Last night for the first time in many many years I saw It's a Wonderful Life. It actually may be the first time I’ve seen the movie all the way through, a sentiment mentioned in The Ref by one of the cops in what may be the dumbest police force ever filmed.
Regardless, Life is a terrific movie led by an incredibly layered performance by James Stewart. Stewart plays George Bailey, a guy that wants to get out and see it all and in the process keeps getting stopped from doing so. His family owns a small but thriving business that helps people in their adorable community of Bedford Falls. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he ends up being the guy that has to sit there year after year and keep the business afloat. Especially with the rotten Republican action figure Mr. Potter floating around the town trying to take what he can from who he can.
George marries Donna Reed and has multiple children, and helps hundreds of people achieve the residential dreams they never thought possible. Through no fault of his own, his life events eventually lead down a dark path. It’s one in which he finds himself wishing that he was never born.
It's a Wonderful Knife presents the same concept. We have our female lead, Winnie, who kills a serial murderer in a small town called Angel Falls. Despite her saving many people with the heroic act, the serial killer has done enough damage to her family to make life miserable, and as she wanders through the dust covered aftermath of the serial killers attack, she also find herself wishing she wasn’t alive.
A very effective northern lights comes along and twists her world into circles, much the way Clarence does in It's a Wonderful Life, resulting in her getting to see what her hometown would be like if she was never born, much the same way that Jimmy Stewart does in Life.
Now, Life is a classic family film through and through, some younger folks may find it “a granny film” as John Lennon used to say about some of Paul’s cornier songs. It’s one of those heartwarming movies that makes your eyes wet a little bit at the end. It's a Wonderful Knife, however is a true slasher film. there definitely is blood and guts galore, but unlike many of the other Christmas horror films of late, it has an uplifting scenario similar in some affect to Life, but with modern flavorings.
I recommend both these movies; obviously Knife is not necessarily for everyone because the gore is definitely on display. Mr. Potter is one evil motherfucker in the original Life, and in the new horror styled remake Justin Long is the town‘s rich asshole, played wonderfully and he looks as stupid as the shit he yaks continuously. He’s a spray-tan, fake giant front-teethed version of Mr. Potter through and through, except he's hilarious to watch. Another big difference is in this case he has turned our female lead’s father into a modern day version of A Christmas Carol’s Bob Cratchet, an element that does not exist in the original.
Both of these movies should be enjoyed by their proper audiences and I found myself taken in on a very deep level by both Jimmy Stewart and Jane Widdop’s Winnie in Knife. The word “proper” is important here as I am capable of enjoying a movie made some 77 years ago, and also capable of enjoying a movie with blood and guts galore, and containing elements of the LGBTQ community that would offend some of today’s older viewers.
The fact that There is a “proper” audience for either is a crying shame.
No comments:
Post a Comment