Month: December 2018

12 days of not-so-Christmassy Christmas movies: ‘Tangerine’

Jeff Mitchell

With December filled with the standard, but also very welcome, Christmas movies, like “A Christmas Story” (1983), “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), “Scrooged” (1988), and other versions of “A Christmas Carol”, AHFW decided to look back at 12 movies that feature Christmas as well!  The only difference is the said holiday is not the main focus of these films.  Furthermore, you may not even know that Dec. 25 is even mentioned in these movies. Without further ado, let’s get started with “Tangerine”! “Tangerine” (2015) – In a colorful Los Angeles…

Roberts and Hedges effectively play a struggling mother and son in ‘Ben Is Back’

Jeff Mitchell

“Ben Is Back” – “Instead of a criminal or a drug addict, I was looking at a boy, just a boy.” – Shannon A. Thompson, “Take Me Tomorrow” Ben (Lucas Hedges) is back home on Christmas Eve. Patches of crusty snow are scattered on suburban lawns, wintery-grays fill the skies and leafless trees remind us that warm weather won’t hug this neighborhood for a few distant months.  It might be comfy inside Ben’s house, but this (roughly) 18-year-old kid is locked out, because he did not tell his mom Holly…

‘The Favourite’ and ‘Vice’ secure seven Phoenix Critics Circle nominations each

Jeff Mitchell

Yorgos Lanthimos’ 18th century comedy ‘The Favourite” and Adam McKay’s Dick Cheney biopic “Vice” impressed the Phoenix Critics Circle by garnering seven nominations each. The Phoenix Critics Circle included “First Reformed”, “Roma” and “A Star Is Born” as well as “The Favourite” and “Vice” for Best Picture, and the annual awards also include nominations for Best Comedy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Foreign Language, and a host of others.   Here is the complete list of nominations, and the Circle will announce its winners on Saturday, Dec. 15! Best Picture The Favourite First Reformed…