Kate and Leopold is my favorite romantic film.It’s a 2001 film starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman. A jaded advertising executive gunning for a promotion falls in love with an old-fashioned gentleman who has traveled from the 19th century by means of a rip in the fabric of time discovered by Kate's ex-boyfriend (Liev Schreiber). It makes my heart smile every time I watch it.

Some other romantic films that I thoroughly enjoy include: When Harry Met Sally (Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal), While you were Sleeping (Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman), Pretty Woman (Julia Roberts and Richard Gere), Hope Floats (Sandra Bullock snd Harry Connick, Jr.), An Officer and a Gentleman (Debra Winger and Richard Gere--my mother watches the end (only) every time it comes on television), 50 First Dates (Adam Sandlar and Drew Barrymore)...and a childhood favorite and the first soundtrack I ever purchased, Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton.

My title combines two of my favorite love songs from films. Both were written by the inimitable Dolly Parton. Ms. Parton wrote I will always love you in 1974 as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, when she decided to pursue a solo career. Whitney Houston sang it for the1992 romance/drama, The Bodyguard. The film was okay (I'm partial to romantic comedies and happier endings), but I love the song.

Ms. Parton sang From Here to the Moon and Back with Kris Kristofferson in the 2012 film, Joyful Noise. She wrote it for her husband, Carl. Doesn't get any more romantic than that... Unless we count my singing and recording it for my husband. He keeps the recording on his laptop and listens to it when he travels on business without me. Now, that's romantic.

2023 is kicking off to a good start so far...

The first film to review for the new year is none other than M3GAN. M3GAN is the latest science fiction horror thriller produced by James Wan and directed by Gerard Johnstone.

The story centers a young girl who becomes orphaned when her parents were killed in a car accident during their vacation. She is placed under the care of her aunt (played by Allison Williams), a roboticist for a toy company. Having a hard time trying to connect with her niece, she builds a life-like doll with an artificial intelligence called M3GAN. The girl and M3GAN bond well. Perhaps too well when M3GAN starts to become self-aware and becomes hostile towards anyone that comes between her and her companion.

So first positive obviously goes to the titular robotic nightmare herself, M3GAN (or Model 3 Generation). There's something about robots with that uncanny valley look that utterly creeps me out, and M3GAN is no exception. She's super creepy, but what she does throughout the whole movie is hilarious. I mean, there are moments where she is singing to her ways of trying to kill people. And let's not forget that dance sequence that constantly appears in promos. M3GAN is an absolute riot.

The performances are great too. Everyone does a solid job of selling the idea that this could potentially be a thing in the real world, no matter how hilarious or creepy it looks.

What I think makes the film work is how it explores the theme of human connection. It's a scary thought to allow people, at least children, to be so connected to technology. When the girl gets connected with M3GAN, that's all she devotes her time with. She sees her as a person rather than a machine. At first, you, along with the aunt, are fooled to believe that there's nothing wrong with that. But then you see that she interacts with no one else but M3GAN, not even her aunt. Think about it. We're pretty close to doing this to our own children, having them rely so much on technology as a form of comfort and shutting out everyone in the world in order to help them face their problems.

The only issues I have with the movie is that I feel like that the runtime could have been cut down by at least fifteen minutes. There were a couple moments during the climax where I thought this was where they were going to end it only for it to turn out to be a fake out scare.

Also, I think this movie could have benefited with an R-rating. Despite M3GAN seemingly looking like a movie about a killer robot doll there really isn't a lot of kills in this movie. I know, it was kind of shocking, and a bummer. Think what they could really show off with an R-rating. I bet the kills would be a lot more memorable. I'm sure it was an executive choice to make the movie PG-13 to appeal to a wider audience. However, if an R-rated cut exists, I'd definitely want to check it out.

Overall, M3GAN is really just dumb fun. I found the movie to be stupid but an enjoyable watch. I think even the writers and producers realize how ridiculous the concept is and they have fun with it.

Positives:

-M3GAN

-Performances

-Theme of human connection

-Stupidly fun

Negatives:

-Runtime could be cut down

-PG-13 rating

Final Grade: B-

So those are my thoughts on M3GAN. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

David Lin: "This is gonna punch Hasbro in the dick."

#harrysituationreviews #film #opinion #scifi #horror #thriller #robots #dolls #uncannyvalley #dumbfun

Happy Holidays everyone!

This holiday season is a good time to sit around, enjoy good company, and watch some Christmas movies. Oddly enough, here's a movie that just right with the season. It's a new movie in theaters right now featuring a ass-whooping Santa Clause. So all you naughty people better watch out...

Violent Night is the action-comedy film directed by Tommy Wirkola (best known as the director of the Dead Snow films), and stars David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Cam Gigandet, and Beverly D'Angelo. The plot centers around a group of mercenaries led by John Leguizamo, who raid the household of a very super rich and snobbish family and hold the family members hostage. Unbeknownst to everyone is the appearance of jolly ole St. Nick (played by David Harbour), who just happens to be delivering presents. Santa is now caught in the middle of this heist as he fights for his life and to rescue the innocent little girl among the family, who still believes in him.

You know, when I first heard about this movie, and I saw the poster for the first time I could help but roll my eyes like, "oh geez, another killer Santa movie. Didn't we outgrow that?" But then I saw the trailer when it first came out and I suddenly was completely onboard. It's basically Die Hard but with Santa Claus. And it was hella fun to watch.

