The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 4, 2013

In my 2005 BAM Awards wrap-up, I wrote how I was considering creating a Lifetime Achievement Award and giving it to Ingmar Bergman. The idea was to award him upon completion of his swan song that proved unnecessary when I saw Saraband and it was one of my favorite films...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 4, 2013

This award is one I will present annually to the actor, writer, director or any combination thereof who has in my estimation the best year. The only real criteria is that they have multiple credits. The credits can be two responsibilities on the same film or more than one film....   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 3, 2013

I try to keep my mind as open as possible during the year, and as you start assembling a list like this you see there could be perceived slights. The fact of the matter is making this list was brutal. More than once I had to consider if I can...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 1, 2013

The Neutron Star Award 2012 Honoree Vincent Price As tends to be the case when I’m breaking out a new honor (e.g. The Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award or the Robert Downey, Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year), my initial write-up about it will be fairly short. OK, so...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 1, 2013

I try to keep my mind as open as possible during the year and as you start assembling a list like this you see there could be perceived slights. The fact of the matter is making this list was brutal. More than once I had to consider if I can...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 31, 2012

I already lamented in my closing of the last Mini-Review Round-Up that there were movies I saw in November that never got written up. They are included here by necessity, but truth be told, they do form part of the year-end dash as well because this year I started my...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 29, 2012

This is a short film by Jim Henson as orginally presented on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Here’s some insight from Open Culture: Not having grown up during the Muppets’ first and highest wave of popularity, I’ve always wondered how something like The Muppet Show could possibly have att   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 25, 2012

Many, and by many I mean a vast majority of, Christmas specials are more secular in nature meaning they deal with the myths and the folklore of the season, which is all well and good, but on occasion it is important to reflect on the true significance of the date....   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 24, 2012

Unlike its predecessor, and like many sequels, this sequel doesn’t quite work and fails to live up to the standard set by the original. There is a lack of focus in the story-telling and a lack of foreword progress in the narrative. The tale starts with Charlie inexplicably hocking wares...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 23, 2012

When you think of the iconic Christmas specials one of the first, if not the first, that comes to mind has to be A Charlie Brown Christmas. It is most likely the best suited for repeated viewing and in all likelihood holds a special place in the heart of the...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 22, 2012

I could very easily always pick a Looney Tunes short. I love Rabbit of Seville but saw a link wherein True Classics offers some brilliant insight: Rabbit of Seville is the brainchild of director Chuck Jones, writer Michael Maltese, and frequent Warner Bros. composer Carl Stalling. Stalling was, on o   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 22, 2012

I don’t know for certain if this airs annually but considering this is a Disney property I’m sure they play it somewhere. Mickey’s Christmas Carol is significant in a number of ways and not just because it was one of the animated crown jewels of my favorite decade. The first...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 22, 2012

This is an absolute dream of a film that will likely be overlooked by moviegoers and the award season alike but is one of the best films of the year. Due to the fact that much of the film deals with Renée Zellweger’s character seeking a new husband it has...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 21, 2012

Where does one begin with Frosty Returns? Well, I supposed I could start out by simply saying that it is not recommended in the least and what follows will illustrate why: Firstly, there is a stylistic incongruity to this special that’s hard to get over. The first few scenes set...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 21, 2012

Last year I took inspiration from Ovation TV’s annual Battle of the Nutcrackers for a post on a cinematic version thereof. This year I decided to be a bit more literal about it. While I’ve known of this programming block for years, and it’s served as background, or the occasional...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 21, 2012

I’m not one who enjoys the phrase “sleeper hit” because almost any movie is looking for some bit of success. However, it comes to mind for this movie because I hadn’t heard of it until midway through the week in which I saw it. Even on the independent film scene...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 20, 2012

The first thing that needs to be said is that Rankin/Bass are to the Christmas special what Cecil B. DeMille is to the biblical epic. They go big and more often not they create a classic in the process. They always bring great voice talent into the equation and in...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 19, 2012

Amongst Christmas specials, but particularly amongst those produced by Rankin and Bass, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town stands apart. It does so because it is most the most triumphantly well-told of the lot, soon I will describe the most cinematic but here we’re talking strictly based on n   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 18, 2012

The end of the year for any movie watcher typically puts you in scramble mode. Regardless of what kind of movies your trying to watch: new releases, classic cinema or Holiday-themed films. Therefore, rather than have both this month’s mini-review round-up run overly-long as well as next months   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on December 18, 2012

If you need further evidence of the genius of Rankin & Bass, and their favorite writer Romeo Muller, I present to you exhibit B: Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer. The only thing I could really call this special out on, in my umpteenth viewing, was how silly Rudolph’s ostracism is,...   read more