So I watched a bunch of movies while I was on vacation over Christmas. I had intended to do full write-ups on most of them, but at this point it's not going to happen and, with the Best Picture HOF starting, I want to get this out of the way. So I'm just going to write a few brief thoughts on each.
Your Name (Kimi no na wa) (Makoto Shinkai, 2016) First Watch
Imdb
As I expected this was a gorgeously animated film. An absolute visual treat. The body-swapping/time-changing premise did test my ability to suspend disbelief, but overall I found it much more engrossing than Shinkai's other films I've seen (
Garden of Words, 5 cm Per Second).
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National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Jeremiah Chechik, 1989) Rewatch
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A Christmas classic and absolute requisite December viewing. Also an all time favorite comedy and my favorite Lampoon's film.
+
Despicable Me 3 (Kyle Bada, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon, 2017) First Watch
Imdb
Mediocre, but not terrible. I loved the first
Despicable Me, but Illumination should probably end the franchise. I know they won't, but I can hope.
Tokyo Godfathers (Satoshi Kon and Shôgo Furuya, 2003) Rewatch
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I think I love this movie a little more each time I see it. Easily my favorite Satoshi Kon and a fixture for holiday viewing. A lot of fun, a lot heart.
Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988) Rewatch
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It used to be a family tradition to watch this each Christmas. I spent the holiday at my brother's house and he decided to revive that tradition. I think I still like
Die Hard 2 a little more, but this was fun. The glass in the feet scenes still make me cringe hard though. Ouch.
+
Love Actually (Richard Curtis, 2003) Rewatch
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I used to be a big sucker for Rom Coms, but not so much anymore. Nevertheless I still love this one and it's interweaving of different stories suits my short attention span. Billy Nighy is hilarious. Also this is probably the only Hugh Grant performance I enjoy.
The Help (Tate Taylor, 2011) Rewatch
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My thoughts are pretty much identical to
the last time I saw this. Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain are hilarious.
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School of Rock (Richard Linklater, 2003) Rewatch
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I hate Jack Black, but my sister in law wanted to watch this and I didn't (outwardly) object. Slightly better than I remember, on account of the music and Joan Cusack, but still obnoxious.
In This Corner of the World (Kono sekai no katasumi ni) (Sunao Katabuchi, 2016) First Watch
Imdb
I probably shouldn't rate this and it most definitely deserves a rewatch, but it is what it is. I thought the film was well made and beautifully animated, but I struggled to get through this. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters and often found my attention wavering. I don't know how much of that is the fault of the movie though as I watched it on the portable in the car towards the end of a (very) long drive home. I'll have to give this another chance at some point.