"Krampus" Brings the Christmas Creepiness; "Creed" is One of the Best Movies of the Year

 
   Thanksgiving has come and gone and the Christmas season is in full swing. Christmas time is a great time for movies. Christmas movies in particular are some of the funnest ones around. The stories centered around families, presents, the discovering of the true meaning for the season, all seem to evoke this sense of worldwide joy that is accustom to this time of year. Most Christmas movies tend to cover a wide range of emotions, from sad and depressing like "It's a Wonderful Life", to the hilarity of "Christmas Vacation", "The Christmas Story", and so many more. However, other than some of the classics like "A Christmas Carol", a modern telling of a Christmas horror story hasn't really come into fruition in the mainstream. This weekend, that all changes.

   Director Michael Dougherty is all too familiar with spooky hoilday films. His 2007 film "Trick 'r Treat" is a fantastic Halloween flick that is truly entertaining. His latest film "Krampus" opens this weekend and let me tell you, it's no "Miracle on 34th Street". Based on the old European folktale, this story explores the darker side of Christmas. At the center of this story is Max (Emjay Anthony), a young socially awkward kid who is striving to hold on to the hope that Santa is real. When his stereotypically-dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, Max becomes disillusioned and sadly gives up on the big guy as well as Christmas. Unbeknownst to him, this lack of holiday cheer has unleashed the wrath of Krampus. Considered "the shadow of Saint Nicholas", Krampus is essentially a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family's home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.

   This movie is classified as a Horror/Comedy, and it has it's fair share of both. Let me just say, this movie is silly, but in a good way. It doesn't take itself serious and it's highly entertaining. With a bit of a slow start, "Krampus" really takes its time establishing the over-the-top chaotic mess that is the central family. Adam Scott and Toni Collette play Tom and Sarah, a husband and wife who have become somewhat estranged due to life's "whatevers". Their rebellious daughter and awkward son help round out their little family. Then you've got the crazy uncle (David Koechner), who is married to Sarah's sister, and their three kids, the crazy aunt played by Conchata Farrell, and Tom's German mother played by Krista Sadler. "Omi", as she's called, being the oldest and wisest of the bunch, is the audience's gateway to the story of Krampus. All the characters are somewhat relatable, but really they serve as bloated stereotypes of a "typical movie family".

 
   The movie is funny. A lot of the laughs come from the horror, as a matter of fact. The creepy minions that work for Krampus are straight out of some demented nightmare and some of the freaky scenes are shocking to say the least. But there's a good balance of lightheartedness mixed in with the scary bits. Man, I really want to describe the monsters, but that would be delving too much into spoiler territory. I will say that they all spurn from classic Christmas items. Krampus himself is a creepy dude. Seeing this cloaked, hoofed creature jumping from rooftop to rooftop will surely bring the chills. The movie does a great job at not relying on the typical jump scares and allowing the spooky suspension to build. The creatures look terrifying. The costumes in this movie is really well done. That was my favorite aspect of the entire piece. This movie is cool to look at. Luckily, it's got a premise and execution that is equally entertaining.

   "Krampus" is a fun time. It's not the scariest, nor the funniest, but it's a decent balance of both and I found myself jumping, squirming and laughing all the way through. I honestly enjoyed this movie from start to finish. I joked with my wife on the way home from the theaters that "Krampus" will become a Christmas staple in our home. She gave me the death stare. At any rate, this movie will entertain you. It's got a message at its core that really ties into the Christmas spirit. So, whether you like it or not, you'll at least get what it's trying to tell you.

So, avoid the shadow of Saint Nicholas and stay off the naughty list by seeing this movie. You'll have fun.

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  If you haven't seen "Creed" yet, shame on you. It's been out for a couple of weeks now and let me tell you, it's by far one of the best films of 2015 hands down. When I went in to watch "Creed", the seventh installment (sort of) of the Rocky franchise, I assumed that it would be good. I had no idea that it would end up making the list of one of my favorite movies of the year. It's just absolutely amazing! I could spend all day talking about this film, but I won't. This brief review won't do it justice, but it'll try,

   Fans of the Rocky series will love this movie because it's so stinkin' good. Today we see so many reboots and remakes that sometimes it leaves us asking Where has all the originality gone?, (to the makers of the new Point Break movie, I direct this towards you). "Creed" is, in its own right, a reboot of sorts, but it's more of a backdoor reboot in that it refreshes the franchise while maintaining a level of individuality; it's as much a Rocky movie as it is a Creed movie (which should spawn a number of sequels hopefully). If you've been living under a rock or are still coming out of that Thanksgiving dinner coma, the movie follows the illegitimate son of former Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed. Young Adonis (played to perfection by Michael B. Jordan) is searching to make a name for himself without the shadow of his father to boost him. Giving up a promising career at some financial firm, Adonis seeks the fighter's life. He enlists the help of another former champ, the Italian Stallion himself, Rocky Balboa. Rocky takes up ole Mickey's mantle as trainer and helps Adonis on his journey. Though, with age, Rocky is battling his own issues and together they raise each other up in order to face their problems head on.

   The acting in this film is superb. Michael B. Jordon is coming off a stinker in this year's Fantastic Four (stinker by the world's standards, I really enjoyed that movie) and solidifies himself as a bonafide actor. He brings such a dramatic level of emotion to the role that you can't help but feel for Adonis as he struggles to emerge from Apollo's shadow. He's a physically imposing figure, having worked out like a maniac for the movie. He harnesses that tenacity that Apollo had with the discipline that Rocky has. Jordan hits this one out of the park. Let's not forget our good buddy Sly now. I mean this 100% when I say that come awards season, Sylvester Stallone will more than likely get nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Rocky in this movie. I witnessed some of the best acting from Stallone that I have ever seen. My guess is that by not carrying the hats of writer or director, Stallone was free to focus on the character the entire shoot, and you see that on screen. He brought me to tears people. It's true. There's a particularly touching scene between Adonis and Rocky where Rocky discusses an issue he's dealing with and you just see the emotional weight of the scene just hanging there on every word he says. It's absolutely brilliant.

   This movie has a fair amount of nods to the Rocky mythos which was a really nice aspect. Of course there's a training montage which turns out to be one of the best sequences of the entire film. The score is insanely good, hinting at the essence of Rocky while being its own thing. I give major props to director Ryan Coogler for making such a fun film to watch. He has this way of shooting these long scenes that seem like they're one long take that just grab you and never let go. There's a particular boxing scene that was in fact shot in one long continuous take that is mind-blowing-ly brilliant. Just technically speaking, this film is outrageously good. The cinematography, the boxing scenes, every frame drips with emotion and you can't help but get sucked in. Even with the boxing matches (which I think are some of the greatest movie boxing matches to date) are so intense because they rest on the emotional foundation that was built prior to the fight; a staple aspect to every Rocky movie (save for probably Rocky V).

   People, if you haven't seen this movie yet, I can't express enough how much you need to. Even if you've never seen a Rocky movie in your life, I think you would enjoy this film, because even though it's part of the canon, it stands on its own. It's one of the best movies of the year, and you wouldn't want to miss out on that would you?