, but it would also take away part of the film’s charm. Either way, I know I’ll keep coming back to this one, even as it shows its age.
This film is a disappointing attempt to replicate the charm of the original Home Alone (1990). While it tries to recreate the magic, the addition of a convoluted plot involving a top-secret computer chip and international criminals feels out of place. It’s a misstep that I regret giving screen time to, but knowing myself, I’ll likely revisit more entries in the Home Alone franchise this holiday season—for better or worse.
The storyline held some nostalgic appeal from my childhood, but almost everything else about this film fell flat on a rewatch. The acting is lackluster, the characters lean too heavily on clichés, and Jim Varney’s trademark antics don’t hit the same notes they once did. Honestly, I’d be just fine if I never revisit this one again.
Not bad. I likely won't watch it again, but I didn't regret watching it. The special effects left a bit to be desired, and it was a more than a tad campy, but I'll give it to the writers and producers for dreaming this one up. One thing I'll point out was the significantly out of place animated flashback / story telling that the grandmother offered half way through the film; as the only animated portion of the movie, I was left wondering why they didn't choose to simply live-action it instead.
A nice, but long, holiday film. Paul Giamatti at his best. I really apprecaited the role of Mary Lamb which Da'Vine Joy Randolph brought to the screen; I can't imagine this film unfolding the way it did with someone else in the role. While an untraditional holiday flick, one that doesn't necessarily have a happy ending, The Holdovers was exactly the type of new seasonal watch I was hoping for.
The best thing Seth Rogan has produced was his memoir, Year Book (2021). This film doesn't even come close. It's typical Seth Rogan—a raunchy comedy. The latter 1/3 of the film was the best 1/3, the nods to classic chrismas films weren't plentiful enough to be effective, and I didn't laugh nearly as much as I was anticipating which is unfortunate because I hoping that The Night Before would act as a reprieve from the everyday of life. As an upside, I will say that I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the talking nativity scene; it had me on the floor laughing.
Has a cult following, spawned two remakes (2006 and 2019), and carries some interesting Canadian heritage—being loosely based on a series of Montreal holiday murders. Seemed like enough reasons to press play. The verdict? Not awful, but definitely not my thing. Between its unmistakably Canadian production value (you know exactly what I mean if you've seen enough Canadian films) and the whole slasher element, I found my attention drifting more than once. The plot felt like what I imagine most slasher films deliver, with Christmas serving as nothing more than window dressing. As for the ending—well, if you're paying even minimal attention, you'll see where it's heading long before it gets there. But hey, I went into this with basement-level expectations, so I can't say I was disappointed. The film delivered exactly what I anticipated—no more, no less. Sometimes that's all you can ask for.
what is this, a movie review blog now?