Guest Author - Sandy Mullins
Christmas Holiday Season is the time for family movies and TNT brings us a fairly good offering in ‘NOEL’. It has an excellent cast some of which don’t usually do TV movies. ‘Noel’ is a new type of movie on two fronts relating to movie distribution.
First, ‘Noel’ was premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles, then had a one time broadcast on TNT.
Second is, it is the first movie out on the new, self erasing DVD’s that are supposed to be the new rage in movie viewing. Instead of renting you but a DVD that has 48 hours of viewing after you open it. Now you don’t have to worry about returning the movies and the price is supposed to be about the same as a rental. My only issue with this is the idea of everything is disposable, but their site says they are recyclable.
Now about the movie and cast.
Susan Sarandon (‘Rocky Picture Horror Show’ and ‘Thelma and Louise’) plays Rose, an editor who’s alone except for her ailing mother. Rose’s mother is lost in the world of Alzheimer and living in a nursing home. Rose is a likable character whose whole world is work, and visiting her mother daily (or more often).
I was surprised when looking at the movie information on my satellite left off Robin Williams’ (‘Mork & Mindy’ and ‘Good Will Hunting’) name off on the cast of characters, (I will be honest. I had to look up the third actor listed to find out who he is). Robin Williams plays a former priest that has lost his faith that meets Rose when she goes into another patients’ room, to hang a Christmas angel. Robin shows up at the riverside just about the time Rose thinks of suicide.
Alan Arkin (‘Chicago Hope’ and former a lead singer of Tarriers who co-composed “The Banana Boat Song/Day-o”) is great playing Artie, an aging and confused man. When Artie who meets Mike the cop and tells Mike that he is the reincarnation of his (Artie’s) late wife, just as he has told others every Christmas for years.
Then we have the couple. Penelope Cruz (‘Gothika’ and ‘Vanilla Sky’) as Nina, an overly beautiful paralegal engaged to Mike. Paul Walker (‘ Pleasantville’ and ‘The Fast and the Furious’) plays as Mike, Nina’s over jealous fiancee and a cop. Their wedding is just a little over a week away and Mike is overly jealous of Nina, which causes problems for this possible pregnant bride. The only thing I thought was really good about Penelope’s acting was her Latin dancing in her sexy slip/negligee.
Then we have a young man Jules played by Marcus Thomas ( a fairly new actor ‘Palmento’), who was orphaned early in life and his only good memory of the holidays was being a patient in the hospital. Hearing, that he can only attend the Christmas party if he’s a patient, pays to have his hand broken on Christmas Eve.
Yes the movie is a little gloomy, but only from gloom can we really appreciate it when the sun shines and the stars sparkle. So if you are looking for a Christmas movie and want to buy a Flex Pass, my suggestion is yes being to go on and buy ‘Noel’ and sit back and enjoy the cast and the movie.
TNT Network (offsite link)
http://www.tnt.tv/b/
Robin Williams website (offsite link)
http://www.robinwilliams.com
