He’s a Blitz(en)krieg. He’s the…
Vidiot
Week of December 22, 2017
Santa fought against the allies in WWII.
First up…
Dunkirk
The most heroic role a soldier can assume
during wartime is that of USO entertainer.
Mind you, being in the thick of it, like
the men in this drama, is a close second.
On the beaches of Dunkirk, 1940, a pair of
privates (Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Barnard), along with thousands of other
British troops, attempt to evacuate soon-to-be Nazis occupied Frances.
Overhead, a RAF spitfire pilot (Tom Hardy)
keeps encroaching German dive-bombers at bay while the Royal Navy (Kenneth
Branagh) scrambles civilians (Mark Rylance) to assist in the mass exodus on
their behalf.
With little dialogue to work with,
writer/director Christopher Nolan’s depiction of the infamous English event is
mostly told through sight and sound. And while both elements do provide many
impactful moments in the film’s breezy runtime, the flimsy, inaccurate
narrative and weak characters suffer unduly.
Moreover, the fastest way to flee during
wartime is on repurposed catapults.
Yellow Light
Mother!
Houseguests are the reason why God created
hotels, motels and hostiles.
Unfortunately, you would have to combine
all 3 to accommodate the unwanted lodgers in this psychological horror.
Mother (Jennifer Lawrence) awakens in a
strange house where she searches for her husband, Him (Javier Bardem), a
prominent poet paralyzed by writer’s block. She eventually finds Him
entertaining a man (Ed Harrris) and his family (Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall
Gleeson), who have asked for accommodations.
When Mother becomes pregnant, Him’s
creative juices begin to flow but his new work attracts throngs of fervent fans
who invade and ransack the couple’s home.
A curious allegory on Eden, writer/director
Darren Aronofsky delivers a divisive take on Mother Earth and her creator that
will test viewer’s patience. Nevertheless, a case can be made for his artistic
effort even though it my take time to appreciate.
Incidentally, to rid yourself of
houseguests just disconnect the Wi-Fi.
Yellow Light
***North Polemic***
Mrs. Santa Claus
Mrs. Claus is childless because she was
made from spare doll parts by Santa’s elves.
Nonetheless, this fantasy maintains she is
much more than Santa’s sex-doll.
After a fight with her husband (Charles
Durning) over new flight paths for Christmas 1910, Anna Claus (Angela Lansbury)
steals his magic sleigh and heads to NYC. But when Cupid gets hurt, she is laid
over in the Big Apple and must lodge with a poor family.
While slumming it, she
involves herself in important social issues of the time, including child labour
laws and a woman’s right to vote.
Although this is a Hallmark television
movie from 1996, it does, in some wacky way, deal with real world woes head-on.
As well, it manages to finally give Santa’s silently doting housewife a voice,
and it’s a dissenting one at that.
Furthermore, if Santa were a woman she
would knock before entering your house.
He’s a Jingle Bellhop. He’s the…
Vidiot
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