All posts by Michelle L. Mattock

Movie News & Opinions

#19 – Countdown to Christmas: HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

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On December 18th, 1966, CBS debuted How the Grinch Stole Christmas on televisions everywhere. Since this was the year that my dad was born, I had to wait a few years to see it. When I did finally watch this hilarious cartoon, I loved it, and have ever since.

 Narrated by horror legend Boris Karloff, this timeless movie (based off the 1957 book) tells the story of a grumpy recluse who hates Christmas. Not only does the Grinch hate Christmas, but all the singing and happiness that goes along with it.  For this reason, he wants to get rid of it all together. So he does what any self-respecting Grinch would do, he decides to steal Christmas!

So Mr. Grinch goes around to all of the houses in the town of Whoville at night dressed as Santa Claus, and with his dog dressed like a reindeer, and he steals everything from Christmas trees to cans of ‘Who Hash’.

The next morning, as the Grinch awakes to witness the aftermath of his evening of cruelty, he instead hears every Who in Whoville singing. Despite the disappearance of their Christmas dinners and tress and presents and lights, the Whos were still singing.

This is when he realized that even though they didn’t have Christmas gifts or Christmas dinner, the Whos were still filled with love and the Christmas spirit. His heart which was once two sizes too small grew three times larger and he was filled up with the spirit of the holiday, at which point he then returns all of the Christmas gifts, and is even invited to carve the roast beast at dinner. He is a changed man. Er…Grinch.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is, and always will be, one of the greatest Christmas movies to watch. It is a classic, and deserves a 5/5.

http://youtu.be/ZgP0aUKlmNw

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Dexter: Season 6, Episode 10 – “Ricochet Rabbit”

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RECAP: Episode 10 begins where episode 9 left off. Dexter is underground where he found Gellar and discovered that Travis is the only killer.

Travis runs outside and sees Gellar, who tells Travis that he did kill him. Dexter watches from downstairs through a window. Harry pops in behind Dexter for a little humor, seeing someone who isn’t there.Dexter cuts off Gellar’s hand to keep the police focused on him and not Travis. This is the dark Dexter I’ve missed.

Miami Metro circles in on the abandoned church where Travis has been taking victims and where Dexter found Gellar. They also found Travis’ psych evaluation, saying that he has been a sociopath since he was young, and probably killed his parents. It is in his blood… sound familiar?

Travis finds two of his loyal followers, a husband and wife, and visits them. They found Holly, a potential victim of Travis who he mistakenly let free. They kidnapped her on her boyfriend’s yacht. Dexter found a photo of the yacht, the ricochet rabbit, and left for the marina. Too late… Travis and his disciples already got to her.They also got wormwood… what I am assuming is the poison they are going to unleash to end the world.

Deb is still investigating the call girl case. She finds a flower delivery note, and calls the flower company. She finds out that Matthews sent the call girl flowers the day that she died.

Angel showed up at the house of the disciples. He interrogated the wife, but she said the posts were a joke. Angel notices the books by Gellar on the bookshelf, and Travis hits him over the head. Travis says that it is a sign and that they should unleash wormwood at the Miami Metro police department. Dexter found the poison gas on the yacht and called 9-1-1.

1. HOLY SHIT! Angel got knocked the F out by Travis.

2. Travis is going to see that Dexter works at Miami Metro. He would undoubtedly out him.

3. Will 911 matter at this point? They might be able to keep the poison that was on the boat from getting out, but Travis obviously would have more at his disposal.

4. Dexter was being a badass again… and then he called the police. He has been so sloppy this season that this episode made me think that he was getting back to his old ways. He was entertaining me until he called the cops. I guess it is the safer thing to do, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing. I was sure he’d take care of things by himself.

5. I still think that Louis is somehow linked to Brian Moser. From the moment I saw him, I thought that it looked like they picked someone who looked like Dexter’s late brother. Add the fact that he is obsessed with Dexter’s approval and also secretly has the ice truck killer’s prosthetic in his home, and I am almost sure of it.

