Unknown Specials Christmas Countdown #15: Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever

Ah, Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever (2014) from Lifetime. Yes, the most questionable entry on this list. Hear me out--the movie’s self-aware that it’s a cheap cash grab, which unifies the film by mocking itself for its apparent flaws. The plot’s nothing special, just a combination of Home Alone and any "save the animal shelter" movie, but sets it in a mall after hours. That different setting alone provides an amusing twist. 

The film tells the obvious plot competently enough while also making the bad guys clearly incompetent from the beginning so the child and cat besting them honestly works. The plot and effects feel stock, but it honestly works as the movie’s feline is a meme and the movie’s just a quick Christmas cash grab, and since the movie’s mocking itself, it feels in the right style. But Aubrey Plaza as the voice of Grumpy Cat makes it all worth it. 

Probably the best casting choice and the child actress she plays against isn’t bad either. The movie’s a fun waste of time and sarcastically unembarrassed of what it is which honestly makes the heart tugging moments shine greater. Not the greatest comedy or drama, certainly not special but at least good enough. Like a Garfield comic, expectedly okay.

My Neighbor Totoro: The Movie Behind the Logo

Totoro Ghibli logo

Ever seen that cute, chubby, grey, cat-like dude pictured to the right?  That’s Totoro.  So many have seen this iconic character, not knowing who or what he is.  Well, Totoro comes from yet another memorable Ghibli classic and has effectively become the logo for everything Ghibli. The film he comes from is, you guessed it, My Neighbor Totoro, which I’ll review below.

My Neighbor Totoro is a fairly well-known classic that has touched countless hearts and triggered several “Aw, how cute!” reflexes.  The film is about a small family, the Kusakabes, who move to a remote town in Japan to be closer to their hospitalized mother.  At the beginning of the film, the two children, sisters named Mei and Satsuki, are a little frightened by the rural setting and they find some interesting creatures called “soot sprites,” who are terribly cute. As the film progresses, the girls find out what life is like in the country and discover a giant forest spirit named “Totoro.”  He can only be seen from time to time, but is always helpful to Mei and Satsuki. 

I left a lot out of the summary because you really have to experience the story for yourself to really get everything, but I think that about covers the major points.

So, my opinion about this film is that it is indeed a work of art.  The landscapes are gorgeous, the human characters are drawn well, and the non-human characters are drawn amazingly.  10/10 for visuals for sure.

The character development was also great, 10/10, because the kids are portrayed almost perfectly (Miyazaki is really good at creating child characters).  The dad is characterized well too; you get to know him as a good, playful father who can parent well, despite the challenges he faces with his wife always being away at the hospital.  The family also faces real-life challenges, which automatically makes them more relatable and likable.

The storyline was cute, but I wouldn’t give it more than 7/10.  It just didn’t reach the Ghibli bar for storylines because, really, not much happens over the course of the film.  I mean, the story goes:

Family moves to a new town—>They meet Totoro there—>Mei gets in trouble—>She is saved by Totoro and friends.  

Like I said, cute but a little simplistic.  However, it is a kid’s film, which is why I gave it no less than a 7.

The music at first seemed the same as the storyline—cute but simple.  But it ended up turning into an iconic soundtrack when the movie really got going (after the intro).  With that, the music is also super catchy.  In fact, I once showed it to a roomful of kids in a class I was teaching and they all started humming along at one point.  It was really cute and made me appreciate the soundtrack of the movie even more.  9/10 total score because it is amazing, but not necessarily perfect the whole movie through.

Overall, I give this adorable, iconic classic a 9/10.  It is nearly perfect in some ways and could be a little better in some others.  This is one of the best anime films of all time and I think it really deserves a watch.  I know I’ll be seeing it again sometime soon.  :)

Well, that’s all for the moment.  I hope you consider watching Totoro if you haven’t seen it already.  

Corey Cherrington

Best Alt. Rock Bands (Post #3): Stone Temple Pilots and Smashing Pumpkins

Okay, so here is post #3 in the alt. rock series!  I bet you're excited huh?  Totally, wicked excited.  ;) Haha, so let's get down to business...

Stone Temple Pilots

Cool shot of the band members.

