A Christmas Karen, 2022 – ★★★½

I rounded off my Christmas Day viewings with a film that had been recommended to me a few days prior by my mum. Who caught this one on ‘Pluto TV’ and sent it my way as she knows I enjoy ‘weird stuff’ and movies that have a bit more life behind the eyes than the average hallmark production.

And so; I took the plunge on ‘A Christmas Karen’ while under the influence of enough Pork and chicken to put a continent to sleep, and Y’know? Chalk me down as actually really quite pleasently surprised by this one. Based on the marketing and branding, I was expecting absolute dross of the highest order, low quality content that existed purely to cash in on a meme-ey name and AT BEST, something that may kill 70 or so minutes inoffensively.

But no! ‘A Christmas Karen’ actually plays down its ‘low hanging fruit’ elements, while using the basic plot of ‘A christmas Carol’ to lean into those elements in such a way that doesnt feel forced, unpleasent or awkward.

The plot? well…Its the day before Christmas and Floridas worst ‘Karen’ is on the warpath, shutting down a christmas lights festival, getting a child run hot coco stand closed down and chastising several people (including slurring minority and LGBTQ groups). But this Karens gone too far, as that night she’s visited first by the ghost of her old boss (who was also a huge ‘Karen’) who warns the still living ‘Karen’ that she has to change her ‘Karen-ey’ ways, before telling her shes gonna get visited by three ghosts…yadda yadda yadda…it’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ but modernized and laced with 21st century ‘Guardians of the galaxy’ style self aware humour. Thats what this is…

Which means pretty much that the film will live or die by the quality of its writing and on how well it manages to pull off the cine, direction and performances. And I think it actually doesnt do too badly honestly.

The writing feels a little stale by bigger movie standards, but for a low budget effort, I thought it was actually kind of witty. The script does play around with a few elements of the original story (a key example being that ‘Karen’ has to hold onto the robes of the ghosts while they’re showing her visions, because if she lets go, wherever she’s stood will suddenly get propelled into the ‘current time’ present. Leading to some actually quite funny moments. Such as a scene where the ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’ takes Karen back to her childhood home in the late 70s to see how she treated her siblings. But on letting go of the robes She’s propelled back into 2022 where a VERY confused man in a string vest gets the fright of his life and runs off into the darkness, returning with a shotgun to fend off the intruders.

they play with that time jumping element quite well, and its almost a shame they abandon the exploration of jumping about in time by the middle of the second act (I assume for budgetary reasons), as I feel there was quite the unimined comedy shaft to be found in there.

The tone is gentle, maybe a *Little* too reliant in places on the idea that this ‘Karen’ is racist and homophobic for cheap laughs. they generally get that aspect right (playing it at laughing AT Karen for being stupid, rather than WITH her for what shes saying) But they hit those note a few times across the runtime, and by the end it had worn thin.

Outside of that though, theres fun to be had, the plot is by the by (Its a christmas Carol…Its surprisingly hard to screw that basic premise up given literally EVERY TV show has done a ‘Christmas Carol’ episode by now..) But the dialogue and broader humour in this thing is actually quite enjoyable. A lot of the humour hits more than it misses, the characters all feel quite fresh (It reminded me a little bit of ‘Scrooged’ in terms of how they play the relationships between ‘Karen’ and the ghosts…and how the ghosts are portrayed as imperfect weirdos rather than the etheral characters in the book. The titual ‘Karen’ is MERCIFULLY given a BIT more complexity than just ‘The Meme’ which is the REAL saving grace of this thing as it could have got irritating FAST had they just made her the meme and stuck to that for 97 minutes.

The pacings pretty solid, it slows down a *touch* in the middle, but It opens strong and ends (predicatbly…) sticking the landing, though I maybe would have liked to have seen Karen still not *quite* get things right…rather than her just waking up not racist, homophobic or willing to call the cops on kids under the age of 8 anymore.

Its actually a pretty strong script given what the film *could* have been, and I had absolutely no qualms about sitting through it while I recovered from intensive ‘buffet scarfing’.

