Based on the book “Erasure” by Percival Everett, American Fiction utilizes an ambitious narrative style to show a Black author named Monk combating the system of racial prejudice. Monk writes as a joke the most stereotypically Black novel ever written, which like in the climax of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, ends up a massive accidental success. Since Monk’s content lacks the Black stereotypes that bring White readers comfort, he’s mistreated by the publishing industry, which directly parallels America in the real world. This movie is careful to address how much White Americans promote mediocre, safe Black stories, then hypocritically don’t consider what the Black community believes which African American stories should be celebrated.
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Besides the hilariously unapologetic honesty this film expresses about America’s racial standards, it’s also greatly personal in depicting the confrontation between siblings as they deal with death and Alzheimer’s. With its heart in the right place, this motion picture bashes on the same Academy of Motion Pictures that routinely awards White savior drivel like Green Book instead of promoting stories about the true Black experience. Thus, it’s quite awesome to see this introspective satirical drama still receive much Oscar glory by winning the award for Best Adapted Screenplay! Its landmark win shall mark the instance when more courageous films in the future will be rightfully awarded for how they give minority groups their overdue opportunity to tell their own stories.

As director Greta Gerwig made the creative decisions for this ambitious blockbuster movie, she refused to go with what the adult in herself would’ve wanted, but rather what the little kid in herself would’ve wanted. Sure enough, her vision led to the set and costume designers using more shades of pink than anyone ever thought could exist. The sets resemble life-size Barbie houses- all authentically artificial and built to scale with the actors (the car Barbie drives is 23% smaller than an actual car). For the fun sequences of the bridge between Barbieland and the real world, scenes are depicted in various locations, all with moving background canvases and multiple layers of artificial set pieces that move.
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Every Barbie party outfit ever sold is referenced in the dance party scene, and even the brand’s more forbidden dolls are included in the cast, such as “Growing Up Skipper” and “Sugar’s Daddy Ken.” Makeup tests were done as well on Margot Robbie to make sure she looked as perfect as a stereotypical Barbie doll—a process that took approximately a year. This huge movie would be nothing however without the brash musical score and hit songs, which demonstrate what happens when filmmakers don’t take themselves too seriously and just have some fun. Yet these filmmakers balance that fun with a loving critique of the Barbie brand’s legacy, which is why Barbie will soon change future tentpole movies forever.

Based on the novel by Alasdair Gray, Poor Things mixes up the Frankenstein story by turning the “monster” into an attractive young woman with the brain of her unborn baby surgically placed into her cranium. This role of Bella Baxter was certainly quite difficult on paper to portray, a character unlike any ever written before, and only somebody like Emma Stone could pull the role off perfectly. The filmmaking style is also unlike anything ever done before, with the whole first act being black-and-white, and everything after that exploding in repulsive color combinations. The colorful fisheye cinematography is meant to resemble Bella’s point-of-view as she explores the steampunk world, like how a small child sees everything for the very first time.
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At the beginning of her journey, Bella prances around with stilted limbs and a limited vocabulary, always referring to herself in the third person like a robotic toddler. But as she gradually gains her independence, she walks more properly like a grown woman and stops referring to herself in the third person. So that means she starts as a woman trapped in a restrictive box designed by men’s ideals, but then teaches herself how to break out of that mold to become her own woman. It’s a weird story indeed, but it’s also a beautiful testament to how sustaining a child’s fascination with life will restore the capacity to stand up for oneself.

