Happy Holidays!

Click here to read about my fave xmas movies.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday no matter what your religion. 

Also, please remember the impoverished, displaced, troops and elderly this Christmas. Volunteer or donate. It's important.

All my love to you. x

Christmas, death, cookies and my favourite movies of 2009

It's that time of year. Christmas...ho ho hum. I'm in the middle of baking cookies. We've just lost a family member to a battle with cancer and I really don't know what else to do with myself!

Blogging and baking...seemed like a good idea at the time...a good distraction at the very least.

SLACK!

I'm sorry for not posting, it's the silly season, plus I'm lazy.

I hope you all have a very lovely Christmas no matter what religion you practice (if any). Just be good to each other and spend some time with your friends and family.

I hope there will be many more exciting things happening for you in the year to come.

Keep your eye on JRM. That new website is just sitting there waiting to be used. I have the new podcast, ALL STAR CAST, on the way as well as hopefully resuming some of my writing duties.

I'm looking forward to a bunch of great movies in 2009 including the new Harry Potter film which will eventually make it to screens if I have to hunt down JK Rowling myself.

I'll try to work on a "Best of 2008" list and will hopefully be seeing "The Day the Earth Stood Still" tomorrow.

Take care and be safe...at least until 2009. ;)

Christmas Sucks

Ok so I've been really slack with blogging. There are several reasons and I'm one of those people who (sadly) always has an excuse. Let's review.

1. Christmas sucks: Everything you need to do takes 4 times as long because the entire population of a state converges on the capital city (or nearest large shopping facility) to buy gross amounts of gifts for people they love but mostly people they likely despise. This time of year is optimum suck up time in case you haven't guessed. I just wander around at lunch time scared to become part of the throng JUST IN CASE of the Zombpocalypse. Knowing my luck, it will happen the day I finally decide to buy Xmas presents (most likely Dec 24).

2. No computer: I bought all the parts. I bought the best parts. People asked me if I was going to work for NASA with the computer I was about to have built. Yet, this IS me we're talking about so you guessed it...the parts are gathering dust while a damaged (and effing expensive) mobo gets repaired. When I finally do have a computer and am not using boyfriend's or borrowed laptop or unethically work computer, then I might be able to get back to a regular writing schedule.

3. No time for movies: This is perhaps the most heartbreaking reason of all. I have not been to the movies since I saw a preview of Twilight which would make it once in the last 4 weeks. I know, it's sad. Even at home I've managed to watch 1/8th of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before falling asleep. Damn Xmas.

So I'm neglecting myself, neglecting this blog, neglecting the local cinema and well, I'm just a bit lost to tell you the truth.

I was also talking to a woman today at a work function who I realised was completely bitter. She was so full of bile it was almost spilling out into her glass of averagely priced champagne. She was telling me, with way too much enthusiasm, the devlish story of how she tortured some poor cafe employee and I smiled and nodded and waited for someone to put a bullet in my head. I suppose this holidays will be spent trying to discover if Jen Reviews Movies or if Jen takes it in the theoretical career bum.

Merry Xmas everyone!

A Merry Christmas for me!

Thanks to you, I have over 2000 hits! Best Christmas present ever! Thanks for coming back and for some reason reading what I have to say. Please join me in 2008 for many more exciting movie blog entries!

On a sadder note, I will not be attending the SAG Awards this year with media credentials. If you are pissed about this like I am, write to them and demand that I attend! Just kidding...I'll keep trying for various awards shows but this year will be a bust anyway thanks to the writer's strike. Wish me luck for next year!

All the best for a safe and happy Holiday season!!!

It's Christmas!

Hi everyone, just a brief note to remind you that there are millions of people around the world who miss out on a lot due to poverty, and never get to see the movies I talk about here...the movies you love. They struggle with finding food or shelter, grapple with depression, deal with abuse, oppression and intolerance.

Please check out what's happening in your area and volunteer or pick a charity of your choice, and support it this Christmas. Everyone deserves some joy this year...Christian or not.

