Blu-Ray Review: Twisted Comedy Carnage of Unique ‘Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale’

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionE-mail page to friendE-mail page to friendPDF versionPDF version
No votes yet

CHICAGO – There’s a beautiful irony in the clever comedy/fantasy/thriller “Rare Exports” in that the majority of the action of the piece is begun by kids acting naughty. Remember who knows when you’re naughty? Why, Santa knows, of course. This wonderfully unique Christmas tale reimagines the legend of Santa Claus as a decrepit, immortal killing machine, one that has been buried for years and only recently unearthed and happened upon by some unlucky hunters.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

“Rare Exports” began life from a pair of short films (both of which are included on yet-another stellar Oscilloscope Blu-ray release…this company is second only to Criterion in terms of worthwhile bonus material and memorable packaging) and, while I admire the final product enough to recommend a viewing, the film’s origins are clear. Even at 82 minutes, it feels a bit long as there’s not quite enough material here to support a feature-length film. When it does get going, “Rare Exports” is a twisted thrill, the kind of movie that develops a cult audience that will faithfully introduce it to friends every holiday season. “Want to see a different kind of Christmas movie?”

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 25th, 2011
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 25th, 2011
Photo credit: Oscilloscope

With a snowy, remote setting reminiscent of John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and a wide-eyed hero straight out of “A Christmas Story,” “Rare Exports” is a marvelously demented hybrid of horror, comedy, and myth. It opens with a team excavating what they believe is a legendary corpse from a remote mountain. When the team quickly ends up dead and animals go missing, it becomes clear that what they unearthed isn’t exactly dead. But is it, as a local boy believes, the “real Santa Claus”? A local kid reads of Grimm-esque fairy tales of a creature who would punish the naughty and believes them to be the inspiration for the modern legend of Santa Claus. What if the fairy tales are true? And what if they’ve uncovered a naughty-boy killing machine?

“Rare Exports” is remarkably well-made, at times approaching the visual flair of the works of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro (“Amelie,” “The City of Lost Children”). If anything, I wish the film had a bit MORE of that Jeunet touch, as the dialogue scenes sometimes get in the way of the unique atmosphere of the piece. It’s rare enough case to be a minor complaint. This is a fun holiday alternative, the kind of B-movie perfect for fans tired of Christmas carols and Hallmark commercials. You know that person in your life who can’t wait to wear their reindeer sweater every year? Introduce them to “Rare Exports” this season.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 25th, 2011
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 25th, 2011
Photo credit: Oscilloscope

Oscilloscope continues to make waves in the Blu-ray market with a gorgeously-transferred video presentation accompanied by well-mixed audio. The special features are remarkable, offering nothing in the way of silly filler and only presenting material designed to enhance viewer appreciation of the entire film, even going as far as to offer a similarly-demented Christmas film from nearly half-a-century ago starring Pia Zadora. “Rare Exports” is the kind of cult hit guaranteed to grow an increasing band of followers every season (a local theater like Music Box would be wise to program a midnight show or two at the end of the year). It’s notable of Oscilloscope to give this future cult hit the presentation it deserves now.

Synopsis:
Young Pietari lives with his stern reindeer-herding father Rauno in arctic Finland. On the eve of Christmas, an enormous excavation at a nearby mountain disturbs the locals and captures Pietari’s curiosity. When Rauno’s reindeer heard is mysteriously slain and the children in town go missing. Pietari realizes that the dig has unearthed the evil Santa Claus of local lore - who no one wants coming to town.

Pietari’s father rounds up a posse and captures the nightmarish creature in an attempt to sell him to the misguided leader sponsoring the dig. But Santa’s freakish elves will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader, and what ensues is a fantastically bizarre holiday adventure testing the bond of father and son and pitting man against mythology.Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a wildly original re-imagining of the most classic of all childhood fantasies and a darkly comic gem destined for perennial holiday viewing.

Special Features:
o The two short prequels in which the Christmas tale was born, Rare Exports Inc. (2003) and Rare Exports Inc - The Office Safety Instructions (2005)
o The Making Of Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
o Blood In Snow - a look at the concept art
o Animatics & computer effects video comparison
o Behind the scenes production stills photo gallery
o Original theatrical trailer from Finland
o Santa Clause Conquers The Martians (1964) - a cult classic from the Oscilloscope vault featuring Pia Zadora in her first movie role

“Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale” stars Jorma Tommila, Per Christian Ellefsen, Jonathan Hutchings, and Peeter Jakobi. It was directed by Jalmari Helander. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 25th, 2011.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

User Login

Free Giveaway Mailing

TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

Advertisement



HollywoodChicago.com on Twitter

archive

HollywoodChicago.com Top Ten Discussions
referendum
tracker