This week – Star Wars strikes back, and the spirit of Christmas has invaded the chart – but the honor of the top spot belongs to Mulan
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”. We have finally been given a trailer and some further details of the upcoming home entertainment release of Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone’.
In reality, the film is a rejigged version of ‘The Godfather Part III‘ which Coppola directed back in 1990 and is the trilogy closing chapter of the epic saga that first started back in 1972 on the big screen. Although nowhere near the class of the previous two films, it is still one of the best gangster films of all time, and again, although a disappointment, it closes the saga out brilliantly. The title of this new release, which now boasts a new opening and ending and certain scenes have been rearranged alongside remastered picture and sound, is a spoiler for the ending of the film but as most people have seen the movie by now, it isn’t that much of a shock. The film becomes available on all home entertainment formats from Monday, December 7th.
“Happy Life Day!”. This week has also seen the release on Disney+ of ‘The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special‘. Many years ago, George Lucas made, alongside the cast of the original film, ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special‘ which has gone down in history as one of the worst ideas and one of the worst events ever created. It was shown once and then thankfully vanished beyond a galaxy far, far away. This new animated special is an enjoyable and fun little time-waster that will entertain the children and the adults will get a kick out of the little in-jokes the show contains. It is available on-demand for all Disney+ subscribers right now and is a good quality show ready for the coming months. And of course, we can’t forget to mention the latest episode of the fantastic live-action show ‘The Mandalorian‘ which boasted the first-ever live-action appearance of the classic animated character of Bo-Katan Kryze, once again portrayed brilliantly by Katee Sackhoff, who provided the voice for the character in the animated ‘Star Wars‘ series that have been made over the years. If you haven’t seen the episode or haven’t watched the show, then you are missing out on a complete treat. Again, a brilliant way to keep yourselves entertained over the winter period.
And with that, welcome once more to the weekly look at what has been making the grade and has been appearing in our homes for our collections. Once again, new content is rather thin on the ground and so we have to rely on titles that have been available for a while, for the most part, to keep us entertained. That’s not to say we don’t have any new entries into the mix this week. We do see a couple enter the chart alongside no less than five films that have rejoined us and as such, to make way for these new titles, we must say goodbye to ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story‘, ‘V For Vendetta‘, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas‘, ‘The Untouchables‘, ‘The Invisible Man‘, ‘Hocus Pocus‘ and ‘Scoob!‘. But do we have a brand new number one title and if so, what could it be? Let’s dive in and find out.
After being shunted around the cinematic release schedules before finally being pulled and sent straight to PVOD instead, after making its debut on the disc formats and streaming services and ahead of its premiere on Disney+ early next month, our first new entry becomes our new number one as the Disney live-Action remake of ‘Mulan‘ rides and battles its way to the top of the chart. The film, starring Yifei Liu as the title character concerns a daughter who decides to disguise herself as a male soldier to prevent her ailing father, played by Tzi Ma from being conscripted. This version does away with the songs and the friendly Chinese dragon from the animated version and is a more action-packed and dramatic take on the material. And it is possibly one of the best of the recent Disney remakes of their animated back catalog.
Emilia Clarke and ‘Last Christmas‘ is still singing strongly despite losing the top place this week and dropping down to become the UK’s number two title. The charming tale, also starring Emma Thompson, Michelle Yeoh, and Henry Golding is one to keep handy over the coming months, ready for Christmas and beyond as it will become a perennial favorite and a go-to movie for years to come.
At number three, rising up the chart by twelve places and making its customary appearance in the top ten on every format there is, we once again bid a cheery hello to Buddy the Elf in the shape of Will Farrell as ‘Elf‘ drops by once more. The film is probably one of the best-loved Christmas films of all time and it is easy to see why. A charming and timeless tale, the cast includes James Caan as Buddy’s real father, Mary Steenburgen as his wife, Bob Newhart, Edward Asner and Zooey Deschanel in the story of a human child who on Christmas Eve one year crawls into Santa’s sack and is transported to the North Pole and adopted as one of Santa’s elves. The film is directed by Jon Favreau and continues to be shown on TV and subscription channels regularly.
