How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) Review

With Christmas break underway and Christmas only a few days away, I feel like this is the perfect time to review my favorite Christmas movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

The Dr. Seuss purists would probably hate me because I think the live-action adaptation is far better than the cartoon. I just love that the live-action version was able to expand the world and introduce new characters into an already established story. I’m not saying the movie is perfect by any means, it certainly has its flaws. But, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. I think this movie has 3 major takeaways; the consequences of bullying, the importance of family, and the power of love and acceptance.

I always thought it was interesting that they turned Grinch into this feared entity, an urban legend of sorts. Never in the book or cartoon did it say that he was feared by the Whos, he was just kind of there. I sort of like that they added this element. It certainly goes hand in hand with the plot elements they chose to include, particularly the love story. The only time it doesn’t work is when Grinch goes incognito into Whoville wearing a ridiculous mask, brown cloak, and his hands uncovered. I don’t understand how no one noticed him. Are they that oblivious? He sticks out like a sore thumb, so this whole sequence just doesn’t make sense. I do like that they aged Cindy Lou a bit and turned her into more of a main character. It’s miraculous to me that at only being 6 years old, she has an incredibly advanced vocabulary and usually makes more sense that most of the adults. This being said, her added inclusion hurt the source material a bit. She had seen Grinch face to face many times before they get into the source material. Shouldn’t she know judging by seeing green, furry hands and his face that she wasn’t actually talking to Santa? I try not to dwell on this too much, but it is questionable.

Another thing I like is that this movie did not make Grinch the main antagonist, but rather made him more of a protagonist. Mayor Augustus May Who takes the spot of the main antagonist. He’s one of those villains that I love to hate because he’s just such an awful person. Some may think Grinch is cruel, but Augustus is downright diabolical. He not only humiliated Grinch as a child, forcing his self-exile, but also humiliated him again years later, causing him to run away again. I don’t care if he claims that he loves Martha, he shattered her as well. Speaking of Martha, I love her so much. I’ve talked about her before and will continue to talk about her. I think she’s a wonderful character and a great addition to this movie. I also really love the origins of her name. Martha comes from exactly what you'd think, Martha Stewart, since her character was originally supposed to be a housewife of sorts. Whovier is a play on Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy's middle name. I think it works really well with her character, considering that she is greatly in the public eye, as was Jackie O. She is just another example of how much creativity was put into this movie.  

Now, I’d like to talk about some of the added plot points. I really love that they gave Grinch a backstory. I think it was a smart move to explain why it is that he hates Christmas so much. This is also one of the saddest scenes of the movie. The other scene I really enjoy is the Whobilation. I love that this is also a play on words, derived from jubilation, meaning a feeling of great happiness and triumph. I love seeing Grinch happy and feeling accepted after so many years of not feeling either. But, I also find this scene to be excruciatingly sad as well. Seeing Grinch have to relive his horrid memories after receiving that razor in front of everyone is so hard to watch. Though, not near as hard as seeing the proposal. The way the camera cuts from Martha’s face to Grinch’s makes it look like Martha is pleading for help from Grinch. I hate seeing Cindy so upset after Grinch’s rampage as well. All she wanted to do was help. Funny enough, the scene faithful to the source material is actually my least favorite scene in the movie. It’s not that it’s a bad scene, it’s just that I know Grinch is a good guy. The attention to detail is actually quite remarkable and very close to the cartoon. The ending of the movie is quite the payoff. I love seeing Grinch and Martha finally get together and to see him celebrated and welcomed by the town.

I’d like to mention a few of the things I don’t enjoy about the movie. I really don’t like that they did everything in their power to make Grinch as repulsive as possible. I know that the song states that he has termites in his smile, but did we really need the visual? Also, did we really need a shot of him knocking a Who out with his breath? I don’t understand why he eats onions like they’re apples and then rubs his armpits with them. I really don’t understand why they made him eat glass. Not a huge fan of the gag of his socks crawling away by themselves after he carelessly tosses them. I don’t like when he uses the giant, cymbal monkey as a sedative for the noise, I think it’s stupid and very pointless to the story. Considering how magnificent his cave is, I don’t understand why they gave him such a tattered bed. There’s just a lot of creative choices with his character that I don’t agree with.

