Now we have reached the 19th of December I feel it is now acceptable to discuss holiday season films.
I don't know about you but every year I like to watch the two most important Xmas movies that really channel the true meaning of this time of year.
The great Joe Dante's 1984 festive creature feature "Gremlins"
and the equintesal holiday film "Die Hard" (1988)
This year I can add my new seasonal watch into the annual rotation.
The Holdovers (2023)
Directed by Alexander Payne, Written by David Hemingson, Produced byMark Johnson, Bill Block & David Hemingson,
Music by Mark Orton, Cinematography by Eigil Bryld, Edited by Kevin Tent, Starring
Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph,
Dominic Sessa.
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school's head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.
Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" is a rare example of a movie that comes straight out of the gates a stone cold cult classic! It even made money at the box office!
The film tells a wonderful story that is beautifully written which is vital but the key to The Holdovers greatness is the ensemble cast that totally knocks it out of the park. The film also just drips with mojo. Alexander Payne and his team have crafted a film that is not only a flawless period piece but a film that presents itself as if it was shot in 1969.
Even though the film was shot using digital cameras cinematographer Eigil Bryld did a truly amazing job and whatever digital effect was used to add the film emulsion look is truly remarkable and then it was beautifully colour graded to look perfectly perod.
A wonderful touch the production team added to the film for increased mojo was making late 60's style title cards for the production companies Focus Features and Miramax and they even had a retro certification card that came up at the very start. Wonderfull.
As I said the cast are just fantastic and the three lead actors put in tour de force performances
The living legend that is Paul Giamatti plays the curmudgeonly classics teacher Paul Hunham at the Barton Academy boarding school with a lazy eye and a body odor issue.
The remarkable Da'Vine Joy Randolph plays Mary Lamb The Barton Academy's cafeteria manager who is dealing with the grief of losing her only child in the Vietnam war.
The young Dominic Sessa is our protagonist Angus Tully the student who is to "Holdover" stay on the school campus over the christmas break. Almost unbelievably this film is Dominic Sessa's first professional acting job and he is so good in this film.
This film is full of heart, drama and wonderfully dark humor.
It made me well up and erupt in belly laughs this is a true gem of modern cinema.
While I am writing this the film is not available to stream or rent online so if you want to see it you will need to buy it on physical media.
If like me you plan to add the film to an annual festive rotation it is worth owning your own disc.
The Holdovers on Blu-ray,
Or you can buy it on 4K UHD
It's sad that I didn't get to see The Holdovers in my favorite cinema because it had closed down. There is now a campaign to re-open the cinema and run it as a charity organisation.
