Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Bad Santa (2003)

Genre: Christmas / Comedy
Directed by: Terry Zwigoff
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, Brett Kelly
Running time: 91 minutes



Willie Stokes and Marcus have had the same scheme going for years: Every holiday season, they find a job as Santa and elf in a shopping mall. Once their gig is over, they rob the place and make their escape only to start again in a different city the next year. Slowly, Willie’s propensity for the bottle and the pleasures of the flesh with big women is putting the business in jeopardy. When they arrive in Phoenix, Willie meets Thurman Merman, a lonely overweight kid who is living with his senile grandma and is being constantly bullied at school. At first, Willie finds the annoyingly gullible kid aggravating, but the boy slowly starts to grow on him.

Considering the sequel is coming out soon, I decided to revisit this film, which is a guilty pleasure of mine. It remains one of the few Christmas movies I truly love.

Billy Bob Thornton was tailor-made for this role. While he has offered much greater performances in such films as Sling Blade, Thornton goes full force into the role of a drunken and broken man who might very well find his redemption. In that sense, the character of Willie Stokes reminds us of The Grinch, whose heart finally grew.

The rest of the cast also did a good job. It was particularly a treat to see John Ritter in here. This film was shot shortly before his untimely death.

Overall, while Bad Santa is not your typical wholesome holiday film, I deeply appreciate it for daring to be crude and dark in a comedic way. This is one of those I can watch again and again.


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