Something I strongly agree with are the costumes and the sets. I don’t have anything negative to say about them, they’re perfect. Grinch’s makeup is so fantastic. He looks like a living cartoon character and I love that. I enjoy the Whoville sets, but what I really enjoy is Grinch’s cave. It is such a vast set that is so detailed and complex. I wish we would’ve got a closer look at the interior, considering that there is quite a bit of screen time of just Grinch in his cave. That being said, it is still my favorite set of the entire movie.

As much as I love the ending, I wish that they would’ve showed a little more into the events of Christmas Day. Such as, what happened after the Feast? I would’ve loved to see some one-on-one conversation between Grinch and Martha. I just really want to know what became of their relationship. Despite this, I love this movie, I watch it several times every year, and I’d recommend it to everyone. 

Various Grinch Theories

While watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, several theories started to develop in my mind. I’ll start by talking about Grinch, then about Martha May.

Early on in the movie, we learn that Grinch ended up outside the house of 2 Who women as a baby and was adopted and raised by them. It is never said whether these women are a couple, sisters, or just friends, but nonetheless, they become his mothers. Later, we learn that Martha cares for him and even has a crush on him. Finally, we are introduced to Cindy Lou and learn that she too cares for him even with very little knowledge about him. Though Grinch is extremely masculine, I feel that he also has a lot of femininity. Such as, when he has a somewhat girly hissy fit when he catches himself rhyming, or when he struggles to find something to wear, stating that “If I can’t find something nice to wear, I’m not going!” I feel that these are 2 behaviors that are typically pinpointed to girls. I believe that his history with women and the fact that his only positive interactions, save for Max, were with women, caused some of that femininity to rub off on him. I always found it a bit strange but very interesting that the only ones who really care about him are women. I guess you could call him a ladies man.

The next observation I had was his frequent use of fire. This led me to think, is he a pyromaniac? There are at least 3 instances throughout the movie where he directly initiates the use of fire. The first instance occurs during the flashback to his childhood. Little 8-year-old Grinch, fresh out of knowing that Martha May Whovier likes him, decides to make her a present for the gift exchange the following day. When he starts up the flame, he addresses it as “The fires of love.” I think his frequent use of fire does stem from his feelings for Martha. After being humiliated at the Whobilation, he throws a tantrum and ends up burning the town Christmas tree to the ground. I know this was out of anger and retaliation, but I also feel that this was out of jealously after Augustus’ horribly cruel proposal to Martha right in front of him. Towards the end of the movie, he starts to assemble his sleigh to execute his plan to steal Christmas. He uses a flamethrower, among other tools, to weld the pieces together. Though this whole plan is out of revenge, I think he is also upset that Martha didn’t come after him. During the flashback, he is delivered during his mothers’ “annual holiday get-together.” I think maybe his hatred for Christmas is also because his birthday might have been somewhat ignored, being that it falls close to Christmas and Christmas is far more important to the whole of Whoville.

Now, I want to talk about Martha. Martha May Whovier is far more complex of a character than people give her credit for. She has been called some awful names by viewers of the movie. The way I see it, the Martha we see in the movie is a complete façade. She’s just a woman who is desperate to love and to be loved by her childhood crush. Her years of separation from Grinch and her years of living alone caused her to be just as reclusive as Grinch. There are several indications throughout the movie that social pressures have caused her to hide her feelings for Grinch from the rest of society, causing her to appear emotionless and empty. When Grinch wins the sack race, she cheers and claps excitedly, but quickly stops and looks around to see if anyone saw her outburst. This need to hide is discarded by the end of the movie. When he’s barreling towards town, the look on her face and tone of her voice shows that she’s overwhelmingly excited to see him and will do anything she can to help him. Telling everyone that her heart belongs to him lifts a huge weight off her shoulders. It’s apparent how happy she is by how she smiles at him during the last scene.

