The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021) – Review: A Christmas Film That isn’t Afraid to Have Fun, Get Weird, and Go Big
Quick Note – Grade – B – The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star knows exactly what it is, and isn’t afraid to have fun. During a season loaded with stock Christmas films that follow the same template, the Christmas Switch franchise has gone another direction and embraced the weird. Producer and star Vanessa Hudgens deserves a lot of credit for her performances, as she balances three different characters and is clearly having a blast.
Since 2018, The Christmas Switch franchise has been one of the best Christmas/holiday viewing options around. Why? The answer is, Vanessa Hudgens. What started as a switcheroo Christmas comedy involving a baker and a princess, has now morphed into a Christmas caper comedy involving three women who look exactly like each other, but, somehow, aren’t closely related. For the non-initiated, The Princess Switch films may seem like fluff, but if you’ve watched a lot of Hallmark/Lifetime/Netflix Christmas movies, you’ll know that this franchise is one of the best. Which is quite the compliment as the holiday film industry is absolutely booming, and every streaming service or television network knows that these movies get millions of views, and are needed to stay competitive in the battle for viewers.
The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star focuses on the retrieval of a priceless artifact called the “Star of Peace,” which was loaned to, and then stolen from Princess Stacy Wyndham of Belgravia and Lady Margaret Delacourt, Queen of Montenaro (both Hudegens). This is bad business as the artifact came from the Vatican, and is said to have been owned by Saint Nicholas himself. When the investigation can’t find any leads, Stacy and Margaret recruit Lady Fiona Pembroke (also Hudgens), who is serving thousands of hours of community service after attempting to steal the Montenaro throne in The Princess Switch: Switched Again. From there, the entire gang from the prior films reunite, and hatch a plan to steal the artifact back from the billionaire scuzzbucket Hunter Cunard. What follows is a whole lot of wholesome shenanigans that involves identity swaps, Entrapment-esque theft, and dancing sequences.
What’s nice about the three Princess Switch films is that they know the formula, and have fun with it. Hudgens and director Mike Rohl (who directed all three films and also directed lots of Eureka, Smallville and Supernatural episodes) aren’t trying to reinvent the Christmas movie wheel. Instead, they mostly stick to the tried-and-true formula, and focus on having fun. The majority of these types of movies play it wildly safe, and don’t let the actors go big, or have fun. They seem programmed by an AI algorithm that knows what is safe. The Princess Switch films aren’t afraid to adopt wonky accents, get silly, or embrace going big, and that’s what makes them enjoyable. I’d love to see Hudgens and crew come back and provide the world with more switcheroo insanity.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) – Review: A Wicked Good Adaptation
Quick thoughts: Grade – A- – The Tragedy of Macbeth is a beautifully filmed adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic play. The black and white cinematography, combined with the sparse and modernistic production design, create a dreamy world of death and consequences.
When news broke that Joel Coen would be directing an adaptation of Macbeth featuring Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington as Lady and Lord Macbeth, one couldn’t help but be thrilled about the final product. Historically, the Coen brothers, have successfully tackled adaptations of No Country for Old Men, True Grit, and The Odyssey (O’ Brother Where Art Thou), so, taking on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and its iambic pentameter and trochaic tetrameter rhythm seemed like a natural fit. The Coen brothers’ dialogue has always had its own rhythm, so to see them working with Shakespeare’s prose, and have their characters deliver all-timer lines like “Double, Double Toil and Trouble” and “Something wicked this way comes” was an exciting prospect.
The end product doesn’t disappoint as Joel Coen has delivered a sparse, dangerous, and beautiful looking film. He and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Inside Llewyn Davis, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) and production designer Stefan Dechant (True Grit, Sucker Punch), have created a world full of shadows, hard edges, sparsely decorated rooms, and a wild amount of fake fog, that fills the studios they filmed in.The simplicity of the sets (which definitely weren’t easy to design), which sometimes appears as nothing more than outlines in the distance, combine well with the moody, stage production-esque production design to make the world seem dangerous and bleak from the beginning. Also, the abundance of fog creates a world in which characters can’t see what’s in front of them, and it’s a fun reminder that Macbeth has no clue what his actions will bring forth.
