Rudolph's Shiny New Year

"Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself.  Running a little fast, as it were."

The baby new year, Happy, goes missing shortly after Christmas.  Father Time (Skelton) asks Rudolph (Richards) for help finding Happy before New Year's Eve, or it will be December 31 forever.  His search is hindered by Eon the Terrible (Frees), who doesn't want the new year to come and is also looking for Happy.

Father Time believes that Happy is hiding in the Archipelago of Last Years.  The Archipelago of Last Years are the islands where past years rule / live.  Rudolph is helped by Big Ben (Peary) a whale who knows the islands.  As the search, they are joined by neanderthal One Million BC (Amsterdam), knight Sir 1023 (Gorshin), and 1776 (Frees).  Can they find Happy before the new year begins?


Rankin/Bass Productions, founded by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, was well-known for making seasonal movies.  Their best-known and enduring films were stop-motion animation.  They made 3 stop-motion movies about Rudolph: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1964, this film in 1976, and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July in 1979.

The film, written by Romeo Muller, gets creative with mythology about the new year.  They have the freedom to take the story in any direction and have some fun with the idea that each past year has it's own island, which is made up of the important things that happened during that year.  For example, Sir 1023's island is fairy tales, and on 1776 island every day is July 4th.  It gives them the opportunity to show off some fun characters.

This film reiterates the ideas from the other Rudolph movies... it is cute and readily available to watch every year.  Not my favorite Rudolph movie, but it is still enjoyable.

Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976) minutes
Director: Jules Bass & Arthur Rankin Jr.
Starring: Red Skelton as Father Time, Baby Bear
Billie Richards as Rudolph
Morey Amsterdam as One Million BC
Frank Gorshin as Sir 1023, Quarter Past Five
Paul Frees as 1776, Santa Claus, General Ticker, Eon the Terrible, Humpty Dumpty
Don Messick as Papa Bear, Rumpelstiltskin, Prince Charming, Seven Dwarfs
Harold Peary as Big Ben
Iris Rainer as Mama Bear, Nanny Nine O'Clock

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas

"Of course there's a Santy.  Otherwise, we'd have a lot of jobless elves running around."

The Narrator (Grammer) tells three Christmas stories:
Huey, Dewey, and Louie (Taylor) are excited about Christmas.  They love diving into gifts and devouring Daisy's (MacNeille) delicious turkey dinner.  That evening they wish for every day to be Christmas, but can they have too much of a good thing?

Goofy (Farmer) and his son Max (Fleming) eagerly await the arrival of Santa.  But their neighbor Pete (Cummings) says Santa isn't real and puts doubt in Max's mind.  Goofy will do anything to show Max what Christmas is really about.

Mickey (Allwin) is saving to buy a special present for Minnie (Taylor).  Minnie is also watching her money so she can buy the perfect gift for Mickey.  They both work on Christmas Eve, but what will they do if the money doesn't come through?


This is a sweet Christmas movie.  The three stories are woven together by Kelsey Grammer's narration, based on three gifts under a tree.  That is the only connection until the end of the film when all three groups come together to sing Christmas carols in front of the house.

The stories themselves are well-known stories / tropes, with a Disney twist.  Donald Duck and family star in "Donald Duck Stuck on Christmas."  The story is basically Groundhog Day, with a Christmas twist... and the boys wished for it.  It is predictable, but still enjoyable.  Goofy and his son Max (as a child, unlike the Goof Troop TV show and the A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie) star in "A Very Goofy Christmas".  Their story is about believing in Santa, it has some good moments but not as interesting as it thinks.  And finally, Mickey and Minnie star in the "The Gift of the Magi", which is based on the short story by O. Henry.  If you know the story, you know where the story is going... but it works.

The stories feature a good number of Mickey side characters: Uncle Scrooge, Mortimer Mouse, Pete, Chip and Dale, and cameos by other little characters (Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, etc).  I enjoyed the film, but don't think I'll watch it again.

