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TURKEY HOLLOW (Dir: Kirk R Thatcher, 2015).
TURKEY HOLLOW (Dir: Kirk R Thatcher, 2015).
Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow, to give the movie its full on-screen title, is based upon a Henson project unrealised during the Muppet master’s lifetime.
Originally co-written by Henson and Jerry Juhl, Turkey Hollow is a feature length TV movie combining puppets and humans, produced by The Jim Henson Company for the Lifetime Network.
Following their parents divorce, teenagers Tim (Graham Verchere) and Annie (Genevieve Buechner) are forced to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their Aunt Cly (Mary Steenburgen) in the rustic town of Turkey Hollow. Learning of a local 10 foot mythical monster The Howling Hoodoo, Tim sets out to find the beast. Instead he encounter the friendly forest monsters Squonk, Zorp, Burble and Thring as well as uncovering the illegal activities of a neighbouring turkey farmer, who poses a threat to his Aunt's farm.
Turkey Hollow is not the Muppet-fest you may have hoped for. The puppets are used fairly sporadically and serve the otherwise human led story. However, when they do appear, the puppets, as you would expect, are excellent. The undoubted highlight of the low key movie, the foursome are as appealing as any other monsters to emerge from the Henson stable. The humans almost take a backseat whenever the puppets appear, although performances are solid throughout, especially the always dependable Mary Steenburgen.
The plot of Turkey Hollow is simple and not particularly original; the movie equivalent of a light snack rather than a Thanksgiving feast. A romantic subplot between Aunt Cly and local Sheriff Grover (Reese Alexander) feels both under developed and slightly out of place and the one dimensional bad guys will only seem like a genuine threat to the youngest audience members. Otherwise the movie is a mostly endearing tale which, while not approaching the genius high standards of his best work, does nothing to tarnish the legacy of Mr Henson.
Turkey Hollow may not quite rank as a holiday classic, but it is a sweetly old fashioned treat and one you should find merits re-visiting during the festive season.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Turkey Hollow! Link below.
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STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Dir: J.J. Abrams, 2019).
I am writing this review assuming that anyone reading it will already know a little about the Star Wars universe. This latest movie The Rise of Skywalker is the final instalment of the nine movie strong (not including spin-offs) saga.
In this, Episode IX, the Resistance are, once again, up against the First Order. Rey, meanwhile has some serious soul searching to do and some pretty important decisions to make.
A bit more of a romp than the preceding two instalments, co-writer/director J.J. Abrams has fashioned a rollercoaster adventure that barely stops for breath. Its more poignant and emotional moments, of which there are many, are offset by the humour that was sadly missing in the prequels and by a general good natured atmosphere.
Special effects are, as you would expect, spectacular. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you on the edge of your seat, while longtime fans will appreciate the nods to previous movies including some welcome cameos of characters past.
Key to the movies enjoyment is the game playing of its likeable cast, most notably Oscar Isaacs’ Poe Dameron; his cheeky-chappie-Han-Solo-ish persona comes to the fore more here than in previous movies and for me, Isaacs is the real standout of the newer gang members. Perhaps as a consequence, Finn seems a little underwritten. While John Boyega has impressed in previous entries, here, through no fault of his own, is left with seemingly little to do. As Rey, Daisy Ridley spends much of the movie in a sort of heroic turmoil, but this she does excellently! While, over the course of three movies Adam Driver has pretty much perfected his mean and moody bit as bad’un Kylo Ren.
So we conclude the Star Wars nineology (or whatever) with a movie which, while perhaps not among the best of the series is still a mostly satisfying end to the franchise. Those fans who come to Star Wars first and foremost to be entertained should not be disappointed.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker! Link below.
MURDER AT THE GALLOP (Dir: George Pollock, 1963).
Following the success of Murder She Said (George Pollock, 1961) aging amateur detective Miss Marple returns to investigate the death of the elderly Mr Enderby, supposedly frightened to death by a cat. Eavesdropping at the reading of Enderby's will, where his estate is divided between four family members, Miss Marple's suspicions are confirmed when the deceased's sister Cora suggests that the old man was murdered. When Miss Marple visits Cora to question her, she finds the sister too has been murdered. Deciding to investigate further, Miss Marple books herself a holiday at The Gallop Hotel and Riding School, an establishment run by Enderby's nephew Hector and the other surviving heirs.
The second of MGM’s Miss Marple movies was the first not to be based upon a Miss Marple novel. Rather, Murder at the Gallop is based upon Agatha Christie’s 1953 novel 'After the Funeral', which featured her other most famous creation, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Poirot is nowhere to be found in this adaptation in which he is supplanted by Margaret Rutherford’s bluffly brilliant interpretation of Miss Marple. Rutherford's real life husband Stringer Davis returns as loyal companion Mr Stringer, as does Charles Tingwell as the weary Inspector Craddock. Standout among the supporting cast is Robert Morley; his excellent comic turn as Hector Enderby threatens to steal the movie from Ms Rutherford. The quality cast also features neat performances from acting legends Flora Robson and Finlay Currie.
As with Murder She Said, the movie paints a picture of a quaint post-War Britain that never really existed and must have seemed archaic to audiences in the so-called 'swinging' sixties. But I feel this is kind of the point. The movie is very tongue-in-cheek and never takes itself too seriously; gently mocking genteel middle England, while at the same time romanticising it.