You ever heard of these guys?  Not too many people know the band name, but people often recognize the STP (Stone Temple Pilots) tunes that were pretty popular in the 90s.  I chose the STPs because they were not one hit wonders, but they produced a really great body of work.  In my opinion, some of their best songs include, "Dead and Bloated" (interesting title, I know, but this is alt. rock, baby!), "Wicked Garden" (I LOVE that song!), "Spoonman," "Vasoline," "Plush," "Creep," and ZOHMYGOODNESS!  These guys know how to rock!  

To be completely honest, I actually prefer the STPs over Cake in some senses and they continue to grow on me as I listen to their music more and more.  Please listen to it if you have a moment!  You will be missing out if you are an alt. rock fan and don't know about these guys' music.  One more thing about the STPs is that they have a great sound as a collective band. For example, typically you can tell a STP song from another generic 90s pop or alt. song because they have their own unique "no BS" sort of sound.  I just can't tell you how cool these guys are!  ^_^  But beware!  Their songs will get stuck in your head because not only are they catchy and chill, but they also have great lyrics that you will want to keep repeating to yourself.  Not because they are the most profound or necessarily inspiring, but because they are mysterious and rather well-put together.

<<Tell us what you think in the comment section below!  We love comments, and we want more opinions from rock fans on this.>>

Smashing Pumpkins

So, for you alt. rock fans out there, please don't come after me with torches and pitch forks when I say the following...  I actually was not a Smashing Pumpkins fan until recently.  My fear for assault comes from the fact that Smashing Pumpkins (I'll call them pumpkins from here on out) is absolutely raved about by people who like rock.  It used to be that I rolled my eyes when I found that people were Pumpkins Fans.  However, having listened to more of their work, I am a fan myself.  That's not to say that they are my favorite, but I definitely think they deserve a post on my best of the best alt. rock list.

<<This is not my favorite Pumpkins song, but my film teacher once showed this video in class for its cinematographic value.  It's pretty cool and it imitates an early French Film by Geroges Melies called A Trip to the Moon.>>

This is the Melies film I mentioned.

Pumpkin's songs are very distinct in their sound--if you have listened to their music, I'm sure you have heard the lead singer's unique voice and have felt the effects of it on the music.  I did not used to appreciate this in the past, but now I aee a lot of beauty in it because it is really unlike the voice of any other alt. rock singer that I've heard.  And that is saying a lot!  To be completely honest, sooooo many singers of the alt. rock scene that I am looking at right now sound almost identical to others.  I have listened to a lot of the same alt. rock songs numerous times and some of the songs I listen to cannot be easily distinguished by band, no matter how much I memorize about the bands and their sounds.  This is because of the similar sounds found in a lot of the alt. bands' vocals, guitar, etc. Although, at the same time, it is the bands that stand out from this cookie-cutter alt. rock norm and many of the bands I chose for this list are great because they stand out.  Smashing Pumpkins is an example of this.  I would totally check them out, even if you are skeptical of their unique sound at first.  I think I was initially too quick to judge about them, and I know now that I should have listened to more of their music to get a better picture!  :)

One more thing I'd like to mention is don't get hung up on what these guys' biggest "hits" are.   That's not to say that the "hits" are not good, just that Pumpkins have great songs other than their most popular works.  But I'd suggest just giving a listen to an entire album of theirs; for this, I'd recommend "Siamese Dream," which I think is their best album.  Don't be distracted by their big hits on the CD (i.e. "Today," and "Cherub Rock"), but just catch the vibes of the band's songs overall.  It really is a great sound once you get into it.  And they really produced a tonof good music.  Some of my favorites from the "Siamese Dream" album are "Mayonaise" and "Quiet."  I'm certain yours will be different from mine though!  Let us know what your favorites are in the comments section.

*Oh! One more thing, one of the Pumpkins' hits that I think is really great is "Bullet with Butterfly Wings."  Yeah, there are loads of notable songs from these guys, which it why they are deserving of recognition as one of the best of the best.

That's all for this post.  I'll be back tomorrow with another alt. rock post though.  ;)  For now, just keep rocking our socks, Pragmus fans!

Corey Cherrington

(Pragmus Sigma)

Blog and Social Media Administrator