In 2004 Disney released a sequel, Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas.  Unlike this film, the sequel is computer-animated.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999) 66 minutes
Director: Jun Falkenstein, Alex Mann, Bradley Raymond, Toby Shelton, Bill Speers
Starring: Wayne Allwin as Mickey Mouse
Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse, Huey, Dewey, Louie
Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck
Tress MacNeille as Daisy Duck, Chip, Aunt Gertie
Diane Michelle as Daisy Duck
Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck
Bill Farmer as Goofy, Pluto
Shaun Fleming as Max
Corey Burton as Dale
Jim Cummings as Pete, Santa, Police, Mailman
Kelsey Grammer as the Narrator

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

"What did she says the play is called?"

"Christmas Pageant."

"That's no name. That's what it is."

"I know a name. I'd call it "Revenge at Bethlehem."

The Herdman kids, Imogen (Hunt), Claude (Heaton), Gladys (Dean), Leroy (Micus), Ollie (Punt), and Ralph (Reid), are well-known in their home town.  Their father is gone and their mother works late, leaving them to wreak havoc on the town.  They steal, cheat, smoke cigars, and terrify everyone... leaving only church as a safe haven from the Herdmans'.

The church is preparing for the annual Christmas pageant.  Everyone year the pageant is run by Alice Wendlekin (Hellman), but this year she fell and is in the hospital.  Directing duties are given to Grace Bradley (Swit).  Grace gathers the children to discuss parts for the play, and is shocked when the Herdmans' arrive.  Imogen announces that she will play Mary, with Gladys as the Angel of the Lord, and their brothers as Joseph and the Wise Men.  With the Herdmans' in the pageant, will anything go according to plan?


This made for TV film is based on the children's book "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" written by Barbara Robinson.  Robinson adapted the story into a play in 1982 and then into a TV movie for ABC the following year.  Due to the popularity of the book, play, and special, Robinson wrote 2 more stories about the Herdman kids: "The Best School Year Ever" in 2005 and "The Best Halloween Ever" in 2006.

I loved this book as a child.  I also grew up watching and loving this movie.  The characters are funny and memorable, with Gladys stealing the show (and pageant).  Loretta Swit is great as the mom, and all of the kids are funny.  This was the film debut of actress Fairuza Balk, who plays Alice the narrator.

This film is funny, while still focusing on the Christmas story, and the pageant packs an emotional punch.  I finally found a copy of this film and now I plan to watch it every Christmas.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983) 48 minutes
Director: George Schaefer
Starring: Loretta Swit as Grace Bradley
Jackson Davies as Bob Bradley
Anthony Holland as Reverend Hopkins
David Alexander as Charlie Bradley
Fairuza Balk as Beth Bradley
Ocean Hellman as Alice Wendlekin
Janet Wright as Helen Armstrong
Megan Hunt as Imogen Herdman
Beau Heaton as Claude Herdman
Teri Dean as Gladys Herdman
Jason Micus as Leroy Herdman
Shane Punt as Ollie Herdman
Glen Reid as Ralph Herdman

Logan Lucky

"This kind of stuff don't happen to normal folk."

Jimmy Logan (Tatum) loves his daughter Sadie (Mackenzie) more than anything in the world.  He works construction at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and sees Sadie at every opportunity.  On the day he loses his job, he learns that his ex-wife Bobbie Jo (Holmes) is moving to Lynchburg, which will make visiting his daughter even harder.  In desperation, he convinces his brother Clyde (Driver) that they need to plan a heist.

They plan to use the tunnels by the Charlotte Motor Speedway to rob the Coca-Cola 600 race on Memorial Day.  But to pull off the job, they need the help of Joe Bang (Craig).  Joe is a safe-cracker and explosives expert, he is also incarcerated.  He agrees to do the job, as long as his brothers (Gleeson and Quaid) are involved and as long as no one knows he left jail.  With sister Mellie (Keough) running interference, can Jimmy pull off the heist and still make it to his daughter's beauty pageant?


Director Steven Soderbergh has a history with heist movies: directing Ocean's 11, Ocean's 12, and Ocean's 13 (and will produce Ocean's 8).  Those movies are interesting and funny, so I was excited to see this film.

It's an ok film, but not as entertaining as the Ocean's flicks.  Channing Tatum and Adam Driver work well together and get a few laughs.  The female characters are ok, but don't get to do much.  The real star of the film is Daniel Craig as Joe Bang.  He is the most interesting character, aside from his idiot brothers (played by Brian Gleeson and Jack Quaid).  Dwight Yoakam is also entertaining.

