Reading: MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET: A STORYBOOK EDITION OF THE CHRISTMAS CLASSIC - Valentine Davies Estate/Susanna Leonard Hill (writers) & James Newman Gray (illustrator)

From childhood, my favorite Christmas film has remained the original Miracle on 34th Street. For this reason alone, it was a surprise to learn that it took so many decades later for a picture book to come out retelling the story of a sensible little girl (and her even more-sensible mother) who learns to believe again when she meets a man who may - or may not - be the real Santa Claus. This book is a delight to just thumb through; James Newman Gray's illustrations greatly reflect the old-fashioned, peaceful beauty of Christmas so prevalent in the original film (only in bright, beautiful purely-Christmas colors here not found in the original film). And while the story has been, of course, greatly pared down to the very basics for a children's picture book, I still felt it a bit lacking especially in the character of Susan's mother - who, in fact, is only called Mother throughout, which for me made the story feel unbalanced, even awkward, when compared to the film I love so much. That said, this beautifully-presented book makes effective use of the small time and space it has to re-tell the story of how Kris Kringle taught a little girl that you must always have faith, even when common sense tells you not to.  3.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Watching: SKYSCRAPER

Year: 2018

Rated: PG-13

Writer/Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber

There is something so insanely stupid about Dwayne Johnson's Skyscraper, you have to applaud its sheer gall to exist. Like Die Hard mixed with The Towering Inferno with a dash of "Gilligan's Island" (because every time you think Johnson and/or his family is going to escape, something else happens) thrown in, Skyscraper is a brainless, fun, over-the-top live-action loony tune that - thankfully - keeps a toe-hold in reality thanks to the chill, effective performance of Neve Campbell (we've missed you, Neve!) as Mrs. Rock - er, Dwayne Johnson's wife. The plot is simple: Will Sawyer (Johnson) is a war vet and former FBI hostage rescuer who now helps companies big and small to assess/beef up their security systems, when he's all but handed the gig of a lifetime as he and his family are flown to Hong Kong to assist the billionaire creator of the world's tallest, safest skyscraper, rising 225 stories above the city. Will's there to help finalize the one-of-a-kind structure's security but alas, some stock company terrorists finesse access to the system first, the bulkier, more military-looking ones entering the building itself to start a fire on one of the upper floors - one floor away, of course, from where Will's family are staying, making them trapped. As if Will's day isn't going badly enough, the baddies also frame him for the crime, so with no help from the authorities and live news feeds painting him a criminal, how does a big, bulky ex-military hostage rescuer gain access to the building ... get all the way up to his family ... thwart the terrorists ... and find out what the hell's going on in the first place, so he can stop it? The film is merciless in what it puts Will Sawyer through in trying to save the day (and his wife and kids), the resulting action and suspense sequences so over-the-top nuts you can't help but sit back in awe, your brain safely tucked away in a desk drawer somewhere. The film most definitely has its moments, a little silly for me and I thought the ending too drawn out and anti-climactic, but for Rock fans seeking a more serious, Bruce Willis-y Rock than your usual smug, smiling slab of beefcake, Skyscraper makes for a suspenseful little rollercoaster ride.  6.5/10 stars

Watching: HALLOWEEN

Year: 2018

Rated: R

Director: David Gordon Green

For those of you (aka most of us) who feel the story of Michael Meyers jumped the shark with anything after Halloween II, never fear; this sequel to John Carpenter's classic masterpiece Halloween changes the game and picks up four decades after the events in the first film, ignoring everything else. The fortieth anniversary of "The night HE came home" is coming up, and Michael Meyers remains institutionalized, not uttering a word since committing his crimes. Meanwhile, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, wonderful as a broken warrior) has confined herself to her own private hell; twice-divorced and estranged from her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), Laurie lives outside town in an isolated part of the woods, where she's spent decades honing her own fighting and killing skills in preparation for the day when Michael comes for her again, while simultaneous trying to keep a fragile relationship with her teenage granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak). When a former student of the late Dr. Sam Loomis, Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), arranges a transfer for Michael and some other patients to another facility - on Halloween night, no less (cue creepy music) - Michael escapes (duh!) and the killing starts again as he cuts a path toward Haddonfield and The One Who Got Away all those years ago. First off, I have to say this film has one KICK-ASS ending I didn't see coming, and for that alone I recommend it. That said, Curtis is fantastic as always, wholly believable as a recluse just waiting to take down the devil. But one thing that made the original Halloween work so perfectly is that Michael Meyers was "The Shape" - an evil, omnipotent, almost supernatural presence who was just ... there; forever after you, and not stopping until it gets you. Here he's sadly been reduced to a standard slasher flick killer, that essence of pure, incarnate evil somehow lost in translation. The fact that director Green also has much of the killing happen off-screen removes some of the mystique from Michael as well, not to mention weakening the most suspenseful scenes when they are suddenly cut short of watching the victim actually buying it (NOTE: John Carpenter's death scenes, in the original, were shocking and terrifying without the gore; the same could equally have been done here). Good but not great, this Halloween (without giving spoilers) still feels like a fitting wrap up chronicling Laurie Strode's dance with the devil; closure of some kind, at last, for that poor, awkward babysitter who just wanted to carve a pumpkin, get a date for the dance, and watch The Thing all those years ago.  7/10 stars