Please also take the time to notice the elderly. Many people in their golden years spend the day alone, without family to visit them. If you know someone like this in your area, buy them a present and invite them over for some Turkey.

Now that was depressing! Phew! Please be thankful for what you have this Christmas...and read Megs' review of Atonement below!!!

Top 5 Christmas Movies

Every Christmas I make a list of my top 5 films, and it hasn't really varied much since the first list way back when. I used to have this notebook I started writing in when I was about 7 or 8 which cataloged all the movies I've seen, wanted to see and movies that weren't that great. I get it out from time to time, it's quite battered now and the pages are trying to get away from the ring binding, but these films seep out of those yellowed pages each year and now they've gone digital. I hope you enjoy taking a trip through my past and seeing what movies I've come to care about at Christmas time.

5. Home Alone (1990)


Remember when McCauly Culkin was actually cute? Home Alone was a really fun and magical Christmas story for the then modern age. Parents cringed as poor Kevin was left to his own devices with two hardened crims…kids loved it because they got to fantasize about ditching the parents for once. One of the less annoying slapstick holiday movies out there!




4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
While I didn't mind the update, you can't beat a classic! The beautiful story with a dark underbelly is something I've watched every year of my life. I wanted to move to Whoville... Bless Dr. Suess for creating such a wonderful film with a decent moral...be nice! (How cute is that doggie with the fake antlers...)


3. Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
Dudley Moore as a naughty elf helps Santa tsk tsk greedy corporate America in the 80’s. Great fun!




2. Gremlins (1984)


If you haven't seen Gizmo in his first adventure, then you missed out on something great in '84. These little guys put the horror in Christmas like you've never seen it before! It's mystical, it's horrible and it's so so wonderful. If you like horror, have a good sense of humour and enjoy 80's adventure films, you'll probably like this. I love the good old day before CGI when they actually built puppets and animatronic creatures!



1. Die Hard (1988)


What else?! It's one of the best action movies ever made with Bruce Willis as a cop that can get hurt and the excellent Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber aka the bad guy. I don't know why this movie feels like it belongs to me but every Christmas I watch it with my family and we swear like sailors afterwards. I always add the music from this movie to my Christmas CD's..."This IS Christmas music". If you are a grown up and haven't seen Die Hard then SHAME ON YOU! As an action fan, you probably should know this set the bar for the movies you watch now. John McClane will never be forgotten as one of cinema's greatest heroes...not only can Bruce Willis save the world, he can save Christmas too!

Honorable Mentions

• Elf - the wonderful new classic Christmas movie. So full of heart and genuine comedy you want to hug yourself. Thank you Jon Favreau.
  

• The Ref was a great anti-Christmas flick, great comedy and a holiday most families are more likely to relate to
• The Nightmare Before Christmas is Tim Burton's vision of a kid's movie...that's one sick bastard! I love the music and animation of this truly classic tale...don't miss it.
• A Christmas Story is an oldie but a goodie..."You'll shoot your eye out"!
• Scrooged is one of Bill Murray's best roles...very bah humbug dahhhhling.
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...a classic
  
• Trading Places was one of Eddie Murphy's best comedic performances. Although it's only partially a Christmas movie, I think it still rates.
• The Santa Clause 1 & 2...Tim Allen in his least annoying role (besides Galaxy Quest of course). I really like the simplicity and inventiveness of the story.
• The Classics...Miracle on 34th St, A Wonderful Life, White Christmas...when Grandma comes over these are the best!
  
• Love Actually...OTT sweetness but I challenge anyone to watch this and feel bad. Once you get over the ridiculous Mega-romcom thing, it's quite sweet...actually.
• Ernest Saves Christmas...I like Ernest OK?!
• Fred Claus was my coolest of this decade. I rather enjoyed a ranting Vince Vaughan.

Ok well that's about it from me. Have a very safe and lovely holiday season. Watch lots of movies!