No, I'm not back...and I know it's coming up to a year since my last post, And a rather trying year it's been, although I'll not bore you with the details. I'm not back to the healthy and hearty PPP of yore, but I am much improved and try to stay positive.
However since it has been something of a tradition for me to jeer at films scheduled for the Christmas fortnight on the British terrestrial channels, I can not let 2018 go unscathed. Each year becomes more and more of a disappointment for an insatiable devourer of movies like me and I really love (not) the fact that the Radio Times double Christmas issue is described as "Legendary". Bah, humbug!
Of the dozens of movies scheduled on the five terrestrial channels (let's forget about the Freeview and Sky satellite channels for the moment), the vast majority are repeats with the focus on animations of recent years. Let's plonk the kiddies in front of the TV so they can watch "Frozen" for the umpteenth time. Of course there is not a single foreign-language film or a silent amongst those on offer...and very very few from the '50s or '60s (more on this below) nor perish the thought absolutely anything from cinema's 'golden era' of the '30s and '40s.
Anyhow, let's have a look at the terrestrial premieres and assume that others have not already tasted these at the cinema or on disc or on a satellite channel. I'll confess now there are only three -- repeat three -- that yours truly has not seen and two of these I could live without ever viewing. Among the best new films for the kids (and those young-at-heart adults like myself) are Zootropolis (BBC1 on the 24th), the highly-recommended live Jungle Book (BBC1 on the 25th), The BFG (BBC1 on Boxing Day), Kung Fu Panda 3 (again BBC1 on the 27th), and the pick of the bunch Inside Out (BBC1 on New Year's Day).
Of the non-kiddie premieres, I can only recommend The Revenant (BBC2 on the First) and Ant-Man (BBC1 on the 29th). My take-it-or-leave it premieres for the grown-ups include the seasonal horror Krampus (Channel 5 on the 23rd), Anchorman 2 (Channel 4 on the 29th), Star Wars VII (ITV on the 30th), and The Finest Hours (BBC2 on the First). The leading dud amongst the other premieres is Absolutely Fab-The Movie (BBC1 on New Year's Eve). Other "maybes" include The Night Before (Channel Four on the 24th) and the very silly Sausage Party (Channel 5 on Boxing Day).
So what else is there to watch? Well there are the various versions of A Christmas Carol. Forget about Jim Carrey, Albert Finney, George C Scott, and even the lovely Bill Murray; the best Scrooge by far (accept no substitutes) is Alastair Sim who can be found on lowly Channel 5 on Christmas eve. If you really need a second version, my choice would be The Muppet Christmas Carol (Channel 4 on Christmas Day). Then if you scour the schedules you can unearth a few older movies -- some even in black and white: the horror! -- which are always worth re-watching including Rear Window, Guys and Dolls, The Dirty Dozen, The Titfield Thunderbolt, The Happiest Days of Your Life, and a sprinkling of World War II movies which are not to my taste. If you factor the Freeview channels into the equation you could locate Holiday Inn, Brief Encounter, and Red River.
And me??? Well I've not seen most of the daily premieres on Sky 301 although, there's little there that excites me. At least there's the joy of Neil Brand's three-part The Sound of Movie Musicals on BBC4 which started last Friday and continues this Friday and on the 28th. That will be my escape from the diet of largely pap in the Radio Times 'Legendary' issue.
No idea when I shall return...but I do wish you all the joy of the holiday season and my sincere wishes for a productive, prosperous, and peaceful 2019.
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