Love The Coopers: All We Need To Unite The Left And The Right Is A Family Christmas

Love The Coopers is a Christmas comedy drama film directed by Jessie Nelson. The plot focuses on a dysfunctional family coming together to celebrate Christmas.

Someone turned the sentimentality up to critical with this one, there are some parts of this film that are so soppy and over the top that it would make a Hallmark Christmas film question the taste.

The plot is delivered in vignette style, very reminiscent of something like New Years Eve with the key difference being that all of these people we are following are part of the same family. We get the old couple who have drifted apart trope, we get the angsty teen try to impress a girl trope, but hey it is Timothee Chalamet so some people will say it is Oscar worthy, and more; besides, all the stereotypes you could want are all there.

The most cringe storyline of all was the Olivia Wilde one, about a daughter bringing home a random person from the airport so she didn’t get judged by her parents. Of course she ends up falling in love with his guy despite him the opposite of everything she thinks and cares about.

The greatest crime of this film is how badly it wastes its cast of talented performers.

Overall, a step up in some ways from the usual Hallmark/Netflix trash, but in other ways namely wasting its cast it is a big step down. What a missed opportunity.

Pros.

It is watchable

There are a few good moments

Cons.

It wastes its cast

It is the definition of overly sentimental

It is cringe

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Cup Of Cheer: The Vaccine, To Christmas Film Fatigue

Cup Of Cheer is a Christmas spoof comedy film directed by Jake Horowitz. The plot serves to mock the standard Christmas film, with the big city girl Mary (Storm Steenson), going to a small town to write a news story, of course while she is there she meets handsome small-town guy Chris (Alexander Oliver), and the two strike up a very obvious romance. Also they need to save the coffee shop that Chris works at/owns?

This was just what I needed, I have been watching a lot of average to bad Netflix Christmas films recently, that all follow an incredibly similar structure, and it is nice to not only see that structure be recognised here, but also mocked for just how generic it is. Someone needs to stick it to terrible Netflix and Hallmark Christmas films.

The comedy reminded me of the better ‘movie’ films. It was often absurdist and gross out but done in a smart way that actually made me laugh. A lot of the gags in the film are surprisingly strong and the commentary is of course spot on.

Despite being designed to be an anti-Christmas film, film I found that it made me feel seasonal. I enjoyed the romance between the leads, I thought it was funny and touching in equal measure. All of the romantic cliches are trotted out here and laughed at which also adds a comedic element to the romance which greatly benefits it.

Overall, the perfect remedy for anyone suffering with Christmas film fatigue.

Pros.

The humour

The spoof and the commentary

Strong chemistry between the leads

A likeable and a funny romance

Cons.

Some of the side characters felt a little underdeveloped, but maybe that was the point?

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Today: Teens Today Always On Their Phones

Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight is a Polish slasher film directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski. We are shown a summer camp for kids who are addicted to electronic devices, where they participate in wholesome outdoor activities; little do they know however, a pair of mutated twins with a taste for human flesh have just been released from their basement prison and are now on the prowl.

This film starts off strong, but then gets increasingly generic as it goes on. In the beginning, it seems to be going down the comedy horror route, there are a few laughs, the premise itself ‘a summer camp for kids who are addicted to electronic devices’ has got to be some kind of 2020 satire. However, midway through the film the tone shifts, and it becomes a straight horror film: this is when it becomes boring.

The twins themselves look fairly horrific, but nothing you have seen before. Their backstory is interesting, they were infected by an alien parasite from a found meteor, however we don’t get to explore it enough, and what we do get gives us more questions then answers.

The kids, or teens, themselves are all fairly one note. We have the horny one, the tortured misunderstood one, the final girl and a few others. All of them never rise above these cliches, as such they never make much of an impression so when they start getting speared by the twins you are left going ‘eh’, probably not the reaction the filmmakers were going for.

Overall, though there is a strong premise, the interesting ideas are mostly ignored for more generic slasher fare.

Pros.

The premise

Some of the more satirical moments

Cons.

The characters are cliches

The kills are likewise as bland

We don’t explore the Twins backstory anywhere near enough.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Tales From The Lodge: Perpetuating Old Stereotypes

Tales From The Lodge is a British dark comedy film directed by Abigale Blackmore. The plot sees a group of aging friends retire to a cabin in the woods to scatter the ashes of their recently deceased friend. However, while there strange things start to occur, and things soon take a turn for the sinister.

