Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, 2024 – ★★★★

A more than pleasent surprise for the christmas listings this year, ‘Wallace & Gromit’ return with their 2nd ever feature length outing in ‘Vengence Most Fowl’ a sequel to the 1995 claymation masterwork ‘The Wrong Trousers’. Having had a soft spot for the pair now for years, this was kind of an easy sell for me. But what surprised me the most is just how close it comes to surpassing ‘Trousers’ in terms of scope and scale!

We pick up many years after the events of ‘The Wrong Trousers’ and Wallace is once again in financial trouble, fearing the baliffs, he puts his thinking cap on and comes up with the ‘Norbot’ a ‘Smart Gnome’ who cant do almost any task inside or outside of the home. When word catches on at just how effective Norbot is, Wallace becomes a household name. But after a news crew interviews the inventor, word reaches a most despicable enemy. Feathers McGraw! Who’s still serving time in the zoo for the attempted theft of the Blue Diamond in ‘Wrong Trousers’.

Feathers hatches a scheme to bust out utilising Norbot and frames Wallace for a spate of burglerys leading the pair to turn detective to find out exactly WHO is framing them and what Feathers could be up to next!

And what we have here is a DAMN solid hour and 20 the isnt afraid to push the pair forward, but is MORE than willing to embrace their past. For a british person who grew up with the pair, it was a warm christmas hug from the screen.

The plot is energetic, rarely slowing down and only really starting to creak a bit towards the end of the 2nd half, where they have to cram in a lot of exposition VERY quickly to crash us into the 3rd act. And the thing I appreciated most about this entry is they finally seemed to have understood that we, as an audience, dont WANT Wallace & Gromit to be some kind of heavily cinematic, highly polished product. a bit of the rough and ‘handmade’ quality to it is what makes it feel home grown and wonderful. And to see that personal touch back again here really was quite wonderful.

The pacings consistant mostly throughout (barring the aforementioned 2nd act slowdown) and the humour is pretty much perfectly balanced, and a DEFINITE improvement over their previous outing ‘A Matter of Loaf and Death’. they’ve gone back to what works with this pair, and thats gentle visual comedy and the occasional rhy comedy line well timed. And thats EXACTLY the kind of thing I go to Wallace and Gromit for…Not references to ‘Batman 1966’.

The animation itself is lovely, While I dont think this film *quite* hits the complexity of ‘Wrong Trousers’ or ‘Close shave’ in terms of visual creativity and jaw dropping scene construction. It does have a ruddy good go and that creative effort really does pay off, delivering (arguably) the most solid work the studios produced in *AT LEAST* 20 years. Moments such as the finale or Wallaces new ‘Wake up’ machine are very well handled and the whole thing oozes a charm.

I also have to add that, for the first time in a while, there is ACTUALLY a genuine unsettling quality to the villains in this piece, Norbot has moments that I am fairly convinced WILL traumatise young children (consider that a warning) as *I* as a fully grown adult got the fear from those bloody gnomes at least once or twice…

As for the performances? Sadly Peter Sallis passed away in 2017, but since then the voice of Wallace has been headed up by Ben Whitehead. and honestly? if you didnt KNOW Sallis had died, you’d think it WAS him…I only really picked up on it based on LITERALLY one or two brief line deliveries where the phonics didnt line up *quite* with how Sallis had delivered them in the past. Otherwise its a remarkable performance that really nails the warmth and curiosity Wallace as a character has, and I was quite impressed.

Reece shearsmith delights as Norbot, frankly just knowing its Shearsmith adds a whole other layer of folk horror fear to proceedings. I enjoyed his take a lot, even the cameos from Peter Kay, Lauren Patel and Dianne Morgan were utterly delightful and really more than nailed the brief. They aced it.

And finally the soundtrack. Which again, I cant honestly flaw really…Its maybe not *quite* as memorable as the firm fan favourite entries…But again, it has a ruddy good go, and I could believe it WOULD become a ‘fondly remembered classic’ in future.

