Rapid Fire Reviews Holiday 2018

The holiday season is a great time to catch up on movies you've missed, and I watched quite a few during the break, both those on DVD and in theaters.  Here are the ones I've seen and my quick thoughts on them.

Venom—Don’t be fooled by the title of the film.  It’s not about the comic book villain.  It’s actually referring to how your body will react while watching this piece of garbage as if you were injected by actual venom, though I imagine being injected by actual venom is more pleasant.

Bumblebee—IT. DOESN’T. SUCK.  I can’t believe I wrote those three words about a Transformers movie.

Aquaman—Do you like exposition in your movies and characters that won’t shut up about a trident?  Or how about suspending your disbelief to the point of shutting down your brain completely, preventing it from trying to process logical explanations of what you are viewing?  Do you want to see an octopus that can play the drums?  Then DC has made a movie for you, and honestly, it’s pretty fun.  Really dumb.  But fun. 

Alpha—It’s a boy and his dog/wolf story, set in beautiful landscapes that would make Peter Jackson shed a tear--complete with single file walking shots.  Definitely not a cat-lover movie, but maybe worth a watch if you want to snuggle with your dog for a couple of hours with nothing else to do.           
 
Mary Poppins Returns—The songs aren’t as catchy or as memorable as the original film, but it’s still a jolly holiday spending time with Mary.
 
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse—2018 was a special year for Spider-Man fans.  Two new Spidey comics debuted, both off to a great start, and his PS4 game was nominated for Game of the Year.  To top it all off, the best Spider-Man movie was released.  Yeah, I said it.  It’s the best one yet.  It’s full of humor and heart and has a great message for everyone and anyone.  ‘Nuff said.
 
The Star—As far as Hollywood Christian movies are concerned, this won’t insult the religious crowd unlike other films *slowly turns head to give a shameful glare to Exodus: God and Kings*.  Kids can learn about the Christmas story in a cute way by seeing it from silly animals' points-of-view, and the adults can play the “whose-voice-is-that-I’ve-heard-that-voice-before” game where you try to guess every celebrity in the movie before the credits reveal the answers.
 
They Shall Not Grow Old—It’s hard to be impressed with “movie magic” anymore with so many movies being special effects extravaganzas, but this might have been the first time my jaw hit the floor and I said aloud, “Wow.”  I don’t know how, but director Peter Jackson has breathed new life into century-old footage, restoring them and giving them HD color.  Some shots are so well restored it looks like it was filmed yesterday.  It's a touching documentary about the soldiers, told by the soldiers, and now we get a clearer picture to the world of the soldiers.  History has come to life like never before and is definitely worth a watch for anyone interested in the subject matter. 
 
Wonder—If you want to go “awwwww” and have a smile on your face and just feel good about being a human being, then gather the family together for a wonderful film full of tender moments and important lessons.

What movies did you see during the holiday season?  Were they good?  Were they bad?  Or did you watch A Christmas Story for the umpteenth time?  Let me know in the comments!