The heist takes place at the fictitious Coca-Cola 600 race and includes cameos from several NASCAR drivers.  Some are playing themselves, and some are little walk-on roles.

I enjoyed watching film, but don't remember much about it after the fact.  It's fine... but there are better heist movies (and better Soderbergh movies).

Logan Lucky (2017) 119 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for language and some crude comments
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Channing Tatum as Jimmy Logan
Adam Driver as Clyde Logan
Daniel Craig as Joe Bang
Riley Keough as Mellie Logan
Farrah Mackenzie as Sadie Logan
Katie Holmes as Bobbie Jo Chapman
Katherine Waterson as Sylvia Harrison
Dwight Yoakam as Warden Burns
Seth MacFarlane as Max Chilblain
Sebastian Stan as Dayton White
Brian Gleeson as Sam Bang
Jack Quaid as Fish Bang

My Favorite Wife

"Oh, by the way, how was my funeral?"

"Lovely.  Doctor Blake preached a wonderful service."

"Oh, I wish I had been there."

Seven years after being lost at sea, Ellen Wagstaff Arden (Dunne) returns home.  She was declared dead, and her husband Nick (Grant) is preparing to remarry.  Her children, Tim (Beckett) and Chinch (Harrington), don't remember her.  She is too late to stop the wedding, but goes to the hotel where Nick and his new bride Bianca (Patrick) are celebrating their honeymoon.

Nick is thrilled to see Ellen, but doesn't know how to explain the situation to Bianca.  He gets rooms at the hotel for both women, confusing the staff and infuriating both women.  All three return to the Arden home, adding to Nick's stress over the situation.  He is shocked to learn that Ellen wasn't alone on the island: her companion was the athletic Stephen Burkett (Scott).  Can Ellen save her marriage, or will she have to start over alone?


They planned to remake this film in 1962, called Something's Got to Give, with Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin, but Monroe died before the film could be completed.  The studio decided to continue with the remake, but changed the title and recast the film.  The new film was released in 1963 as Move Over, Darling with Doris Day and James Garner.

Cary Grant and Irene Dunne made three films together.  This was the second of the three, after The Awful Truth in 1937 and before Penny Serenade in 1941.  They were hired after the success of The Awful Truth and have excellent chemistry here.  Dunne is the lead and gets the top billing.  Grant gets to make the big, over-the-top reactions and bring in the big laughs.  Together, they are a great team.  Gail Patrick is the right amount of annoying... and Randolph Scott is the perfect foil for Grant.  It is a funny film, and I worth checking out.

My Favorite Wife (1940) 88 minutes
Director: Garson Kanin
Starring: Irene Dunne as Ellen Wagstaff Arden
Cary Grant as Nick Arden
Randolph Scott as Stephen Burkett
Gail Patrick as Bianca Bates
Ann Shoemaker as Ma
Scotty Beckett as Tim Arden
Mary Lou Harrington as Chinch Arden

A Christmas Prince

Amber Moore (McIver) is a journalist, waiting for her big break.  She is sent to the country of Aldovia to cover the coronation of Prince Richard (Lamb).  Richard is a playboy and there are rumors that he will abdicate the throne.  The press conference is cancelled, but Amber refuses to give up.  When she is mistaken for Princess Emily's (Kneafsey) new tutor, Martha, she continues the charade to get her story.

Amber is introduced to the royal family and is fascinated by Richard.  He is not what she expects and she wants to know more.  She is welcomed into the palace for the holidays, along with Count Simon (Devaney), who is next in line for the throne after Richard, and Baroness Sophia (Sanders), Richard's ex.  Can she pose as Martha long enough to get the story and maybe find love?


This is a Netflix original film.  It takes place at Christmas and has beautiful scenery and elaborate decorations.  It captures the look and feel of the holidays, and ends on New Year's Eve.

The film feels like a Hallmark movie... all the right feelings, lots of schmaltz, and a happy ending.  You know how the film will end, not all the little turns in between.  Rose McIver (who I love in iZombie), is charming and enjoyable as the lead.  Honor Kneafsey is excellent as Emily.  The cast is decent, with the exception of Theo Devaney and Emma Louise Sanders.  Devaney and Sanders are one dimensional characters, mostly serving as mustache-twirling villains.  They aren't terrible, just boring.

