Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Spacenaz This movie is pretty funny, as I have always been a fan of the main actors in this movie (Billy Bob Thornton, John Cusack and Oliver Platt). It also features the beautiful Connie Nielson. This is a crime dramedy, about a plan to steal 2 million dollars. It is a good adult comedy that has a fairly interesting story. I also really enjoy Harold Ramis's comedies, writing or directing, Groundhog Day and Bedazzled are 2 of my favorite romantic comedies, and Caddyshack, Stripes, and Ghostbusters are just classic. I had fun as the dialogue is great and I always enjoy Cusack's brand of humor. One amusing line from Thornton was "Your dead, don't just stand there pretending you're not".It is a fairly dark comedy, that is more of a dramedy. It leans on the Christmas theme throughout, but not too much. It is set on Christmas eve after all. Oliver Platt is funny as the drunk buddy, and Billy Bob is always good when he is getting jerky and angry. There are underlying themes of trust and infidelity that run through the movie as well. There is a few good twists that will keep you interested. A brief movie at just over 80 minutes before the end credits roll, you should have no problem getting through this dark story. Overall a funny Cusack vehicle that will appeal more to fans of his than not. I have always enjoyed him and this stands as one of his better 00's offerings, though there were better. Call me crazy, but my preferred Cusack Christmas movie is Serendipity.

seymourblack-1 Probably because its style is so low-key, "The Ice Harvest" is one of those movies that doesn't arrive with any high expectations and so makes a big impact when you discover how good it actually is. Its plot about the complications that set in after a seemingly perfectly-executed heist, doesn't sound particularly original (and of course it isn't) but a group of totally untrustworthy characters, a series of neat twists and plenty of dark humour combine together to make this a movie that's hugely enjoyable from start to finish.On Christmas Eve in Wichita, Kansas, mob lawyer Charlie Arglist (John Cusack) and his partner-in-crime Vic Cavanaugh (Billy Bob Thornton) successfully relieve their employer of more than $2 million. Unfortunately, their employer is Kansas City crime boss Bill Guerrard (Randy Quaid) who very quickly recognises who was responsible for the theft and dispatches one of his henchmen, Roy Gelles (Mike Starr) to hunt them down. Charlie and Vic's plan to get out of Kansas immediately after the heist has to be put on hold when an ice storm suddenly envelops Wichita and the two men decide to split up until the road conditions improve.Charlie goes to a strip club called "The Sweet Cage" where he meets up with its sexy proprietor, Renata Crest (Connie Neilsen). He's infatuated by her and so when she tells him she wants to recover a photograph of a local councilman pictured in circumstances that could potentially cause him tremendous embarrassment, Charlie agrees to help out. He gets anxious when he twice sees a large man making enquiries about him and so, after recovering the photograph for Renata, goes to a restaurant to warn Vic who seems completely unconcerned. As he starts to leave the restaurant, a member of staff asks Charlie to take his friend Pete (Oliver Platt) home because he's extremely drunk.Pete is married to Charlie's ex-wife and so taking him home leads to an uncomfortable meeting with her, his children and her parents. Later, he takes the photograph to Renata at her club but then has to go on to help Vic when he finally recognises what danger he's in. A whole series of violent developments then follow.Charlie Arglist is an interesting character because his experiences in life have left him world-weary, disillusioned and cynical but despite this, his essential decency leads him into helping others, even when doing so is obviously not in his own best interest. John Cusack's expressions, demeanour and skill in delivering his witty dialogue are very effective in conveying his character's complexities in a way that's both understated and highly entertaining. Billy Bob Thornton and Connie Neilsen are both well-cast in their roles and Oliver Platt is outrageously funny as Charlie's friend who enjoys intoxication because it distracts him from the lack of respect and enjoyment that he derives from the rest of his life."The Ice Harvest" is well-paced, sleazy and often violent but its strongest elements are its interesting characters and its wonderful humour.

secondtake The Ice Harvest (2005)Okay, someone tell me why this movie is worth watching. For the almost flashy sets and groovy lighting? For the couple of great actors in less than stellar performances? For the gaudy violence that is neither plasticky like Tarantino nor hyper-real like Scorsese? All this stuff is here. And if you give a hoot about who kills who, and can keep track of why, then you might think this is passable. It's meant to be a black comedy, but that requires timing and wit, both missing here. It's kind of a Christmas movie, but only incidentally.It starts slow, and then keeps going slow (as you think to yourself it'll pick up soon), then it does pick up with casual murder after casual murder. You don't really worry about who dies or that it's so brutal. Who cares? The main character played by John Cusack is typical Cusack and maybe you'll like him (the actor), but his character is a bore and you don't really care that he's about to get whacked, or almost whacked, in scene after scene. And Billy Bob? Also disappointing (and more of a surprise because he's a great actor).Yeah, I hated this movie. First it made me sleepy (literally) and then it made me bored (but not sleepy just because there was so much fabulous violence).The director here, Harold Ramis, has some dazzling successes to his credit, including "Groundhog Day" and "Caddyshack." The writers are to blame here as well, but one of the screenwriters has a long admirable history, too, going back to "Bonnie and Clyde." So what gives? Bad luck? Lack of money? Conflict of personalities? Who knows!But the sensibility is just out of touch here. I would avoid this one by a mile.

Tony Bush Infinitely cool, twisted, post-modern and blackly comedic noir that ends up being an ideal antidote to the saccharine-overloaded bloat of sickliness that defines most festive movies.Mob lawyer Charlie (John Cusack) and his associate Vic (Billy Bob Thornton) heist two million in cash from gang boss Guerrard (Randy Quaid) on Christmas Eve. Now all they have to do is act normal and get out of town on Christmas Day. But, as is the inevitable way of such things, it's not going to be that simple.Cue cross, double-cross, duplicity, murder, violence, slapstick and some razor sharp dialogue along with a sex-on-legs femme-fatale (glacial Connie Nielsen) and Charlie's friend, and also husband of his ex wife (alcohol challenged Oliver Platt) and you have a neo-noir classic to watch as the chestnuts roast and the wine mulls.Cusack, Thornton, Platt, Nielsen and Quaid are immensely watchable and the minor characters who come and go as the film proceeds are all impressively sketched. It's not a fast-paced action spectacular, but it has its fair share of gore and grisliness. If the usual Christmas fare of animated Santas, nuns singing on mountains and elderly misanthropists finding redemption through multiple haunting is beginning to pale, reinvigorate your festive palate with this absolute gem of a movie. It's a bit tasty.