A Newbie's Take on HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (4K)

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS 25th Anniversary Edition (4K UHD)

2000 / 105 min

Universal

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Biscuit Maker😽

For me, the 1966 Chuck Jones-directed How the Grinch Stole Christmas has always been the greatest holiday TV special ever made. Charming, whimsical and, most importantly, succinct, it remains a Christmas staple in my house, even though my kids have long-since grown up. So naturally, the curmudgeonly boomer in me clutched his pearls at the thought of a live action feature-length remake. No way would this cynical cash grab ever play in my house!

Further fueling my ire…the 2000 remake features what might be the worst Christmas song not sung my Mariah Carey. I should know, because mere days after we’ve put away our Halloween decorations for the year, my daughters always manage to find a radio station playing holiday music. Year-in and year-out, “Where Are You Christmas?” is played incessantly. Where are you, Christmas? What the hell kind of question is that? Maybe the lyrics means something within the context of the film, but I wasn’t willing to endure it to find out. And even though Carey didn’t sing the song, I later learned she had a hand in writing it. I shoulda known.

But a funny thing happened over the last quarter-century. Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas became a holiday classic in its own right, and it’s this version of the story that’s earned an annual holiday viewing spot in many households, having been endlessly released & re-released in every home video format, including two previous 4K editions. I dunno…maybe it was time to set aside my presumptions and see what I’ve been missing (or more accurately, avoiding). So for what it’s worth, these are a few of my takeaways from watching it for the first time…

First and foremost, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a great looking film, bursting with color, vivid imagery and creative production design, especially its depiction of Whoville. Having never seen any previous home video format, I can’t say whether or not this new 4K edition is a significant improvement, but I was pretty impressed with the overall quality of the picture, which enhances the visuals. It also features a pretty solid Dolby Atmos audio track that nicely underscores its aesthetic. 

And if you have to make a live action version of the Grinch, I concede that they couldn’t have picked a more suitable actor than Jim Carrey. While I’m not necessarily a big Carrey fan, he’s demonstrated brilliance in certain roles, especially those that require him to be more than a living cartoon. As the title character, he’s no Boris Karloff (who voiced the Grinch in the original), but is pretty entertaining here, and even buried under all that make-up, he manages to deliver a stand-out performance, though he sometimes makes the Grinch more scary than funny.

"Pull my finger, kid."

In some ways, however, Carrey is the whole show. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is far less interesting whenever he’s not on-screen (as is usually the case with his films). This is where the movie inevitably feels padded out with superfluous new plot elements. The citizens of Whoville were the least interesting aspect of the cartoon, and despite a solid cast, expanding their roles merely exacerbates this. And while I still don’t think the Grinch himself needed a backstory, at least those sequences are somewhat engaging for those who go in for that sort of thing.

Ultimately, How the Grinch Stole Christmas was better than I initially expected, though I don’t think I’d ever be compelled to give it another spin during the holidays. Still, I can see why many people do (likely those who didn’t grow up on the Chuck Jones masterpiece). It’s obvious a lot of love was put into the film - especially on the technical side - and you sure can’t accuse Jim Carrey of phoning it in. At the very least, its heart is in the right place, making it a bit more than a cynical cash grab. That song still sucks, though.

Just in time for the holidays, here’s a new 25th Anniversary edition. For those who already own previous 4K versions, the only upgrade is an all new retrospective documentary, which is pretty good and features interviews with director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, make-up artist Rick Baker and actor Taylor Momsen. Speaking of Taylor, here’s a bit of interesting trivia: Once a child actor who played Cindy Lou Who, she has since become the lead singer of a hard rock band called The Pretty Reckless. Maybe they could’ve made “Where Are You Christmas” listenable.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

25 YEARS LATER: THE GIFT OF THE GRINCH is a brand new retrospective documentary that looks back at the film. Features interviews with director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, make-up artist Rick Baker and actor Taylor Momsen. Fans who’ve made this part of their holiday viewing tradition should enjoy it.

FEATURETTES - Several short featurettes (carried over from previous editions) focus on various aspects of the film, including make-up design, set design, visual effects and the design & creation of the people of Whoville.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Ron Howard.

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OUTTAKES

MUSIC VIDEO -  “Where Are You Christmas?,” by Faith Hill. Ugh.

THE DAY OF THE JACKAL - SEASON ONE: Keep An Open Mind

THE DAY OF THE JACKAL - SEASON ONE (Blu-ray)

2024 / 533 min

Universal

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Carl, the Couch Potato😺

For this writer, 1973’s The Day of the Jackal ranks among the greatest thrillers ever made, one of those rare films that’s structurally perfect and leaves zero room for improvement. But I like to remain open minded, and conceptually, the basic premise of the film is certainly conducive to other interpretations without necessarily drawing unfair comparisons. I enjoyed 1998’s The Jackal, the one with Bruce Willis and Richard Gere, on its own terms. While some scenes alluded to the original, there were enough narrative and character changes that it was more of a reimagining than a remake.