At only 105-minutes, it’s one of the shortest adaptations of Macbeth ever, but it’s filled to the brim with solid performances. Washington and McDormand are excellent as always, and their pairing is an inspired way to get two Academy Award winners in one room. The MVPs of the film are Alex Hassel (Ross), Corey Hawkins (MacDuff) and Kathryn Hunter, who plays the three witches, and steals every scene she’s in with her physicality and expert line delivery. Hawkins adds needed heart, energy, and overall goodness (he’s also really good in In the Heights), and it’s cool seeing him getting some huge moments to shine. The camera seems to love Hassel, who costume designer Mary Zophres (Hail, Caesar!,True Grit) dresses in slim-fitting costumes with thin floating strips of cloth that fit his messenger character well as he flows from room to room delivering news. The Tragedy of Macbeth has a deep bench of reliable performers, and you can see why they signed up for the film, because it gave them a chance to act alongside some of the best in the business.
In the end, it’s a stripped down, and streamlined take on Macbeth that is truly a sight to behold.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 397: Underwater, Kristen Stewart, and Cthulhu
Mark and Zanandi (@ZaNandi on Twitter) discuss the 2020 monster movie Underwater. Directed by William Eubank, and starrring Kristen Stewart, Jessica Henwick, Vincent Cassel, and Cthulhu, the movie focuses on what happens when deadly monsters snack on the crew of an underwater drilling rig. In this episode, they discuss monster movies, stuffed bunnies, and implosions. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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MY CALL: This is a film I somehow hadn’t heard of until this year (11 years after its release), and truth be told it’s nothing wowing in the conventional sense—yet I find it outstanding. It doesn’t have the coolest monster or the wildest effects or the most clever twist. But its depiction of dark urban mysticism and occult rituals with essentially zero special effects (really just one “holy crap” monster in a couple scenes) is an unexpected enchanting delight, even if woefully grim in atmosphere. The acting is great, the writing is simple yet sound, and I was constantly shocked at how well-executed everything was. Please see this!
MORE MOVIES LIKE Outcast: For more Irish horror movies check out Leprechaun Origins (2014), Leprechaun 2 (1994), Leprechaun (1993), Rawhead Rex (1986), Isolation (2005), Grabbers (2012), Cherry Tree (2015), Holidays (2016; St. Patrick’s Day segment), The Hallow (2015), Hole in the Ground (2019) and Boys from County Hell (2020).
Very early this film casts its dark spell and invokes a grim atmosphere of mysticism as we witness a man Cathal (James Nesbitt; The Hobbit trilogy) receiving elaborate occult tattoos to imbue him with magic, and a woman Mary (Kate Dickie; Game of Thrones, The Witch, Prometheus) performing focused work in bloodletting and blood-painting rituals. The man is being empowered so he may kill a “dangerous” boy; the woman practices her spellcraft to protect her teenage son. There is nudity, but the occult practices involved are paid serious respect in that the nudity is never gratuitous. I’ve gotta’ be honest, this was a wonderful experience for me seeing this film open in the way that it did, with such understated execution in visual style.
What follows is a hunt; Cathal the hunter, Mary and her son Fergal the hunted. Both use magical rituals to seek and evade one another. Cathal, in some ways the side of “good” in this story but also the monster antagonist, is explained to have become a powerful entity. But we’re not told so early on just “how” that is, and we know that his magical gifts are not necessarily permanent unless he completes his charge. Fergal has been deemed “dangerous” by occult elders, but we haven’t any clue as to why or how. Truly, either side could be equally considered the good or bad. So rather than rooting for one or the other, I found myself captivated by the eventual (hopeful) revelation.