Forrest Gump is often known for its revolutionary use of actual archive footage, which was realized through a laborious augmentation process that at the time changed visual effects in movies. For these shots, Tom Hanks was filmed against a bluescreen, given a grain filter to match the archive footage, then put in with the necessary adjustments, such as when he had to shake John F. Kennedy’s hand. In addition, the art director had to recreate some of these locations exactly and the lips of these past figures had to be morphed to move to a recording replicated to sound like their voices.
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Yet there are more groundbreaking special effects in this ever-popular movie. That includes Lieutenant Dan’s amputated legs, which were realized by actor Gary Sinise wearing bluescreen stockings and elements painted into the frame digitally to sell the illusion. That includes the digital ball put into the ping pong matches. That includes putting Tom Hanks into the movie Birth of a Nation. That includes the crowd around the reflecting pool in Washington DC that was made with only a crowd of around a hundred people. That includes the intro shot of the feather—the longest special effects shot ever done at the time. There’s so much to this one-of-a-kind blockbuster that made it not only a dazzling spectacle but a textbook example of a universal crowd-pleaser that has something in it for everyone.

One of the secrets to A Christmas Story’s success is the characters, who all are depicted very realistically as a relatable family with emotions that fluctuate up and down like a roller coaster. They may have mixed feelings toward one another, but at the end of the day, they still love one another. Instead of a traditional story with a central conflict, the family is portrayed in a slice-of-life sort of structure that presents their chaotic mundane moments in a more sitcom fashion. It's also told from the perspective of a child, making out certain little events that to a grown-up are nothing, but to a kid are immense milestones. These include a kid saying his first curse word, having his first secret meeting, seeing a sexual object for the first time, standing up to a bully for the first time, and receiving his first defensive weapon.
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To add greater insight into the mind of this child, sequences of his imagination are visualized, all of which come off as overly theatrical just like the radio programs which inspired his daydreams. Numerous similar components, such as the nostalgic soundtrack, prove why this Yuletide classic isn’t just a goofy comedy, but a deceptively complex portrayal of early 1940s America that in turn captures the magic of Christmas morning. So because of its care and passion, this iconic holiday staple has come to impact the identity of the entire season.

PG (DLSV)
Comedy/Historic
1 hr. 33 min.

Watch it to LEARN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY.

Written over the course of a single weekend, Home Alone defied all odds to become an instant holiday classic. It’s known by many for its hilariously violent cartoonish gags, which the production crew had to get creative while staging. For instance, in the shot where the blowtorch incinerates the top of Harry’s head, a two-way mirror was used to cast the reflection of a flame to give the illusion that it was on top of actor Joe Pesci’s head. Also, when the iron falls onto Marv’s face, there’s a shot that takes place from the iron’s point-of-view, which was achieved by a camera on a rope that fell toward actor Daniel Stern’s face.

Aside from the film’s famous climax, there are still many more problems the cast and crew had to solve together on the spot to achieve what most films at their budget level wouldn’t dare to tackle. That includes the set for the McAllister house, which was built inside a school gymnasium, and filming the scenes with John Candy, which took place over a twenty-three-hour shoot day. But of course, what would all these incredible behind-the-scenes stories for this slapstick comedy be without the wondrous musical score by John Williams? With that fine balance between heart and humor, this number-one box office smash hit generated a massive step forward in how filmmakers can stage effective gags while still retaining the heart of the story.

PG (DLV)
Comedy
1 hr. 43 min.

Watch it for FUN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY and AFRAID.

Twenty years later, Elf still proves itself to be a grand timeless film that can entertain audiences of all ages. It opens with a charming depiction of the North Pole that replicates the classic Rankin/Bass holiday specials, complete with stop-motion puppets, white backgrounds, and colorful elf outfits that are near-identical replicas of the elves in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. There are more tidbits of trivia to prove the level of love, care, and whimsy that went into this instant Christmas classic. For instance, while filming the montage of Buddy entering New York for the first time, everyone Will Ferrell interacts with wasn’t an actor or paid extra! They were real random people found on the street!
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Also, to make the actors playing the elves look short, forced perspective was used, much like in the Lord of the Rings movies. Director Jon Favreau didn’t want to use digital effects for illusions such as this one, so he and his production crew found clever ways to achieve the forced perspective shots, such as by using kids as doubles whenever an elf’s hand or foot had to interact with Buddy. There’s a plethora of many more behind-the-scenes stories and secrets that cement why this Yuletide feature film has become a favorite for many, and a guide for other smaller independent studios to follow on how to replicate the feel of a film made with a massive budget.

