On the Second Day of Christmas: Elf** (2003) 9.5, 9.25, 9.5, 28.25

          There are two initial points to be made. First, I am aware that it is the third day of Christmas as I write this. I am referring to my initiative to watch my 12 favorite Christmas movies on the twelve days of Christmas.
          I might also note that I watched The Nightmare Before Christmas on Christmas Day and was very disappointed on a rewatch of what I considered a shoe-in for the top 12 list. Why did it fail to make the list? I'll try to briefly explain.
          When I first watched this film, I was definitely in awe of stop-motion animation as a concept. Because of this, among other things, I didn't seem to notice the shallowness of the characters and the way in which the non sequitur of the concept trivializes all holidays and the holy days from which they come. I find the trivialization of Samhain or whatever morphed into Halloween almost as frustrating as the general trivialization of Christmas. And the love story also seems haphazard or worse, terribly unhealthy. Overall, I no longer feel this one deserves 5 stars and definitely falls short of the overall top 12 Christmas films.
          Second, this is the first review in which I've used .25 increments. I feel like this has been coming for a while. I need more room for nuance in my rating system. I am also trying very hard to be harder on movies in general recently, because I believe that the system is currently too top heavy. 9's have been pretty standard for a movie of any quality and there is less and less room for differentiating quality on the top end of my scale. Some will disagree and say I haven't been tough on Elf at all, but hopefully I explain myself well enough that I win some of you over. Brave new world.
          "You sit on a throne of lies." I watched this scene four times, not least for my niece, and burst out laughing every time. I just imagined it and nearly laughed out loud again. Will Ferrell's character, Buddy begins harassing a department store Santa about not being the real Santa. He leans in close, with a child on faux-Santa's lap, and says, "You sicken me. You sit on a throne of lies." No one alive today delivers a comedic line like Will. This film, as is the case with many of his films, could not have happened without him.
          The other acting standout of this film is Zooey Deschanel. Though it's weird now to see her with blond hair, this is The first place I ever saw her and I was sold from the beginning. She plays the whole part from the now seeming standard awkward strange to the now strange aloof, too cool vibe that she uses with Will initially. And her voice is hardly a surprise as her career as a recording artist has become a big part of her public life. But boy does she sing.
          Ed Asner is Santa. I am solidly of the opinion that Santa Clause died many years ago and never had magic powers, but if anyone could convince me otherwise, it's Ed, er...Mr. Asner. A nod of respect to the craft of Bob Newhart and James Caan. They both have significant parts and play them in such a way as to always be useful and dependable.
          Clearly you know, I think the writing of this movie is good, but I could quote another five scenes that made me bust up. For all these reasons, I went with a 9.5 for wit.
          Wisdom is more of a mixed bag. My biggest problem is the sanitized Christmas. Unlike TNBC, which reduced the message Christmas to pure joy, Elf emphasizes faith (if one in something different), love, and hope as the values of Christmas, as well as good cheer. But there is no denying the desacralization of Christmas still bothers me here.
          But this film still has some great messages. One of the best is a balance between work and other aspects of our lives, like family or even simple enjoyment. To that end, it also encourage people to do something they love like they love it, a message very near and dear to my heart.
          But this sanitized Christmas still bothers me. I might have given a 9.5 for wisdom in another time, but I feel it would just have been a 9.27 rounded up. The 9.25 is much more accurate.
          I recently read an article about pratfalls and the cerebralization of comedy. This person argued that comedy has become largely the realm of brainy stand-up types like Woody Allen. They lamented the loss of people who were willing to sacrifice there body for a joke. They need to be watching more Will Ferrell.
           I am a big fan of the great old physical comedians like Chaplin and Keaton. And I think Will is living up to that here. He gets hit by cab two or three times. I've been clipped by a car while walking and it hurts. The pain won't end your life, but it'll linger. And this Anointed of the gospel of joy takes those hits so little kids and I can giggle. God bless him.
