Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than with the best Christmas movie ever - Gremlins!
In my last post of the year we will be taking a break for a couple of weeks, so have a wonderful Xmas and a great new year.
Remember, If your air conditioner goes on the fritz or your washing machine blows up or your video recorder conks out; before you call the repairman turn on all the lights, check all the closets and cupboards, look under all the beds, because you never can tell there just might be a gremlin in your house.
There are 3 must watch movies in our house for the Christmas season. A soft opening at the beginning with Diehard, then on Christmas morning A Muppets Christmas Carol. The third is Gremlins, it is a classic 1984 film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Steven Spielberg. The story follows a young man named Billy Peltzer (played by Zach Galligan) who receives a strange creature called a mogwai as a Christmas gift from his father. The mogwai, named Gizmo, comes with three simple rules: don't get him wet, don't expose him to bright light, and never, ever feed him after midnight. Of course, these rules are quickly broken and the mogwai multiplies, creating a horde of mischievous gremlins that run amok in the town of Kingston Falls. The film follows Billy as he and his friends try to contain the gremlins and save the town from their destruction.
Gremlins was a huge hit at the time of its release and has become a cult classic over the years. It made $153 million at the box office and spawned a sequel and a video game. It is one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time and is often considered a must-watch for the holiday season.
The special effects in Gremlins are also remarkable. For a movie released in 1984, the effects are surprisingly advanced and still hold up today. It is impressive how the filmmakers were able to create such realistic gremlins with the technology available at the time. The effects also add to the horror elements of the movie, making them more intense and believable.
Finally, the soundtrack for Gremlins is also excellent. It consists of classic Christmas songs and original music, all of which perfectly compliment the movie. The soundtrack adds to the festive atmosphere of the movie and helps to make it even more enjoyable to watch. Funny, scary, clever, barmy and at times utterly utterly brilliant. The direction by Joe Dante is marvellous as is the editing and cinematography, moving the film on just at the perfect pace. The actors are taking it seriously with a perfect balance of tongue in cheek. The score by Jerry Goldsmith fits like a glove. The whole experience is engaging, scary enough and is as close to perfection as makes no odds. Even the darkness of the humour is straight from the looney tunes playbook.
Some Christmas Cracker Gremlins trivia!
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mogwai Gizmo was actually created using multiple puppets. Each puppet was used for a different scene and was operated using a combination of strings and rods. The gremlins were also created using a combination of puppetry and animatronics.
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At the inventors convention, you see many cameos: Robbie the Robot, The Time Machine from the George Pal version, Steven Spielberg as the man on a motorized wheelchair, and Jerry Goldsmith (the film's composer) as a man outside the phone booth wearing a cowboy hat.
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In an early version of the script, Billy's mom was decapitated, the gremlins ate the family dog and Gizmo became Stripe. This idea was rejected as producer Steven Spielberg felt that the audience loved Gizmo so much they did not want to see him turn evil.
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If the town used in Gremlins looks familiar it's because the set was reused a year later in 1985 to film Back to the Future.
This weeks festive digital art....
