Theatrical Review: The Addams Family

Date: Sunday October 20 2019
Time: 11:30am
Party: 3 (my mom, sister and I)

Directors: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon
Writers: Matt Lieberman and Charles Addams (based on his characters)
Composers: Jeff and Mychael Danna (not often we see 2 composers in one movie... although Frozen had husband/wife songwriters)

Cast:
Gomez- Oscar Isaac
Morticia- Charlize Theron
Wednesday- Chloe Grace Moretz
Pugsley- Finn Wolfhard 
Lurch- Conrad Vernon
Uncle Fester- Nick Kroll
Margaux Needler -Allison Janney
Parker Needler- Elsie Fisher

Duration: minutes (96 minutes +7 trailers)

Coming Attractions 

Arctic Dogs
Jeremy Renner plays the lead character, a fox who wants to deliver packages like the dogs (or was it wolves?) that deliver the mail. It's kinda cool that he's doing the lead and it's animated. Something a little different from the Avengers movies where he's rarely in the lead role.

Playing with Fire
Yeah, this movie again... John Cena and a few firefighters look after some kids and things happen. There was one comment someone made in the movie about kids being kids or whatever... and I'm thinking "most kids aren't this precocious or crazy" so it's not exactly realistic. They're just over the top for this movie becaue that's what these movies are like.

Playmobil the movie
Somebody is after the Lego movie money... there's something about a secret agent that uses 2 civillians to help him. The secret agent is Daniel Radcliffe... like seriously? That's crazy :P But that's not gonna make me see this movie. 

Spies in Disguise
Will Smith is the spy, Tom Holland (Spider-Man) is his geeky assistant. And the spy turns into a pigeon to go incognito... yeah, okay... 

Trolls: World Tour
I didn't see the first Trolls movie, so I don't really care too much about this one. (That Justin Timberlake song still annoys me... actually all of his songs since he went solo... I really don't care for him). The idea is that the world is full of different music and someone wants to collect the guitar strings so they can destroy them and only rock music prevails. It's an interesting concept that I almost bought into... then they introduced a hip-hop troll... I don't consider hip-hop music (I only support real music by real musicians... but I do disgree on that from time to time... I'm a sucker for a good pop song, assuming it's not played to death on the radio), so I'm immediately thinking "ok, that movie's ruined for me"

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
OMG... why does this movie need a sequel? The first one wasn't even reviewed that well. Heck, some parents wanted it pulled from theaters because there's a scene where an aggressive food allergy is used for comedy and they were afraid of it giving children bad ideas. 
Peter Rabbit is part of my childhood, but as much as I like James Corden, I hate what he's done to this character. Or the writers really... making him like this pompous celebrity... 

Frozen 2
Of all the trailers, this is the only movie I really want to see. But even though this was the first proper trailer we've gotten, it has me a little nervous. I loved the original movie and the dynamic with Anna and Elsa. But it looks like it's a little darker than the original. There's an enchanted forest that doesn't let anyone in or out and there's a plot point where Anna is told that magic comes with temptation and she might lose Elsa to it. Then again, the Snow Queen was originally a villain, so maybe that's what they're going for.
Once Upon a Time did a REALLY good follow-up to this story when they brought these characters into the show. The actresses were so good. Especially the one who played Elsa. And they talked about how their parents found the gloves to conceal her powers and that her aunt had the ice powers as well. 


Opening Comments

I usually start writing these with a time/place/people plus the cast and trailers, but I actually wrote this part first. I spend so much time on the other things that it's ages before I get to the movie.

The theater was mostly full and it was the good audience. Not just for a couple laughs, but when the finger snaps came in (you'll know when ;) ), it's such a cool effect hearing everyone doing it. Except I didn't because I liked to sit back and marvel at the phenomenon.
One negative that kinda tarnished overall experience a bit was that some parents brought little kids that were either crying or couldn't sit still. Oddly enough, it kinda worked in this movie because it added to the spooky atmosphere of the castle, but after a while, it got annoying. No kids should go to the movies until they can sit still for 90 minutes. I didn't go to my first movie until I was 6 because my dad knew I was mature enough to handle it.

