THANKSGIVING

The poster look sinister – echoes of Halloween, Friday the 13^th, Scream… And, wise advice at the opening of a review, this is what is called a “slasher” movie, characterised by frequent gory deaths and gruesome climaxes. For fans, a definite yes. For non-fans, a definite no.

Eli Roth is noted for his horror films, a 20 year career, Cabin Fever, Hostel and the more family friendly, The House with Clocks in Its Wall. Thanksgiving is certainly one of his best films.

America has had Halloween at the end of October, Thanksgiving is in the third week of November but the horror emphasis here is on the shopping sprees on Black Friday (which has migrated to Australia even with, the Sunday before, pre-Black Friday sales!) One reviewer noted that the Black Friday sequence emphasises the Blackness!

In fact, the screenplay for Thanksgiving is quite clever, more thoughtful than many of the slasher derivatives. While it starts with a dinner and an introduction to key characters, the host, the owner of the store which is opening for Black Friday sales, alarm bells ring loudly as vicious hordes line up at the barriers to the store, the manager trying to calm people, 10 minutes to opening… But, some of the young people at the dinner join with school friends, use their privilege and get into the store, taunting the outsiders from within. The scenes of mayhem when the crowd breaks through, smashes the door, tramples the attendant, brutally grabbing goods, smashing people, injuries and deaths, are extraordinarily alarming in their violence as well as this vision of American consumerism and greed.

Then, one year later…

The characters have been rather better established than in many of the other films, the adult generation of shop owner, wife, the benign sheriff of Plymouth, Massachusetts, where it all takes place. Then there is the younger generation, several loud in their way, others more sympathetic, led by Jessica, the daughter of the owner (Nell Velaque, reminiscent of young Julia Roberts), her boyfriend who is caught up in the mayhem and his rival who is keen on Jessica. When the murders starts, they are two obvious suspects.

This is a murder mystery, a surprise final revelation, though the motivation is strong but does not seem to warrant the violent mayhem.

With the setting of Plymouth and the celebration of Thanksgiving and memories of the Pilgrims, the screenplay is shrewd in introducing a mask, but that of the Mayor of Plymouth, John Carver, and his black robes. For those of us who are disgusted with the violent crowds on Black Friday, we are not so sorry when some of them are the immediate targets for the gory killings. And the killer setting up a video (lots of use of phones and videos here and tracking devices) Thanksgiving table with place names for all the targets, and several heads appearing after the murders.

There are threats, abductions, incarcerations, the sheriff doing his best to solve the situation, Jessica and others trying to help, but some grizzly episodes nonetheless. There is a Thanksgiving day parade, turmoil, more abductions, and a final scene at the mock Thanksgiving meal.

No spoiler to know that Jessica is going to be the heroine. But, the perpetrator is a surprise. And a momentary trick final sequence which, of course, turns out to be a moment of Jessica’s nightmare!

Reviewed by Fr. Peter Malone, MSC

More info about THANKSGIVING (film)

US, 2023, 107 minutes, Colour.
Patrick Dempsey, Rick Hoffman, Nell Verlaque, Gina Gershon, Milo Manheim,
Addison Rae, Karen Cliche, Ty Olsen, Jenna Warren, Tomaso Sanelli.
Directed by Eli Roth.

ENOLA HOLMES

Quite a delight! One might almost say, a treat. At least for those who enjoy being immersed in the Holmes family, admirers of Sherlock, critical of Mycroft, and relishing the imagination of those novels and films and television series over the decades that have brought them all alive, exploring the Young Sherlock Holmes as well as seeing Ian McKellen in Sherlock’s later years. And now, the discovery of Enola, the teenage sister who has stayed at home with their mother, and, we discover, quite a mother! Well, perhaps the Conan Doyle purists may not be so tolerant of all these imaginings – but most of us are.

Millie Bobby Brown makes quite an impression as the 16-year-old Enola – and, Enola is an anagram for Alone, Enola and her mother being experts at anagrams and codes and intricate scrabble variations. Those encountering Millie Bobby Brown for the first time might think that she has quite a future ahead of her – only to find that she has an extensive past in both film and television, especially Stranger Things. She is a vital and dynamic screen presence and the screenplay provides her with wonderful opportunities to look straight to camera, to make comments, to raise eyebrows, to engage us in all her moods, her aspirations, all her plans and activities. I would have liked even more!

And Helena Bonham Carter plays her mother, obviously a suffragette before her time, the widow who takes active pleasure in training her daughter in all kinds of fields, reading and history, science and engineering, delighting in codes and words, training Enola to defend Herself, to take initiatives, all seen in enjoyable intercut flashbacks.

And, well we might ask, where is Sherlock? And, to a lesser interest and extent, where is Mycroft? They have long since left home, Mycroft in business, politically conservative (to say the least), enjoying his club, but, with the disappearance of their mother, Enola becoming his ward. Sherlock has already made his mark in the world of detection. Sam Claflin plays Mycroft, communicating his insufferability. Sherlock is played by Henry Cavill. (This reviewer always has problems with Henry Cavill, usually giving rather stolid performances, even as Superman, more suited to Clark Kent – although he has the looks of the genial Christopher Reeve.)

Yes, there is an adventure, there is detection, Sherlock involved, of course, but Enola discovering and developing her talent. It concerns a young lord, the Marquis of Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), a soft -looking youth – with Enola remarking that he is looking like the nincompoop he was born to be! (Yes, she does have a way with words.) The mystery involves the death of his father, a seemingly menacing uncle, his detached mother, his strong dowager grandmother, and a sadistic assassin with a bowler hat. And, it is the time for votes in the House of Lords, for women’s rights, for women’s demonstrations (including stashes of gunpowder).

And, there are some wonderful cameos. Helena Bonham Carter, always distinctive, Fiona Shaw as the bombastic headmistress of the school for ladies and proper manners (but with some heart flutters for Mycroft), Frances de la Tour as the dowager, Burn Gorman as the assassin. Throughout the film, there is ethnic groups are represented in London, Inspector Lestrade (Adeel Akhtar with Pakistani father, Kenyan mother; cafe owner and martial arts instructor, Edith (Nigerian parents) and many incidental characters played by West Indians and Asian actors.)

The film is based on a Young Adult novel by Nancy Springer – though, interestingly, the screenplay is written by Jack Thorne in the film directed by Harry Bradbeer.

Advice is – surrender to the Holmes family, their adventures, and the atmosphere of 19th-century London and country estates.

Reviewed by Fr. Peter Malone, MSC

UK, 2020, 124 minutes, Colour.
Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Partridge, Burn Gorman, Adeel Akhtar, Susan Wokoma, Hattie Morahan, David Bamber, Frances de la tour, Claire Rushbrook, Fiona Shaw.
Directed by Harry Bradbeer.

More info: Cast, Plot, Production (Wikipedia)