Making its way back into the top ten once more after a rise of nine places, handing it this week’s fourth place, war is still hell and ‘1917‘ continues to fight its way to retain a chart position. The Sam Mendes directed World War I set masterpiece has been in and out of the chart for months but refuses to stay away.
Rounding out this week’s top five placings, we once again find that Elsa, Olaf, and the rest refuse to go anywhere once more as ‘Frozen II‘ drops two places down the chart. However, after all the time the film has spent in the charts over the past six to eight months, it’s safe to assume that it will still be holding on to a chart position come Christmas and beyond.
We pause now for a breather while we discover what is incoming shortly on download and keep. This week, we find ourselves cowering in fear as Russell Crowe menaces us in the psychological thriller ‘Unhinged‘. The film concerns a young mother who falls foul of a road rage incident with a male driver (Crowe) who decides that the woman needs a lesson. It doesn’t help that the man is completely over the edge and starts a series of events that will culminate in some seriously frightening violence. The film is available from November 23rd and I recommend either renting or taking the plunge and picking the film up to own as it is a worthy psychological nightmare.
We resume our tour of the top ten titles at number six and our second and final new entry. Ten years after the world thought the saga was finally over and after Disney purchased Lucasfilm, in 2015 the saga continued once again as ‘Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens‘ opened around the world and destroyed box offices. The film has awoken once more, this time in a 4K Steel Book release. Introducing the world to Daisy Ridley and John Boyega as well as bringing back Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and the late Carrie Fisher to the franchise that made their names, the film was a terrific return to form for the saga. Although some people derided the film as nothing more than a remake of ‘A New Hope‘, the fanbase took to the film like a duck to water and brought the franchise back to the world in a big way.
Dropping two places down to this week’s number seven, those Lightfoot brothers continue their search for their father as ‘Onward‘ continues its slide down the chart after taking five months to hit number one.
Despite being called one of the worst films of 2020, Robert Downey Jr and his film ‘Dolittle‘ has leaped back up the chart again, this time by an amazing twenty-five places from last week’s number thirty-three to land in the eighth place this week.
Re-entering the chart once more on its annual Christmas visit, this time arriving in the ninth-placed position, Jim Carrey’s classic and wholly enjoyable performance in ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas‘ swoops by. The film is certainly one that can correctly be termed as a classic due to it being completely hilarious and heartfelt. Carrey and his rubber face are perfectly cast as the eponymous character and the hijinks the character gets up to are completely inspired. The film is yet another that is in rotation around many channels throughout December and is guaranteed to be available whenever it is wanted.
And finally, ‘Star Wars‘ hits back once again as ‘Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker‘ rises a single place to land in the tenth and final position on the chart this week. The film is available on Disney+ and Sky Movies but does make a great stocking filler as we approach the Christmas period.
My thanks again for joining me on the trip through the chart for the past seven days. And this week, I pose the question…what Christmas movies do you think will be entering the chart over the coming weeks? Will we see the likes of ‘Die Hard‘ and ‘Die Hard 2‘ make themselves known? Will ‘Gremlins‘ bring their wacky antics into the top ten? Is ‘Home Alone‘ about to return home to the charts again? Or will ‘It’s A Wonderful Life‘ inspire the chart to admit it again? Why not email or comment to us with your thoughts.
Until next week, whatever you decide, whatever you buy, stay safe, be kind, look after each other, and happy viewing!
Anyone wishing to buy any of the titles featured in the chart can do so via FindAnyFilm.com
The Future of the Force. The future of pop culture writing.
Carl Roberts is a Senior Staff Writer and Books and Literature Correspondent for Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter @CarlRoberts2 where he uses the force frequently!
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Editor’s Note | All videos and information have been supplied by Find Any Film and used under authorization.
Author
Carl Roberts is the News Editor of The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