First positive, I got to give props to David Harbour. He was pretty good as Santa Claus. The movie does a good making you feel for Santa. In the beginning he's drinking away his sorrow while he laments on how people have gotten too greedy and all they do is want instead of giving. But he does build a connection to the little girl that's one of the hostages, which is very touching. Plus, it is so much fun watching him kick ass as Santa.

Seriously, ho, ho, ho-ly shit this movie lives up to its name because it is pretty fucking violent. There's a good amount of blood and even a little gore that Santa himself delivers. The movie does give a little backstory into Santa Claus that helps you buy into the idea that this guy can really do some damage against the bad guys, and probably has no qualms about doing so. He even gets creative with his kills too. I don't think I've ever seen a movie where someone gets stabbed in the eye with a Christmas tree topping, followed up with getting electrocuted. Shit, there's even a moment where it kinda pays homage to Home Alone, but the traps really show how violent that film could have been if Home Alone was R-rated. I mean, yikes. Kevin McCallister could have been a psychopath.

Honestly, this film is just a good fun to watch. It doesn't take itself too seriously and it has fun with the concept of a Santa Claus killing some bad guys. I don't really think it needs to be anything deep or thought provoking. It just needs to be a fun popcorn flick that most audiences can enjoy.

I will say that the only issue I had was that the film is pretty predictable. There's a moment where more guys with guns come in to the film and they hint that they are apparently a kill squad for the rich family. And you can safely assume they're with the mercenaries, which they are. I'm not really spoiling anything at this point because you could probably guess exactly how this movie will go from start to finish, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it.

Overall, I think I will add Violent Night to my list of oddball Christmas movies to watch each year. It will fit nicely with Gremlins and Krampus. Give it a watch, just so you can end on Santa's nice list.

Positives:

-David Harbour as Santa Claus

-Santa kicking ass

-Holly jolly fun

Negatives:

-Pretty predictable

Final Grade: B-

So those were my thoughts on Violent Night. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, have a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Best Quote:

Santa Claus: "Santa's gonna devour them like a plate full of cookies."

#harrysituationreviews #film #opinion #action #comedy #Christmas #SantaClaus

Holiday movies are often especially horrible, tired with flat characters forcing appropriate happy endings…sequels to film even more so. I was never such a fan of A Christmas Story set in the 1950’s after seeing it featured on 24-hour marathons so when I saw the original actors had made a sequel shot in Bulgaria, I was skeptical…but a free 7 day trail for HBO+ found me watching it last night with great pleasure and honest emotion.

It is a writers story. Ralphie taking off a year from his job in Chicago to write the great American novel, set in the Christmas season of the early 1970s, waiting for his parents to join his young family when he receives a call that his father has passed away. On arriving back to his childhood home Ralphie finds his mother’s wish is for him to produce the Christmas that year in memory of a holiday his old man so loved…and to write his father’s obituary. Sounds corny and stupid…but, using almost all the original characters, it unfolds as a heartwarming, laugh out loud funny new story of writer’s block and the role of authenticity of emotion in finding success unexpected.

I give it an A+ for newness, honesty, keeping the best of the old film while making this story brand new. Loved it…a must for writters struggling to be published.

As far as I can see, what's changed is that the writers at the helms of the video game adaptations now are people who are more likely to have played, and/or grown up playing the games, in the case of Sonic and the Pokémon franchise. It's the difference between a cash grab and a passion project, but the finished product lies somewhere in between. I think the curse will stay lifted so long as the writers for projects like these are passionate and knowledgeable about their sources.

If, during my extensive presence here in our theProse.com village (albeit as resident madwoman) I have accrued any clout worthy of any sort of consideration whatsoever, even in the smallest degree, I would like nothing more than to utilize that influence in the furtherance of this novel.

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I will not lie to you my dearest fellows, the fact is that The Fluid Mirror shocked me egregiously. Those of you who know me know full well that I am not easily shocked, so in consideration of my disposition, and in light of the possibility that my ravenously open mind is mistakenly called into question by this statement, I would like to explain why it shocked me. The culprit was not, as might otherwise be suspected, the vivid pornography of the first scene; that chapter written with all the semi-intentional audacity of an unspoken adolescent fantasy (An inception given, I might accuse in hindsight, to appall and repel any would-be-reader not open to naked reflection of himself.) It was rather the subsequently beauteous insight into the scope and breadth of humanity which unfolds itself between the written lines. The author of this writing, by my harshest and most severe estimation, is a prodigiously talented individual. His is an artfully artless art; an earnest exploration of existence in all of it's full and glorious dismay. Please, lose yourself in it as I have.

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The book in question can be found here:

https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Mirror-Eugene-Petrashcu-ebook/dp/B0B57RMTLB/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3DE9OUPZV3514&keywords=the+fluid+mirror&qid=1667903705&s=books&sprefix=the+fluid+mirror+%2Cstripbooks%2C163&sr=1-2

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It should be noted in conclusion that Eugen Petrascu has not requested, nor has he even given his permission, for me to erect this pedestal by which I now display him in this manner. And for my crime of passion, I can only beg for his merciful forgiveness. He is sure to disapprove, in the humble manner of all excellent craftsmen, my unbridled and disturbingly personal unveiling of his efforts.