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Busy guy.... #musicvideoshoot @kirstenmoore_music (at Studio Revolution)

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Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Wish it was about that Hanna-Barbera superhero character, Birdman who later went on to be an attorney.

Anyway this film is not really about superheroes or superhero films or the rise and fall of a superhero actor. In a larger perspective, its about an aging actor past his prime as he deals with egoism, pride, admiration, dignity and credibility. In an non-so-subtle way, its pretty much about Michael Keaton and how he used to be Batman. And I'm not sure if this piece of relevancy either makes a good addition to the very ambitious and artistic film or takes away much from the whole experience.

On a whole, it is definitely a well-made passion-filled picture with a challengingly skilled cinematography and striking visual, taking steps from Alfonso Cuaron's one take sequences and not missing beat or cut, almost seamless accompanied with a manic drum score. It has an amazing cast who gave such great performances, with Edward Norton almost stealing the film with his own unpredictability and attitude. But it is Michael Keaton who deserves the grandest of applause, was just damn amazing, almost making this his best performance ever. Although comes the dilemma.

And it comes to why I didn't love this film so much. Maybe the fact that you have Michael Keaton in this film makes it too relevant. That it becomes not so subtle and it banks on the expectancy that you know that Michael Keaton was once Batman and isn't popular as he used to be. It comes off as something less challenging and not trustful for the audience. Because I felt that the film was yelling at me with this fact at a constant pace and I wish it had a more subtle approach in telling this story. It wasn't even that subtle with the film title itself. However aside, it was still an amazing film and I still highly recommending to go and see.

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Dec 13 2014 - A Christmas Carol (2009)

Time to look at another Christmas Carol adaptation and this time, being brought to you by Robert Zemeckis during his Uncanny Valley phase. This one is a pretty decent and thorough adaptation and the current technology allows some of the most famous elements like the Ghosts to be more imaginative and creative. Especially the design and presence of the Ghost of Christmas Future, which looks downright impressive. Possibly an interesting feature is the performance of Jim Carrey, not only as Scrooge but as all of the three Christmas Ghosts. Carrey may not be amongst the best actors to play Scrooge, but he still did a very good job.

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Dec 12 2014 - A Garfield Christmas Special

Ohh who doesn't love this lazyass of a cat? And probably you would want to spend Christmas with Garfield and the rest of Jon's lovable family. The special did get it down on what it is like to travel a long distance to visit your relatives you haven't seen for a long time and to go through the same favorite routine you share on Christmas. And I'll tell you, you'll like the Grandma character as she is just downright cool and energetic as well being sweet and kind, kinda like my own grandma :) And especially this one quiet scene when Grandma talks about her backstory, which made me a little bit weepy.

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Dec 11 2014 - A Year Without Santa Claus

Another Rankin/Bass special and a pretty charming one too. Even if at times, it can get really really cheesy. Told from the point of view of Mrs. Claus, Santa feels very tired and pretty much down as he think there is not much goodwill and not everyone cares for him, so he decided to take a vacation. Mrs Claus thinks its not right and sends her two Christmas elves to prove there is goodwill at all. The stop-motion can be nice to look at and sometimes choppy and the music can be enjoyable to listen to. This is worth checking.

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Dec 9 2014 - South Park: Mr. Hankey The Christmas Poo

Its time to head back South Park and check out their first Christmas special (actually the very first Christmas special from South Park is the Spirit of Christmas short made by Trey Parker and Matt Stone while in University, which led to the creation of the show itself).

This one is also a classic of the show, featuring the cute little fecal matter that spread joy, happiness and trackmarks too. Some of the songs are pretty memorable too such as Mr Hanley and Kyle's Mom A Bitch. That I got into trouble so much because I kept singing that song. If you're feeling nostalgic, check it out...

