Topic: Emma's Film Reviews (snowcat)

[snowcat]

Scrooged – 1988
Directed by – Richard Donner
Running Time – 101 Minutes
Stars: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane

Throughout history there has been many a “scrooge” in the work place, not allowing the poor book mice to have coal for their fire, not giving to the poor as it would stop them from being poor and finally not allowing his poor assistant a bonus so she can buy a real Christmas tree and Whilst the latter is original to this film, the story behind it is not.

“Acid rain, Drug addiction, International terrorism, Freeway killers. Now, more than ever we must remember the true meaning of Christmas. Don't miss Charles Dickens' immortal classic, "Scrooge. Your life might just depend on it!"

This image is brought to you by cynical, arrogant television programming exec Frank Cross (Bill Murray) He has become successful due to his cold heart and cruel techniques. The film opens on a board room, a room bordered by a sign that reads “Cross: A thing they nail people to." In the room sit a group of employees looking nervously at Frank who is watching the Christmas television promos for his channel. After seeing their “poor attempt” at a scrooge promo, Frank shows his, cue the season shattering quote which as it turns out, has killed an old lady. But Frank takes no prisoners when staff member Eliot Loudermilk confronts Frank about the advert, it takes him just 4 minutes to call security and get Eliot fired. He is reminded that it is Christmas Eve to which Frank replies “Thank you! Call Accounting, stop his bonus.”

Franks quest to become top exec has caused many a problem. His relationship with his brother James is strained, and set to be made worse when he orders his Assistant Grace to give him a bath towel for Christmas. This is just one of the few horrible things Frank has forced Grace to do, overworking her so that she has no time for her family or to take her mute son Calvin to the doctor. Finally we discover that Frank was one in a loving relationship when he was younger with a woman named Claire, although he put his career first and neglected their relationship causing her drift away.

Frank arrives back at his office after an award ceremony and is visited by his long dead boss Lew Hayward who warns him that three ghosts will appear, well if you have seen any form of the scrooge story you will know what happens next.

Directed by Richard Donner of Superman fame Scrooged is one of my favourite adaptions of the scrooge story due to its comedy, Bill Murray is hilarious as usual, and he makes this film. The three ghosts are genius and the idea that Frank Cross makes a list of those he needs to send presents too and decides whether they should receive a Towel or a VCR to me is hilarious. Ive heard people call this film lazy, but surely any adaption of Scrooged is going to be lazy? I feel this is one of the most original re-imaginings of the story I have seen and for that, I give it a thumbs up!

Or for everyone else

[richierich]

And probably the best part of what I have taken from the reviews is having my eyes opened to different genres than I tended to opt for, ie Petes influence compelled me to watch a month of horror films, Rogers influence is leading me towards a Western marathon, and I am now seriously considering stocking up on some Bollywood films

So I haven't open your eyes with my adult movie reviews Rich...

Of course Jimmy, I'd never considered such titles as 'films' before I came here and learnt from your reviews.
Personally I don't have enough interest to invest in this specialist genre - yet 

[DJ Doena]

Scrooged – 1988
Directed by – Richard Donner
Running Time – 101 Minutes
Stars: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane

"Can't you staple the antlers onto the mice?" 

[Tom]

and I am now seriously considering stocking up on some Bollywood films

 
 

[snowcat]

Scrooged – 1988
Directed by – Richard Donner
Running Time – 101 Minutes
Stars: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane

"Can't you staple the antlers onto the mice?" 

 "Don't you dare! If you staple that mouse, I'll call the Humane Society." 

[Jimmy]

Personally I don't have enough interest to invest in this specialist genre - yet  

Try The Opening of Misty Bethoven, I don't know one person who haven't appreciated it following my recommandation. You can even watch it with your wife since it's a great couple movie.

If you buy it and don't like it (even if I know that you are difficult), I'll send you an Amazon.uk gift certificate to compensate. So it isn't a big risk

Of course the offer is only for Rich

[Kathy]

Personally I don't have enough interest to invest in this specialist genre - yet  

Try The Opening of Misty Bethoven, I don't know one person who haven't appreciated it following my recommandation. You can even watch it with your wife since it's a great couple movie.