But a television series? While trying once again to remain open minded, I couldn’t imagine any episodic adaptation of the original movie or Frederick Forsyth’s novel without significantly padding things out or completely rethinking the basic narrative structure. And sure enough, the ten episodes of Season One (with a second one on the way), stretch themselves pretty thin at times. However, certain aspects of the show are excellent.

In this one, the notorious assassin known as The Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) is hired by an organization to kill hotshot tech billionaire Ulle Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla) before he launches River, a powerful program that’ll render finances worldwide transparent. The series, however, opens with Jackal’s first kill, the assassination of a German politician. This gets British MI6 agent Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch) involved in hunting for the guy capable of such a seemingly impossible shot before he can do it again. 

That’s the basic overall story, the narrative shifting back and forth between The Jackal’s meticulous planning and Bianca’s relentless determination to identify and catch him. When focused on this, as well as an internal MI6 mole hunt, the show really crackles. While updating the basic premise with different characters and a more contemporarily relevant target, there are still plenty of elements and homages to the 1973 film that are pulled off quite nicely. In fact, Redmayne appears to use Edward Fox’s steely performance in the original as the foundation for his own. He succeeds quite well, exuding understated menace. There are moments when he even resembles Fox.

"I came here to feed the pigeons, and you're scaring them away."

However, a major part of what has always made The Jackal such an intriguing character (in all previous versions) was that little was ever revealed about him beyond his methods and ruthlessness. He remained a nameless enigma, which added to his mystique. But here, not only does the story give him a past (a former military sniper), this Jackal also has a wife, Nuria (Ursula Corbero), a kid and annoying in-laws, all of whom are part of a subplot where his domestic bliss is threatened when Nuria realizes he’s been leading a double life. 

This additional exposition and character development ultimately renders The Jackal more vulnerable, even fallible, and therefore less menacing. It also tends to stall the show’s momentum, as do superfluous scenes depicting how Bianca’s obsession with her job adversely affects her own family life. I understand why both main characters have been fleshed out for the sake of a series, and there are probably plenty of viewers out there who will appreciate the additional melodrama. But these elements are never as engaging as the primary story, which is compelling, increasingly complex and often surprising.

I’m still not sure I like how Season One ends, with a finale that seems more concerned with setting up a second season than satisfactorily wrapping things up. But despite some initial misgivings, The Day of the Jackal works better as a series than I initially thought it would. When staying on-point, the show’s a lot of fun, with good action sequences, some jarring violence and a solid portrayal of the title character by Redmayne. As for those who revere the original film, it helps to stay open minded.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Melon Scene Breakdown is a piece that showcases one of several homages to the original film; Becoming the Jackal is an interview with Eddie Redmayne; Becoming Bianca is an interview by Lashana Lynch.

Revisiting POSEIDON in 4K

POSEIDON Limited Edition (4K UHD)

2006 / 98 min

Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Bonnie McBoatface

A brief rant before we get started…

Ever since The Towering Inferno floored me as a kid, I’ve been a die hard disaster movie lover and it remains my favorite genre. Good ones, bad ones, so-bad-they’re-good ones…serve-up mass destruction and melodrama and I’m all in. Though some great ones are still being made from time to time, most of the acknowledged classics hail from the 1970s, including The Poseidon Adventure.

However, we’re getting a deluxe 4K edition of 2006’s Poseidon, while the original (and far more revered) film that inspired it hasn’t been re-released or upgraded since debuting on Blu-ray over a decade ago. Neither has The Towering Inferno, for that matter. In a day & age when The Toxic Avenger gets the 4K treatment, surely two blockbusters that defined the disaster genre for millions are just as worthy. Fucking Disney (who own 20th Century Fox’s entire back catalog).

As for The Poseidon Adventure...of course it’s a classic, but hardly a cinematic masterpiece. While the special effects remain pretty impressive even today, the dialogue is often groanworthy and every character is painted (and performed) in broad strokes. Though still a boatload of fun (no pun intended), I never felt it was such a sacred cow that a remake was out of the question. NBC tried it first with a soapy, soggy two-parter that not only succeeded in making me detest Steve Guttenberg even more, it actually had the balls to remove the goddamn tidal wave from the plot!

Then a year later, we got this one, boasting a massive budget, impressive cast (Kurt Russell’s always been one of my favorites) and Wolfgang Peterson, a solid director who was certainly no stranger to high sea adventures. Now this was more like it! So guess who was there on opening night with the family in tow.