          Thanks also to those that created he elaborate sets and animated castoffs from old Christmas stop-motion flicks. Lastly a written applause for the music and Zooey and Will's singing. All in all this stuff earned a solid 9.25.
          I'll admit that I'm watching these Christmas classics in no particular order, but I've no doubt this is among the top 5, maybe top 3. If you haven't seen it, make time for it this Christmas season that ends 6 January.
          God is come among us. Happy Christmas.

Blue Jasmine* (2014) 9.5, 9.75, 8.75, 28

         I wanted to have an Oscar preview event, but I've simply run out of time. I've only seen four best picture Oscar nominees so far; two were busts and two have ratings but no full reviews yet. I will barely have seen all the best picture nominees by showtime, if I'm lucky. My next planned event is to re-review my top 25 of all time so far and establish that as a living list to be kept up to date. I know you're excited. But before I get to reviewing Blue Jasmine, I'd like to begin with some mini-reviews of the two lesser films, Gravity and Captain Phillips.
          I really loved Alfonso Cuaron's work with Children of Men, but even there his writing is weak in its ideas, diluting the wealth of ideas in the source material. In this film, that is highlighted. Gravity lacks any kind of viable character development or plot. Sandra Bullock's character is one of three and the deepest by far. But she is so obnoxious and shallow that I never wanted her to survive the deadly dangers all around her. The most readable ideas in the film are the power of the human spirit and the essential similarity of all religions and people, both of which are shallow ideas at best. But I will try to be fair and give credit where I think it's due.
          First, Sandra gives her second good performance. She's definitely on a late-career upswing. Second, it is the most effective visual use of 3D I've ever seen. Its only the third movie I've seen in 3D, but someone finally recognized the limits of the medium. He keeps the scene in frame, reducing the appearance of a body cut off that I find so which unfailingly takes me out of the movie. But overall I do not suggest it, particularly if you can't see it in 3D. It simply wouldn't be worth it.
         Both that and Captain Phillips disappointed me and help to continue my frustration with the Academy, who choose the two of these while snubbing the titular film of the post. Captain Phillips is far closer to Oscar caliber than Gravity but ultimately fails to live up to that standard. This has an interesting story, but unfortunately one that was all over the news. So much so that not even my news avoidance managed to save me from having this one ruined. The titular captain is kidnapped by Somali pirates and this story isn't lacking in dramatic flair, but the problems lay with inconsistency in the tone.
          It does a good job of setting the stage for a relatable if ultimately villainous antagonist, but jettisons that emotional humanism immediately when the Navy SEALS show up. When the rescue begins in earnest,  our becomes an action movie and we never return to the pirates as characters or the questions of conditions in Somalia, which cheapens the initial concern for them. Overall the film could be worth seeing, if only for the two less performances, which both are captivating at times. Barkhad Abdi is very deserving of the Oscar nod, though he doesn't measure up to Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave. Tom Hanks also has Some great moments, particularly near the end.
          Now let's move on to Blue Jasmine. I think this may be my favorite Woody Allen movie since Match Point.  Let's begin with wit. I gave this one a 9.5, because it has a nearly perfect script and is fantastically well-acted. Let me begin by stating, without ruining anything, that the reveal at the end of the first scene sets the movie up perfectly without overly foreshadowing and is anyway one of the funniest I've seen in a long while. Like A Beautiful Mind, which I most recently reviewed, this one has a fantastic tempo never bogging down or passing by a great moment. Scenes build tension to a crescendo and then release, making an awful mess.
          The film follows a society wife from Manhattan who's fallen from grace and onto hard times. Jasmine, portrayed by Cate Blanchett, moves in with her sister, Ginger, played by Sally Hawkins, who lives in San Francisco. The film travels back and forth between the present of Jasmine's life, trying to thrive in San Francisco, and the past when she lived in Manhattan, slowly revealing the whole story of how she arrived at this point. Overall, the two sides balance well, building tension by revealing just the right information at the right time.
