Supernatural: A Very Supernatural Christmas

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester are monster-hunting brothers. After their mother was killed when Sam was six months old and Dean was four years old, they and their father, John, have been living on the road and killing evil as they go. Set in season three, “A Very Supernatural Christmas” follows the boys as they investigate a case involving evergreen stakes, peanut brittle and...evil Santa? It’s Christmas Eve and little Stevie can’t wait until Santa comes to bring him presents. Though he doesn’t know it, his grandfather has decided to make it a Christmas to remember and dressed up as the big man himself to treat his grandson. After jingling a bell to alert Stevie to “Santa’s” arrival, Grandpa carefully places gifts under the tree. Thumps on the roof and soot falling from the chimney excite Stevie and confuse Grandpa. As he investigates, Grandpa is grabbed and dragged, kicking and screaming, up the chimney, leaving only a bloody boot behind. A year later, a similar disappearance brings Sam and Dean to Ypsilanti, Michigan. They begin to investigate the possibilities, searching through lore on everything from evil chimney sweeps to, as Dean puts it, “Santa’s shady brother.” As the brothers learn of two more disappearances, the ‘evil Santa’ theory seems less likely and they begin to suspect something, or someone, more powerful is involved. “A Very Supernatural Christmas” is marvelous in its exploration of Christmas mythology, but the highlight is the glimpse it gives of Sam and Dean as children. Several flashbacks to a 12-year-old Dean (Ridge Canipe) and eight-year-old Sam (Colin Ford) reveal just how much the boys mean to each other and what a childhood in the Winchester family was like. Whether by ruining Christmas wreaths forever or by creating a deeper appreciation for the warm and safe holiday celebrations most enjoy, “A Very Supernatural Christmas” will leave viewers seeing Christmas, and the Winchesters, in a new light.

Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion

Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) was just an ordinary girl until a mysterious man took her by the hand and told her to run. Nine months later, they’re still running. Rose and the ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) have seen planets and galaxies, traveled back to World War II and even witnessed the end of the world. Now, Rose faces the challenge of life with a new Doctor, the 10th regeneration of the man she had come to know through their many adventures. As she struggles with the change, a Christmas invasion might be just the thing to show that the man behind the unfamiliar face is the same Doctor she has come to trust. After regenerating, the Doctor and Rose return to London, where they meet up with Rose’s mom, Jackie (Camille Coduri), and boyfriend, Mickey (Noel Clarke). Upon arrival, the Doctor bids Jackie and Mickey hello … and promptly collapses into a coma-like sleep. The three try to understand the man in the blue box — and wake him from his coma — as they battle with the Robot Santas and killer Christmas trees that have overtaken London. Yep, just your average British Christmas celebration. The Doctor is full of energy leftover from his regeneration, and the excess bursts serve as a tracking signal for the aliens invading earth. The Tylers and Mickey work to wake the comatose Doctor, knowing he is the only one who can save the world from the invaders, called the Sycorax, while assisting the British government in the fight. As they all fight to save humanity from the tyrannical aliens, they can only hope that their resident Time Lord won’t be too late. The first episode of the second season, “The Christmas Invasion” is David Tennant’s debut in a role he dreamed of playing since he was a child. And, even though he sleeps through most of it, he gives viewers a thrilling glimpse of the 10th Doctor, who would later be voted the fan-favorite version of the famous Time Lord. Viewers meet and discover the new Doctor with the Tylers and Mickey, learning about and accepting him alongside them. With gems such as the Doctor deciding on his iconic outfit or quoting “The Lion King” to a group of bloodthirsty aliens, “The Christmas Invasion” is an episode to remember. And, though it is just the beginning of the Tennant years, it is an exciting beginning, indeed.

The Maze Runner

When Thomas wakes in a supply-filled box, hurtling up an elevator-like shaft, he finds his memory is a blank slate. He knows nothing — not how or why he got there, or even where here is. He can’t even remember his name.
The box opens upon reaching the top of the shaft and Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is introduced to his new home called the Glade, a camp of sorts, inhabited by a group of teenage boys.
Thomas soon learns that all of the boys arrive at the Glade in the same way, once a month, every month, for the last three years. In that time, they’ve made the Glade their home. They have buildings, gardens, leaders, jobs and three basic rules.
Do your part. Never harm another Glader. And never go into the Maze.
The Maze, as Thomas learns, surrounds the Glade. It’s filled with monsters, Grievers, which are heard but go unseen, and has walls that shift and change every night. The walls around the Glade close tightly at sunset. But beware the one who gets stuck on the outside when night falls.
As Thomas begins to acclimate to his new home, he starts asking questions and pushing the status quo. He remembers his name within a few hours of arriving and the snatches of memories in his dreams hint at something bigger going on.
Then, everything starts changing.
Based on the first book in a dystopian trilogy by James Dashner, “The Maze Runner” is a look at the resilience of teenagers and children in the face of hard circumstances—circumstances not chosen and certainly not asked for.
Much like “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent,” the movie begins to explore the limits of human morality when faced with the endangerment of the human race. Just how far is too far?
During the film, the audience learns with Thomas, who is forced to discover the secrets of the Glade and the Maze, without any outside knowledge or additional perspectives from other characters. Although this tends to slow the pace of the movie at some points, the story is punctuated with fast-paced scenes through the Maze. These pulse-quickening chases are further helped by a fantastic soundtrack, written by John Paesano.
The cinematography is beautiful, enhanced by a lovely Louisiana setting, and the graphics are realistic. The Maze is skin-crawlingly creepy and the Grievers’ presence is nothing to desire. The acting, while a bit rough in the beginning, is believable and doesn’t distract from the plot. The characterization, especially for those who have read the book, is spot on.
Several themes run through the movie, including that of resisting limits and pushing change, even when everyone else is happy to exist in comfortable boundaries. Thomas continually asks questions and breaks rules, something none of the others have done, with considerable consequences.
Additionally, the movie stresses the importance of sticking together, the only thing the characters can do to stay alive in their circumstances, and staying true to who one is. As Thomas realizes, it doesn’t matter who anyone was before the Maze. That person is lost and it’s what they do now that matters.
As the first part of a trilogy, “The Maze Runner” mainly sets up the rest of the story. Thus, most of the action, except for the scenes in the Maze, is saved for the end. But what an end it is.
It’s no “Hunger Games,” but “The Maze Runner” had enough action and suspense to stay entertaining. The story promised by the ending is especially exciting, and it will be interesting to see what the sequels will hold. At the very least, it will encourage viewers to read the books — and is that ever a bad thing?