I'm not super familiar with this series myself other than some character names and how a bunch of people have said Morticia and Gomez are the best couple because they love each other so much. The other day, I actually watched Nostalgia Critic (man I haven't seen his videos in ages... now I'm getting old cuz that was only 10 years ago and I was in college when I watched his stuff a lot) and he did top 11 best strange couples and they were at the top. I didn't recognize many of the couples, but that really made sense as #1. 

Overall, the translation of the characters to screen and animation was great. It really suited them well and the new actors did a good job bringing them to life. Gotta say how nice it was for Oscar Isaac to do Gomez cuz he doesn't get a lot of these family-friendly accessible roles. Charlize Theron as Morticia and Chloe Grace Moretz as Wednesday, they were spot on (as Gordon Ramsey would say). In the end, the movie is about family and how strong their bond is and even though things aren't always perfect, they somehow make it work. 

The premise is that the couple moves to New Jersey (omg, the cheers in the audience are awesome, haha) to get away from the torches and pitchforks. And they live on a house on a hill away from the nearest town. And they've stayed there for 13 years without being noticed.
You know what happens after that... eventually someone notices and the plot starts moving. 

It seems like all animated movies now are a bit smarter because they're trying to teach something as well as entertain. The kids watching might not pick it up, but surely the adults will. The "villain" is played by Allison Janney (again, great casting choice, you can't picture anyone else doing this once you've seen this movie). Margaux Needler is the host of a home makeover show where she's helped create this town. I think it's called Assimilation... yeah, real subtle. And unbeknownest to the people in town, she'd rigged all of their homes with hidden cameras. Social media also plays a huge role and it's a lot scarier than everyone thinks that Addams family is. As great a platform as it is in reality, it has the propensity to create a mob mentality if a post is shared hitting all the right pressure points and it upsets enough people. It's to the point you can't state an opinion without fear of being jumped on because so many people with louder voices disagree with. That's why I stick to the topics I do on Twitter and avoid everything else best I can. 
So this woman finds out about the Addams and she spouts lies about them that everyone instantly believes and metaphoric torches and pitchforks get involved. 

At the same time, the Addams children are having some growing pains. Wednesday finds about the outside world and wants to be part of it despite Morticia being protective. And Pugsley needs to do a traditional sword ceremony as a rite of passage to manhood and he kinda lacks the talent for it. But he does have talents in other areas and when that acceptence finally arrives, it's the best thing. Especially because it comes into play in the final action scene of the movie. 
Seeing Wednesday integrate into the local junior high is kinda crazy, but she earns some friends with her sheningians. One of them is Parker, whose mom is the crazy home makeover lady. Parker is kinda into the social media thing too, but she wants to be an Instagram influencer or something. She even gets a goth makeover and tries to make that her new persona. 
But again, we learn something. Being yourself is more important than trying to fit in and be like everyone else. And nothing beats family, which is the biggest part of this movie. All of us to a degree can relate to that, I think. All of our families have their quirks. Not as kooky as the Addams family, of course, but as much as they embarass us or they might not get our hobbies, they still love us. 

The set designs were also great with the great contrast between the castle and Assimilation. After spending so much time in the castle, it kinda burns your eyes to see anything with color. I had a similiar thing happen with Sweeny Todd where we get to "By the Sea" where there's so much color popping up. It's crazy when it initially happens, but it's crazy to think how much we get accustomed to one set of stimuli and the different is staggering. 

Some of my favorite little bits of the movie was some of the unorthodox kooky things about the Addams. Wednesday creeping on her parents. One scene where Morticia wanted to do tea and a seance in the garden with Wednesday and she gets her parents to come in on the crystal ball by dialing them on a Ouija board... omg, I loved that so much. It wasn't even that long of a scene, but I just found that fascinating. The Ouija board has been fuel for so many jokes and horror movies that it's nice to see it in a tamer capacity. 
Lurch is great because we see his softer side. He loves this organ and among the books he has hanging around, I noticed one that mentioned 80's organ songs. 
And Fester is the quirkiest of them all... but also the victim of some sheninigans, but he's so used to it that he doesn't seem to care. 