Their relationship was hinted at early on. When Cindy first learns about Grinch, she is in the post office next to the wall of mailboxes. Grinch and Martha’s are directly next to each other. It’s a very quick shot, but wonderful foreshadowing for the audience. During Cindy’s quest for information, she visits Martha. She is seen with her first outrageous up-do, containing a slew of jewels. Call me crazy, but those jewels look identical to the ones from her broken angel’s wings. This, accompanied with her green eyeshadow, makes me think that Martha wanted to show her loyalty to Grinch in a way that only she would understand. 

The final theory I have, for now, might be a bit of a stretch. When Grinch is on his holiday heist, he waltzes up to Martha’s door, meaning not her roof and not her chimney. It is clearly shown earlier in the movie that she indeed has a chimney and a fireplace. He went down the Lou Who’s chimney, so why not hers? My theory is that Martha tends to leave her door unlocked just in case Grinch was to drop by. He must know of this if he goes straight for the door. Grinch only enters the bedrooms of his mortal enemy and his true love, her. Though watching someone sleep can be considered creepy, I find the fact that he took the time to go to the second floor of her house to her bedroom to be endearing. He still loves her. I also believe that he saved her house for last. I mean, how else could she have retrieved the ring from the bag so fast? 

The Good Wife 7x10 "KSR" Review

-SPOILERS BELOW-

We’ve reached the winter finale of The Good Wife. It seems like the season started yesterday, yet here we are. It’s amazing how compelling shows feel like they over so quickly, even when you aren’t binge watching. All I can say is, the promos were right when they said this was going to be an intense episode.

It seems like the last few seasons of the show have been a big game of going back and forth. Now, it’s not the name partners who are deciding to leave from the firm, it’s the young associates who don’t like how things are being run. It seems the young blood has boiled over and left, what was thought to be, a mess. I thought the scene at the top of the episode with Cary walking into the empty conference room, seeing boxes with Reese Dipple’s name on them and a line of iPhone’s on the table was beautifully shot. Seeing Cary’s frustration after calling two of the ones, just to find that they were on the table translated to the audience. Once again, Diane and Cary started to bicker. I was happy to see them quickly resolve their disagreement. The snarky attitudes from the associates were quite interesting to watch. I really loved when Cary invited the associates back to the office, after believing that they were being hired back with added benefits, just to be told that they were fired and were escorted out by the security guards. That powerful high five between Diane and Cary was perfection. I love seeing those two working as a team.

During this episode, I found myself buying into the relationship between Eli and Courtney a lot more. I liked that they got a lot of conversational exposition to move their feelings along.  I was quite sad when Courtney basically told Eli that her business is far more important to her than him at the current time and that she’s going away for a year. It just broke my heart to see Eli so shattered, once again. Eli needs a break almost as much as Diane with all the crap they’ve had thrown at them.

The end of the episode was the biggest punch in the gut. I hated to see Eli telling Alicia that he deleted the last voicemail from Will. That is something Alicia should’ve lived her life without knowing about. I have a feeling this might ruin any friendship she had with Eli forever, or at least for a long time.  

Elf Movie Review

As it has been on several times in the past two weeks, I think the time has come for me to review Elf. This is one of the more recent Christmas movies, but it has gained a large following and has become the favorite holiday flick for many people. As you know, I am not one of these people, but I still thoroughly enjoy this movie and watch it every year.

I enjoy that Elf takes the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer route with the way Buddy is introduced. This allusion is continued through the costumes of the elves and the parody on Sam the Snowman. I’ve noticed a definite theme in the Christmas movie universe where plotlines are centered on main characters who are misfits and are typically bullied or discriminated against in some way. Even though it’s a repetitive theme, I think Buddy’s story is original enough to be enjoyable.

