December 21, 2005
DVD Flashback: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
12 Days of Christmas; Movie Blog Style.
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
We all know this story, it's been told here and there.
About a mean old Grinch, Christmas and how he learned to care.
What was once a book written by Seuss. Then made into a cartoon we all watched in our youth.
This time it's on the big screen and a large marketed event.
We all piled into the theater to see what Ron Howard had sent.
The main character is the Grinch and played by Jim Carrey.
I think he did a wonderful job at being mean, green and hairy.
The movie is light and good for all ages.
You'll enjoy all the Who's, Whoville, the sets and the stages.
You'll be surprised who you see acting as Who's.
Like Molly Shannon, Christine Baranski and "Hey Now" Jeffrey Tambor as Mayor Augustus Maywho.
The Grinch was the fist movie that Carrey had made,
after being overlooked for an Oscar, then just wanting to have fun and get paid.
As Seuss movies go I think this ones the best.
It stayed true to the story and was smarter than the rest. (sorry Mike)
So if you're looking for a movie to watch with the kids, or perhaps with a honey or a dog or some fish.
Check out Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you'll laugh at the Who's, the Grinch and his dog Max.
(I couldn't find a word that rhymes with Christmas. Mismus?)
Posted by Brad Shipston at December 21, 2005 02:38 PM
Comments
Posted by: Goon at December 21, 2005 08:33 PM
Just because you didnt like the film doesnt make the streak end.
I felt this was a great adaptation of the Grinch story to live action. And who better to play the Grinch than the human cartoon.
But on another note, the 12 days of Christmas actually starts on Christmas Day. This is where the medieval tradition of "Twelfth Night" in early January comes from. That is when the festive season ended.
Just a thought.
Posted by: Rodney at December 21, 2005 11:35 PM
no, this is the worst Carrey movie I've seen, as well as the worst Ron Howard movie I've seen. Its the 'batman and robin' of holiday movies, in more ways than one... i remember standing in line one year at Ikea while it was playing on their TV screen there and to kill time was counting all the pointless 45 degree angle Joel Schumacher-esque tilted shots, watching how terribly lighted the entire movie is, how fugly the whos are, and how Carrey completely fails to capture the spirit of that character in order to make the movie a comedy, which it shouldn't have been either...
After the Cat in the Hat similarly failed, its become clear that Seuss and Hollywood don't mix. The original post that says its true to the story... no way... no way... I wasnt expecting much, yet I didnt leave the theater feeling angry or bitter or outraged... I just felt... empty. which in so many ways is so much worse.
oh, and I was wrong about this ending teh streak of good Christmas movie posts anyways, since Bad Santa was listed earlier this week...
Posted by: Goon at December 22, 2005 12:20 AM
Ouch. The Ron Howard version has a heart 3 times too small and a run-time 5 times to long.
The 22 minute cartoon is an undeniable classic, the feature film was just a crass commercial waste of celluloid (not even the formidable Christine Baranski can save this...)
I think most folks who rather enjoy the Karloff narrated animated version were sickened and disappointed in this film...
Posted by: Triflic at December 22, 2005 03:36 PM
I loved the original cartoon... AND I loved this film. I thought it was great and treated really unfairly by a lot of people.
Posted by: John Campea at December 22, 2005 06:12 PM
there is one amazing Christine Baranski christmas film, and its called "The Ref".
treated unfairly? its not even the kind of bad movie thats watchable, not even the kind of bad you can enjoy in an ironic way. its just garbage.
Posted by: Goon at December 22, 2005 06:32 PM
Goon: I'm with you on the REF. A christmas classic!
Released in 1994 it was buried beneath much larger films such as Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump and The Lion King; add to this the fact that Kevin Spacey was yet to be seen in either The Usual Suspects or Seven and that this movie is viscous and dark (albeit with a bit of saccharine at the end...It is after all a Christmas movie) and perhaps you come up with Box-Office poison. It is a vastly underrated film that needs more exposure and Christmas time for those looking for a meaner-side of the holidays.
A cat burglar (Leary) gets caught by a security alarm system while robbing rich Connecticut homes on Christmas eve. He holes up in a neighboring house, taking the owners hostage (coming back home from an unsuccessful therapy session with a load of dysfunctional house-guests on the way). The hostages (Spacey and Davis) are more interested in using the burglar as fodder in their arguments and hang-ups than paying attention to the fact that he is armed and dangerous. In one scene he has to patiently explain to the couple that he is in fact arm, and should be allowed to do the talking.
Things get complicated when the rest of the family come over for a visit and now the burglar poses as their marriage counselor and even more confused when the son comes home from military school with a wad of cash bribed from one of his teachers.
In all, the film viscously attacks the spirit of Christmas, family gatherings, criminal lifestyles, mall Santas, community politics, mother issues, marriage and Scandinavian traditional cooking...
Posted by: kurt at December 23, 2005 06:30 PM
your streak of good Christmas movie posts ends here with a massive thud.