So overall a really good adaptation... but maybe a little too much emphasis on social media. There aren't many scenes, but as much as I appreciate how it was used, I don't like the aspect of mob mentality... especially when the people involved don't have all the facts. I'd say lemmings would be a perfect way to describe them, but someone in the movie beat me to it ;) 

Grade: B+

22. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Code-name: Zero

Director: Henry Selick
Writer: Tim Burton (based on a poem he wrote)
Composer: Danny Elfman
Type: Halloween/holiday themed animated film

Cast:
Jack Skellington- Chris Sarandon
Jack Skellington (singing voice)- Danny Elfman
Sally- Catherine O'Hara
Dr. Finkelstein- William Hickey
The Mayor- Glenn Shadix
Oogie Boogie- Ken Page
Lock- Paul Reubens
Shock- Catherine O'Hara
Barrel- Danny Elfman
Santa Claus- Ed Ivory
Narrator- Patrick Stewart

Notable Nominations:
OSCAR- Best Visual Effects
Golden Globe- Best Original Score- Danny Elfman

Write-up:

Introduction

I remember wanting to see this movie when it came out on VHS, but I don't know if we ever got around to renting it. At the tender age of 8, I probably wouldn't have gotten into it or enjoyed it as much as I do now.

I have "Kingdom Hearts" alone to thank for convincing me to give this movie another shot. Now I can't get through the Halloween season without seeing it once and I have this thing where I have to see every second of it or the overall experience doesn't feel complete.

The first time I saw a run-through of the game, I was surprised that HalloweenTown was one of the worlds. I didn't remember it being a Disney movie... apparently Touchstone Pictures is OWNED by Disney and they used to distribute their darker films.

...I have mixed feelings about that :-P Disney handles some pretty dark stuff on their own

But anyway, both installments of the series handled different elements from this movie. This is opposed to one game handling a plot similar to the movie and the other making up its own storyline. That alone, I find pretty impressive.

In Kingdom Hearts, Jack wanted to use the Heartless for his yearly Halloween celebration and it has some serious repercussions. Naturally, Sally thinks it's a horrible idea and tries to talk him out of it. Oogie Boogie's roulette wheel was featured in the first boss fight.

The second game revisit the plot where Jack has Sally make him a Santa Claus costume and it's hinted that he wants to give the Christmas thing another try.
Both renderings were really well done, using a lot of the same settings in the film (KHII also has a ChristmasTown locale, which is a nice addition).

It's also nice that they brought back Chris Sarandon to perform for Jack... everyone else, they were sourced out to prolific, albeit, generic voiceover veterans like Kathe Soucie and Jeff Bennett (who I love in their own work, it's just a minor peeve of mine when other actors originate roles and sound-alikes take over for monetary reasons)...

Anyway, moving on...

The Story


Halloweentown is one of several parallel universes where holidays come from. The inhabitants include all the creatures one would associate with Halloween, monsters, vampires, werewolves and such. The most notable resident: Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King. During every year's Halloween celebration, he's at the center of its planning and staging.

This year, however, after Halloween comes and goes, Jack feels empty inside, doing the same thing year after year and wants to find something new.
What he winds up finding is the portal to ChristmasTown, leading him on a mission to explain the spirit of Christmas to the HalloweenTown residents.

This does not go over well and he soon decides the best way is to take over Christmas, getting everyone else involved.
The only person against it is Sally, a ragdoll created by the mad scientist Dr. Finkelstein. She spends much of the movie trying to get away from him as he believes she's not quite ready for the outside world. She also falls in love with Jack, despite her opposition to his idea.

What could possibly go wrong? With Christmas now under the leadership of someone best skilled at scaring people? And with Santa Claus in the clutches of Oogie Boogie, the town's Boogie Man?

How about everything? :-P
But every minute of it isn't to be missed.

Characters and Actors

Easily, the biggest stars of this movie are Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman and Catherine O'Hara.

Knowing him only as Prince Humperdink of "The Princess Bride," I wouldn't have figured Chris Sarandon had this much depth. Of course his performance is aided by dozens of expressions for Jack's figurine, but he brings so much life to it... you feel like Jack is really alive.
Not that all of the characters aren't lively, but there are so many dimensions to Jack's personality. Despite going about his good intentions the wrong way, you find yourself wanting to get behind him. He has that irresistible charm and charisma.

Catherine O'Hara previously worked with Tim Burton in "Beetlejuice" and most of us know her as Mrs. McAllister in the "Home Alone" movies. Sally is a unique character, unlike anything she'd played before and also unique among the HalloweenTown residents. She has a good heart, a conscience and probably more common sense than everyone else in the world put together.