The direction and cine were a bit of a letdown honestly, there is a clear vision portrayed here, but it is the unfortunate situation of a film not quite having the budget to realise it’s vision effectively. As a result, while the edit itself is largely fine and the transitionary effects were actually kind of impressive, the rest of the film suffers. Theres a LOT of ultra cheap looking CG effects throughout the film, some scenes feel a bit like they were arranged via ‘a friend of a friend doing a favour’ rather than it being the fully intended vision for the film.

The grading for the film is a little *too* vibrant and an uneven colour palette makes the film feel like several different movies got stuck together, theres no visual coherency, it’s just “what looks best for the scenes” Which means it ends up looking like a tapestry, rather than a movie.

Sequence building is also a tad problematic, while they largely nail the edits for the humour on this thing (its definitely got comic timing) the actual scene structurings are a bit odd. Sometimes scenes seem to overuse the B-roll for no reason at all, other scenes seemed to have been cobbled together with whatever was available in the can. Which really didnt help with the coherency problems in the grading and direction, and REALLY didnt help convey the more important moments in the script. It never gets *truely* awful…It just…never got genuinely impressive…and never really rose above ‘Acceptable’

The performances are pretty bob on for me, with special mentions going to Michele Simms as ‘Karen’ Who I think does actually manage to channel a bit more complexity into the role and I feel really actually does the role a good service. Her redemption does seem to channel ‘Alistaire Simms’ style of ‘goofy scrooge’ Which I dont think she *quite* nailed…But she’s good for like…80% of this thing, Im not gonna quibble.

The supporting cast too are strong, with Meghan Colleen Moroney (Karens Dead Boss), Rolin Alexis (The Ghost of Christmas Past) And Lee Karlinsky (The Ghost of Christmas Future) all being standout performances worth singing the praise of for animated, original takes on existing old characters. Bringing the kind of energy that this film needed to really just break ahead of the mediocrity slurry that dominates the ‘Christmas Film’ industry.

In fact, the absolute worst element of this film (and even this isnt irredeemably awful) is the scoring. Which seems to be predominantly library tracks and public domain audio. It really works against the film in my opinion by stripping it of a unique identity. Ive used tracks in my youtube videos that feature in this movie, and while im not saying you cant use royalty free stuff in your films (they really can help smooth over the cracks) if you ONLY use library and royalty free tracks. It can often make your film feel unoriginal or lacking that final grade of polish…On its own it would have been a minor quibble, but because of the iffy cine and direction issues i’ve raised above…it does kind of tip this thing over the edge to a point where I cant out and out love it in the way I would something like ‘Scrooged’.

‘A Christmas Karen’ is a gentle bit of fun holiday cinema. I wouldnt say it was suitable for children. But for a young adult/teen crowd and up, this would likely yield a few laughs and a plesent enough way to sing an hour and thirty seven over the holidays.

Its a film that…While it wouldnt be at the top of my ‘To Watch’ pile next year, would definitely be one i’d recommend if you were looking for somrthing a bit different to check out, AND it WOULD be one i’d be more than happy to watch again next year!

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/a-christmas-karen/

by tytdreviews

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, 1988 – ★★★★½

A soft spot of the season, ‘Blackadders Christmas Carol’ turns the ‘Scrooge’ story on it’s head in a silly and entertaining manner.

Studded throughout with the cream of the British comedy crop (and a couple Doctor who Alumni) its a pleasent spin on the classic and while it’s not one I catch every year. It’s one I always *try* to make time for.

Wonderfully written, and perfectly paced. I’d absolutely check it out 🙂

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/blackadders-christmas-carol/

by tytdreviews

Lisztomania, 1975 – ★★★★½

The Anti ‘Barry Lindon’, ‘Lisztomania’ is Ken Russell’s affectionate and aggressive “Biopic” of the late composer Franz Liszt, arguably one of the greatest piano players and composers of all time.

