My Review of Mr Malcolm's List (2022)

 

Written by Suzanne Allain

Directed by Emma Holly Jones

Lord Cassidy: "Becoming a suitable bride is quite burdensome. I almost feel as if I'm being trained up to become a wife."

Selina Dalton: "I know. God forbid someone decided to enter a marriage based on love."

Lord Cassidy: "What a wonderful thing to say."

If the success of Bridgerton wasn't enough to sate your Regency hype, then perhaps this rather modest and sweet natured movie might also help. It's got quite the goings on in.

First of all, you've got the titular Mr Jeremy Malcolm (Sope Dirusu) himself. He wants a wife and not any woman will do. He's got a list of things any potential wife must tick off and if you don't, then you may end up being an unintended caricature.

This was the fate of one Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton). She didn't meet Malcolm's List and found herself a source of mockery. Now, Julia didn't take that lying down. By her own logic, revenge was the order of the day and Malcolm was going to get a taste of his own just desserts.

For this to happen, Julia needed help and she enlisted her dandyish cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and childhood friend, Selina Dalton (Frieda Pinto) to execute plan. The plan being for Malcolm to fall in love with Selina and for the latter to hit with a list that he wouldn't meet.

It's a very petty plan but it's one that also took some fairly predictable albeit enjoyable twists. Of course Malcolm and Selina would fall in love with each other. Cassidy saw it coming and actively rooted for them while Julia herself seethed over the prospect and tried to sabotage the budding romance.

Of course while Julia might have been resentful of her friend finding love with the man who embarrased her, she got the secondary romance with Captain Henry Ossery (Theo James). That in turn did soften her resolve towards Malcolm and Selina as the movie sped towards a romantic ending for the lovers. 

- The movie was based on a book by the same name with the author having adapted the script.

- Oliver Jackson-Cohen wanted to play Lord Cassidy as a gay man and he more or less did, despite the director not totally going with it.

- I liked the use of caricatures for the closing credits of the movie. It was a nice touch.

- Chronology: 1818 Regency London. 

Mr Malcolm's List turned out to be a nice, frothy and feel good Regency romp. While not exactly as pulse racing as a certain Netflix show, there's a lot to enjoy with her. Both Sope Dirusu and Frieda Pinto are on winning form with the central romance that some of the more predictable moments are charming for it.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

 

Written by Caroline Thompson And Michael McDowell

Directed by Henry Selick

Santa: "'Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems in a place perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story you're about to be told began with the holiday worlds of auld. Now you've probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven't I'd say it's time you begun."

Is it a Halloween movie? Is it a prelude to Christmas? Did I pick the right time to actually review this one? Those are not the most earth shattering of questions but a "yes" to all three of them. 

Let's get into the story itself. You've got a fantasy world called Halloween Town with every imaginable monster in it and it's up to the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) to organise the annual celebrations for Halloween. Except he's tired of the same old routine.

Fortunately for Jack, the discovery of a tree shaped door led him into the world of Christmas but trying to get his community to embrace the idea of Christmas wasn't a successful. Jack had a solution for that - kidnap Sandy Claws aka Santa (Ed Ivory). It wasn't exactly the best plan he could've had.

Of course it was met with obstacles, including assistants who took a while to actually get the right guy. Not to mention when Jack decided to do a swap with Santa, the latter ended up being in danger by Oogie Boogie (Ken Page), a villainous bogryman. Still this movie served as a learning curve for Jack.

With Christmas not being his area of expertise and Jack almost being killed as a result, the lesson here was that Jack was better in his Halloween later. Then there was the romance with ragdoll Sally (Catherine O'Hara).

Sally's a good love interest for Jack and something of a mischievous one too. Her various attempts to be free of her possessive creator Doctor Finkelstein (William Hickey) had her resort to attempting to kill him and he absolutely deserved it. By the end of the movie, Sally did get free of him and both and Jack declared their love for each other.

- Tim Burton developed the story, initially as a three page poem for Walt Disney Feature Animation.

- There are alternative scenes on the DVD release for the movie.

- Danny Elfman provided the singing voice for Jack Skellington.

- This was the first Disney movie not to be traditionally animation with it being more stop motion. 

- Standout music: This Is Halloween, Jack's Lament, Making Christmas, Oogie Boogie Song and Finale/Reprise.

- Chronology: Both Halloween and Christmas within this movie as well as a look into the real world.

The Nightmare Before Christmas truly is a delight. It's enjoyable during Halloween, Christmas and in between. Great characters, great songs and a nice love story. What's not to like?

Rating: 8 out of 10