90% of this film is great, really interesting, and creepy. However, the final reveal of who the killer is, and the last 10 minutes are nothing short of insulting, and yes to properly express my critique of the film I will be spoiling the twist.

So the initial almost anthology like horror tales approach is used well and for the most part the stories themselves serve to give a good chill and more than a few macabre laughs. However, as things start to devolve into slasher fare that is when the film falls apart.

The final reveal that the supposedly dead friend has instead become a woman in the hopes of seducing his straight best friend who never noticed his affections while alive but decides to try to kill him anyway is everything wrong with this film. The demonisation of trans people as insane killers, is something that has been a problem of the horror genre for a while, but it is especially bad here.

To make it worse the twist is blindingly obvious as well.

Overall, this film had a lot of promise, but the ill-fated, stereotype pushing, trans bashing final reveal sours me on the film.
Pros.

The horror tales

The cast

A few good scares and a few good laughs

Cons.

The reveal

There is no mystery to it, it is fairly obvious from the get-go

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Manson Family Vacation: Is Blood Thicker Than Water?

Manson Family Vacation is a dark comedy drama film directed by J. Davis. The plot centres around the troubled relationship between two brothers, one adopted the other not. One day Conrad (Linus Phillips), shows up at his brother Nick’s (Jay Duplass) door asking to spend some time with him as he is passing through town on his way to a new job. Nick soon starts to uncover Conrad’s building fascination with Charles Manson and the film goes from there.

This is not a comedy film, I didn’t make me laugh, so if that is what you are judging this film on that then it is an abject failure. However, if you instead view it as an intense scrutiny of the brotherly dynamic and a comment on who your real family is then it becomes a lot more interesting. As a character study it works wonders.

Throughout the film, we are never quite sure just how far Conrad has gone with his new found obsession, that is until the end. The reveal that we get recontextualise the whole film and adds a new element to the story. It is fascinating.

Both Duplass and Phillips give good performances and you never end up loving one more than the other, both have moments where you root for them and moments where you despise them, they feel rounded. Tobin Bell also has a small role in this film and leaves quite a mark with his short performance.

Overall, quite a strange film on a number of levels, depending on how you view it and what you are looking for you will either think it is genius or pretentious trash.

Pros.

The reveal

The dynamic between the brothers

The Lead performances and Tobin Bell

Cons.

It is not funny

It has pacing issues

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Holiday In The Wild: A Testament To The Star Power Of Rob Lowe

Holiday In The Wild is a Christmas based romantic comedy film directed by Ernie Barbarash. We go on a deeply personal journey as we follow Kate (Kristen Davis), a woman who is dumped by her husband the second her son goes off to college. Now with nothing to do Kate has to rediscover her passions, as such she goes to Africa to become a vet to elephants. Of course this leads to romance.

So, recently I have been through several of these Netflix Christmas films and to a large degree they all blend together. However, with that in mind I found myself enjoying this one more than the others. I think it was purely the charm of Rob Lowe.

I enjoyed the romance of this film. I found it to be handled well and with care, I enjoyed seeing these two broken people, cliché I know, come together, and open themselves up to each other. I thought the leads had strong on-screen chemistry together, which in turn made their romance believable.

Another thing I will give this film props for over Netflix’s other Christmas output is that the drama felt organic to the story and not shoe horned in. Too often both Christmas films and rom coms in generally will have very blatant artificial drama forced in for no real story purpose other than for the couple to have something to overcome, this is a hallmark of a poorly written script. However, in this case the drama makes sense and feels necessary for the story.

Overall, though this won’t be winning any awards any time soon, it is quite charming, and the romance is sweet enough to keep you invested.

Pros.

The plot and it’s structure

The romance

Rob Lowe

Cons.

Cliché ridden

Incredibly generic

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Scared Stiff: How Many Faces Does Your Husband Have?

Scared Stiff is a horror film directed by Richard Friedman. The plot sees the spirit of a slave owner posses a man in modern times. The spirit then forces the man to try and kill his family.

This film could have been incredibly generic if not for the 80’s charm of the effects and the storytelling. Said charm makes this film hilarious, yes it is not scary in any way but it is funny and that counts for something; at least for me.

I thought the flashbacks were actually quite eerie and unsettling, the opening scene where the slave master murders all of those defenceless slaves is harrowing and it gives the film a very solid horror opening.

The mythology of the mask is quite convoluted and seems to change around as the film goes on, I gave up trying to understand the plot somewhere around the 50-minute mark. After that point it just became a wild ride of odd effects and character moments, which aren’t as bad as you might expect.