And the word ‘Biopic’ is certainly doing some heavy lifting here as really, it’s more a platform for Ken to express his feelings towards Liszt (portraying him as the 19th centuries answer to a rock star) but really? this is all a front for Ken’s main goal with this film, which was to (quite rightly) rip the absolute SHIT out of Richard Wagner.

Okay; so maybe thats a *bit* of an oversimplification, Basically the plot follows Lizsts various rises and falls over his career, from being Hungary’s golden child, through his various womanizing exploits (complete with a scene in which he’s portrayed as having an 8 foot long artificial penis which is put through a guillotine) to his eventual spate in the catholic church…

Liszt’s relationship with Wagner was a fractious one, due to Wagner basically spending a good chunk of his career relying on Liszt as a means of promotion and financial stability…made all the more fractious by the fact that Liszts daughter Cosima married Wagner. Richarad Wagner for those in the dark, was a renowned (and somewhat mid) composer who’s main legacy seems to have been that he was a rabid anti-semite and helped lay the core foundations of what would go on to become Hitlers Nazi Party (Cosima lived to promote Wagners work…both in music and racism WELL after his death…Hitler was a genuine and sincere friend of the family…)

Russell is many things…subtle is not one of them. And when I tell you that its clear that he utterly detested Wagner and all that he stood for. Well…if you’ve seen ‘Tommy’ or ‘The Devils’ you’ll pretty much understand that when Ken has the backing of a major studio and an axe to grind…you’re going to be in for a HELL of a viewing experience.

And, for me? ‘Lisztomania’ delivers that in spades, a psychadelic swirl of a reimaging of Liszts life, its colourful, manic, over the top, INCREDIBLY horny AT ALL TIMES. Its a non stop rip-roarer of a production that barely stops for breath across its entire hour and 43 minute runtime. Which works both in its favour, and it’s detriment.

Im just gonna say right off the bat, DO NOT expect historical accuracy here, while there are some key beats that ACTUALLY did happen, this is Liszt’s and Wagners life as viewed through an almost fantasy driven prism. As such, theres a LOT of symbolism, a LOT of implied double meanings and a LOT of ‘creative liberties’. I just wanna make sure noone here leaves a viewing of Lisztomania thinking that Liszt had an 8 foot penis.

The scripts breakneck. Which is great because that sense of restless, manic, unwavering dedication to showcasing a vision is refreshing, engaging and absolutely delighted me. Tonally its camp as christmas and utterly unrelenting in trying to drown the audience in a vat of sequins, prog rock and Elton John-esq set design. Its an utter delight to sit through…if your in the right headspace.

If you’re not in the mood for an aggressive assault on the senses, I imagine it could get pretty insufferable pretty quickly, because its essentially presenting the life of a composer in the style of the ramblings of a time traveller who has 20 seconds to explain an entire 70 year history before being destroyed, a LOT of key information gets left out, a LOT of the film relies on the audience just ‘going with it’ and a LOT of the film is running more on the passion of the film maker, than on actually trying to turn out something that is easily accessable. In that sense, I completely understand why 90% of peoples initial reaction to this is of utter rejection and border disgust.

I however (an ADHD sufferer) reveled in its total disregard to moderate pacing and coherency, I LOVED being thrust from scene to scene like I was being thrown through a series of plate glass windows. I relished the constant swings between over the top hypercolourful set pieces, full frontal nudity and totally random cameos, such as Ringo starr playing ‘the pope’.

It appealed to me on a quite profound level, and the final act (in which the ‘biopic’ angle goes almost COMPLETELY out of the window, as we transform into a ‘Hammer’ movie in which Wagner is a literal Vampire commanding an army of blonde haired blue eyed german children into wanting to destroy Jews) is just astounding. and really quite has to be seen to be believed!

Thats probably the thing I like most about this film, you really cant try to second guess it. Even if your an avid historian, Russell here has managed to create a work where, just as your getting into a groove, he’ll pull the rug from under you with a HARSH veer out of whatever was being progressed into just…some fantastical whimsy thats totally unrelated to what was at hand…again; I totally understand why some would find that frustrating…But I adored it for its total disregard for convention in that sense.