I’m normally much more revealing in my reviews, but this is just one of those films where almost any explanation will spoil and, thankfully, the trailer didn’t reveal much. If anything, the trailer presents a less impressive movie than that I had the pleasure of viewing. My one submission (and it’s clearly hinted on the movie poster): there is a shiny-skinned hulking troll of a creature with an appetite for flesh and a gigantic dangling… yup. But like the aforementioned nudity, this visual honestly makes sense, receives little focus or time in frame, and rather fits the monstrosity in question. Also, watch out for a young Karen Gillan (Oculus, The Big Short, Gunpowder Milkshake).
This film is much more thoughtfully written and crafted than I would have expected considering I hadn’t heard of it until basically now (2021; thanks to a recent article on https://crashpalaceproductions.com/). Director Colm McCarthy (who went on to helm The Girl with All the Gifts) weaves a sort of dark urban mysticism presented with all the occult gravity but none of the sensationalized magical effects, and he somehow gets away with it splendidly. I mean, it was almost a relief to enjoy something about “magic” without ever really seeing any visual depictions of thereof. It’s surprisingly grounded given the themes involved, and I think it should be celebrated. So please heed my recommendation and try this sleeper hidden gem out for yourself.
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John’s Horror Corner: Boys from County Hell (2020), this Irish horror-comedy is a stylish vampire movie that hocks “Piss Off” to Dracula.
MY CALL: Providing a feisty Irish play on the vampire genre, this odd little film is one I’d readily recommend (even if only for a one-time viewing). While not in league with Grabbers (2012) or Shaun of the Dead (2004), this horror comedy delivers as much charm as it does bloody fun along with some dire death. MORE MOVIES LIKE Boys from County Hell: For more Irish horror movies check out Leprechaun Origins (2014), Leprechaun 2 (1994), Leprechaun (1993), Rawhead Rex (1986), Isolation (2005), Outcast (2010), Grabbers (2012), Cherry Tree (2015), Holidays (2016; St. Patrick’s Day segment), The Hallow (2015) and Hole in the Ground (2019).
Contestably the oldest story on record about a blood drinking creature, our ne’er-do-well protagonists Eugene (Jack Rowan; Peaky Blinders), William (Fra Fee; Hawkeye) and SP (Michael Houg; Chapelwaite, Grabbers) find shenanigans in preaching about their local folklore’s vampire that predated Bram Stoker’s rip-off. The legendary blood drinker Abhartach (Robert Strange; Howl, Penny Dreadful) was told to rise every time he was killed, and his grave is marked by a pile of stones about to be leveled for new road construction in the Irish countryside.
When a freak farm accident kills William with his blood soaking into the ground by the old stone pile, Abhartach is awakened and death befalls the nearby farm.
Advertised as a horror comedy, the comedy is somewhat infrequent once the killing starts. But it certainly has its humorous moments. Much in the vein of Shaun of the Dead (2004), the monster attacks are dire and visceral, yet sometimes killing a monster comes with a laughably cheeky gory spin. The key word here is “sometimes.” Overall this film is more serious than Shaun, but every now and then it reminds you of its probable influence.
The Abhartach monster is a black-skinned, blood-hungry, emaciated ghoul that looks good and moves well on-screen. I honestly expected cheaper or less-revealing effects, so this was a lovely surprise. Likewise, the horror action is good, packing a lot of blood along with some shocking moments including broken bone protruding through the skin and a brutal “pulling” dismemberment. Yikes!
An interesting play on the vampire subgenre is Abhartach’s power to pull blood towards him (as if by “blood telekinesis” or… haemokinesis?), even at great distance and from a living body! It’s no Magneto smoke show, but it’s a very cool, well-executed concept that brings gravity to the creature’s menace.
