Gremlins
Flat-out, I think Gremlins might be one of the best movies ever made.
Gremlins was a movie that was on constant rotation throughout my childhood. Some people regulate Gremlins into being only a Christmas movie, I've even heard some people say that it doesn't count as a Christmas film, but for me it was always perfect Gremlins watching weather/season.
Gremlins follows Billy Peltzer who's life gets flipped upside down after being gifted Gizmo, a mowgai which is a direct translation of monster in Cantonese, from his father for Christmas. Billy is given three rules to follow:
- Never expose it to bright lights
- Don't get it wet
- Never feed it after midnight.
After Billy spills water on Gizmo, Gizmo reproduces several over mowgai and once they get their hands on food after midnight they turn out to be more violent than their cuddly disposition would ever let on.
Gremlins hits the nail on the head in terms of ambience, story, comedy, set design, and characters. Gremlins was most likely what introduced me to black comedy with it's humurous takes on terrible situations to be something that's stayed with me for my whole life. For example, the scene where Mrs. Deagle, after being confined to her stair lift by the Gremlins, tries to run away by taking the chair lift up only to be tossed through the window to her demise, sadly the Gremlins have a degree in mechinal machinery so she never really stood a chance.
I also believe that Gizmo is hands down one of the cutest characters ever designed. After watching the film as a child I found myself wishing that mowgai were real so I could have my own Gizmo, even now I still want one.
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