In short, this was a very nice christmas present from Aardman animations. A really well built production which, apart from one or two minor pacing issues and a few duff jokes, had me chortling over my cheeseboard (im not kidding, this film prompted me and the missus to go and break the cheeseboard out…it has that kind of mythic power)

Would I recommend ‘Vengence Most Fowl?’ Absolutely! But, if you REALLY want a christmas treat…Maybe either watch it ASAP or save it for next christmas. I think its best watched with the tin of chocolates, a glass of the good stuff and the blinds closed. Enjoy.

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/wallace-gromit-vengeance-most-fowl/

by tytdreviews

Father Ted: A Christmassy Ted, 1996 – ★★★★

Its a semi annual tradition in my household to watch the ‘Father Ted’ Christmas special at SOME point between the 23rd and 27th of December. i’ve done it for at least the last decade and a half. This year, things did get a bit weird. I watched half the special on christmas eve, and the final half on boxing day…its been a bit of a loaded holiday season.

BUT! With Letterboxd slowly adding TV shows to the equation (that and the fact I didnt realise this one was even loggable on Letterboxd) I figured i’d add it on here.

Keeping it brief. I dont think this is the best episode of ‘Father Ted’ made. But given just how high calibre ‘Father Ted’ is as a series, even with a bit of a quality drop, the christmas special still manages to completely trump most other TV shows christmas offerings.

The jokes are 10 a minute, the plots silly and a bit all over the place (but in an endearing way). its fun to see these characters engaging in christmas bits and bobs. Ted and the golden cleric/Todd plotline are fab and I have lost count at the amount of times i’ve quoted this special in day to day conversation.

I cant abide Graham Linehan for what he’s done in recent years, but back before his brain turned to soup and he started ranting about bathroom stalls, him and Arthur Matthews were probably the greatest comedy writing duo of their generation. and this being one of their ‘mid’ offerings, really is a testimony to just how good they were.

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/father-ted-a-christmassy-ted/

by tytdreviews

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, 2006 – ★★★½

Finishing off ‘The Santa Clause’ trilogy (unless you count the recent Disney+ multi part TV series…which I personally dont) we have, arguably, the best ‘Santa Clause’ film in the whole series…Theres two main reasons for that…One is that theres no bizarre Body horror and minimal mysonginy on display…and the other is Martin Short.

‘The Santa Clause 3’ is a flashback movie…we open with Mrs. Clause (See: Santa Clause 2) teaching a classroom of elves, where she recounts a WILD and KERRRAZY adventure her and the big red feller went through a year or two ago. We then flash back a year or so and its revealed that Mrs. Clause is pregnant, the workshop is behind on deliveries and Santas got his attention split in half a dozen different places.

Chief among them is Mrs. Clause is getting a bit homesick. Not so much for the US, but more for the relatability of actual full sized humans, and not elves or Scotts extended family whenever they can be arsed to show up. So, to try and comfort his wife, Santa decides the best possible thing to do is to bring her parents up to the North Pole to spend time with her and hopefully support her during the final weeks of her pregnancy.

However, they’re WAY too behind schedule to go down to the states and kidnap a couple of ‘in-laws’…Enter Martin Short as ‘Jack Frost’ a ‘legendary figure’ who aspires to be as well known as famous as Santa and his peers…But doesnt really want to put the effort in. When Santa expresses his need to find some way to get some time to travel away from the workshop, Jack JUMPS at the chance, seeing it as a way to either try and muscle in on Santas racket and make a name for himself…or ideally, sabotage the red guys operations and capitalise on the chaos.

Pitching in as ‘a caring person who just wants to help’ Jack positions himself as someone who could briefly handle the show while Santa supports his family. Santas reluctant, but is assured a very close eye will be kept on Jack…and with that in mind, he agrees.

But Jacks got bigger plans. He wants the top dogs job, and when he learns of a top secret ‘additional’ clause called ‘The Escape Clause’ which allows a Santa to transfer his powers to someone else and undo all the work they’ve done…Jack sees his best shot at making a name for himself.