The direction is rich, lavish, with a clear creative drive behind it. Russell here is firing on ALL cylinders and clearly had an itch to scratch. Its a hyperfocussed production that seemed to have all aspects of the cast and crew enthused and ready to pour their souls into it. A decedant piece, I adore the way this thing looks. it’s a constantly evolving work that even at it’s lowest points, is still a total vision to behold.

The cine is sumptuous too, richly dressed sets that have detail for miles are excellently composed with solid sequence building on the editing front that helps deliver a totally unique experience. Every time I rewatch this film I always notice something different. and the amount of ‘phallic’ symbols hidden across every scene of this thing is eyewatering to say the least!

The performances are astounding also! Roger Daltrey is NOT my cup of tea, but as 19th century rock god Liszt, he’s perfect, bringing a cheeky, but thoughtful energy to proceedings throughout, hes animate, vibrant and frankly; I dont WANT to imagine anyone else in the role. Paul Nicholas also delights as Wagner, camping it up RIGHT good and proper, he’s demented for most of the runtime in the BEST possible way. The rest of the cast are solid as a rock, the cameos from the likes of Starr and Rick Wakeman are more than welcome and only further enhance this…UTTERLY bizarre work.

Throw in a score by Rick Wakeman too, which partially runs on his own compositions and partially reimagines Liszt and Wagners works as prog rock electric visions…So good I went and nabbed the soundtrack on Vinyl shortly after catching this for the first time. Its rich, complex and a gorgeous auditory experience.

‘Lisztomania’ gets a lot of negative attention for its total disregard of ‘the rules of cinema’ and its audience. But I find its defiance of those rules, really part of its charm. The fact that Warner Bros are TERRIFIED of re-releasing this film (I own a bootleg Bluray) both confuses and astounds me.

This is rock and roll in every sense of the word, probably one of my favourite Ken Russell pictures, and a MUST SEE for ANY cult cinema enthusiast. its a wild time guarenteed. just…maybe keep Liszt and Wagners Wikipedia articles open while your watching!

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/lisztomania/

by tytdreviews

It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, 1992 – ★★½

Well…thats a thing that exists I guess…Given how festive and warm and comforting the first Peanuts Christmas Special was, I wasnt expecting a match in quality for it’s 90s follow up…But I also wasnt expecting it to underperform my LOWEST expectations for it either.

It could not feel more ‘vacant’ as a holiday special if it tried. With 22 minutes dedicated to random subplots with weak to poor humour dotted throughout and next to non of the charm, it feels like someone watched the last Peanuts christmas special and figured the thing people liked the most about it was ‘Variety’ and very little else.

The ‘main’ plot (if you can call it that, because it gets name dropped a couple of times across the special, but doesnt actually get picked up till 4 minutes off the end) revolves around Sally preparing for her christmas concert. A good chunk of this film doesnt even take place at christmas…it happens before Thanksgiving has even happened!?

The animations fine enough, its technically sound and ‘of standard’, but theres not a lot of range of emotions on the peanuts characters, Charlie Brown is AWOL for a good chunk of it…The best joke in the thing is when Marcie and Peppermint Patty go to see a performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ for a book report, but neither know what Handel’s first name was…So they guess with ‘Joe Handel.’ That was the one and only point I stifled a laugh.

Its a fairly souless affair. Not offensive, I didnt come away angry that this thing wasted my time…More confused about how on earth this thing made it past test audiences given how light and ‘nothing’ filled it really is.

Even Snoopy struggles for air time in this thing…Its just…such a waste…

OH! and they screw around with the ‘peanuts’ sound. It all sounds like its been composed using an old Windows Midi soundcard. everything sounds and feels wrong.

I caught this as an extra on one of the Peanuts ‘Holiday’ collection DVD sets…I probably wont watch it again. Stick with the original if you want heartwarming festive cheer. This is reheated leftovers from an unrefridgerated doggie bag.

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/its-christmastime-again-charlie-brown/

by tytdreviews