As always, I will barely be able to breathe until the next episode of Deter. Until then, I will tack a rating of a big fat 4.5/5 on this episode. Absolutely well done. The only real problem I have is that Dexter is wishy washy. He acts like he is taking everything into his own hands, but then turns things over to the police. And no, I am not letting that go. I loved episode 10!

Movie News & Opinions

#22 – Countdown to Christmas: ELF

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In 2003, a movie released called “Elf”. This movie told the story of a human boy whose mother gave him to an orphanage, and who’s father never knew he existed. He was just a baby when he crawled into Santa’s (Ed Asner) bag as he delivered toys to the orphanage. Who was this boy? His name was Buddy (Will Ferrell). After Santa got back to the North Pole that night, he noticed a baby crawl out of his bag. Santa and Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) decided to adopt the baby boy and he became an Elf.

Buddy actually went his entire life thinking he was an elf, despite his many difficulties. While other elves pushed out hundreds or thousands of toys a day in the production room, Buddy could only do dozens. He didn’t fit in the beds, showers, or desks, and he was much taller than all of the other elves. When Buddy finds out from Papa Elf who he really is, he goes to New York City to find his real father (James Caan).

When Buddy goes to see his dad, who works in the Empire State Building, he is thought to be a nut at first. His father’s security team kicks Buddy out several times. Once his father Walter Hobbs finally gets a DNA test and accepts that Buddy is his son, he takes the elf-man to stay with him and his wife Emily (Mary Steenburgen) and his son Michael (Daniel Tay). Buddy also gets a job at Gimbel’s because he was mistook for an employee. He manages to bring his coworker Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) lots of Christmas cheer. Throughout the movie, Jovie and Buddy fall in love.

Continue reading #22 – Countdown to Christmas: ELF →

Movie News & Opinions

#25 – Countdown to Christmas: NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION

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Hip Hip Hooray! It is that time of year again! Time for egg nog, thousands of tangled strings of lights, and paying homage to the Christmas movies that we love so much.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation released in 1989. There are several plot points in this movie all of which are based around one main goal for the Griswold family: have a great Christmas.

First things first: The Griswolds need a Christmas tree! In one scene, Clark (Chevy Chase), Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (Johnny Galecki) went to chop down a Christmas tree for their home. The entire journey was absolutely hilarious. Everyone was freezing to death, and Clark had delusions about how glorious this tree would be… so it was too big for the house. Clark also forgot the saw, so when the tree is shown on top of the car, it is shown with roots attached.In sticking with the theme of extravagant Christmas decorations, Clark and Rusty put over 25,000 lights on the house. They struggled to get them on throughout the episode.

Another great scene is when family members began arriving to the Griswold house. First, I must mention Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) who had one of the best lines in the movie: “Merry Christmas! Shitter was full.” Then, there is elderly Aunt Bethany (Mae Questel), who wrapped a cat as a gift. Fun fact: Mae Questel did the cartoon voices for Betty Boop and Olive Oyl. Christmas Vacation was her last on camera role before her death. I love all of the crazy family members because it reminds me of my bizarre family. We are all insane, but we love each other.

The dinner was disgusting, and difficult to watch. The turkey was…. dry? It was basically non-existent. I cannot even describe how vomit-inducing the rest of the random side-dishes looked. Suffice it to say, it was bad.

Every year, Clark gets a Christmas bonus from his work. He is expecting a large bonus this year, and has already decided to use it to put a pool in their backyard. However, when his letter is delivered, Clark, he finds out that instead of a Christmas bonus, he has been given a one year subscription to the jelly of the month club. This sets Clark off into the best tangent I have ever seen in any movie to this day:

http://youtu.be/ho-YcPI8xCM

Eddie kidnaps Clark’s boss. His wife and the police show up at Clark’s house, and when his boss explains that he didn’t give the employees their Christmas bonus, she is clearly upset with him. His boss then gives him a much larger than expected bonus, sending Clark into a cartoon-like fainting spell.