And…honestly? This one is probably the best of the three in my opinion. Is it high concept and creative? No. Not particularly…its a lot fo low brow humour and lines that feel improvised, shoehorned into a film where the 3rd act randomly decides it wants to be ‘Its a wonderful life’…until it decides suddenly that it doesnt want to be that. But given just HOW strange the previous 2 entries were…to just get a kind of alright, non problematic, non scary entry in this series…to get one that actually HAS proper jokes, engaging characters and a premise thats kind of okay…is somehow just about enough to not make me outright dislike this thing.

The scripts relatively solid, its just over 90 minutes long, JUST begins to overstay its welcome in the final act and relies HEAVILY on the audience not asking too many questions about the logistics and continuity of the series…But beyond that…its actually not half bad. the pacing is decent, they finally nail a tone that feels consistent and (mostly) entertaining. the act structuring is a little wonky, with a top heavy first act, a kind of middling 2nd act and 3rd act that suffers from a bit of an identity crisis…But it pulls it all together by the end.

the humour is a little scattershot, with it being a family film im guessing they’re just doing all the comedy styles to try and appeal to all age groups…but in doing that it is still quite hit and miss…But i’d say of the 3 ‘Santa Clause’ movies…this one is definitely more hit than miss. The characters all seem to be a bit softer and comedically driven here, and the introduction of Shorts ‘Jack Frost’ really helps smooth over all the cracks that the previous entries had suffered from.

The direction feels a little more up market than the last entry, but is still kind of in the realms of ‘direct to video/TV movie’…I think the main reason this one DOES feel a bit more polished than the previous entry is, it is a little bit safer as a production…they dont use nearly as much CG as the last 2 films, and if they do its as overlays (like Jacks frosty breath) rather than whole generated CG sequences. they also dont suffer from as many ropey practical effects which helps…but the vast majority of the film is set either on the workshop sets, or in houses…which are pretty easy to set dress for, and I believe for this film they just reused the set built for ‘Santa Clause 2’ which no doubt saved some cash.

I feel like non of the ‘Santa Clause’ movies really capture the vibe and feeling of christmas, and non of them give me the ‘warm fuzzies’. This one does try…But just, doesnt really do a lot for me in that regard. I think the original is probably the one that came closest…and even then it struggled.

Its competent direction, I cant fault it there…it just isnt a tailored experience and left me kind of wishing the warmth and heart was there.

Direction of the cast is also a little flat…everyone by this point (barring Short, and people in scenes with Short) are phoning it in. it’s clear its a ‘done’ production with very little animation from most involved and it feels like they basically followed the directors instructions TO THE LETTER…and not a feeling more than that…which…is a problem.

Same goes for the cine…its best summed up as ‘they did what needed to be done to make it studio appropriate, and not a thought more’ this is competent(ish) I spotted a couple of continuity errors across the runtime, a lot of this is filmed fairly wide and there isnt nearly as many dolly/track shots or angled shots here…which again, just makes it feel very ‘TV’ in tone and vibe.

The edits a bit plodding, but does have its moments…I feel like with a bit more B-roll and one more pass through, this could have actually been pretty decent…like GOOD end of decent…as it stands its just passible and kind of middle of the road all things considered.

Performance wise. I get the feeling Martin Short wanted to do this, and that the paycheque was just a nice bonus for him. He CHEWS EVERY single scene he’s in, is absolutely watchable across the whole runtime and is frankly the main reason to watch this movie. a delightfully campy and engaging performance throughout. he screams panto villain at multiple points in this and is just an utter delight from start to finish.

Tim Allen as Santa here feels a little more subdued…I feel he struggles to keep up with Shorts rapid deliveries and largely feels like he’s just there to bench warm…which is NOT a good sign if your movie is called ‘The Santa Clause’. When he does have his moments, he’s solid…But for the most part he just seems to be here for a quick buck and a couple months of hanging around with his friends.