I think this movie succeeds as well as it does because of how quotable the dialogue is. I’m sure you’ve heard some call someone else, or you, a “cotton headed ninny muggins” before, have heard “Buddy the elf, what’s your favorite color?”, or have heard or been told that “you sit on a throne of lies.” All crazy iconic quotes and all from Elf. It’s also so fun to see Will Ferrell as an elf that has no idea how the real world works or how to behave in it.

I love the cameos and nods to other Christmas movies in this movie! My favorite is that Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story, makes a cameo in this as Ming Ming the head elf. I was completely oblivious to this cameo until this year. When I found out, I was ecstatic. Ming Ming’s elf attire is red and I can only hope that is meant to represent the Red Ryder BB Gun. I’m not sure if this was meant to be a cameo or not, but when introducing Miles Finch, they mention Dr. Seuss. This could be a nod to How the Grinch Stole Christmas or could just be there to give an example of a real, successful children’s author.

The relationship between Buddy and Jovie starts as many often do, with one of the members in the pairing having no interest in the other. Once again, repetitive, but it works. It’s so cute that Buddy first meets Jovie when she too is dressed up like an elf. Their personalities balance each other so well. I like that it’s Buddy who is the energetic, optimistic, and loveable one, whereas Jovie is a lot more somber and mellow. I just absolutely love the scene where they sing an unconventional duet of Baby, It’s Cold Outside. Seeing Jovie in full elf garb and meeting Papa is a scene I love as well, and little Susie! I just love the ending.  

Thoughts on Grinchmas

Every year around Christmastime, Universal Studios holds a celebration called Grinchmas. During this event, visitors to the park can interact with various Whos and attend themed shows. You’ll be able to meet a range of Whos including; Cindy Lou Who, Mayor Augustus May Who, Martha May Whovier, and the Grinch himself with Max. Sadly, I have yet to go to this event, but I have kept myself informed through various videos posted on YouTube. I’ll continue to live vicariously through the experiences of others.

I think the choice to create an event based on a successful Universal property was a brilliant idea. Being as this is one of the only Universal properties set during Christmas, it serves as a great way to bring the wintery spirit to the otherwise warm climates of California and Florida. I feel like both parks have their benefits. Orlando has Seuss Landing which serves as the home of a meet-and-greet spot with the Grinch. Hollywood is my personal favorite, being that it was where the movie was filmed back in 2000. The movie was filmed on some of Universal’s soundstages, so some of the original set pieces are there for the guests to see. When on the tram tour of the backlot, the tram takes a turn to Whoville. Here, there is a short presentation with all your favorite characters from the movie dancing right in front of the original façade of Martha May’s house.

They also offer a longer show called the Whobilation Spectacular, with music from Manheim Steamroller. I think this is a fun show with some great added music.

My favorite thing was the Tree Lighting Ceremony. I say was because in the past couple of years, they’ve shortened a wonderful thirteen minute show into a three minute one-and-done. The old show had such an impact on me. It had the same charm that the movie exerts and made me insanely happy every time I would watch it. The new show has such a disconnection, in my opinion. I don’t understand why they changed it and I wish they would revert back to the way it used to be. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

This being said, I really enjoy some of the new additions. They now have an A Capella show with a Who boyband called the Whoville 5 or the Wholiday Singers. Storytime with Cindy Lou is a wonderful live reading of the original book that allows younger audiences to participate in the story. I love that they do this. I wish they’d bring back the celebrity readings. I’d love to see Jim Carrey and Christine Baranski make an appearance, since Jeffrey Tambor has already done so. My favorite of the new shows is Martha May and the Who Dolls. This is such a fun show with a whole lot of energy. It's so interesting to see the evolution of her dresses over the years.

I hope to go to Grinchmas someday and experience the magic for myself. 