The movie ends with a very touching moment outside the Griswold home when all of the lights are on and the family is close together.

This movie is one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time for several reasons::

*This movie has some of the most frequently quoted memorable lines of any film.

*I got to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus attacked by a squirrel. In my mind, it was real.

*Cousin Eddie. I know that I don’t need to explain but I will. I have never seen such a hilarious portrayal of a happy-go-lucky white-trash man than Cousin Eddie. He never disappoints.

*The Griswold kids are always different! I love that Audrey and Rusty are played by two different people in every movie.

*Aunt Bethany was asked to say the blessing at dinner, and instead said the Pledge of Allegiance. Every time I see this movie, even though I know it is coming, I laugh hysterically.

For these reasons and many more, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation gets 5/5 Charlie Brown Christmas Trees. An absolute must see Christmas flick.

For more COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS – Click it Here! 

Also Check out our COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN… 

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The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 7 – “Pretty Much Dead Already”

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RECAP AND REACTION: I still feel terrible for Rick. Even in the opening scene he looks somber and morose. I want to give him a hug and tell him everything is going to be okay. The first line in the episode: Glenn tells everyone that the barn is full of walkers. This obviously begins a fight. Shane says that the walkers need to be taken care of or they need to leave the land and head out. Sophia is still out there, dead or alive, and Carol and Daryl say that they cannot leave yet. Rick wants to wait to talk to Hershel because they are guests in his home and they cannot just kill his “sick” loved ones.

Rick goes to talk to Hershel and explains to him that the way they see walkers differs. Rick explains that the way the world is out there is not how Hershel saw it on TV when things first happened. He also tells Hershel that Lori is pregnant. Rick says that either they survive at the farm or they die out with the walkers.

Rick tells Shane that he talked to Hershel and that they are still negotiating. This is the first time that I have ever felt bad for Shane. Rick tells Shane that Lori is pregnant and Shane congratulates him. It is obvious that Shane is broken up by it. He doesn’t know that Rick knows about him and Lori. He clearly has questions.

Maggie pleads the group’s case when she overhears the conversation between Hershel and Rick. She told him that he has changed, and that he taught her differently. This conversation is interrupted and Hershel goes to get Rick for help. Two of the walkers who he knew got stuck in a local marsh. Hershel tells Rick that if his people are going to stay, he needs to treat the walkers like human beings.

Continue reading The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 7 – “Pretty Much Dead Already” →

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Dexter: Season 6, Episode 9 – “Get Gellar”

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RECAP AND REACTION: As we know from episode 8, Dexter finds Travis and helps him escape from Gellar’s chains. Dexter takes Travis to a motel and goes back to the police department to investigate.

When Deb is in her therapy session, she opens up more about Dexter. Also, about all of the insanely bad things that have happened to her in her life. The therapist suggests that they see each other more than once a week… understood.

Quinn… scumbag… lost his gun and his phone in a romp with a stripper.Oh no… not a stripper… a waffle house waitress. An old one. Oh gosh, some karma for Quinn is delicious. When Quinn for some reason thinks that he has the right to tell off Batista, they get into a fist-fight. This part could have been very entertaining. It was not. Someone’s gun could have gone off, someone could have gotten thrown in front of a car… yet nothing interesting happened and the fight was broken up by a passer-by.

Part of the reason Dexter is helping Travis and including him in his plan to get Gellar on his killing table is because he wants to give Travis the second chance that he, himself never got. Although I think that is very sweet, why does Dex suddenly have a soul? Why does he care what happens to Travis? WHY is Dexter so damn friendly this season? I miss the cold-blooded loner. Gellar somehow evaded Dexter and Travis and kidnapped his next victim, Casey. Casey is an atheist professor whom Gellar loathes.

Continue reading Dexter: Season 6, Episode 9 – “Get Gellar” →