This is a harmless, heartwarming Christmas film.  Enjoyable and charming.

The film was popular and Netflix decided to return to the kingdom of Aldovia for additional films: A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding in 2018 and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby in 2019.

A Christmas Prince (2017) 92 minutes
Director: Alex Zamm
Starring: Rose McIver as Amber Moore
Ben Lamb as Prince Richard
Alice Krige as Queen Helena
Theo Devaney as Count Simon
Emma Louise Sanders as Baroness Sophia
Sarah Douglas as Mrs. Averill
Honor Kneafsey as Princess Emily
Tom Knight as Prime Minister Denzil
Daniel Fathers as Rudy
Amy Marston as Max Golding

The Mummy (2017)

"It's not an exact science, this business."

"What?  And the business being?"

"Evil, Mr. Morton.  Recognize, contain, examine, destroy."

Nick Morton (Cruise) and Chris Vail (Johnson) are working reconnaissance for the U.S. Army in Iraq.  While on assignment, they stumble onto the tomb of Princess Ahmanet (Boutella).  They are joined by archaeologist Jenny Halsey (Wallis) to remove the sarcophagus and anything else they find before an air strike is set to destroy the area.

On the orders of Colonel Greenway (Vance), they evacuate the area by plane, with the sarcophagus.  Vail is possessed by Ahmanet and is shot.  Moments later the plane is disabled and is set to crash.  Jenny escapes the plane in a parachute, and Nick is the only survivor of the crash.  After the crash, he experiences visions of Ahmanet and is haunted by Vail.  Ahmanet has escaped from the sarcophagus and is regenerating her body.  She is trying to find and kill Nick.

Nick and Jenny escape and are aided by Dr. Henry Jekyll (Crowe).  Jekyll is the head of a group called Prodigium that hunts supernatural threats.  He reveals that Nick has been cursed by Ahmanet and is needed to release pure evil.  Can they stop Ahmanet's plans?


In 2012, Universal Studios announced plans to reboot The Mummy franchise.  In 2014, they revealed that the new Mummy film would launch a shared cinematic universe, "The Dark Universe," to reboot all of the classic Universal monsters.  Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan were hired to develop The Dark Universe, and Kurtzman signed on to direct the first film.

In 1932, Universal Studios released The Mummy with Boris Karloff in the title role.  The film was a success and was reimagined in 1940 with The Mummy's Hand, with Tom Tyler as the new mummy Kharis.  Kharis returned for 3 sequels (The Mummy's Tomb in 1942, The Mummy's Ghost in 1944, and The Mummy's Curse in 1944), with Lon Chaney Jr. taking over the role of Kharis.  In 1955, they made Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, with a new mummy, played by Eddie Parker.  In 1959, Hammer Film Productions released The Mummy with Christopher Lee as the title character.  They made 3 more mummy films (The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb in 1964, The Mummy's Shroud in 1967, and Blood from the Mummy's Tomb in 1971), each featuring a new mummy.

The series was remade in 1999, with Stephen Sommers as the director.  His The Mummy, focused on Brendan Fraser's character, instead of the titular mummy (played by Arnold Vosloo).  This mummy is a remake of the 1932 film, with the same character names.  It was a success, and Fraser starred in 2 more mummy films (The Mummy Returns in 2001 and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008).

The new "Dark Universe" mummy is a completely original character.  They chose to focus on a female mummy and start a new mythology.  I like the idea of a new, female mummy... it changes the stakes, as you need to pay attention to learn her motivations (while the previous films were well-known and used the same characters / stakes).  This film had the difficult task of creating the new mummy and establishing the franchise... and while I applaud their ambition, neither piece works.

Like the Fraser Mummy films, they chose to focus on the modern characters, specifically Tom Cruise's Nick Morton.  Morton has questionable motives / morals, but works as an action hero.  But Ahmanet, the titular mummy played by Sofia Boutella, is underdeveloped and underused.  She is barely in the film, despite appearing in all promotional materials.  The audience doesn't know much about her, except that she is evil.  She doesn't speak much in the film and barely gets to use her powers / abilities.  It is a huge letdown.  The other characters are fine.  They had some good ideas with Jake Johnson's Vail, and Annabelle Wallis is fine as Jenny.  They wasted the talents of Courtney B. Vance.

