B-Movie Gazette: TOMMY'S FIVE FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES #4 - FROM LONDON TO BEVERLY HILLS : KATE WINSLETT & CAMERON DIAZ SWAP HOUSES FOR "THE HOLIDAY" (2006)

B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - WITHOUT WARNING (1980)

Greetings All - It would be cool to do a post one time called the ten most essential B-flicks, sort of a B-Movie 101 thing. If that ever happened I would have to include this sci-fi horror classic from Graydon Clark (Black Shampoo, Satan's Cheerleaders.) This one's a don't pass go and don't collect $200 folks, just see it, Or watch it again. I'm not even going to begin to explain the plot except you have these flying disc things that attach themselves to people, in this case campers on an outing and kill and feed on them. Eventually these discs are tied to an alien, a hungry alien. A forerunner to 1987's Predator sort to speak and with a flat-out goofy cast. Jack Palance and Martin Landau, say what? And looking drugged out I might add but the real surprise here is veteran character actor Larry Storch, from the '60's, a guy who knew 150 dialects and here he is in this as a boy scout leader lol. Also known as It Came Without Warning, this gem is streaming free now only on Plex. 2.75 stars/2.75

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

TOMMY'S FIVE FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES #4 - FROM LONDON TO BEVERLY HILLS : KATE WINSLETT & CAMERON DIAZ SWAP HOUSES FOR "THE HOLIDAY" (2006)

From Private Benjamin to She's Gotta Give and many more, Nancy Meyers has given cinema some of the most prolific and thoughtful rom-coms ever made. The Holiday continues what she does best and I really think this is her masterwork. Fueled by the casting Grand Slam of Kate Winslett, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black, the two-hour fifteen minute film hardly seems that long and while none of these performances are necessarily nomination-worthy, Kate Winslett continues to blow me away with her skills and this is a Jack Black performance like none other, a perfect hybrid of his dramatic and comedic sides.

The plot is simple - two heartbroken women who just went thru break-ups decide to swap houses for the holidays and then each land up falling in love with one of the locals. A subplot involving Eli Wallach as an elderly Beverly Hills movie mogul whom Winslett helps and befriends is a nice dynamic to drive home the holiday compassion so it's not just about two sets of lovers. The locations for the houses are beautiful and I love the scene where Winslett first tours her new diggs in Beverly Hills and discovers she scored majorly in the swap.

A great holiday film for any audience really but particularly I could see this as a perfect choice for a ladies night kind of get-together. A big box office hit but receiver of mixed reviews overall, this is one of those where I scratch my head and wonder if people realize just what a great film this is. 4.0 stars/5 (told ya there would be some shockers, wait til you see #3!)