The Foxy Film Fan

A Christmas Story (1983) The majority of films centered around the holiday season also effectively work to draw forth feelings of nostalgia. Traditionally this nostalgia is related to the holiday season and the imagery which one typically can expect to see during Christmas time. However, in the case of A Christmas Story  the nostalgia is not relating to Christmas, but rather to a much more broad and relatable occurrence which even those who dod not celebrate traditional American Christmases will relate to - growing up. Despite its title and the fact that the events in the films plot all take place around the holiday season, it is the occurrences and instances of familiar childhood events that brings this film its charm. Take for example the terror of accidentally swearing in front of a parent, but amplify it to the point where the parent begins shrieking in absolute terror and disbelief when they hear the word you uttered. A Christmas Story  is more of a series of child...

A Christmas Carol (1999) At its heart, Charles Dickens' story of A Christmas Carol  is grim. It's one of lost love, a lifetime of regret, the death of close friends, greed, selfishness, and essentially explores the darkest heart of humanity. Few renditions of the original story actually succeed in their efforts to convey Dickens' message of transformation, in which the cruelest and greediest of man is redeemed and changes his way into someone loving and kind, but David Jones' version, starring Patrick Stewart, succeeds fantastically. Unlike other versions of the story, which almost reduce the character of Ebenezer Scrooge to a cartoonish and comical villain who seems too over the top to earn either sympathy or resentment from those who watch the film, Patrick Stewart portrays Scrooge with a surprising amount of realism. Through Stewart's remarkable talent as an actor and David Jones' vision as a director, Scrooge is no longer a parody of the villain pre...

The holiday season brings about a special sort of feeling which is often difficult to put to words; it's a sort of nostalgia, the familiar warmth of being in the company of loved ones with a fire in the fireplace and hot cocoa to keep the cold at bay, or of rushing into the living room at an ungodly hour in the morning while eagerly excited to open the presents waiting so patiently beneath the tree. John Hughes seems to have a perfect understanding of that feeling, and he replicates it perfectly in Home Alone. The premise of Home Alone is simple, and if placed in the wrong hands it might have been an absolute disaster. When a young boy is accidentally left home alone for the holidays he finds himself forced to protect his home from the pair of robbers attempting to break in, initially pretending the house is filled with people, but eventually getting caught in his lies and finding himself forced to defend his home himself. While the slapstick brand of comedy has the...

Krampus (2015) It's December, which means that the holiday season is upon us. The Foxy Film Fan will mainly be reviewing movies with a holiday flair to their plot or setting for the rest of the month, until the end of the year brings about a time to reflect on this year's greatest movies and the long list of movies that I've watched over the past twelve months. So often we associate the holiday season with Christmas cheer and stories of virgin birth, but once in a while a film like Krampus  comes along to shatter that revelation and bring about something cold and grim. The plot has roots in old European folklore, which states that while Santa brings gifts to the good children of the world, Krampus bring terror and punishment to those who aren't quite so lucky. Our film revolves around a dysfunctional family which bears a striking resemblance to that of the Griswold family in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation , and the horror of Krampus paying them a vis...

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) Movies centering around Halloween and Christmas are commonplace; movies centered around Thanksgiving, on the other hand, are a rarity. Planes, Trains and Automobiles  is a comedy by beloved director John Hughes who's always had a penchant for delicately combining sincerely sentimental with outrageously funny, and this film is no exception. Steve Martin plays the role of the uptight office worker who's just trying to make it home on time for Thanksgiving, and John Candy is the unlikely friend who joins him along for the ride. John Candy masters the role of the obnoxious sweetheart, who's blissfully unaware of just how painfully annoying he can be, while Steve Martin is the perfect opposing irritable travel companion. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the comedic timing in this film is hysterical. Planes, Trains and Automobiles  also succeeds in a way which many comedies fall flat. It is genuine in its emotional scenes, albeit a...

As you probably know, the holiday season means family is coming to visit, and oftentimes family means small children. It can be very difficult to find films which will appeal to everyone in the room, with movies such as Ice Age: The Meltdown  being unbearable for adults, but a great deal of films being too boring or too intense for children to follow. This list is intended to help you during this holiday season, it will provide you with five family films which are appealing to children and adults alike, and which will hopefully help change your perspective on family films. Many family films are terrible, but there are exceptions to the rule. For the sake of my own sanity, I will not be including any animated movies in this list, because then that would be all that this list consisted of. 1. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) Gene Wilder's incredible portrayal of the titular Willy Wonka is so believable that one can'...