This week saw a much needed return to the cinema after two and a half weeks away with this nasty virus doing the rounds. No cinema, no running, no swimming!
The return has resulted in an addition to the annual Christmas movie watch! One which takes the traditional Christmas film and quite literally beats it around the head!
Armed with tea, hot water, honey and lemon, water and cough sweets to keep coughing at bay, I settled down for an anticipated couple of hours of fun. It completely delivered.
David Harbour is brilliant as the jaded, beer swilling Santa who has had enough of modern values and is wanting to jack the whole Santa malarkey in. On a particular house visit he stumbles on billionaire family, the Lightstones, being held hostage as mercenaries steal their fortune. Harbour's Santa ends up fending off the baddies in absolute style.
Leading said baddies, and on the naughty list, is the Christmas-hating John Leguizamo, nicknamed Scrooge, who absolutely relishes this part.
Jason Lightstone (Alex Hassel), his wife Linda and their daughter Trudy head over to join the family at the considerable estate for Christmas. The rest of the family are an oddball of comedic but not particularly nice characters. There is the matriarch Gertrude Lighstone, played by Beverly D'Angelo (National Lampoons) and holder of the considerable purse strings, to whom the family grovels continuously. Alva Lightstone, her daughter and her husband, a b-movie actor Morgan, plus their son Bert, a wannabe influencer/YouTuber type. They all, however, have great lines, comedy moments and kind of redeem themselves by the end.
By the makers of John Wick and Nobody and director, Tommy Wirkola, the action is bloody, graphic and fun. There's a particularly great homage to Home Alone which had me wincing with delight and it even manages to leave you feeling all Christmassy at the end. Big smile the whole time.
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