          The film is even quite funny, maybe the funniest Woody has achieved in recent memory. But it is often black comedy, occasionally so dark I didn't know if I should laugh. But not dirty.
          As far as acting goes, Cate has probably done better, but not often. She achieves the absolute gamut of emotions, from deliriously happy to hysterically miserable, and also has scenes of remarkable detachment. She absolutely makes us feel the misery of being dragged down to a lower socio-economic and cultural level. Sally is almost as good as I've seen her, though mostly overshadowed by Cate. But in one late scene, she played one half of a phone conversation and it equals some of the best I've ever seen.
         Alec Baldwin delights. Peter Sarsgaard is great. Louis C.K. is as good as I've ever seen him and funny as only he is. I shouldn't forget Alden Ehrenreich either, who stands out.
          For wisdom, I gave a 9.75. That's really high, but the .25 off is just for Woody's characteristic lack of understanding of sex and life in general. But otherwise, it's nearly perfect. But to explain, I'll need to be more specific. So...
--------SPOILER ALERT-----------
The movie, to my mind, is structured somewhat like a tragedy. In this case, two foils, the two sisters, indulge in a monstrous self-justification by comparison. This defensive technique keeps them from seeing themselves in a realistic light.
         I think that this fault is not uncommon. We all choose who we will compare ourselves to, often in order to make ourselves feel better. But pacing ourselves by another who is a loser or a cheat only allows us to be more comfortable ignoring our own faults, allowing us to settle for less.
          I kept some fantastic lines almost as proof that Woody really seemed to be making a positive statement. The first is when Jasmine's friends says, "You have to make an effort. Otherwise nothing happens and you blame everyone but yourself." Her friend is very accurately seeing into her soul, but she only hears something to tell someone else, because she's already been better off than her sister. She has a complete lack of circumspection, because she has judged herself already in comparison and judged herself not to be the problem. She can see her sister's fault in settling for less in life,  but not her own dependence on others and lack of scruple in obtaining her objectives. I won't say anymore, but the ending is really great. It brings this whole conflict to a head for everyone involved.
------SPOILER ALERT ENDED-------
          For wonder, I've chosen a low 8.75 comparatively (that is, compared to the other numbers I've already given this film). The reason for this is mostly one of originality. That's an overrated concept these days, but it seems silly to judge this the way I judged Match Point almost ten years ago. In that case, Woody, the established comedian, did a new thing, proving he could be as adept at writing drama as he could at writing comedy. Now he directs a movie that is merely a better done version of the stereotype Woody Allen. The writing is better, but the whole movie still feels a little old hat. In a lot of ways this movie is really similar to Margot at the Wedding. He does a lot really well but very little feels a lot better. But let me run down, for those who don't know, the parts of wonder that Woody Allen has down.
          I confirm that Woody makes all the music decisions himself, but I can't find anyone to give credit and someone deserves some. The placement and choice of music is intelligent and poignant. So much so that when my nephew, who get into a lot of heavy drama, saw a particular scene transition and the way the music played on it, he commented spontaneously. Practically a miracle. His use of motif to warn us about repeating patterns in this movie is subtle and brilliant.
          One other flattering comment I can justly give him is that every film he makes immediately takes on the aura of canon for me by the second or third viewing. Everything seems preordained. He rarely makes a directorial decision I can imagine any other way.
          But ultimately this all leaves him short of the 9 for wonder that I have films like Adventureland,Kisses, or Uncertainty.
          So if you see this movie somewhere and wonder if you should see it, my note would be that this is the second best movie that I've seen that came out in the last year.
          The last bit is just too tell you my ratings for12 Years a Slave and Her,  with no explanation, but the promise of a review later. Here goes:
12 Years a Slave* (2013) 9.5, 10, 10, 29.5
Her* (2014) 9, 8.25, 10, 27.25
These are subject to change on second viewing, but they are my genuine and considered opinion. That's all I can muster for today. Good luck on your movie watching adventure!