Again, this maybe not be an adaptation for Christie purists, but like the previous movie it is a lot of fun. There are some genuine moments of suspense amongst the jollity and Miss Marple even does the twist. What's not to love?
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MIDWAY (Dir: Roland Emmerich, 2019).
The events of this true life WWII campaign were previously filmed as the similarly titled Midway aka Battle of Midway (Jack Smight, 1976). Not having seen the earlier account, I will not make comparisons between the two movies.
Midway begins with the events surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor and chronicle the subsequent naval battle of the Pacific. Best known for directing big budget sci-fi blockbusters Stargate (1994) and Independence Day (1996), Roland Emmerich may seem an unlikely choice to helm a serious wartime drama. Midway, however, was pet project for Emmerich, one that he has fought to bring to the screen for many years.
Thankfully he tells the story straight. Certainly the special effects spectacle one expects from Emmerich is here to, as are the breathtaking action sequences. Yet these scenes are broken by the necessary detailing of the campaign. This pacing allows the action to breath and helps the movie be more than just an exercise in visual effects.
A fairly star-studded line-up was assembled for the movie, including Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid and Mandy Moore. As is often the case with these kind of movies, the actors are somewhat overshadowed by the spectacle. Although in fairness, the quality cast give solid performances throughout.
Midway is a decent movie, although one that, perhaps, brings nothing new to the war movie genre. A sense of the familiar is not necessarily a bad thing in a period movie but it’s underperformance at the box office suggests that old fashioned WWII features are a difficult sell to modern moviegoers, even with the presence of a Jonas Brother! That said, I did enjoy it. It is a worthy story, told in an impressively mounted and entertaining manner. If you want to watch it, it is worth catching it on the big screen where its spectacle can be fully appreciated.
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
TERMINATOR: DARK FATE (Dir: Tim Miller, 2019).
Terminator: Dark Fate does its best to refresh a tired franchise after the last 3 series' entries were met with disappointment. As such we are advised to forget those, as this 6th movie reboots the series continuing where Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991) left off.
Taking place 25 years after the events of Terminator 2, Dark Fate sees the return of original movie's hero Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton). Teaming up with time travelling augmented human Grace (Mackenzie Davis), the pair are tasked with protecting Dani (Natalia Reyes) a young woman who is the target of REV-9 (Gabriel Luna), a Terminator sent from the future to kill her. The threesome eventually team up with Conner's old foe the T-800 model Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), now 'living' in a secluded woodland retreat. Reality kinda takes a back seat as the four battle the seemingly indestructible Rev-9, intent on succeeding in its mission.
Based on a story by series creator James Cameron, fans of The Terminator franchise are on pretty safe ground with this latest movie, which sees the series finally back on track. Spectacular special effects and high octane action sequences are present and correct. The pace barely waivers and an early car chase is so impressive that the remainder of the movie has a hard time topping it.
Performances are strong throughout; serious minded female centred action movies are still a rarity and the three-hander between its leads lends this a welcome and distinctly different flavour to most action flicks.
Despite its good points Dark Fate has been greeted with a lukewarm box office. Possibly the decision to market it a sequel to Terminator 2 has alienated younger audiences or, more likely, sequel/re-make/re-boot fatigue has set in. If this is the last we see of Terminator then at least the series has gone out on a high. I suspect this movie might find more appreciation in the home market and could well mean the series will "be back" at some point in the future.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read a longer, more in-depth review of Terminator: Dark Fate! Link below.
THE MOB (Dir: Robert Parrish, 1951).
A tough gangster movie-cum-film noir thriller. The Mob stars Broderick Crawford as Johnny Damico, a tough New York cop who poses as a longshoreman to bust up the corrupt union activity polluting the city's dockyards.
Based upon the novel Waterfront by Ferguson Findlay, The Mob covers similar ground to the more famous On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954). Pre-dating the latter movie by three years it is more of a pulpy crime drama that Kazan's socially conscience classic.
In his second outing as director, former editor Robert Parrish has crafted a hard hitting, at time brutal thriller which still packs a considerable punch seven decades later. It is a tough movie, with tough guys talking tough. William Bowers' screenplay is interspersed with some smart hard boiled dialogue, delivered in suitable pithy fashion by the excellent Broderick Crawford.
A year after his Oscar winning performance in All the King's Men (Robert Rossen, 1949) Crawford is dynamite here; perfectly cast as a hard nosed cop, ruthless in his mission to bring down the mob. Also impressing in an early role is Ernest Borgnine as thuggish mobster Johnny Castro. As his right hand man, Neville Brand is equally effective in one of many maniacal bad guy roles.
Often categerised as a film noir, The Mob feels closer to a gangster film than a true noir; its staccato pacing and overall theme evoking the Warner Brothers mob movies of 1930s. It presents an evocative, shadowy world of backstreets and dive bars populated with shady characters It is surprisingly violent at times, especially in its realistically scrappy fist fights.
It may not rank among the greatest thrillers of its era, but it is an exciting and engaging minor noir, or rather a gangster movie in noir clothing. Deserving of far more attention than it generally receives, The Mob is neat little crime flick with a cracking screenplay and a first rate cast. To my knowledge, the movies only official home video release is as part of Spain's Columbia Classics range. This may make The Mob a little difficult to source, but it is well worth the effort!
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