If you watched a fair amount of festive programming, you will be well familiar with the idea that there are not a lot of new ideas under the Christmas storytelling sun. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; we like our festive tropes and cliches held close and to pop up Continue Reading
Animation
Festive short film review: An Almost Christmas Story
(courtesy IMDb (c) Disney+) SNAPSHOTAn Almost Christmas Story (produced by five-time Academy Award® winner Alfonso Cuarón & directed by David Lowery) is inspired by the true events of a tiny owl rescued from the New York City’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 2020. The short’s trailer reveals Moon, a curious Continue Reading
On 7th day of Christmas, I added 15 more ornaments to my Christmas tree … The Sound of Music + Winnie the Pooh’s Rabbit, Linus + Snoopy, Nemo, Frozen, Snoopy, Big Hero 6 + more!
(via Shutterstock) More ornaments?! Did you really buy more than 15 ornaments in one year? Readers, I bought close to 60 and while that likely suggests a tad too much compulsive purchasing by someone who’s reached an age when they should be making more sensible buys, I love how happy Continue Reading
On 5th day of Christmas … I watched That Christmas
Saying that something “feel like Christmas” is at once profoundly and definitively true, and yet gloriously and warmly intangible too. Such is the season which all but dominates the final two months of the year, and realistically longer if you count the eagerness of retailers to make the most of Continue Reading
Family Guy Christmas special 2024: “Gift of the White Guy” review
(courtesy IMDb) SNAPSHOTPeter must recover Lois’ Christmas brooch after gifting it away in a White Elephant exchange. Stewie changes his attitude upon learning he’s on Santa’s ‘Naughty List’. (courtesy Variety) The first thing out of the prettily wrapped Christmas present box is that Family’s Guy’s 25th anniversary festive special, “Gift Continue Reading
Movie review: Moana 2
(courtesy IMP Awards) It was always going to be a tricky thing to follow up a massive success like Moana. Hailed as a near-perfect piece of feature animation by many, and introducing a titular hero who saved her people while growing as a person with animation as beautiful an oil Continue Reading
On 1st day of Christmas … I decorated my tree with 15 new pop culture ornaments incl. Home Alone, Schroeder (Peanuts) +Scooby-Doo!, Monsters Inc., Sonic the Hedgehog + The Golden Girls
(via Shutterstock) It will be pretty obvious if you have even so much as glanced at my blog, that I love pop culture everything. I spend my days, when I am not forced to work to pay for everything pop culture-oriented, watching movies, streaming shows, listening to music, reading books Continue Reading
Festive comic review: The Flintstones: Christmas in Bedrock (with Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm)
Published in 1965, The Flintstones: Christmas in Bedrock is a fun-filled romp through a good old-fashioned Santa-is-in-peril-only-YOU-can-save-Christmas storyline. In this case, the “YOU” is good old Fred Flintstone who, after a trip out into the forest to get a Christmas tree – forgot the axe? Don’t worry! Bamm-Bamm has a Continue Reading
Shaun the Sheep goes charitably festive: The Knit Before Christmas support Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day
(courtesy Aardman) SNAPSHOTAs the woolliest day of the year approaches on Thursday 12th December, our favourite Mossy Bottom Farm residents can be seen preparing for the big day. With snow falling, festive tunes playing and Christmas decorations at the ready, Timmy’s excitement grows, and the barn calendar shows the woolliest day Continue Reading
Birthday movie review: Spellbound
(courtesy IMP Awards) We all want a happy ever after. But what about if that happy ever after doesn’t quite work as you think it will; what do you do then, when expectations are dashed, even if it’s in a good but different way? That’s the great dilemma facing Princess Continue Reading