This film is entertaining, rather fun, pretty good, really well-made, and very easy to watch. The acting, writing, and general filmmaking are all refreshingly capable considering I didn’t recognize any of the cast or director (Chris Baugh; Bad Day for the Cut). One mild warning I’d issue is that the Irish accents are thick, and some viewers may want the subtitles on for this one. But those accents are part of the charm for this odd little movie that I’d strongly recommend, even if only for a one-time viewing.
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Home Sweet Home Alone (2021) – Review: A Glossy and Uninspired Attempt at Making a New Holiday Classic
Quick thoughts: Grade – D+ – Home Sweet Home Alone is a failed attempt at recreating the magic of Home Alone. There are some fun elements, but the core conflict doesn’t justify its existence.
When it was announced that Archie Yates would be starring alongside Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney in a sequel to Home Alone, optimism was high, as Yates proved himself to be extremely likable in the Taika Waititi directed Jojo Rabbit. However, director Dan Mazer (I Give it a Year, Dirty Grandpa) and writers Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell decided to take a simple and effective concept (kid battles dumb robbers), and muddy it up with mortgage problems, misunderstandings, and montages that feature an 11-year old named Max (Archie Yates) recreating scenes from Scarface with M&Ms and whipped cream.
It’s understandable why the creators avoided murderous thieves like Harry and Lloyd from the original franchise, because in 2021, watching two grown men threaten a child with mutilation isn’t ideal. Instead, they have a married couple (who have children themselves), played by Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney, infiltrating the house so they can get back an ugly doll worth $200,000, that they think Max stole from them. They need the doll because Jeff (Delaney) is unemployed, and they might have to sell their home because they’ve had some lean months, and will need to downsize. So, instead of waiting for Max’s mom Carol Mercer (Aisling Bea) and other family members (who left Max behind) to return home from Japan, they break into the house multiple times, step on Legos, and are almost killed by an icicle trap, that if successful, would’ve left them impaled on a sidewalk.
By having the main conflict be centered around a thievery misunderstanding, and attempting to make the criminals sympathetic, the movie loses its edge, and makes everyone unlikable. It’s a pointless exercise that takes solid actors, and zaps anything human about them. Also, the simplicity of the first film was its biggest strength, as Kevin had to battle two criminals who were trying to rob his home. This iteration gets too convoluted, and takes away from focusing on Max, whom the audience is supposed to like and support. Yates proved himself to be extremely likeable in Jojo Rabbit, but in this film, due to uninspired direction (or studio notes), he mainly reacts to things, quotes one-liners, and never gets himself into trouble like Macaulay Culkin did in his two films. Home Sweet Home Alone lacks bite, and sadly feels like a direct-to-streaming option that is nothing more than content. It’s wild to think that Mazer, a contributor with Sacha Baron Cohen, who wrote (or co-wrote) the scripts for Da Ali G Show, Brüno, Office Christmas Party, and Ali G Indahouse, directed this film.
This may sound like more dogpiling, but the set design never plays believably, and it’s always obvious that the shenanigans are taking place inside a soundstage. Shooting on location isn’t an ideal option for movies like this, as houses don’t have movable walls or lighting grids that can attach to ceilings, but it would’ve been nice to watch something that didn’t play totally fake.
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The Deep House (2021) – Review: An Ambitious Horror Film That Features an Underwater Haunted House
Quick Thoughts: Grade – C+ – The Deep House is an ambitious and silly horror movie that goes to extreme depths to entertain. Directing duo Alexandre Bustill and Julien Maury (Inside, Livid, Leatherface) deserve credit for the inspired idea, and insistence on filming the movie in massive water tanks, which add to the atmosphere and believability.