The Wiz Live Review

The Wiz Live was the first NBC live stage production that I watched until the end. With The Sound of Music Live and Peter Pan Live, I found myself turning them off before they had ended. I think this is because I was familiar with the source material beforehand and the actors that had originated the characters. With The Wiz, I had seen part of the original, but it was a while ago and I did not remember any of the songs. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this production after the first song, but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought this was a wonderful and very well-rounded production. If you’re someone who enjoys anything and everything having to do with The Wizard of Oz, you’ll thoroughly enjoy The Wiz Live.

The casting for this was so perfect. I was familiar with a few of the actors, but this was my first time seeing most of them. I loved seeing Queen Latifah and Elijah Kelley back together, it was almost like a little Hairspray reunion. I thought Elijah was an amazing Scarecrow. Shanice Williams was an incredible find to play Dorothy, I always love when they get an unknown to play the lead role. One of my favorites was Amber Riley as Addaperle. I’ve loved her as a singer and actress for a while, being as I avidly watched Glee, so it was a treat to see her get to show off her vocal talents again. The rest of the ensemble was fantastic as well. I particularly liked the look and sound of the Munchkins. I wished Dorothy had enough time to share another song or two in Munchkinland.

The overall look of the sets and design of the costumes was brilliant. For only being a live, televised production, these set details looked ready for Broadway. They were colorful, bright, eccentric, and everything you’d expect from the land of Oz. Glinda’s dress was by far my favorite. Speaking of Glinda, I thought it was comical that she was the “normally named” of the witch sisters. There was Evilene, Evermean, Addaperle, and Glinda. I don’t think was intended to get a laugh, but it certainly did from me.

Being as this production was a musical, I have to touch on the music itself. I loved it, I really did. These songs really helped to ease the plot along, or rather to ease on down the road. The stand-out songs for me were You Can’t Win, Slide Some Oil to Me, and He’s the Wizard. He’s the Wizard has been stuck in my head for days now, so I decided to check out the original. I prefer the updated version. 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Review

WARNING, MAJOR SPOILERS! There is no way I could review this movie without talking about some major plot points. Please, see the movie first (but read the book beforehand)!

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 was the most anticipated movie of the year for me. I’ve been with this franchise since just before the first movie came out back in 2012. I’ve grown up and matured just like this franchise. So, having Part 2 come out was both exciting and heartbreaking. I don’t want to say goodbye! I’m hoping Suzanne Collins will allow Lionsgate to continue this franchise with either a prequel or sequel, but I would love a sequel that expands on life and the new Panem after the war.

*Check out this featurette on the movie!*

First of all, I loved this movie through and through. I’d seen a good amount of spoilers prior to seeing it just because I saw it a week after it originally came out. I was very surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed these last two movies considering that I didn’t like Mockingjay the book all that much. I loved that this really was a continuation and not a completely different movie, starting with Katniss healing from her neck injuries from Peeta strangling her at the end of Part 1 (good thing I’d watched it the night before). It brought you right back into Panem and I thought it was very well done. I just felt bad for Peeta the entire opening sequence. Poor, little, hijacked baby.

I’m glad they saved the majority of the action for the second half. I loved seeing Katniss and everyone else fully immersed in the traumas of war. I love that the Star Squad was Squad 451. I really love that allusion to Fahrenheit 451. I particularly loved the scene in District Two when Katniss went to help the man and he returned this gesture by pointing a gun to her head. Her speech after this was so amazing and I’m pretty sure had everyone on the edge of their seats. This cast never fails to impress me with their talent. I was completely overwrought by the sheer amount of action in the best way possible. It was all so fantastic and wonderfully acted.

I’d forgotten about the pods and some of the deaths, so they came as a surprise to me. Boggs, the Leeg twins, and Castor were deaths that I’d completely forgotten about since I hadn’t read the books in a while. The sewer scene was the most intense for me. By the time they entered the train tunnels to when the lizard mutts made their debut, I was shaking. I knew this was where Finnick met his end and I knew that there was going to be a jump-scare. I was so mad at the amount of times they faked the audience out about when the mutts were going to attack. Tension in that silent theater was certainly high! When Finnick was finally pulled to his death and eaten alive, I was incredibly sad. I really wish he didn’t die and he didn’t deserve to die. It was even sadder because of how happy he was during his wedding, which was also an incredible scene that I loved.

