The Cornfield People – Belated Holiday gift: UPDATE 12/28/2014

Just got an e-mail from someone who is willing to send me a copy of The Cornfield People.  While I trust C. W. Schultz (who is my main source of information involving this film), the fact that I get to watch this movie for myself gives me a newfound belief in the existence of  this film—after all, there are those who claim this movie is just a hoax.

However, the more I'm piecing things together, the more I'm realizing that this Cornfield People denial-ism is somewhat comparable to North Korea's bullying and terrorizing of The Interview's cancellation.  Rumor has it that members of an actual Cornfield People cult are behind the attempt of erasing The Cornfield People movie from history.

Only time will tell if The Cornfield People is actually as crazy as its underground fame.  If all goes well, I shall see for myself.

What About Bob?

Successful but egotistical psychotherapist (Dreyfuss) is pushed to the edge when an overly-dependent new patient suffering from multiple phobias (Murray) tracks him down during his vacation and befriends his family. The plot outline comes across as a clichéd thriller, but it's actually a refreshingly original comedy, thanks to Murray's performance as the titular character who is unwittingly manipulative and narcissistic. Filmed on Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, Virginia, which is a gorgeous substitute for the Lake Winnipesaukee setting. The replay value and timelessness are amazing, with many brownie-points going to the brilliance of Frank Oz's modesty as a storyteller. Erbe, Hagerty and Korsmo are all great in their supporting roles.

Love Actually

Hip, honest and heartwarming British Christmas comedy about the love-lives of the Prime Minister (Grant), his sister (Thompson), her husband's (Rickman) employees (Linney and Santoro), and other romantic plots to intertwine this ensemble cast. Unfortunately, what starts out as a modestly brilliant dialogue-driven script slowly becomes a little more theatrical than necessary, and if the viewer chooses to be a Grinch and dissect the plot, they'll probably find one or two unnecessary stories—after all, a 136 minute rom-com is indeed pushing the limits. Still, the viewing experience is wonderful during the Holiday season, and the movie has great potential to be a Christmas classic. While Knightley and Lincoln's story is just downright rubbish, Nighy and Fisher's takes the cake!

A Christmas Story

Nine-year-old Billingsley living in 1940s Indiana (the city of Hohman, a fictionalized version of author Shepherd's hometown of Hammond) wants a "Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and 'this thing which tells time'" for Christmas. Seems straightforward? Nah. Layered with many fun subplots that are more humorous than the last, this sleeper hit has since become easily one of the greatest Christmas movies of all-time. The flagpole incident, Shepherd's narration, and Zittrer and Zaza's score are what really make this film worthwhile, but all-in-all almost everything about this Christmas classic is near perfect.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

This retelling of Charles Dickens' novella starring your favorite muppets in supporting roles has become a Christmas classic in its own right. Michael Caine is perfect as Scrooge, and his chemistry with the muppets in tow are an amazing match. The movie is legitimately funny, spooky or touching all at the right moments—it's one of those rare films that hits the right note every single second. There doesn't seem to be any pattern with the intermixing of humans and muppets, but regardless, it works just fine without any distractions. Perhaps the strongest point of all is the musical numbers composed by Miles Goodman and written by Paul Williams.

Jingle All the Way

When workaholic father Schwarzenegger misses his son's (Lloyd) karate class graduation, the only way to make it up to him is to buy a Turbo Man action figure—or, "a stoopid liddle plahhstic dawl", as Schwarzenegger would say it in yet another role that inexplicably required him to have an Austrian accent for a character with an American name (hmmm)—but the toy is sold out everywhere, save some very few exceptions that will require some competition from others who are equally desperate (and that's where Sinbad comes in). The premise is wonderful, and there are a lot of genuinely hilarious moments. The downfall is how quickly the movies loses a grip on reality (which could've easily worked with the same amount of humor and fun), especially during the finale. Also, the lack of likability from Schwarzenegger and Wilson make this Christmas adventure a pretty brutal endeavor. The idea that Schwarzenegger's character has enough time for his job (and, let's not forget, the gym), but not his son, doesn't make him all that redeemable.

