Frank Capra - You can't take it with you

I always shied away from watching IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE because everyone said it was too schmaltzy. So the first Frank Capra film I've ever watched, therefore, is YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU - a warm, fun version of Romeo and Juliet where a non-materialist eccentric family is conjoined with a banking dynasty through the love of their children.

I must say - it's brilliant. I now have a major crush on the sleepy-voiced young James Stewart. The eccentricities of the family are adorable, genuinely subversive and stand the test of time.

The wit and farce in this movie are sublime - maybe not entirely modern, but well-crafted and had me in stitches more times than when I watched DUE DATE - which, to be fair, I also enjoyed.

This movie dragged its heels a bit when Capra felt he needed to say something about the collapse of Wall Street and the Great Depression. The social comment was already there in the comedy premise, and leaving out the bankers' collapse could have knocked at least 15 minutes off a two hour movie that didn't need the padding.

Having said that, at the time of release the bits that felt slow and messy to me would have felt cathartic to the audience. So get hot, Mister Capra - you're a good egg!

WRITE CHRISTMAS - Callling all film bloggers

Are you a LAMB member? When you enter, say you're a LAMB member and include your blog's url - we will link to your blog from your entry. Happy Christmas to LAMB xxx

BEST FOR FILM LAUNCHES CHRISTMAS WRITING COMPETITION
Looking for a creative project over the festive season? Film website bestforfilm.com are excited to announce the launch of “Write Christmas”; a yuletide writing competition with a once in a lifetime first prize. Read on for more details…

ENTER THE COMPETITION
The concept of Write Christmas is simple – to write a film review of the greatest Christmas film never made. With Hollywood churning out the same old Christmas tat every year it’s difficult to see how we’ll ever get a truly brilliant NEW Christmas story on our screens. Best For Film are looking for fantastic writers to review the NEXT greatest, most ridiculous, potentially iconic Christmas film – the fact that it doesn’t actually exist yet is merely a quibble.

The PRIZES
First Prize:
- A real-life A1 poster of your made-up movie as imagined by OTM Entertain, the world-famous design team that brought you the posters for The Hurt Locker, In The Loop, Splice and The Losers. Blimey!
- One hundred pounds to spend as you deem fit
- Publication on bestforfilm.com
Two runners up will receive:
- fifty pounds each
- Publication on bestforfilm.com

THE DETAILS
The competition will be judged by our panel of experts:
LARUSHKA IVAN-ZADEH – Film editor of The Metro (3.5 million readers every weekday)
EMMA KENNEDY – actress (Notes on a Scandal), author, film critic for the Danny Baker show
CLEOLINDA JONES – parody film critic, author, blogger (Movies In Fifteen Minutes)

You have until the 24th December to enter, by emailing your glorious review to info@bestforfilm.com, with “Write Christmas” in the subject line.
Interested? Learn more about the judging details on the official website – http://bestforfilm.com/community/write-christmas-competition/

So, from a sombre review of Tim Burton’s unmade fantasy “Twas the Cheekbone before Christmas” to a brilliant write-up of Michael Bay’s imaginary classic “When Santa Exploded” – Best For Film wants to read the review of the best Christmas film we’ll never get to see. You’ve got until the 24th to get scribbling – the same deadline as Santa? How could it be any other way…

Attached are some promo images - for more information or more pictures, please contact Natasha Hodgson at info@bestforfilm.com