The other problem is establishing The Dark Universe.  They had many ideas and wanted to tease the other monsters... but it feels to obvious and overdone.  There is nothing subtle about it.  Russell Crowe is an interesting choice to introduce the franchise.  His Dr. Jekyll will be the glue that holds the franchise together, as his organization Prodigium investigates the monsters.  He eventually reveals his name, as another obvious wink to the audience (will he get a standalone Jekyll/Hyde film?).  They also let him be Hyde, and that transformation worked for me.  He is visibly different and his accent changes, which it is a great idea for the character... but again, was it necessary for this film?

I think they had some great ideas / ambition for this film and wanted to really pique interest for the Dark Universe... but it was too much for one film.  The end result is a muddied Mummy film and a clunky introduction to a potential franchise.  This film was a disappointment at the box office and Kurtzman and Morgan have moved on to other projects.  There are more Dark Universe films planned... but with the departure of the visionaries and the postponed Bride of Frankenstein film, will Universal Studios continue with their Dark Universe?

The Mummy (2017) 110 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for violence, action and scary images, and for some suggestive content and partial nudity
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Starring: Tom Cruise as Nick Morton
Annabelle Wallis as Jenny Halsey
Sofia Boutella as Ahmanet
Jake Johnson as Vail
Courtney B. Vance as Colonel Greenway
Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll
Marwan Kenzari as Malik

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

"You're no longer a myth.  You're starting to mean something."

Camelot is at war with Mordred (Rob Knighton), a powerful wizard.  King Uther Pendragon (Bana) uses the magical sword Excalibur to defeat Mordred.  Despite the victory, Uther is betrayed and killed by his power-hungry brother Vortigern (Law).  Before his death, Uther hides his young son Arthur in a boat.  The boat drifts away and Arthur is found and raised by a group of prostitutes.

Years later, Arthur (Hunnam) is a skilled fighter with a loyal crew.  He still protects the prostitutes that raised him.  When he gets between some Viking warriors and his adoptive family, he is arrested.  Vortigern has been the king since Uther's death, but desires control of Excalibur which is embedded in a stone.  All of the prisoners are sent to try and remove the sword.  Only Arthur is able to remove Excalibur from the stone, but that gift puts a price on his head.  The brothel is destroyed and Arthur and his friends are branded as outlaws.  Can Arthur find a way to wield Excalibur and claim his rightful throne?


King Arthur was a legendary British ruler.  His story is mostly told through folklore, with the best known version being Geoffrey of Monmouth's "Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain)."  There have been many other literary versions of Arthur and they have spawned numerous films.  Every film focuses on a different side / gift of Arthur, while still presenting the story that people know.

Warner Brothers has been trying to make a King Arthur film (or series of films).  They ultimately settled on a script that encompassed may of the ideas from other stories, under the direction of Guy Ritchie.  The script was written by Ritchie, Joby Harold, and Lionel Wigram.

This film tries to do something different from previous Arthur stories.  There is no Guinevere or Launcelot or Morgan le Fay / Morgana.  Mordred is different, and Merlin is mentioned without ever appearing.

This is a Ritchie film, so there is lots of action / violence.  I like Charlie Hunnam as Arthur... but I don't love the film.  Why replace Merlin with the Mage?  I understand wanting to add female characters, but the character isn't interesting.  I like Arthur's friends, and the later reveal of their names that ties into Arthurian stories.  Overall, the film is a miss.  It tries to do something new, but can't quite decide what it wants to be.

It's not terrible, and definitely has some good ideas... but it never lives up to the potential.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) 126 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some suggestive content and brief strong language
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Charlie Hunnam as Arthur
Astrid Berges-Frisbey as Mage
Djimon Hounsou as Sir Bedivere
Aidan Gillen as Goosefat Bill
Jude Law as Vortigern
Eric Bana as Uther Pendragon
Kingsley Ben-Adir as Wet Stick
Craig McGinlay as Percival
Tom Wu as George
Neil Maskell as Back Lack
Freddie Fox as Rubio
Bleu Landau as Blue
Annabelle Wallis as Maggie