When the group took refuge inside Tigris’ shop, it was just like a pictured. The look of Tigris was amazing as well, it’s a shame she only had a few seconds of screen time. It didn’t make sense to me why Katniss and Gale tried to sneak into the Capitol with only hooded cloaks on. They’re going to the Capitol of all places, the one place extravagant makeup is widely accepted. I just couldn’t grasp why they wouldn’t try to disguise themselves as much as possible, especially since there were wanted posters everywhere plastered with their faces. This was a scene I particularly loved. I thought for sure that little girl was going to expose Katniss after looking straight at her. It broke my heart to see her screaming for her mother after the bombs dropped. Speaking of bombs, Prim’s death broke my heart as well. I thought it was done quickly, but that didn’t bring down the emotional impact. One of my favorite scenes out of the entire movie was Coin’s assassination. I was so overjoyed to see both Coin and Snow brought down. The way everything played out was almost too perfect and almost staged, from the placement of Coin above Snow to how her body was positioned after she fell from the balcony. I loved the mix of the score in the background with the visual. It all worked so well together.

Haymitch was one of my favorite parts. I loved that he, upon being approved by Suzanne, was the one to read the letter from Plutarch to Katniss, due to the real-life events. I thought it was a very powerful scene. One short scene that satisfied me the most was the goodbye kiss between Haymitch and Effie. When reading the books, I never thought a relationship would blossom between these two characters. Now, I’ve supported this pairing for 4 years. I felt this relationship was very necessary, as well as the addition of Effie to these last two movies. It drove me crazy that she didn’t go back to District Twelve with the rest of them. I loved the end of the movie so much and I was so glad they included the epilogue. Overall, I thought this was a brilliant adaptation and a wonderful close to this amazing story. 

The Good Wife 7x09 "Discovery" Review

-SPOILERS BELOW-

This was my favorite episode of the season thus far. I thought the case was interesting, I thought the conflicts between the characters provided some saucy dialogue, and I felt that this episode established some storylines that could have some exciting continuations.

I was surprised to see Monica back in Diane’s office. I wasn’t sure of her business there at first, but seeing her take up Diane’s offer rather upfront and assertive was a nice way to bring her character back to the show. This was not the first case this season to deal with racism by white men, but I thought this case was more appealing to watch as a viewer simply because it put all of the main lawyers back into the courtroom together. Chumhum (The Good Wife’s version of Google) has been the center of cases in past seasons and I always think they are fun to watch. This episode expanded on the fact that Chumhum is more than just a search engine, but offers a wide variety of systems and products to the public. This further helps the audience see why Chumhum is a top client for the law firm’s and is worth so much money as a company. They never have touched on Chumhum being a racist company, but I do feel that this episode showed that there is at least a touch of racism within their creative team.

Diane, Cary, Alicia, Lucca, and Monica all wrapped up in close proximity back in the courtroom. Tension is certainly still high and it is evident. I really felt like Diane got her game back, after last week with her struggling with everyone it seemed. I felt like Lockhart/Agos won the case due to their several pieces of evidence against the creator and boss of Chumhum. Alicia certainly seemed quite pissed off with how well the opposing side was doing. I didn’t feel like Jason did anything to help out with Alicia and Lucca’s fight. I was also surprised to see the two working so closely with Louis Canning, even working at his office with the other associates. I figured something was going on there, judging by past episodes.

I’m glad the Jason and Alicia possible romance was not forced upon us in this episode and neither was the new romance between Eli and Courtney. Maybe I was wrong about them, maybe a relationship would help Eli become less uptight. I hope next week’s episode is just as enjoyable as this one.