The basic plot is the same. After a cruise ship is capsized by a massive tidal wave, the survivors must find their way to the hull (now above them) before it sinks for good. There’s plenty of death and peril along the way…some people live, others die. But aside from that, Poseidon serves up different characters, conflicts and obstacles. And that’s fine because there’s no bigger waste of time than doing a remake that’s exactly like the original.

Not everybody's heart will go on.

First and foremost, the special effects and production design are nothing less than spectacular, especially on the big screen (though everything looks and sounds mighty fine on this 4K edition, too). While the original’s tidal wave & capsizing sequence still holds up pretty well, Poseidon practically puts you on deck with torrents of water and flying bodies. Longer, louder and far more detailed, the film is worth checking out for this sequence alone. Petersen must’ve thought so too, because he can’t wait to get to it, rocketing through shallow, superfluous character introductions before the deadly wave hits, all in the first 15 minutes. 

The remainder of the film sees a handful of survivors making their way through the ship, barely staying above the rising water. There’s plenty of action and vivid visuals as they go from one deadly obstacle to the next. However, that’s all there really is to Poseidon. The original film had more than its share of silly subplots involving exaggerated characters, but at least we got to know everyone well enough to be personally invested in their survival. But none of Poseidon’s characters are as interesting as the sets they’re slogging & swimming through. In a way, it’s like watching someone guide a video game character through various levels. 

The one exception is Lucky Larry, played with gusto by Kevin Dillon. His character is a fun throwback to the disasters of yesteryear, when all of 'em had a guy who was so obnoxious, hateful or evil that we couldn’t wait to see them die. Since Larry is a self-aggrandizing, misogynist pig, his untimely demise comes a bit too early, but it’s also satisfying and actually kinda funny. And that ain’t a spoiler, folks. Guys like this are born to buy the farm in disaster movies.

Poseidon has destructive spectacle to spare and it’s obvious nearly every penny of its budget is up there on the screen. But it’s ultimately never as engaging or suspenseful as the original classic because we don’t really care who lives or dies. We’re watching to see how they live or die with a curious sense of detachment, which is fine if mayhem all you’re looking for. And that mayhem looks pretty damn good on this Limited Edition 4K release from Arrow Video, who provide the kind of quality upgrade and extras I wish someone would give the original Poseidon Adventure. But enough of my ranting about that.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

INTERVIEWS - Unsurprisingly, most of the interviews are with people associated with the technical aspects of the film, including director of photography John Seale, production designer William Sandell (who shoulda won an Oscar), FX supervisor Boyd Shermis (who was at-least nominated for one), make-up effects supervisor Michael Deak.

FEATURETTES - Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage is an archival featurette with cast/crew interviews; Poseidon: Upside Down is another archival bit about the set design; A Shipmate’s Diary features production assistant Malona Voigt.

SET A COURSE FOR ADVENTURE - A new appreciation by Heath Holland, who’s pretty enthusiastic.

THE POOP SCOOP: Rogue Wave Edition

🛳POSEIDON Limited Edition 4K Coming 8/12 from Arrow Video. Thousands of vacationers celebrate New Year’s Eve on the luxury liner Poseidon. While VIP guests dance away in the grand ballroom after midnight, a massive rogue wave overtakes the ship and sends it to the ocean depths. The special features include new interviews with director of photography John Seale, production designer William Sandell, visual effects supervisor Boyd Shermis, and make-up effects on-set supervisor Michael Deak; a new retrospective on the film by Heath Holland; featurettes; a reversible sleeve; and an illustrated collector’s booklet with an essay by Priscilla Page.

🙀THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING Limited Edition 4K (available separately) Coming 8/25 from Arrow Video. Tthe explosive remake of the massive cult classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre from director Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th) makes its global premiere on 4K UHD. This blockbuster was the first movie produced by Michael Bay's studio Platinum Dunes, and the Limited Edition features a 4K Ultra HD (2160p) presentation in Dolby and hours of special features. The origins of the infamous horror icon Leatherface are exposed in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, also available for the very first time on 4K UHD. Director Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls) captures the nightmare in Platinum Dunes’ prequel to their remake of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The Limited Edition release features a 4K Ultra HD presentation of the original Theatrical Version and the extended Uncut Version along with hours of special features.

🙀THE CONJURING on Digital NOW and 4K UHD 8/26 from Warner Bros. Before there was Amityville, there was Harrisville.  Based on the true-life story, The Conjuring tells the tale of how world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most horrifying case of their lives. From New Line Cinema comes a feature film drawn from the case files of married demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren.  The Conjuring stars Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) and Patrick Wilson (Insidious) as the Warrens. James Wan (Saw, Insidious) directs from a screenplay by Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes (The Reaping). 

🧟1990’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - UNCENSORED CUT on 4K SteelBook September 23 from Sony. It’s about damn time, with two versions, as well as gobs of new bonus features.

