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2013 IN REVIEW: The Films I Didn’t See (September – December)
Oscar season! This is when the studios want to release the best films of the year (or so they say). Why? Because they want the films to be fresh in the voters’ minds. Prestige films and the like. Indie dramas, historical period films, war films, controversial films… If it can make you cry, your heartbreak, your spirit lift with joy, make you see things from a new light, this is the season.
It’s also a good time for seasonal holiday films. You’ve got your horror films to cover Halloween, your Christmas films for Christmas, and this year we even got an animated Thanksgiving film (though I’m not certain that all you people looking forward to a big piece of juicy turkey are going to love it). Meanwhile, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa get left out, once again. For some reason, this season was also rife with Christian films, from Kirk Cameron, to Miley Cyrus analogs, to Christmas miracles, the industry that claims to represent my faith has got you covered in that area. Woo.
It’s not all your typical films, though. More and more, Hollywood is figuring out that you should spread your action films and your romantic comedies throughout the year, rather than bunching them all into the middle. Consequently, we got a few Sylvester Stallone-involved flicks this season, a sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s Machete, as well as the latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: The Dark World.
Nevertheless, as with the first and second entries, I couldn’t see them all, so, as with the last time, here are the films that, as of this writing, I did not see from May– August 2013, in order of release, as noted on Wikipedia. Please note that, as in the past, I still reserve the right to watch any film that is listed here and then re-remark on the film in one of the upcoming articles on films I did see from 2013. So, yes, again, you might see some of these films again, and soon, since this is the last of the films that I haven’t seen from the year. Enjoy! Read more…
Review: “Meet Me in St. Louis”
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Produced by: Arthur Freed
Written by: Irving Brecher & Fred F. Finklehoffe (screenplay), Sally Benson (story)
Starring: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor, Tom Drake, Marjorie Main
Music by: Roger Edens (score) Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane, Arthur Freed, et al. (songs)
Based on the stories of Sally Benson
Year: 1944
While not strictly a Christmas movie in itself, Meet Me in St. Louis is often cited as one and, nonetheless, definitely teaches us to be in the holiday spirit all year round, as it centers around a lot of the traditional themes of mainstream Christmas: family, friends, love, and togetherness. Of course, despite featuring many other events over the course of a year, the film does ultimately feature its emotional climax around the Christmas season, and it is here that the film earns its status as a true holiday classic, if only because of what is arguably the film’s most lasting and famous contribution to the holiday, the song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Read more…
The Viewer's Commentary 