Christmas Movie Review: *** It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)

 This is a Muppet retake of the story "It's a Wonderful Life."  Kermit is down on his luck as they are losing the theater.  Rachel Bitterman (Joan Cusack) is determined to foreclose on the property, and turn it into a brothel.  Daniel (David Arquette) is an angel who wants to do something to help Kermit and the muppets keep the theater.  The muppets raise the money, and Fonzy is taking the money to the bank.  However he is greatly distracted, and somehow gives the money to Salvation Army by accident.  All is lost.  But for Rizzo who is able to get the theater legally a historical building as the Muppet Theater.  It must remain a theater.  Surprisingly fun movie.  Miss Piggy leaves and goes to daytime TV; but she comes back.  And the Muppets are Kermit's friends and buoy him up.  

Marvel Animated Movie Review: **^Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)

 Iron Man (Matthew Mercer) faces a new nemesis, a young man, Ezekiel Stane/Technovore (Eric Bauza) who uses a new type of nano technology to destroy people and computers and whatever stands in his way.  This includes his taking out Rhodey/War Machine (James Mathis III).  The part of this movie is why Nick Fury (John Erik Bentley) as director of SHIELD is so interested in Stark coming in rather than letting hm pursue Technovore.  This results in considerable loss of property.  He even sends Black Widow (Clare Grant) and Hawkeye (Troy Baker also Jarvis voice) to bring him in.  They would have succeeded if not for the Punisher (Norman Reedus) helping him.  Also important to him is Pepper Potts (Kate Higgins) who helps him with computers and he has used her voice as a backup for his satellite that Technovore has infected.  

Turns out War Machine is not dead, but took a long time recovering.  Without his help Technovore would have cleared the world of all humans.

Lots of action; but I felt the characters lacked motivation for some of their actions.

Christmas Musiv Review: Michael Buble: Christmas

Michael Bublé Enterprise Records 2011.

Michael Bublé lends his jazzy and classical style to Christmas.  He sings a ouple songs which are generlly thought to be women's numbers but does so with success--All I Want for Christmas is You and Santa Baby.  The jazz numbers are very catchy, White Christmas, Jingle Bells and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.  Blue Christmas really catches the blues feel.  And then classical numbers include Ave Maria and Silent Night.  This is a very fun CD.  It clncludes with Feliz Navidad with Thalia.  It is mostly performed in Spanish.

Most excellent C.D.

In Theaters: ****Rental Family (2025)

 This is a look at a Japanese custom, the family for rent.  These service do exist in Japan.  A down-on-his-luck actor, Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser) is hired to impersonate family members.  His first case is a marriage which he executes allowing a woman to save face while moving to Canada with her lesbian partner.  He also takes a job pretending to be a girls father so she can get into a special school; and another where he acts as a reporter, interviewing a retired actor who is trying to save his former glory.  Both of these jobs lead to problems as he bonds with the people he is serving.  He has difficulty leaving the young lady; but she does get in the school.  And he takes the old man to his native area where he recovers a time capsule and memories of his deceased wife.

This movie leads to dealing with moral and ethical issues, and as a result the company changes.  This includes no longer doing apologies pretending to be women whose husbands have been unfaithful.  It deals with these issues in good fashion and the movie is interesting.  As much as My Big Fat Greek Wedding teaches about a new culture, this movie does the same.

Shinji Tada (Takehiro Hira) is the owner of the business.  He too has rental family at home.  Aiko Nakajima (Mari Yamamoto) is the woman who has to pretend to be a wife stealing woman.

Music Review: Elvis Presley Christmas Duets

This CD is based on a clever idea.  They have used Elvis Presley music and added a duet with female singers.  This includes the likes of Martina MCBride, Olivia Newton John, Carrie Underwood, LeAnne Rimes, Amy Grant, Anne Murray and Wynona Judd.  Elvis is a master of singing and performing, and these women add to his music rather than take away.  Some of the songs include: Wynona Judd singing a gritty Santa Clause is back in Town; Olivia Newton John with a very pleasing O Come, All Ye Faithful; Amy Grant a very enjoyable White Christmas.  It starts with Elvis and Martina McBride singing Blue Christmas which sets the tone for the entire CD.  It ends with three Elvis only Christmas songs as a bonus.  

I very much enjoyed this music.

Christmas Movie Review: Christmas in Wonderland (2006)

 This is an interesting story about a family moved from L.A. to Edmonton Canada chasing a job.  The youngest, daughter, Mary (Amy and Zoe Schlagel) believes in Santa Clause and his magic.  She wishes for a million dollars from the mall Santa Clause, and not much later a bag of money falls from the upper levels of thee mall and she finds it.  Mary and her brother Brian (Matthew Knight) decide it wouldn't hurt to spend some of the money.  Problem is three crooks, Leo and Sheldon Cardoza (Chris Katten and Preston Lacy) and Ginger (Carmen Elektra) are trying to launder the money as it is counterfeit.  They spend some, and get an officer on their tail, (Tim Curry) and the bad people after them.  They also get their father (Patrick Swayze) arrested.  And eventually their older brother, Danny (Cameron Bright) and his new girlfriend are also arrested.  There is an actor Matthew Walker) who plays multiple parts, and brings the magic: Santa, Mr Nicholas, the mall ghost, Old Man Walker, Kristopher Kringle, and the mall owner.  With a little magic all things are possible.

Christmas Movie Review: Scrooge (1935)

Scrooge (Seymour Hicks) starts out a very scary man with his white unkempt hair and his grouchy attitude.   This movie is shorter than most, so skips some very important parts.  It does have his nephew (Robert Cochrane) inviting him to dinner.  Christmas past shows him his old girl friend (Mary Glynne) and his terrible stinginess.  He put a couple out for shipping to different places.  Christmas present shows him the family of his employee, Bob Cratchit (Donald Calthrop).  They find happiness in Christmas despite being very poor.  It isn't until the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-be when he finally finds the Christmas spirit.  This ghost shows him how he will not be missed when he dies if he does not change his ways.  And when he does he makes a hearty turnaround.