The Watchers' Advent Calendar: 6th December

It's rather scary to think that we're already a quarter of the way through The Watchers' Advent Calendar. The big day will soon be upon us. But until then, here's a little something to test the grey matter (and possibly your Google skills).

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The Watchers' Christmas Quiz (Part One)

This is the first of three short quizzes, all related (more or less) to films that have Christmas in them. Please note this is just for fun; there are no prizes. The answers will be given tomorrow.

So, without further ado, your first set of questions are as follows:

1. In It's A Wonderful Life, what's the name of the town in which George Bailey and his family live?

2. Which of the following actors has not played Ebenezer Scrooge on screen: Jim Carrey, Richard E. Grant, Albert Finney, George C. Scott or Alistair Sim?

3. In Love Actually, which musical instrument does Sam (Thomas Sangster) learn to try and impress Joanna (Olivia Olson)?

4. Who was the only member of the cast of the 1974 horror movie Black Christmas to appear in the 2006 remake?

5. Which Christmas song by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl can be heard in P.S. I Love You? (Bonus question, can you name the Oscar-nominated actor who appears in the official video for the song?)

Hopefully those questions will keep you thinking til tomorrow when we'll have another festive song.

Review: Killer Joe (UK Cert 18)

Iconic director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) reunites with playwright Tracy Letts- after working together on the film version of Letts' play Bug (2006)- for the film version of Letts' 1993 play Killer Joe.

Drug dealer Chris (Emile Hirsch) needs money to pay a debt. Realising his mother Adele has a large life insurance policy which will pay out to his sister Dottie (Juno Temple), Chris, his father Ansel (Thomas Haden Church) and stepmother Sharla (Gina Gershon) conspire to have Adele killed and collect on the money. Into the frame comes Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a police officer with a sideline in contract killing. He will do the job- for a price. When Chris can't come up with the fee upfront, Joe agrees to a retainer- Dottie...

It's a molasses black comedy-drama which will virtually guarantee you never look at southern fried chicken in quite the same light again.

Performances are strong across the board. Perhaps surprisingly given past form (he didn't get the nickname Mahogany for nothing), Matthew McConaughey gives a (mostly) subtle, reptilian performance as the titular killer, only descending into a raging lunatic at the film's climax in which- to be fair- subtlety flies straight out of the window. Temple is outstanding as Dottie, a seemingly simple-minded girl who may not be as innocent as she first appears. Hirsch is as reliable as ever as Chris whilst Church and Gershon make for an entertaining double-act as a pair of trailer-trash rednecks.

There are a few decent plot twists which keep things interesting as the cast of grotesques cross and double-cross one another on the way to the orgy of violence and bloodshed which marks the film's final twenty minutes. It initially received the dreaded NC-17 rating in America (before surrendering that rating in October 2012 and thus becoming unrated) and an 18 certificate in the UK, and believe me, it's well deserved. There are protracted scenes of bloody violence and a sadistic streak a mile wide. Friedkin has stated "Cutting would not have made it mass appeal... To get an R rating, I would have had to destroy it in order to save it and I wasn't interested in doing that."

Lurid, dark and twisted, this slice of Southern Gothic won't be to everyone's tastes. I enjoyed it for the most part, even if the end does take us into WTF territory. You might need a strong stomach to get through it but there's a few guilty thrills to be had on the way.

Rating: 3 out of 5
 
Tez

The Watchers' Advent Calendar: 5th December

Day 5 of The Watchers' Advent Calendar and today, we take a look at how Christmas is spent at a particularly magical place...

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Christmas At Hogwarts

The celebration of Christmas plays a part in all of the Harry Potter novels and also in the films. I've taken two examples here, but if you'd like to find out more about Christmas at Hogwarts, this article is a great place to start.

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (2001)

Harry remains at Hogwarts for Christmas during his first year and receives an unusual present from an unknown benefactor...

Hogwarts Great Hall at Christmas

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005)

During the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts hosts a Yule Ball for its students and the visiting students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang

The Yule Ball

You might need to get your thinking caps on for tomorrow's entry... Come back tomorrow to find out why!

The Watchers' Advent Calendar: 4th December

Today, we celebrate an absolute Christmas classic with a few pictures from one of the most enduring, heartwarming and truly WONDERFUL Christmas movies of all time. Can you tell what it is yet?

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It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

Depressed businessman George Bailey (James Stewart) wishes he'd never been born; angel Clarence (Henry Travers) shows him how bad life would have been without him. If this film doesn't move you, you're made of stone. Stone, I tell ya.

Clarence: Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? 

Come back tomorrow for more Yuletide film fun!

The Watchers' Advent Calendar: 3rd December

Today's entry for The Watchers' Advent Calendar is a music video from one of the best and most twisted Christmas films ever made. 

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The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, is tired of Halloween being the same old thing. Frustrated, he wanders away from Halloween Town and finds himself in a very different world...

Come back tomorrow for more Christmas film-inspired goodness!

The Watchers' Advent Calendar: 2nd December

Day 2 of The Watchers' Advent Calendar is a collection of pictures from a Festive favourite - enjoy!

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How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

The green-skinned Grinch (Jim Carrey) tries to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville in this live-action version of a Dr. Seuss classic tale. The 1966 animated TV movie featured the voice of none other than Boris Karloff as the narrator and the Grinch.

Tomorrow's offering might just get you in the mood to sing - interested? Come back tomorrow and find out!

The Watchers' Advent Calendar: 1st December

Welcome To The Watchers' Advent Calendar!

It's December 1st, most cities in the UK will have switched on their Christmas lights by now, the advent calendars have been opened for the first time and the countdown to Christmas has well and truly begun.

As something a little different, we thought we would do our own Advent Calendar, full of Christmassy film goodness. There'll be video clips, music, pictures and even a few quizzes along the way as we count down to Christmas Day.

So without further ado, here's our cinematic treat for today!

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Batman Returns (1992)

It's an 'alternative' Christmas film, but the following scene is just sublime.

Selina Kyle: A kiss under the mistletoe. You know, mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it. 
Bruce Wayne: But a kiss can be even deadlier... if you mean it. 

Come back tomorrow for another piece of Yuletide film fun!