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Dec 8 2014 - Rise Of The Guardians

Ever want to see an Avengers movie, comprised of your favorite holiday characters? Then this film will do the trick. While not set on Christmas, this is still a Christmas movie as you do see the North Pole, Christmas elves and its workshop and possibly the most BADASS Santa Claus I have ever seen. I mean this guy looks very stocky and built, has tattoos, wield dual sabers and has a Russian accent. You also have the Tooth Fairy, The Sandman, The Easter Bunny (who sound too Australian for me) and Jack Frost who is the main focus of the film, as they battle against the evil Loki-esque Boogyman (aka Pitch Black). Did I mention this is just like the Avengers?

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Dec 7 2014 - Nestor The Long-Eared Donkey

We got to have some Rankin-Bass stuff in the list, but this one is unknown and forgotten. And for a very good reason. If you just read the title, you'll know this is pretty much a carbon copy of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Not that special is completely awful, but it is lazy and uninspiring especially when you're focusing on a other side of Christmas. The special goes through the same schtick with Rudolph as the main character is ridicule by mostly character because of his deformity and soon will realize its importance. Only instead of being narrated by the whimsical Burl Ives, you get the droning Roger Miller. If you want something similar, yet alot better, check out Disney's The Small One.

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Dec 6 2014 - The Office(US) : Christmas.Party

Whether you prefer the UK or US version, you have to admit both of these shows are funny and well-written in their own right. And the US version has many Christmas episodes, some are good and some aren't. I'll be looking at the first Christmas episode of the series, which I would consider this the best of all of them. All of the characters worked well into the episode, giving something awkward, crazy, sweet and funny to see. Especially Carell's Michael Scott who is while being sometimes single-minded and dumb, he doesn't come off as being cold hearted, uncaring and ignorant. He had good intentions, but executed them very badly. Check it out.

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Dec 5 2014 - A Christmas Story

I was supposed to watch this last year, but I couldn't find a day to fit it in. So its nice to include this as part of my marathon. And this film is a very fitting Christmas classic. It is very much a near accurate look at what a child sees during Christmas times. When I was little, I sure had a very cool toy that I wanted really much and kept begging my parents to buy for me. Or just used the Santa tactic and write a letter to him just to get that toy. People who watched this film can relate themselves to this and that is why it is considered a classic to so many. If you haven't seen this film, go check it out.

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Dec 4 2014 - Blackadder's Christmas Carol

Oh yeah, its another Christmas Carol adaptation, but this one has a real twist. I haven't seen much of the Blackadder's TV series, but I'm kind of intrigued now after watching this special. From what I gathered, the Blackadder series follows a line of the Blackadder's ancestry, all played by Rowan Atkinson, who all are very despicable, ruthless, selfish and deceiving in each of their timeline, depending on the season you're watching.

In this Christmas special, the plot follows the complete opposite of Christmas Carol, which Ebenezer Blackadder is the most nicest man in all of town and most of the townspeople take advantage of him. It is not until he is visited by the Ghost of Christmas, who unwittingly shows his past ancestry and even his future line too of all the Blackadders and their bad ways. He then realize that it is AWESOME to be mean and unkind and thus changes his way from then. It is a nice and fresh take on the famous tale, as well as being very funny too if you're into witty British humor. This is worth checking out.

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Dec 3 2014 - A Pinky And The Brain Christmas

I would actually be pretty happy if the world was taken over by these mice. Who doesn't love Pinky and the Brain? And their attempt to take over the world on Christmas time is still funny and witty, but has a touch of sweetness in it too. Probably what takes this episode a bit further is during the end, where the tender quality of these character are finally shown in the rarest of time. And it is indeed a very sweet moment considering how long they have been together. Worth checking out.

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Dec 2 2014 - Regular Show: The Christmas Special

This show is not regular at all and it is one of my favorite newest shows in recent times. Every time we hang out with slackers Mordecai and Rigby, they have to take a daily mundane thing and out of nowhere, crazy things like unicorns and god-like babies have to be involved. And saving Christmas is no exception for them. Mordecai and the gang gets swept up by a horrible plot from an evil Christmas elf, using a mysterious gift box. The only way to save Christmas involves so many crazy ideas such as wrestling bear and a Lord of The Ring reference. You can tell that this tone is different when the opening feels like a dramatic spy thriller. Give this show and this Christmas special a shot.