As Santa Claus put it, "the next time you take over someone else's holiday, I'd listen to her. She's the only one who makes sense around this insane asylum"

Given the back and forth we have throughout the movie, Jack realizing his feelings for Sally and uniting with her... such a sweet pay-off.

Adults are more likely to see the humor in The Mayor. He's a man with two faces that transition based on his mood (one happy, one terrified/sad) and his shtick (probably moreso in the Kingdom Hearts series than in the movie) is saying "I'm only an elected official, I can't handle this by myself"...
:sigh: sad but true

Lock, Shock and Barrel are all minions of Oogie Boogie's, but they have their unique personalities and quirks. They're mischievous kids dressed as a devil, a witch and a skeleton. Jack hires them to kidnap Santa Claus so he can take over the holiday. They also wind up handing Santa over to Oogie Boogie, who absolutely enjoys making a spectacle of himself to horrify him.
Although Jack's plan is all kinds of wrong, Oogie Boogie's the true villain of the movie. How he's defeated is textbook horror-genre'd B-movie... about as silly as seeing the zipper in the back of a monster costume.

And of course, there's Jack's faithful ghost dog companion, Zero. So loveable, one of several dogs Tim Burton had written into his stop-motion animated films... all of which were dead yet alive in their own way.
However cheesy it is, he's there to "light the way" for Jack's sleigh when Sally tries to stop the flight with fog juice.

Yeah, they totally gave him a glowing jack-o-lantern nose for that reason :-P

The Music

Danny Elfman said writing the 10 songs in this movie was "one of the easiest jobs I've ever had" because he had a lot in common with our anti-hero, Jack Skellington 8-)

I got to know "This is Halloween," the opening musical number of this film, as the musical score of HalloweenTown in Kingdom Heart... meaning I didn't know there were actually words attached.
Whenever I watch the movie, for whatever reason, my sister will come in and sing along with the song... the only part of the movie she will watch with me...

But yeah, it's a pretty kick ass song and I can play at least the first couple bars on keyboard.

Actually, all of the songs in this movie are really good with the exception of "Kidnap the Sandy Claws," sung by Lock, Stock and Barrel. Not that it's bad songwriting, it's just hard to listen to and enjoy it, especially with the childish sounding vocals.

Right after "This is Halloween," we have "Jack's Lament" where he moans about not feeling the Halloween spirit and not understanding why.
One of many songs where Danny Elfman does melancholy so well.

So naturally we had to follow it with something happier and more upbeat.
"What's this?" where Jack is running around ChristmasTown trying to make sense of everything, how this world is so different from his.
It's so much fun, seeing his flexible body weave in and out of the town, the expressions on his face, the range of his vocals. He's so captivated and overwhelmed by every little detail.

Another fun song, if you're into the demented side of fun, is Oogie Boogie's song. For a younger audience, it might be deemed a little creepy with all the crazy colors and patterns appearing throughout the number.
It also prominently features the roulette wheel that was part of the first HalloweenTown boss fight in Kingdom Hearts, as does the epic battle scene in the finale between him and Jack.

A great moment that was parodied by Nostalgia Critic was in a song called "Poor Jack" where Jack's plan literally blows up in his face and he wonders why.
Then he realizes the error of his ways, puts an optimistic spin on things and resolves to come up with something better for next Halloween.

Nostalgia Critic put his some of own lyrics to this song after a vlog of him reviewing old commercials at a time where he was questioning why he was doing what he was doing.
He then proceeds to end it the same way:

"I hope there's still time to set things right... Sandy Claws"... he goes off screen and comes back on, "Sandy Claws?" and quickly corrects himself.
I just find that hilarious.

Aside from "What's this?," my favorite song is the one sung by Sally and later by her and Jack. The chord progression is all over the place, but that's part of its charm.
Another melancholy track done really well, but it's so beautiful, especially when she and Jack get together in the end.This part especially is where I feel it's crucial to not miss a second. One time I missed hearing the final notes of the song at the end of the movie and I wasn't entirely satisfied at the end because of it. Mainly because one of the many things in music I go crazy for is having a song ending on the perfect note. That just makes me so happy 8-)