Watching: I STILL SEE YOU

Year: 2018
Rated: PG-13
Director: Scott Speer
It's been a decade since an "apocalyptic event" killed off millions from the world's population  - though "killed off" might not be a wholly accurate phrase, as ghost-like versions of many remained behind - remnants - repeating the same actions over and over every day before evaporating, as if waiting for permission to fully cross to the other side. Ask high school student Veronica (Bella Thorne), who goes downstairs every morning to still see her see-through father reading the paper, until he evaporates in a wisp of smoke, like vapor, at the same moment every morning. It's just another day for the goth-like teen ... until a young, handsome "rem" actually makes physical contact with Veronica - a phenomenon that's never happened before - and she has to team up with her school's social outcast (Richard Harmon), whose been tracking these spectral entities for his own purposes, to try and find out who is after her from beyond the grave. A decent script but wholly predictable story - right up until the supposed "surprise" ending that any fan of thrillers will see coming miles away - should have made this film worse than it actually is, but I Still See You held my attention throughout with a few edge-of-your-seat moments of suspense that (along with the somewhat original premise, and a finale that plays out on an icy lake at night) turned it into a genuine guilty pleasure for me.  Thorne is good as the put-upon Veronica, Harmon even better as the misfit Kirk, with Dermot Mulroney effectively rounding out the headlining trio as a concerned teacher.  7/10 stars

Watching: INCREDIBLES 2

Year: 2018
Rated: PG
Director: Brad Bird
While Marvel and DC consistently try to one-up each other with special effects, explosions, and dissolving superheroes, Pixar snuck in and created as close to perfect a superhero film as mere mortals are likely to get. Incredibles 2, coming along fourteen years after its predecessor, starts off with a bang as Bob and Helen Parr - aka Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl - manage, along with their three children, to defeat the Underminer ... but are then are arrested for doing so, as superheroes are still illegal. Enter the brother/sister team of Winston and Evelyn Deavor, richer-than-rich siblings behind the multi-billion dollar company Devtech who are determined to rebuild the public brand of superheroes, with the ultimate goal of making them legal again. When the siblings choose Helen to work with over Bob (Elastigirl, who tends to save people without destroying public or personal property, has the better image), Mr. Incredible suddenly finds himself the stay-at-home dad - just in time for the baby, Jack-Jack, to start developing (and showing off) a variety of potentially destructive powers of his own. But sinister plots abound, and when a new supervillain - Screenslaver - threatens to not only destroy the world but all the superheroes, it will take the entire Parr family to don the red suits one more time and - along with Frozone and a slew of new heroes of wannabes and veterans - give their everything to save the world from a menace hidden under their very noses. Though I guessed the Big Reveal early on, everything about Incredibles 2 - the story, humor, fight scenes, visuals, social messages, family dynamic - it all worked for me, without a sour note in the entire film. Exhilarating, thrilling and funny as heck right up until the end, it was my favorite film of 2019 - and will remain a favorite film of mine for a long, long time.  9.5/10 stars

Reading: SUPER CHILL: A YEAR OF LIVING ANXIOUSLY - Adam Ellis

Embarrassed as I am to admit it, this collection was my introduction to cartoonist Adam Ellis - but hopefully it makes up for my tardiness that I was hooked immediately going in, becoming an instant fan (I have since found him on social media/seen much more of his work).  Pretty much anyone who lives the kind of life where dumb things go wrong daily (aka the human race) can relate to Ellis, who in his crisp/animation-level artwork (seriously, Adam the oft-put-upon character would make for a great animated TV series) shows his one-of-a-kind level of snark in the saga of a young man who, regardless of what life deals him (healing through crystals? a disturbing breakdown from "Anceztry.com"?), tries to keep things positive. Funny and relatable, my only critique: at 120 pages the collection is just too short, reading very fast until I didn't realize it was over until it was - and was left wanting more.  4.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.