If you buy it and don't like it (even if I know that you are difficult), I'll send you an Amazon.uk gift certificate to compensate. So it isn't a big risk

Of course the offer is only for Rich

I can vouch for this adult film also - it is more than just porn.

[richierich]

Personally I don't have enough interest to invest in this specialist genre - yet  

Try The Opening of Misty Bethoven, I don't know one person who haven't appreciated it following my recommandation. You can even watch it with your wife since it's a great couple movie.

Feck me, must be a brilliant film if I can watch with wife, we have been divorced 5 years 

Seriously, where can this title be purchased?

[Jimmy]

I was sure that you had posted a picture of her maybe a year ago

Just here and you are lucky I've paid four times that price when I've bought it originally

BTW the description of the film on the website is one of the stupidest I've ever read, it isn't surprising that so few respect those films when even a distributor doesn't respect them

Let me know what you think of the movie when you will watch it

[snowcat]

Going back to my Judd Apatow marathon I have the following films to watch and review.

40 Year Old Virgin
Knocked up
Funny People
Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie
Kicking & Screaming 
Superbad
Drillbit Taylor
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Step Brothers
Pineapple Express
Fun with Dick and Jane
You Don't Mess with the Zohan

...Reviews to follow!

[Critter]

Going back to my Judd Apatow marathon I have the following films to watch and review.

Looking at your list there I realise I have extremely mixed views on Judd Apatow. On one hand many of those films I absolutley despise, (Fun with Dick and Jane, You Don't Mess with the Zohan etc) and on the other hand there are even more that I love (Kocked Up, Pineapple Express). In fact I think it's almost about half half when it comes to Apatow. I find this interesting as I find if I usually love one film of a director or producer then I often love them all. This case however there is a very distinct line down the middle.

[DJ Doena]

Having not much clue about filmmaking but I would think that a good movie is much more dependant in the actual story than the direction. Surely a bad director can destroy a good script but I don't think that a bad script gets noticably better with another director.

Am I wrong?

[Achim]

Am I wrong?

That's a rhetorical question, right?

Besides, I believe Apatow didn't direct all of those films listed above, he is the producer and only director on some.

[Najemikon]

Having not much clue about filmmaking but I would think that a good movie is much more dependant in the actual story than the direction. Surely a bad director can destroy a good script but I don't think that a bad script gets noticably better with another director.

Am I wrong?

Well, there's no straight answer. Too many factors involved. I think a good actor can make a poor script amazing and a director and especially the editor can make that performance astonishing, so one poor script becomes superb.

A more obvious example would be action films. Being "set-piece" cinema, you could broadly say the average action film is the worst of scripts. Remove all the set-pieces from the last action film you saw and what're you left with? Cardboard cliches spouting crap half the time. But get a larger than life star like Arnie to deliver the cheesy lines you're halfway there and then if the director reads the line 'Insert Car Chase' and produces something like The French Connection, you've got a classic.

I know you don't consider old movies, but I think directors producing something great from utter tripe happened a lot within the studio system. A producer would employ a director-for-hire to make a film from a script often rehashed from last years movies and designed to use what the studio thought it's best tools or stars. Hitchcock was under such conditions and while it's true he'd have made them better with total freedom, he still produced some absolute gold. And Casablanca didn't even have a script completed while that was being made!

Final example: James Cameron. Terminator 2 as a script developed very little from the first; Titanic had how many Oscar nominations? Yet none for screenplay, which is telling; and now Avatar is going to "revolutionise cinema" yet with a script clearly ripping off a dozen other films.

[snowcat]

The films in my list have been either written, directed or produced by Apatow.

I find I tend to love those he directed, (Funny People, Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin)
and be mixed on the others... I love some of the films he co-wrote and love some of the films he produced... but I feel that way with many a director... I hate some of Spielberg's work but I love Jaws and JP

Alot of people don't like Apatow humor or the people he works with... I tend to not like his work with Jim Carey and I didn't like his work with Adam Sandler until Funny People.

on the subject of directing... I think a bad director can make a good story suck, ive seen it happen on my course. and in films alike.

I also think a good director can make a bad story good.

of course ;P good and bad are all subjective.