Christmas is over for another year and I am sure most of you have been reasonably plumbed with all the festivities. Now that you might be looking for some post-Christmas home entertainment, there are few options in the thriller, horror and martial arts genres, as well as a sprinkling of foreign art house cinema.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is one of John Ford’s best films, and one of the best Westerns. It’s delightful cast and complicated moral questions make it an exemplary piece of filmmaking for the genre. Give it a look-see.
Little Fockers did not revive the waning box office. This poorly reviewed comedy came in number one despite its deficiencies. Over the weekend it earned $34 million and came to a five day tally of $48.3 million. It bested True Grit, a critical favorite by a relatively small margin. The western revival earned $25.6 million over Christmas weekend and $36.8 since premiering Wednesday.
Quality comedies — if they go beyond one sequel — never come in threes. In the case of Little Fockers, three’s a Focking mess. But we asked for it; Meet the Fockers ranks as the highest-grossing live-action comedy in the U.S., so regardless of quality, we were going to get whatever studios served us
The mark of a true classic (especially around the holiday season) is one that continues to be a delight annually, and in many cases (many cases, let me tell you) one that improves with every consecutive viewing. Nation Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is certainly one of those films
I’ve seen It’s A Wonderful Life about 25 times, I estimate; at least once every year since I was five and sometimes multiple viewings, each taking place in the three weeks or so before Christmas. I’ve always loved it, and will always love it.
Ho ho ho! Who’s got a big white beard and does magical things this weekend? No, not Santa, the Box Office Wizard. And it could be you! All you have to do is predict which five movies will place in the top five of this weekend’s U.S. domestic box office. It’s that easy. I will make my own predictions here and explain them to you each week to give you some sort of reference point. It’s then your job to enter a comment with your top five.