🤠THE UNHOLY TRINITY on Digital NOW, and Blu-ray DVD August 26. A tale of revenge, dark secrets, and buried treasures, the film is set against the turbulent backdrop of 1870s Montana. Starring Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L. Jackson.

🦸THUNDERBOLTS* on Digital NOW and 4K, Blu-ray & DVD July 29. The Thunderbolts are The New Avengers, the ultimate surprise to both audiences and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine as this misfit team of burned assets rallies their powers and unites against all odds. 

😺Oscar Winning FLOW on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD September 23 from Criterion Collection. A thrilling tale of friendship and survival that took indie animation to ecstatic new heights of ambition and imagination, this Academy Award–winning international sensation follows a courageous cat after its home is devastated by a great flood. 

🎸THIS IS SPINAL TAP Goes to 11 on 4K & Blu-ray September 16 from Criterion Collection. This Is Spinal Tap, now beautifully restored, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) embark on their final American tour, with filmmaker Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) capturing all the mishaps, creative tensions, dwindling crowds, and ill-fated drummers. 

🐶Wes Anderson’s ISLE OF DOGS on 4K September 30 from Criterion Collection. Wes Anderson conjures a dystopian future Japan in magical stop-motion. Innovatively blending English and Japanese dialogue through a cross-cultural voice cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Greta Gerwig, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, Yoko Ono, and Koyu Rankin, this fable of loyalty and disobedience combines Anderson’s signature themes.

🙀FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES on Digital June 17, 4K, Blu-ray and DVD July 22 from Warner Bros. “Final Destination Bloodlines” is the newest chapter (and the great Tony Todd’s final role) in New Line Cinema’s bloody successful franchise which takes audiences back to the very beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice.

🚨COBRA Limited Edition 4K Coming July/22 from Arrow Video. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original 35mm negative, and is packed with bonus content. 

😺THE WES ANDERSON ARCHIVE: 10 FILMS, 25 YEARS Coming to 4K & Blu-ray September 30 from Criterion Collection. This momentous twenty-disc collector’s set includes new 4K masters of the films, over twenty-five hours of special features, and ten illustrated books, presented in a deluxe clothbound edition.

THE AMATEUR (2025): A Shiny Penny

THE AMATEUR (Digital) 

2025 / 123 min

From 20th Century Studios

Review by Princess Pepper😽

On Digital NOW and 4K, Blu-ray & DVD July 8.

If you must remake an older film, why not choose one that wasn’t all that great or memorable to begin with?

1981’s The Amateur certainly qualifies. I think I watched this one on cable a year or two after it came and went in theaters. While certainly watchable, it was nothing particularly remarkable. 40+ years later, I recall almost nothing about the film beyond its title and star (John Savage).

This new version is sort of a shiny new penny, with sequences and special effects typical of most modern action films. But a shiny penny is still just a penny. While 2025’s The Amateur is an enjoyable thriller featuring a solid performance by an actor who isn’t the first name that comes-to-mind for this sort of thing, this one isn’t particularly memorable either.

Rami Malek plays Charlie Heller, a nebbish CIA cryptologist who spends most days behind a desk. When his wife is murdered by terrorists while travelling abroad, he understandably wants revenge. Though Charlie’s boss, CIA director Alex Moore (Holt McCallany) assures him that they’ll find those responsible and bring them to justice, Charlie wants to kill them personally and insists they train him for that very thing.

Since Charlie has discovered Moore has the CIA involved in shady activities related to these same terrorists, he blackmails his boss into agreeing. Despite some training by Hendo Henderson (Laurence Fishburne), Charlie doesn’t have what it takes to actually shoot someone. However, targeting the terrorists with his tech skills is another matter altogether. This leads to some creative kills once Charlie begins hunting them down (easily the highlight of the movie). Meanwhile, Heller orders Hendo to find and kill Charlie.

Remi gets carded.

Though Malek gives an earnest, sympathetic and mostly believable performance, the movie’s a little poky at first. Things liven up once he discovers methods of killing that he is good at. Those scenes are creatively depicted and a lot of fun, especially one involving explosives and a glass swimming pool bridging two hotel towers. 

However, the story itself is a standard issue revenge thriller that holds few surprises. The only real difference between Charlie and any other grieving husband avenging his wife is that he doesn’t use a gun. For the most part, none of the other characters really stand-out either, including the antagonists, a majority of whom are introduced just before they’re about to die.

Ultimately, The Amateur is an enjoyable time killer with decent action sequences, but offers little we haven’t seen before. While it ain’t two hours of your life you’ll never get back, most viewers probably won’t give it another thought afterwards. Kinda like the original.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Team; The World; The Pool (making of the film’s best scene); The Score.

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