STACK #182 Dec 2019

E HELP

FILM & TV FEATURE

visit stack.com.au

a Christmas reengineering of Halloween Town, but it all goes a whole lot wrong. Cool quote “Eureka! This year, Christmas will be OURS!” – Jake Skellington

If you’re wishing to get into the Christmas spirit with your movie watching these holidays, there’s a bewildering selection to choose from. So, the helpful STACK elves have done the grunt work for you and cooked up a list of six of the most cracking festive flicks for kids and adults alike. Words Amy Flower

Gremlins AGE: 10+ Billy Peltzer’s dad rocks. Rather than just going the grab-anything-you-see last minute Christmas gift route, he goes out of his way to find something special for his son – and he delivers! He takes possession of a ‘mogwai’, a small, cute and cuddly creature that comes with three strict rules: no bright light, never get it wet, and don’t feed it after midnight. Billy’s rapt with his pressie, christening it Gizmo. But don’t “they” say that rules are made to be broken? Uh-oh… Cool quote “Bright light. Bright light.” – Gizmo

all get into the Christmas spirit – and some even become them (hello ghost Waldorf, hello ghost Statler)! If that cast isn’t enough to have you plopped on the couch in eager readiness, the legendary Michael Caine gets his humbug on as Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly old villain of this Charles Dickens’ tale. Come

on, it’s sensational, inspirational, celebrational AND Muppetational! Cool quote “Mother always taught me: never eat singing food.” – Rizzo the Rat Elf AGE: 7+

Arthur Christmas AGE: 5+ Ever questioned how Father Christmas (or Santa, if you prefer) manages to deliver all of those presents to kids worldwide in just one night? It’s a military-like operation overseen by one of the latest Santa’s sons, but this year it goes awry, with one pressie slipping through the cracks. Distressed that one child will miss out, the other son, Arthur, tries to put things right in this wonderful computer-animated tale that bursts with Aardman charm. Cool quote “They won't eat me. I'm Santa!” – Grandsanta The Grinch AGE: 5+

Will Ferrell is Buddy, an elf who has grown up to become, well, rather buddy big. Actually, he isn’t an elf, of course, but he was raised by them, so the elven life is all that Buddy knows. Still, gripped by ancestral urges, Buddy heads to NYC to find his dad – a guy whose name is a Santa’s naughty list staple… Don’t forget the spaghetti with maple syrup to make this experience complete – it can actually be surprisingly non-yucky! Cool quote “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.” – Buddy The Nightmare Before Christmas AGE: 7+ Hey, creepy stop-motion puppets need Christmas too! Few do creepy better than Tim Burton, and this tale that he both penned and directed is ground zero for off-kilter Chrissie joy. Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, encounters the similarly holiday-themed Christmas Town, and he’s smitten. Bored with the usual battiness of his holiday, he tries

DID YOU KNOW? The set for Kingston Falls in Gremlins was the same one used as Hill Valley in Back to the Future .

It’s the third time that the mean one’s been up on our screen, after Jim Carrey plus Chuck Jones’ tale so green. This one comes from Minions’ folk

COMING SOON

Illumination, who wish to bring Dr. Seuss to a new generation. They’ve already done it with The Lorax , we know. But does this one retain the same brilliant glow? The great news? It does! It’s loyal to Seuss. With his wonderful old

There’ll be no shortage of entertainment this January! Aardman’s Farmageddon: A Shaun the Sheep Movie hits cinemas, with more animal fun in the live action Dolittle , starring Robert Downey Jr. Spy capers will also abound, with Spies in Disguise – featuring Will Smith as a spy-turned-bird – and the live action My Spy . As for home releases, keep your eyes out for Dora and the Lost City of Gold and UglyDolls from January 8, as well as Maleficent: Mistress of Evil from January 29.

tale put to great modern use. Cool quote “This is the loudest snow I've ever heard in my life!” – The Grinch The Muppet Christmas Carol AGE: 5+

Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and their fuzzy friends

38 DECEMBER 2019

jbhifi.com.au