Scrooged

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Scrooged!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd December 2023

I have spoken previously of my admiration of A Christmas Carol and how the source material is strong enough that it can adapted so many times and still work. So it was only a matter of time before I came across this.
On paper this sounds like it has potential: Bill Murray playing the Scrooge role? And it's updated with Scrooge playing a TV bigshot? And it utilises an adaptation of the original text as a framing device? Sounds like something that could work. So does it?

Watching Scrooged, I can't shake the feeling that it was looking over Ghostbusters' shoulder, with the presence of Murray, the use of horror & fantasy and ingenious special effects. Also it is difficult to ascertain the mood the movie is going for, with it starting being critical of Christmas sentimentality before giving up by the end and embracing it.
But in the end, this movie works because of Murray - proving that he is his best when he gets to play complete jerks. The afore-mentioned framing device works, and I will admit that I enjoyed the speech at the end.

You know, when I was a kid, I saw the music video to Put a Little Love in Your Heart on rage and wondered what movie it was selling. Now I know. 

Incidentally, would anyone else want to watch The Night the Reindeer Died?

Anywho, hope you all have a Merry Christmas. 

The Muppet Christmas Carol

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Muppet Christmas Carol!

Original image located here. Accessed 23th December 2022

Yeah I've already seen this one but it still ranks as my favourite interpretation of Charles Dickens' tale. That may sound absurd but I stand by it because:
a) Muppets are awesome
b) it retains Dickens' prose via Gonzo (as crazy as that sentence reads)
c) Michael Caine gives his all and is magnificent, proving that his insistence on doing it seriously paid off incredibly
d) It actually shows Scrooge learning from what the Spirits showed him
e) It has the scariest Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

So yeah, I may have seen this before (multiple times in fact) but it never gets old and it has never been ravaged by the passage of time, 

Scrooge (A Christmas Carol (1951))

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Scrooge (A Christmas Carol (1951)!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd December 2017

Last week I saw the adaptation of A Christmas Carol which starred George C Scott. This week, I'm watching the adaptation of A Christmas Carol which starred Alistair Sims. This is largely because these two actors are largely considered the best to have taken on the role. Sims, in particular is often recognized as the one all actors have tried to replicate since.

And you know what? Such a reputation is well-deserved. Okay, so the movie is kinda hurried and, to be honest, is more effective as a horror movie than a Christmas one, but it is ultimately Sims' show. He pretty much embodies Scrooge's contempt and lack of empathy. But the real treat is at the end when Scrooge is happy. It was a delight and one gets the feeling his change was akin to a dam-burst. In fact I do believe that Sims' does the 'Happy Scrooge' better than anyone else.

A Christmas Carol (1984)

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....A Christmas Carol (1984)!

Original image located here. Accessed 15th December 2017

I've always had a soft spot for A Christmas Carol. When i was a kid I was drawn to the ghost/horror element and the somewhat sarcastic nature of the title (well it seemed sarcastic to me).
But when i became an adult, I realize that the themes of redemption and turning one's life around for the better is indeed a powerful one.

As for the movie itself, well, it's well shot, there are some chilling moments and the ghosts are very imaginative in their presentation. But ultimately, the whole movie rests on the shoulders of George C Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge. And what a job he does: he's funny, bitter, angry and a jerk all at once - so there's something to be said for the scene on Christmas morning ("I'm as merry as a schoolboy!").