Scrooged

The success and wealth of being a television programming executive has made Frank Cross (Murray) cold-hearted, cruel and cynical… greedy enough to head up a live Christmas Eve broadcast of A Christmas CAROL (referred to as SCROOGE), only to find his life hilariously mirroring the story he's producing. Add this one to the Holiday watch list, because despite its imperfections, it remains hilarious, entertaining and touching throughout the years. However, for a modernization on a timeless classic, you're very aware that you're watching an '80s movie. All four of Murray's brothers appear in the film.

Christmas Vacation

Based on short-story Christmas '59 by Hughes, this third installment in the VACATION series follows the Griswold family as they host a "fun old-fashioned family Christmas" only for laid back and mild mannered father Chase to be pushed beyond his limit of patience. Corny, yes, especially upon first viewing; but the gags remain fresh after several years, making this film a staple during Christmas. Watch closely and you will spot egg nog being sipped out of Wally World mugs! Final film of Mae Questel. The only VACATION movie to not feature the Lindsey Buckingham song "Holiday Road". The Griswold's adventure continues with VEGAS VACATION, while Cousin Eddie (Quaid) and Catherine (Flynn) have their made-for-TV spin-off Christmas VACATION 2: COUNIN EDDIE'S ISLAND ADVENTURE.

Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger

UNDISPUTED FACT #1: After 16 years at large and 12 years on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, "Whitey" James J. Bulger was arrested in Santa Monica, California, on June 22, 2011.

UNDISPUTED FACT #2: Bulger is a murderer and drug-dealer.

ALLEGATION #1: Bulger was actually not an informant, but that people are out there trying to sully his reputation as being a "classy bad guy".

ALLEGATION #2: There is corruption involving this investigation and trial within the highest levels of law enforcement.

This film chooses to focus on the allegations, not the facts. "Journalistically jumbled", to quote the spot-on statement from John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter. Wouldn't it be far more interesting and useful to examine how this proved killer/drug-dealer avoided capture for such an astonishing length of time? Book-ended by Stephen Rakes' interview, which seems tragically fitting; but otherwise, this documentary just seems like overlong tabloid blah. WHITEY is merely a documentary targeted at DEPARTED fanboys.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Originally subtitled "There and Back Again" (just like the book), but when this concluding chapter deals with pretty much nothing but warfare, you can understand why the change was made. Easily the most violent installment, not just of THE HOBBIT trilogy, but of all six films in Peter Jackson's Middle-Earth series. Fans of the book will be shocked by some major changes. With a drawn out ending in THE RETURN OF THE KING to ensure all doors were closed, FIVE ARMIES' conclusion feels like the blink of an eye in comparison. However, even with terrible acting from the extras, the main cast is still spot on in an overall exciting outing. Bill Boyd, who played Pippin in THE LORD OF THE RINGS, sings the closing theme song.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The journey continues with Bilbo (Freeman), Gandalf (McKellen) and the dwarf company reaching the Lonely Mountain to take back what is rightfully theirs from the dragon Smaug (Cumberbatch). Legolas (Bloom) is delightfully written into the story, but doesn't really help move it forward; while Bard (Evans) and his home of Esgaroth bring a freshness to Middle-Earth, but the over-development of the subplot steers things way too far off course. Too pretentious and dark—it's as if Peter Jackson took all the fine things in the book and injected it with steroids, draining any sort of hype for the last minute third installment. A cameo of Peter Jackson's two pugs (one fawn, one black) is probably the best thing about this film.

Terror at the Mall

Chilling HBO documentary covering the upmarket Westgate shopping mall shooting in Nairobi, Kenya. Mostly pieced together by surveillance footage (and even some cellphone video), leaving the viewer to get as up close and personal as a retelling account can get. The film lets the horror unfold without pulling any punches, an approach that makes this documentary recommended only for the strong stomached viewer. TERROR AT THE MALL is an overall commendable piece for highlighting the bravery of the civilians, and also making its focus on the victims as opposed to the shooters.