Movie Review: A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

1965
G


"I know nobody likes me. Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it?"
-- Charlie Brown

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 animated TV special directed by Bill Melendez and written by Charles Schultz that serves as one of the longest-running television specials in American history. The story starts with Charlie Brown (voiced by Peter Robbins) telling his best friend Linus (voiced by Christopher Shea) about his disdain towards the Christmas season. Even though he understands the idea of getting and giving presents each year, he still says he feels down and depressed come each Christmas. After consulting Linus's sister Lucy (voiced by Tracy Stratford), she offers Charlie Brown the opportunity to direct their Christmas play. When he attempts to do so, however, he has difficulty getting the other kids to listen to him, so Lucy sends him to find a Christmas tree for the play. The one he chooses is the only real tree he can find, but it happens to be a sad little tree that loses pine needles every time he touches it. Obviously incensed at his decision, the other kids get angry, forcing Charlie Brown out of the theater. However, he decides that he is going to make this tree beautiful, despite everything they say.

Now I know that this is by no means a feature-length film (it's run-time currently sits somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-two minutes, depending on which version you're able to find), but I have been known to review short films from time to time (see: The Black Mamba). When special circumstances arise, I will generally review any type of film, and considering this is the holiday season, I figured there was no way I could possibly leave A Charlie Brown Christmas off my review slate. It's such a classic holiday fixture that you'd probably be hard-pressed to find someone who both hadn't seen the special nor even heard of its existence.

As is the case with every Peanuts special, we're getting our same basic slew of characters, and they don't really divert themselves from their normal personalities. Charlie Brown is still the down-on-his-luck leading character with whom every audience can seemingly relate. His buddy Linus represents the child in every adult, especially in this particular special (more on that in a moment). Lucy is still bossy, Schroeder (voiced by Chris Doran) still plays the piano, and Snoopy (voiced by Melendez) still does whatever he wants to do. So in that respect, there's not all that much different from other Peanuts specials.

What sets this one apart is the rather spectacular screenplay we're receiving. The entire storyline revolves around Charlie Brown's negative attitude towards the commercial aspect of Christmas. All throughout the first half of the story, we see him scoffing in disgust whenever a monetary want or desire comes to the surface (i.e., Snoopy's attempt to decorate his doghouse; Sally's fixation on the presents she wants to receive). It seems so ingrained into the culture that Charlie Brown doesn't really know how to handle himself. And so, when he's given the chance to direct the play, he elects to find the true spirit of Christmas and convey that through his performance.

The anti-commercialism message is a good one, and it's probably one that we need to hear, especially in today's economic state here in the United States. As we've seen in some of the other films I've reviewed - most glaringly, 2007's What Would Jesus Buy? - the commercial aspect of the Christmas holiday is starting to overshadow the holiday itself. Because of this, it's nice to see a long-running television special that still reminds its audience of the true meaning and spirit of Christmas.

I'd also like to make a quick mention of this special's soundtrack, which was performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. The soundtrack takes the classic Peanuts music and meshes it with holiday classics, and although we've heard all these songs before, there's something rather perfect about the way the Trio performs them. They fit seamlessly into this film, and the soundtrack easily proves to be one of my personal favorite holiday soundtracks.

All that being said, I honestly think you should take the time to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. I'm sure it'll be playing a few more times before Christmas reaches us, so tune into your local TV stations and find out when it'll be playing near you. It's a holiday classic for the ages, and everyone in the family should give it a watch.

Movie Review: YOUR STUDIO AND YOU

Now, I don't generally review short films because I think they have a very different dynamic than feature-length ventures. I have reviewed one short film - 2011's The Black Mamba - in the past, but that's as far as I've gone to this point. However, Your Studio and You happens to hold a special place in my heart (for reasons I will mention momentarily). I'm embedding the film below - make sure you watch both part one and part two - but let me set the stage a little bit. According to the synopsis on IMDb, executives from Universal Pictures commissioned the making of the short in 1995 after the company was bought by Seagrams. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone directed the piece, which works as a parody of 1950s corporate and industrial films. So without any further delay, enjoy the videos and wait for my "review" after the jump.

So the first thing that you're likely to notice throughout the film is the slew of big-time names that make appearances here and there. From the get-go, we see the likes of Steven Spielberg as Studio Tour guide, Michael J. Fox as a curious young man with a slew of questions, and even James Cameron working on beautifying his surroundings. Sylvester Stallone gets his extended cameo that proves to be one of the most hilarious parts of the film (in my opinion), especially his little afterward at the very end of the film. A few more names that surface that you might recognize include Demi Moore, John Singleton, Angela Lansbury, Brian Grazer and Jeff Katzenberg. The inclusion of these big-time names allows an outside audience (like myself) to connect with the film on a more personal level. Were they not in the film, it might not have appealed to me as much because a lot of the jokes and gags would only appeal to Universal Pictures employees.

Still, those in-jokes are definitely prevalent throughout the film's seventeen-minute run-time. However, if you know anything about Universal Studios in general, you should be able to follow along relatively easily. Knowledge of the Hollywood theme park will also enhance your viewing pleasure quite a bit.

Ultimately, this is definitely a film for anyone who happens to be a fan of Stone and Parker. It has the feel of the rest of their collective work, so if you're into things like South Park, then this should be right up your alley. The two even make an appearance in the film itself, but I won't give it away - I'd rather let the fans spot them. Overall, I personally think that Your Studio and You is one of the funniest short films I have ever seen. If it's not your type of humor, then I apologize, but if you can understand the tongue-in-cheek attitude, then you should have a grand time while watching.

Movie Review: THE BLACK MAMBA

THE BLACK MAMBA

2011

For the past couple months, Nike and the NBA have been hyping a short film by Robert Rodriguez that was going to be released over the NBA's All-Star Weekend. The short film, which stars Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, is posted below, for your viewing pleasure. My review after the break:

Now that you've (hopefully) watched the video - it's just under six minutes long, so just watch it if you haven't already - I hope that you found it as enjoyable as I did. Yes, I know it's pretty ridiculous, but it has that signature feel of a Robert Rodriguez venture that I absolutely love.

Sure, the story's a little lame, but it's still well-rounded considering how short the movie is. The Boss (Kanye West) wants to take all the power away from the best basketball players in the world, and the Black Mamba (Bryant) is the only one who's eluded his capture. So The Boss sets up a final trial that he hopes the Mamba can't pass, and for a moment, it looks like he might get the best of our hero. You'll have to watch to see what happens.

In terms of acting, I wasn't terribly turned off. Kobe does pretty well with the dialogue he's given - the dialogue throughout the film is snappy and very well-written, as is the norm with Rodriguez fare. Sure, he's not an actor by any means, but I think he did a pretty good job for his first "foray" into the medium. We've got some great appearances from some big names like Bruce Willis and the ever-present Danny Trejo who play their parts to perfection. And even Kanye, who I don't particularly like, does well with his time on-screen.

Yes, this isn't my usual type of review considering I don't review the short films I see, but I felt compelled to do a little write-up for "The Black Mamba." It was ridiculous and far-fetched but wholly entertaining, especially for under six minutes. Kudos, Mr. Rodriguez. You didn't disappoint.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: B
2 Thumbs Up