Review: Is Christmas the season of Nintendo or the opiate of the masses? Two new movies chime in
LA TimesTwo new movies, “8-Bit Christmas”, left, and “A Boy Called Christmas” bid for holiday immortality. One supposes this all could be read as “Christmas is the opiate of the masses.” After all, the grubby townsfolk don’t get “a living wage” or “fair governance,” but colorful knickknacks. How they remember it: Che Tafari as Mikey, Winslow Fegley as young Jake and Santino Barnard as Evan in New Line Cinema and HBO Max’s family film “8-Bit Christmas.” “8-Bit Christmas” is a nostalgic trip down late-’80s, suburban Illinois streets. Tip of the cap to music supervisor Madonna Wade-Reed: The ‘80s songs underscoring moments hit bull’s-eye after bull’s-eye, from just the right Loverboy intro to Animotion’s “Obsession” as a repeated theme. Kevin Jakubowski‘s script, based on his novel, supports those details with dialogue such as the annoying rich kid barking at guests, “Don’t touch the wall — it’s French!” and a veracity-challenged boy protesting he knows something is true because “a sixth-grader told me!” The stunts amuse: Kids get tossed like rag dolls by an unfairly large classmate.
History of this topic
From Scrooge A Christmas Carol to The Christmas Chronicles 2: Movies & shows to watch with kids today
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A Boy Called Christmas review: A cynical Santa origin story delivered with surprising heart
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