In a horror landscape that’s loaded with sequels, remakes, prequels, reboots, ripoffs, and the same ideas (which is nothing new, and is to be expected) it’s always nice when you see a movie synopsis that reads “A couple enters the interior of a strange house located at the bottom of a lake and their presence awakens a dark spirit that haunts the house.” When David Cross, of the Award Wieners Movie Review Podcast put this film on my radar, it felt like Christmas, and this is the perfect horror film gift, as it combines ghosts, underwater shenanigans, and an element of claustrophobia inside the underwater haunted house. Bustill and Maury hired famed underwater cinematographer Jacques Ballard (Deep, Beyonce’s Run the World (Girls)), to film the ghost story, and it paid off, as it’s a good looking film that’s a tiny bit too clean, as the tanks they filmed in don’t necessarily capture the murky water of a lake. It’s totally understandable why they shot in water tanks, as they had more freedom to build sets, and it’s much safer than shooting outside where weather, waves, water temperature, and random tourists can be a problem.
The film focuses on Ben (James Jagger), and Tina (Camilla Rowe), a couple of internet influencers who visit haunted locations, and film the experience for their small but growing audience. After one of their locations is a bust, they find themselves investigating a submerged house in an isolated area of a lake that on normal circumstances should be avoided at all costs. The two arrive at the location via a creepy guy who undoubtedly is up to no good, and they proceed to dive deep down to film the surprisingly well-maintained house of horrors. It would be a shame to spoil anything, just know that there are ghosts (free divers were hired to play the ghosts, which is cool), scary corridors, and several jump scares involving fish.
The production design by Hubert Pouille (Mandy – watch it now) is inspired, and he’s created a labyrinthian home full of creepy props, ominous chains, and chimneys that will 100% collapse when people swim in them. It must’ve been a beast to create the sets, as wallpaper, paint and props needed to endure a long shoot underwater, and not fall apart or make the tank water murky. Overall, it’s a fine production that’s light on story, and heavy on “Hey, that’s impressive how they filmed that” moments. Camilla Rowe proves herself to be a likable screen presence, and she’s much more agreeable than James Jagger, who has to play a sulky influencer who complains incessantly about his followers. Overall, they aren’t given much to do, and that hurts the overall proceedings because there is zero emotional attachment to the pair of ghost chum.
What makes the 84-minute film worth watching is that it’s something new and inspired. The scares aren’t there, the characters aren’t exactly likable, but, it’s AN UNDERWATER GHOST STORY! If you are a fan of the horror genre, you’ll enjoy the new concept.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 396: Armageddon, Animal Crackers, and Asteroids
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Mark, Norbert, and Niall discuss the 1998 blockbuster smash hit Armageddon. Directed by Michael Bay, and starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, and an asteroid the size of Texas, the movie focuses on what happens when a group of oil drillers go to space to blow up a mean looking asteroid. In this episode, they discuss disaster films, movie soundtracks, and the career of Michael Bay. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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Movies, Films and Flix Random Data: Analyzing the Hang Time in the 1993 Action Classic Cliffhanger
I love Cliffhanger, it’s one of my favorite action films, and it’s aged beautifully since 1993. Between Renny Harlin’s direction, the on-location shoot in Italy, and the inspired performances from John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Sylvester Stallone, and Rex Linn, it’s aged like a fine Italian wine.
If you haven’t watched it, the movie revolves around a guy named Gabe Walker (Sylvester Stallone) battling a gang of criminals led by Eric Qualen (John Lithgow), who are wandering around the Colorado mountains looking for cases of cash that blew out of an airplane during a heist (Yes, there’s an airplane heist, and it’s glorious). The problem is, a year prior, Walker was involved in a tragic accident that saw the girlfriend of his best friend Hal Tucker (Michael Rooker), falling a long way to her death. The tragic accident weighs heavily on Gabe, and it doesn’t help that he has to team up with Hal, to defeat the deadly criminals (who shoot rockets into the side of a mountain, and cause an avalanche that kills some of them), who really want the millions of cash that are spread around the mountain. It all culminates with a beautiful fight between Stallone and Lithgow that takes place on an upside down helicopter that is attached to the side of a mountain. It’s a glorious brawl, and it provides another example of how Harlin loves adding multiple elements to his action films.