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Dec 1 2014 - A Christmas Carol (1999)

Let’s begin again this year with what else… Another Christmas Carol adaptation! And I’ll be seeing plenty of these this year. This one is a Hallmark Channel production starring Professor X/Captain Picard himself, Sir Patrick Stewart, and this is a pretty fine adaptation, able to get most of the Dicken’s story down with a modest budget. It is well structured, well paced and well performed from most of the cast. And with some Hallmark TV mini-series, some can be decent and some can be not-so-good and some can be….. YEEESHH! That tornado effect looks like it was ripped out of a SyFy movie.

And yet in the middle of these pretty bad effects is Patrick Stewart who is as always such a magnificent actor. He is the best part of this film and is considered in the top 5 of best actor to play Scrooge. You know he is so captivating when he is performing with so much emotion against the Ghost of Christmas Yet-To-Come, which look so silly, bland and not at all scary. He can act against a piece of wet cardboard and he might just win an Oscar. And thats what kept this from being just another dried ho-hum Christmas Carol adaptation.

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25 Days of Christmas Specials and Films v2

Hi guys, its Jordan and I'm going through another run of those lovely Christmas specials. Some might be the same as per tradition of mine, but most will be new shows which I will have the most giddy time to review. What will they be this year? Let's find out.

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Dec 25. - A Charlie Brown Christmas

Now... you may be wondering why I haven't mentioned this yet on the list.

Well I will say that this to me is my absolute favorite Christmas TV special of all. I always keep my tradition that I watch Die Hard on Christmas Eve and that I watch this on Christmas Day. So why do I love this special so much?

I first caught this in a point in my life when I was being so cynical of everything, especially Christmas. Upon seeing this, the special had a real laid-back mellow and simplistic feel as it wasn't shoving Christmas in your face. The characters including Charlie Brown were very blunt and stoic as if they were acting like adults. Even when it is something as simple and childish as picking a Christmas tree, they address this like kids pretending to be adults and that is the charm to the show. Some of the stuffs the kids talked of or even hinted at, the adults know how they feel and can even related to it. Some people including me would relate to Charlie Brown as someone who gets glum and wouldn't have a hint about Christmas for no reason. The fascinating thing is that this show was made on a very low budget with choppy animation, yet it is so well loved and remembered for a long time because of the performance, tone and charm of the show. Not to mention the music from the great Vince Guaraldi makes this show even more magical, just he gives his own unique Christmas composition as they're not bombastic and extravagant, but cool, whimsical and laid-back. Perfect to listen to by the fireplace and I'm a proud owner of the CD as well. If there is one thing you must keep watching on a Christmas time, its this Christmas special and I'm pretty sure it will warm your heart as it did to mine. Merry Christmas...

So I brought out some of my most favorites and greats one in the past days, but tomorrow... its time to look at the horrible and awful ones...

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Dec 24. - Die Hard

YES, I went there! Don't care what anyone says. There are two things I always love watching every Christmas times and this is one of them. This to me is my absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time. And why shouldn't it be? This is also one of the best action movies of all time and nothing says Christmas more than fuckin Bruce Willis kicking terrorists' asses inside a high-rise building in a wise-cracking fashion.

So how is this related to Christmas? Aside from setting in LA on Christmas Eve and a Christmas party that the Nakatomi employees tend to, there are several more Christmas-related themes that sprinkled across and some were even used to John McClane's advantage to take down the terrorists such as "Now I have a machine-gun, Ho ho ho" to the gift-wrappings used in the climax. Other than that, a great hero, a great villain, great action, great suspense and setup, its an all-around awesome action movie. And I wouldn't mind if you make this your Christmas tradition.