The Couch Critic
The Couch Critic is your laid-back guide to movies and TV shows that deserve your attention—or maybe don’t. Nathan dives deep into storytelling, character development, and cinematic style with a sharp eye and a wry sense of humor. Whether it’s a blockbuster hit, a hidden gem, or a cult classic, Nathan’s relatable approach ensures every episode feels like a cozy chat with a friend who just happens to love film. Perfect for casual watchers and cinephiles alike, The Couch Critic brings thoughtful critique without the fluff. Grab your favorite snack, settle in, and let Nathan guide you through the world of screen entertainment.
The Couch Critic
Breaking the Nut: A Dive into "Nutcracker and the Four Realms"
Ever found yourself enchanted by a movie that didn't quite hit the mark at the box office? Join us as we explore the unexpected charm of "Nutcracker and the Four Realms," starring Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Mirren. Despite its peculiar release timing and some hiccups with continuity, this film surprised us with its imaginative twist on the classic tale. We’ll share our candid thoughts on Keira Knightley's rather grating character portrayal and celebrate the film's creative ballet sequences, earning it a respectable 3.5 out of 5. Plus, we're spicing things up this season by splitting it into two parts to dive deeper into a festive array of Christmas films.
In a puzzling twist, Hugh Grant’s comedy "A Boy" somehow made the cut on a list of 100 Christmas movies, and we couldn't help but scratch our heads. We'll share our initial reactions and whet your appetite for a comprehensive analysis coming in February. At The Couch Critic, we embrace the idea that films are more than just entertainment—they're a lifestyle. Whether you're a night owl or an early bird, grab some popcorn and join us on this cinematic adventure, where every moment on screen is a moment worth discussing. There’s plenty more excitement on the horizon, including a sneak peek into what's coming next week!
On the couch. We're laughing, crying, feeling it all, breaking down the big screen, the hits and the flaws. Grab your seat, press play, let's take the pic. Lights, camera action. It's another Couch Critic episode. I'm your host, nathan.
Speaker 2:And on today's episode I'm tackling Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Four realms this is a what I thought was a sequel, but apparently it's just a retelling of the nutcracker story, and it stars mackenzie foy as clara, karen knightley as sugarplum, morgan freeman as drosselmeyer and helen mirren as mother ginger. And here is the trivia for this movie. Did you know that this is Morgan Freeman's first and only Disney movie? And it was also released three days after Halloween and an entire month before Thanksgiving, and so a lot of people think that may have had something to do with how bad this movie did in the box office. This movie was basically a flop. It bombed in the box office and I I agree I think if it was released closer to christmas it might have done a little bit better.
Speaker 2:Because I know I've talked about before how my sisters are not big fans of remakes and sequels and things like that, and I'm not either for the most part. You know I'll go see a movie even if it's a sequel or anything, but that doesn't mean I'm a big fan of them. But this movie actually surprised me. I'd seen a little bit of it before. But this movie actually surprised me. I'd seen a little bit of it before and so I knew somewhat of the story. I knew about Keira Knightley's character and all of that, but still I don't think I had ever watched this movie all the way through, and it actually wasn't that bad. I'm not saying it was great, but it not a bad film it's.
Speaker 2:It was enjoyable and I think one of the things I liked about it was the fact that the story was fresh and new. It wasn't just a rehash of the nutcracker and they still utilized a lot of the nutcracker music, but it wasn't just your cookie cutter Nutcracker. There was a lot of ballet in it, which is another reason why some people may not have liked it, but I was okay with that. They did have one ballet section when Clara first goes into the Christmas tree forest and meets sugar plum and all the other characters, and then they sit down and they basically watch the story of Clara's mother, marie, which I think was the original name of the main female character in the original nutcracker, and then they change it to clara in later versions and so they were re-watching the story of how her mother came to the nutcracker realm and basically became their queen and so clara is the princess of the christmas tree forest and the four realms and she and the four realms and she is to be expected to come and save them and she's not sure about if she has the courage and the confidence to do that.
Speaker 2:So I thought the story was fun, it was fresh, it was unique and I thought the characters were a lot of fun, even though one of my dislikes is that carrot of nightly's character was kind of annoying at times. But I think once you realize then it makes sense that you're supposed to be annoyed by her. But I still don't think that she should have sounded as annoying as she did. Some of the continuity was confusing, because if Marie is from the, I guess, original Nutcracker story which I don't know if that's what they're verifying and saying that's what it is it's confusing that in this movie kind of get into minor spoiler territory here that the rat king kind of ends up being a good guy a little bit, and so it was kind of confusing about the continuity or and whether it was supposed to be a sequel or not. So that kind of confused me. But other than that I thought this was a fun film. I don't think it's, you know, something to harp on about. You know, with sequels and remakes and stuff. It's it's just a fun film. I enjoyed it.
Speaker 2:So for a christmas rating I would probably give it a four out of five. And you may be thinking, well, this is obviously a christmas movie, but to me it didn't give me the warm and fuzzies that normally a christmas movie would give me. Like a charlie brown christmas last episode that obviously was going to get a five out of five. This one I would give a four out of five and movie as a whole I'm going to go even lower, even though I did enjoy it. I would give nutcracker in the four realms a 3.5 out of five. That is my thoughts on the nutcracker in the four realms. Check it out. It's not a bad film. If you don't want to watch it, then don't watch it.
Speaker 2:So that is the month of january. Everybody I've made it through. Let me see, uh, one, two, three, four christmas movies so far in the month of january. This is a long journey. One. One thing I do need to say is that I realized that there are a lot of movies that I have to watch. So this season will be split up into two parts. I'm going to be going all the way to the end of this year, and then I'm going to have to go over into 2026 for the second part of season five, because there are a lot of christmas movies to watch, but I'm still really excited about it, and so you should still join me for this journey. And here is a little ear peek of what I'm gonna be talking about next week. Take a listen.
Speaker 1:I tell you, if your dad goes out with my mum and you're dead, really dead, oh, don't worry, he's all right, I don't care if he's all right, I don't want him going out with my mum. So I don't want to see him or you around ever again. Ok, well, I'm not really sure. It's up to me. Well, it better be, or you're going to die. I was beginning to get the feeling that maybe this kid, ali, was a serial killer. Can I have a go on your computer? What games you got? Are you listening to me? Yeah, it's just that I can't really do much at the moment, can I? I mean Will, that's my dad. Well, he likes your mum and I think she's keen on him. She's not keen on him, she's only keen on me. Ali has something to say to you, doesn't he? Sorry, marcus, I didn't mean to say those things. That's OK, ali.
Speaker 2:Ali finds all this very difficult?
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, so does Marcus, don't you, mate? You know, having divorced parents and not knowing how to feel about new people. Oh yes, absolutely, absolutely. The way I feel Ali didn't get along with the last bloke. He was a liar, all right darling that's right.
Speaker 2:It's another movie that I had to scratch my head when I heard that this was on this 100 christmas movie list. It's the hugh grant comedy a Boy. I'll talk more about it on next week's episode, the first episode in February. This has been the Couch Critic, where every movie gets its close-up.
Speaker 1:It's not just a movie, it's a way of life. We'll watch it together, day or night, so settle in close and don't miss a flick. This is the moment For the couch critic.