While watching the movie again, I really wanted to know how much time Stallone spends hanging from various items. So, I used timestamps and a stopwatch to clock the times, and I came up with the following graphic. It’s neat knowing that he spends more time hanging from a ladder than he does on cliff faces.
Quick Definition – Hanging – suspend or be suspended from above with the lower part dangling free.
Basically, in the beginning of the film, Stallone is attached to a cable, and his legs are wrapped around it. This isn’t considered hanging. It’s conderied hanging when he’s climbing on the side of a mountain, loses his footing, and he grips a piece of rock in hopes of not falling to his death. Take a look at the image below, and you’ll have a solid idea of what I mean.
I’ve covered the film extensively on the Movies, Films and Flix Podcast (here and here), and it’s also been discussed on Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast. Check out the episodes!
Here’s the breakdown of Stallone’s hang time. Enjoy!
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The Harder They Fall (2021) – Review: Director Jeymes Samuel Has Given the World an Entertaining Western
Quick Thoughts: Grade – B+ – Directed and co-written by Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall is a thrillingly stylish western that features inspired production design, cinematography, and performances. It’s cool knowing that the characters are based on historical figures, and hopefully will inspire people to research the real-life characters.
What makes The Harder They Fall so special is that director Jeymes Samuel loves the western genre, and wanted to use today’s technology to film jailbreaks, gunfights, bank robberies, and horse chases. The end result is a beautiful looking film that employs drones, split-screens and huge crane shots to tell the story of Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), a gunslinger who really wants to kill Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), the man who murdered his family. The cinematography by Mihai Malaimare Jr. (The Master, The Hate U Give, Jojo Rabbit) harkens back to the days of the legendary Sergio Leone, who wasn’t afraid to let the camera linger on his actors faces, and was always up for wide open vistas and gnarly carnage. What’s nice is that The Harder They Fall has a distinct visual language that involves bright colors, close ups, zooms, and stylish centralized framing, which makes it stand out from its peers, but also wears you out, as the dedication to visual flourishes are nonstop. Also, kudos to Samuel and production designer Martin Whist (The Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times at the El Royale) for creating White Town, which provides one of 2021’s best sight gags.
The Harder They Fall centers around the showdown between two different groups of gunslingers ﹘who are both very good at killing people. On one side, there is revenge-driven Nat Love, and his associates Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi), and Jim Beckworth (RJ Cyler), two outlaws who make their money by stealing from other criminals. They team up with Love’s girlfriend Stagecoach Mary Fields (Zazie Beetz), her bouncer/bodyguard Cuffe (Danielle Deadwyler), and a Marshall named Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo), who rounds out their deadly crew. Against them is legendary outlaw Rufus Buck, and his two partners “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (Regina King), and Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield), a man who loves to monologue and shoot people when they aren’t looking. Their epic battle takes place in a town called Redwood, and it involves explosions, monologues, fistfights, gunfights, and more explosions. It’s a wildly violent brawl that relishes in exploding heads that spray copious amounts of blood and the killing of dozens of henchmen who should know better than to stand in the way of Delroy Lindo.
You can tell that Samuel pulled from his background as a musician and music video director, as the soundtrack is loaded with excellent songs (the opening Kid Cudi/Jay-Z is solid), and it shows that he learned a lot from his time as the executive music supervisor on the Baz Luhrman directed The Great Gatsby (2013). There’s a lot of style in this film, and it’s propelled by musical performances and songs that prove to be very memorable.
In the end, every performance is solid, and it’s clear why the actors signed up for the film (they get to look awesome). But, their characters represent more style over characterization, which is fine, but they don’t necessarily prove to be endearing, or overly memorable aside from some well-shot moments that frame them in interesting ways (watch the trailer, you’ll see). It’s easy to understand why the film is the way it is, but the focus on the tone and style takes away from focusing on, or creating memorable characters.
Final thoughts:The Harder They Fall is a lot of fun, and if you are a fan of stylish westerns, you will love this movie.
Movies, Films & Flix 