The rest of the cast are largely returning from the last entry (though notably, theres no Bernard in this entry. And they never explain what happened to him…given he was a key component of the last 2 films I have to assume he was atomized in a bizarre christmas pudding accident and the trauma still haunts the workshop to this day).

the extended cast are fine otherwise…But I just wish they got more to do….With Scotts extended family (and Judge Rhinehold) being predominantly relegated to just saying plot exposition and doing emotional reactions to whats happening on screen. Hell Scotts first kid in this has a 5 minute cameo across the whole runtime that amounts to him writing himself out of the film in the first 15 minutes, then an alternate reality version of himself storms out of a house, and then he’s back again at the end to spew a bit of expoistion…and then hes gone. and I find a film that has a CORE PLOTPOINT around how supporting and spending time with your family is critically important, that ALSO spends the vast majority of the runtime DESPERATELY trying to get rid of Scotts first kid because he’s old now HILARIOUS. Its wild to me the gaul of this film.

The soundtracks unmemorable. I dont even think there were any jukebox classics in this one. its fine enough but…blehhh…

‘The Santa Clause 3′ is a stable and consistant production, and thats really all i’ve wanted from this series since the first film. just…an entry in the series that takes these characters, DOESNT screw around with them in horrifying or objectifying ways and just…gives them an ACTUAL grounded story, to see how they deal with situations and play things out. This is absolutely an imperfect production. But I appreciate the fact it at least TRIES to give these characters CHARACTER and a reason to exist…rather than just sending them off on another ’90 minute timer movie’ to save christmas.

In that regard its probably my favourite entry in this series, and probably the only one i’d actively CHOOSE to watch again given the chance. its just a shame you need to have seen the first two movies at least once to properly appreciate this one.

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/the-santa-clause-3-the-escape-clause/

by tytdreviews

Doctor Who: The War Games in Colour, 2024 – ★★★★

While a brand new episode of ‘Doctor Who’ went out tonight, I was spread a bit *too* thin on the ground to be able to really take it in. So I settled for a HELL of a christmas gift from the beeb in the form of ‘The War Games: in Colour’ a modernisation/redux of the 1969 epic that saw the final outing for Patrick Troughtons incarnation of the doctor.

To get it out of the way up front, Troughton is my favourite incarnation of the doctor, and my biggest critique of ‘The War Games’ as a Swan song is, while it’s nice to see this doctor out with a 4-5 hour epic that’s probably one of the cruellest regenerations in the shows history, and the story that formally introduces ‘The Time Lords’ as a concept. It is a little overlong.

8 episodes would have more than sufficed, 6 episodes? Plenty. 10 is stretching resource and patience a bit thin. I also find it a real shame that this version of the time Lords is the first and last time the omnipotent ‘god’ timelords would appear. With all other appearnecs relegating them to essentially librarian beuracrat bores in silly hats. 5th doctor era timelords will bill you for jaywalking. 2nd doctor timelords will ‘unexist’ you from the timeline.

As such, I found this redux, which reduces the runtime to 90 minutes, enhances some of the older visual effects, extends the ending to make it lead directly into the 3rd doctors first story AND fully recolourizes the adventure for the first time, wonderfully refreshing.

This feels much more light weight, easier to digest and much more accessible. And while I WILL say it does cut this thing right down to the bone, sometimes to it’s own detriment. I feel it flows significantly better than their first attempt at this with ‘The Daleks: In Colour’ and the new score really helps refresh this classic.

I’ve only ever seen ‘The war games’ in full about 3 times…purely because its basically a full day commitment to watch it. As such it kind of puts me off…

Im firmly in the camp that believes that this version doesnt replace the original, but is a compliment to it…and with that in mind, with this redux, I think I’ll watch the war games a HELL of a lot more now.

What a fab Christmas gift. And if you haven’t seen it, I recommend it.

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/doctor-who-the-war-games-in-colour/

by tytdreviews