PG (DLSV)
Comedy/Fantasy
1 hr. 37 min.

Watch it for FUN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY.

Groundhog Day is not just the rare type of movie that everybody can love, but it’s also a lovely character study on existentialism. It teaches about self-acceptance, which only comes by helping others rather than by selfish motivation. When this film was first released, it was praised by religious groups, including the Buddhist community, because of the philosophical ideas it addresses. When writing the first few drafts of the script, it originally was going to start in the middle, where Phil is already stuck in the repeating days, with a much more morbid ending that suggests the film overall was originally going to be a very dark comedy.
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But then Harold Ramis was brought in to change the script so it could better appeal to mass audiences, and so it instead started with the audience getting the chance to see Phil’s reaction when the time warp starts. When filming, many of the shooting days were actually days of 80-degree weather, meaning fake snow had to be put in and the cast had to dress for winter weather in the heat. Yet it pays off: the small town of Punxsutawney feels so lived in, with the outdoor settings looking unbearably cold and the indoor settings looking warm and comfy. Anyone watching this beloved motion picture likewise will feel warm and comfy inside as they learn how to become better people from observing the transformation of Phil Connors.

PG (LV)
Comedy
1 hr. 41 min.

Watch it to LEARN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY, SAD, and AFRAID.

Based on the book, “Alias Madame Doubtfire” by Anne Fine, director Chris Columbus describes Euphegenia Doubtfire, one of the most beloved movie characters of the 1990s, as “the grandmother you’ve always wanted.” Certain actors offered the role of Mrs. Doubtfire included Warren Beatty and Tim Allen, but it ultimately proved itself to be a role only Robin Williams could bring to life. Every single joke he improvises is absolutely hilarious, and that especially goes for the many deleted/alternate scenes that showcase more of his comedic power! To transform him into his iconic role, Robin had to sit through 3-5 hours of makeup prosthetics every day, and the result turned out so convincing that he wasn’t recognized even by his fellow cast members.
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When working on the screenplay, there was a point when the studio wanted the main divorced couple to get back together in the end, but that idea fell through because those against this ending knew it would’ve been really phony. This turned out to be the right decision—the movie ultimately found that healthy balance between expressing sensitivity toward the topic of divorce while also being one of the funniest pieces of family entertainment ever made. No other movie exists like Mrs. Doubtfire: a textbook example of how to do comedy, as well as a new gold standard on realistic makeup effects to transform an actor into a completely different person of a separate gender and age.

PG-13 (DLS)
Comedy
2 hr. 5 min.

Watch it for FUN
​Watch it to feel HAPPY and SAD.

Despite its goofy plot and bad acting, this spooky little movie could very well develop a cult following someday from those who were kids when they first saw it. And it’s understandable why it would: it’s a twistedly magical piece of family entertainment with a teeny tiny house that erupts in surrealism. Moving into this house is an orphan, Lewis, who must embrace the concept of being the family’s black swan as he lives with his uncle (Jack Black) and neighbor (Cate Blanchett), forming what resembles a mock-Addams family. Outside their front porch, jack-o-lanterns adorn the scene, inside the moonlit walls, the tick-tock sound of a clock is heard, and when the climax hits, the blood-red tint of a lunar eclipse takes over. Everything about the aesthetic of this little fantasy world just screams Halloween.
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As far as the humor goes, Jack Black pulls out a saxophone solo that makes dogs howl and his sentient griffin bush cover its ears, then that same griffin bush, like a family cat, poops in the backyard pond against the uncle’s orders. These little funny bits help balance out the unsettling atmosphere while sustaining that edginess to make kids watching feel like they’re in Lewis’s place; in turn, those kids and kids-at-heart who feel a little weird within their own families could potentially resonate with Lewis. So while The House with a Clock in its Walls isn’t perfect, it’s perfect for Halloween!

PG (DL)
Comedy/Fantasy
1 hr. 44 min.

Watch it for FUN.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY and AFRAID.