Overall, if you want a horror film this is not it. If you want a hilariously 80s horror comedy film that will make you laugh, albeit unintentionally, then this is the film for you.

Pros.

The 80s aesthetic and effects

The campy charm

It has a strong opening

Cons.

It is not scary

The story doesn’t make sense

It wastes the mythology it tries so hard to create

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ghosts Of War: Dreaming Awake

Ghosts Of War is a British supernatural horror film directed by Eric Bress. A group of soldiers during the closing days of WW2 are tasked with holding down an old mansion in the middle of nowhere, that was formally a Nazi base. However, as their stay grows ever longer they start to notice that something is deeply wrong with the house.

Check this film out now! This is one of the best surprises I have had recently, I went in not expecting much and came away very impressed. I won’t say what it is, but the end twist of this film works incredibly well and adds a whole new layer to the film, that then begs to be rewatched and further thought about.

The horror elements are strong and you never quite know what is going on, is it Nazi occultism? Or was the family themselves, that owned the house prior to the Nazi takeover, into the dark arts?. There are a surprising number of layers to it. The horror is well done and creates a tense, unsettling atmosphere that leaves an impact.

Some of the questions this film raises are also quite interesting to think about, though that might be more of a personal taste thing on my part.

Overall, do not sleep on this! It is on Netflix right now check it out.

Pros.

The twist

The moral implications

The WW2 setting

Doing more with the standard haunted house narrative

The scares

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

SpongeBob SquarePants, Sponge On The Run: Another Feather In Paramount’s Cap

SpongeBob SquarePants The Movie: Sponge On The Run is an animated family film directed by Tim Hill. The plot sees SpongeBob’s (Tom Kenny), beloved pet snail Gary be snailnapped. As such SpongeBob and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), must set out on a quest to get him back.

I enjoyed this film immensely, far more than I thought I would. I have not seen SpongeBob in years, but I did use to like it when I was a teen.

My one complaint of this film would be that the animation is ugly, and quite jarring if you go in expecting the old-style SpongeBob animation like I did. The issue with the animation was that it looked too fake, too CGI, and when they added in real world live action elements it became trapped in the uncanny valley.

I really enjoyed the story of the film. I liked the feeling of finality it had to it, I know there is plenty more SpongeBob content on the way, but it was still nice. Seeing all of SpongeBob’s friends talking about how much he meant to them was a touching moment, and the reveals of how they all met was a good pay off for long-time fans.

The highlight of the film for me was the humour and the cameos. The humour often skewed older, a lot of the jokes and references I feel kids off today would not understand, but they made me laugh. I have always enjoyed the absurdist nature of SpongeBob as a show. Furthermore the cameos were terrific though only brief, Danny Trejo leaves a strong impression as El Diablo and Snoop Dogg has a nice little musical number that livens up the first act; of course Keanu Reeves as Sage is magnificent, but that goes without saying at this point.

Overall, this feels like a love letter to the show itself, it feels like it is done with care, it will make you laugh, and the ending will make you cry. Definitely one of the better SpongeBob films.

Pros.

The tribute to Stephen Hillenberg

The trial scene

Matt Berry

The humour

The cameos

Cons.

The animation is horrendous

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Christmas Made To Order: Catching Feelings Quickly And Hard

Christmas Made To Order is a Christmas film directed by Sam Irvin. The plot sees overly stressed architect Stephen (Johnathan Bennett), hire the free spirited, Christmas loving Gretchen (Alexa Penavega), to decorate his home for the arrival of his perfectionist family as you can imagine a romance blooms.

So, this is yet another generic Hallmark rom-com Christmas film; the kind that litters Netflix this time of year. However, where this improves on something like Operation Christmas Drop (Review coming soon), is that the romance actually feels warm and wholesome rather than cold and detached.

This is down in no small part to Penavega, who though she isn’t a big-name actor is slumming it a bit here, but hey we all need an easy pay check here and there. Penavega, is the life and soul of this film and her character’s love of Christmas comes off and authentic, which in turns makes it infectious.

My main and most obvious issue with this film would be that it runs the risk and indeed is overly sentimental. For the most part it is just the right levels of wholesome and sweet, but sometimes it goes a bit too far. The idea of this relationship is already beyond plausibility in a lot of ways, but this just pushes it further.

Overall, it is inoffensive holiday fluff, made better by Penavega and the wholesome charm.

Pros.

Penavega

The romance

It is comforting and fairly inoffensive

Cons.

It is a bit too mushy

It is very average

It has no real plot
2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke