First, read the BAIT: a weird and wonderful pick from any time in film. Then, try the BITE: a breakdown of the movie’s ending, impact, and any other spoilers you’d want.
The Bait: This Christmas, Give Yourself the Gift of Zero Irony
When “Last Christmas” hit theaters shortly before the pandemic, critics roasted the holiday rom com at such high heat they made “chestnuts on an open fire” sound chilly. That’s a shame, but maybe the best thing that could have happened to Universal’s all-time ode to cinematic whiplash. Five years later, it’s a new cult classic in the making — perfect for midnight, even if IndieWire gave it a “C+” review.
Starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding (then moving on from buzzy roles in “Game of Thrones” and “Crazy Rich Asians”), this surprisingly disturbing meet-cute from 2019 pairs a great cast with the sinfully fun direction of Paul Feig. The marketing promises a fizzy and flirty seasonal aperitif that the filmmaker can only partly deliver. A truly bonkers script, co-written by Bryony Kimmings and Emma Thompson (who also appears!), charges the characteristically campy Feig with pulling off a twist that is so summarily shocking not even Rudolph Blake Lively in a “A Simple Favor” could see it coming.
With an internet reputation that precedes it, “Last Christmas” and its jarring narrative trajectory are better left unspoiled for anyone who has successfully dodged them thus far. Still, cozy newcomers watching in honor of the holiday — and/or the film’s five-year anniversary — should prepare for a heart-stopping emotional journey with a hairpin turn so sharp it flung off much of the movie’s intended audience.
This woefully misunderstood chick flick adapts seasonal George Michael lyrics into a bizarre romance. When gift shop “elf” Kate (a wonderfully messy Clarke with extra eyeliner) crosses paths with mysterious do-gooder Tom (a typically dashing Golding, often on a bike), the ill-fated lovers embark on a soul-searching epic that could just as well be titled “A Christmas Carol for Troubled Women in Their Thirties.” Can Tom give Kate back her Christmas spirit? Can Kate figure out anything about Tom… at all?
Based on a ridiculous but also gonzo idea by Thompson (which she reportedly discussed with music legend Michael before his death on Christmas Day in 2016), the pop-inspired two-hander is set in London during the Yule season, and for a time seems traditional. Thompson became a holiday icon thanks to her role opposite Alan Rickman in “Love Actually,” and the British actress knows how to write those beats into a relationship arc with feeling. She fleshes out Kate’s world well, giving her a wildly entertaining boss in the form of Michelle Yeoh and casts herself as the protagonist’s immigrant mother.
But more than twinkling lights, ice-skating, friends, or family, “Last Christmas” goes for broke with a big reveal you’ll want to unwrap yourself. Whether it leaves you in tears — or stitches — Thompson and Feig’s so-called flop is a festive oddity fringe film lovers will think about all year.
“Last Christmas” is now streaming on Max and available to buy/rent on VOD platforms.
The Bite: Every Time a Bell Rings — Wait, He’s a GHOST?
“Last Christmas” by Wham! was released in 1984. In subsequent decades, it has risen to become one of the most popular holiday songs of all time. Adored by millions, covered by countless artists, with a chorus as recognizable as Santa Claus himself. Who knew this was the anthem of organ donation?
And yet, that literal interpretation is what makes this sideways “It’s a Wonderful Life” remix so jaw-dropping. “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart”? Fair enough. “The very next day, you were… resting in the cardiac wing”? That’s not what anyone else was thinking, but here’s hoping TV’s Emilia Clarke gets well soon.
Not since that dog stole a heart in “One Tree Hill” has an organ donation plot come so far out of left field — but that’s what makes Thompson’s misfire the ideal stocking stuffer for After Dark. The gift that keeps on giving, this well-intentioned bait and switch offers all the fun of a romantic comedy with the emotion of life-and-death (and after death) drama. The result is a chunky supernatural experiment that feels like the pottery studio from “Ghost” was relocated to “Notting Hill” and taken over by emotionally unavailable elves.
According to Thompson, the outrageous plot was approved by Michael before his passing and reflects the important role he played in British pop culture. From Kate’s subplot volunteering at a shelter for the unhoused to all those then-topical asides about Brexit, “Last Christmas” aims to capture the late singer’s charitable legacy and social impact. Only the foremost Wham! scholars can tell you if Thompson achieves that, but open-minded cinephiles should appreciate the style Feig brings to her attempt.
It’s the thought that counts, and no doubt this head-scratcher gifts midnight audiences plenty to think about. Would Kate and Tom have dated if they had met in the tinsel and fire of real life? How did Kate find his apartment if she never knew him? What was Tom’s plan with that whole “I lock my phone in a cabinet” thing? Will Michelle Yeoh get caught for insurance fraud, or will she be around for the “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” spinoff?
Still, those questions work for the right midnight viewer. Love stories and ghost stories are both holiday staples. As earnest as it is out of its mind, “Last Christmas” succeeds if only because it makes you feel like you should’ve seen this Frankenstein coming with his heart on his sleeve — or someone else’s.
IndieWire After Dark publishes midnight movie recommendations every Friday night. Read more of our deranged suggestions…
Following our adventure at Trus Madi, our remaining time in Borneo had dwindled to just three days. On October 19 we planned to visit a hide often attended by the Bornean Peacock-Pheasant. This gave us October 18th as a free day.
After mulling over a few other possibilities, Laura and I settled on Manukan Island, located offshore from Kota Kinabalu. These offshore islands are very popular with tourists due to their beautiful sandy beaches and there are regular water taxis that will drop people off at the various islands. From a birding perspective, several species on these islands are either absent from the mainland or rather uncommon, including Philippine Megapode, Mangrove Blue Flycatcher and Mangrove Whistler. All three would be lifers for Laura, while the blue flycatcher and whistler were species that I had never photographed before. Currently I have photographed about 87% of the species on my life list and so I was eager to add a few more.
The water taxis do not start running until around 8:30 in the morning. This isn't very convenient from a birding perspective as the hot sun begins baking these islands relatively early in the day, leaving little time for productive birding. However, we were lucky. Heavy cloud cover (and some rain) delayed the onset of the hot temperatures. Though the intermittent rain was a bit of a nuisance, the birds remained active all morning whenever the rain subsided.
Looking west from Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
We drove to the Jesselton Point ferry terminal, paid for our tickets and after a short wait we were corralled onto a boat. We landed at Manukan Island around 9:00 AM, paid our entrance fee to the national park and began to hike. Luckily all of the other tourists headed to the beach. We ventured along the brick path that headed west, paralleling the shoreline through beautiful forest towards Sunset Point. We ended up having this trail to ourselves for almost the entire morning!
Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Within 20 minutes of arriving we had already found a rare bird. As we walked around a bend in the trail, a dark rufous night-heron flushed up from a creek bed and landed further up the slope. Its distinctive wing pattern in flight gave it away as a Malayan Night Heron. This species is a scarce non-breeding visitor to Borneo, and October is peak migration season here. Some years there are no records of Malayan Night Herons in Borneo, while in other years several of them are found. Luckily, I managed a few photos before the shy night heron vanished.
Malayan Night Heron - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Buoyed on by this exciting find, we kept our wits about us in case there were any other rare birds lurking. We quickly found a small mixed flock that contained a female flycatcher that is either a Blue-and-white or Zappey's (the females are not confidently separated in the field). We ended up seeing several others along with a male Blue-and-white Flycatcher. This species is an uncommon migrant/winter visitor to Borneo. Things were happening!
Blue-and-white/Zappey's Flycatcher (female) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
The interesting discoveries continued. A little while later we found a different Malayan Night Heron along another small creek that passed the trail. And we found a Siberian Blue Robin, yet another migrant. Unfortunately that was it for migrants but we were pretty pleased with our haul. These islands have serious vagrant potential!
Siberian Blue Robin (female) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
The rain passed and the sun eventually peaked out from behind the clouds. Laura and I had flushed a pair of Philippine Megapodes near the start of our walk but our other two targets, the blue flycatcher and whistler, remained out of site. Upon reaching Sunset Point we lingered for a few minutes to search for marine life along the shoreline and to scan for ocean birds like terns or frigatebirds. There were none to be seen but we had fun observing the crabs and blennies resting just above the waterline.
Grapsus sp. - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
These blennies were completely exposed out the water. These fish are capable of surviving short periods of time in this manner, using their pectoral fins to prop them up.
Andamia sp - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
The sun had encouraged several butterflies to fly while we waited at Sunset Point.
Plains Cupid (Luthrodes pandava) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Blue Glassy Tiger (Ideopsis vulgaris) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
We turned around and began the walk back to the jetty, hoping for better luck with our three target species on the way back. And things went to plan!
Pink-necked Green-Pigeon (female) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
I thought I heard a Mangrove Whistler sing, and a minute later we were watching one in the trees above our head!
Mangrove Whistler - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Not 15 minutes later I thought I heard the song of a Mangrove Blue Flycatcher. A bit of quiet playback caused it to immediately fly in to investigate the intruder. A few seconds of playback was all that was needed (no need to blast it on repeat for several minutes as this is often counter-productive) and for a few minutes the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher sang back at us from a prominent perch.
Mangrove Blue Flycatcher - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Mangrove Blue Flycatcher - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
All what was left was a proper view of a Philippine Megapode. We heard one singing up the slope and eventually found it watching us. Most of the body was hidden but we had great views from the neck up! I never managed a photo, though.
The rest of our walk was quite relaxed as we had been successful with all three of our bird targets and had also found a few bonus migrant species. I focused more on identifying lizards, plants and insects.
Eutropis sp. - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Asian Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Rough Mabuya (Eutropis rudis) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Saga Tree (Adenanthera pavonina) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
This Brown's Mabuya was a lifer for us.
Brown's Mabuya (Eutropis indeprensa) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
A Zebra Dove was testing fate with a massive Asian Water Monitor lurking in the background.
Zebra Dove - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
This particular Asian Water Monitor had no interest in leaving the path, so we gave it a wide berth. I still can't get over how large these lizards are...
Asian Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Laura and I finished our time on Manukan Island by joining the other tourists on the beach and going for a dip. I think this was my first ever swim in the ocean in Borneo despite this being my fourth visit - shameful, I know!
While waiting for the water taxi to take us back, I amused myself with photographing the various tropical fish that were near the dock. I would love to spend some time snorkeling or diving in these waters...maybe one day...
Doublebar Rabbitfish (Siganus virgatus) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Black Rabbitfish (Siganus fuscescens) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Indo-Pacific Sergeant Major (Abudefduf vaigiensis) - Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia
Laura and I returned to the mainland, bought lunch and debated our next move. We still had several hours of driving ahead of us so that we could be in place to search for the Bornean Peacock-Pheasants the next morning. However, we were also sitting at 292 total bird species for our trip, by far the most I had seen on one trip to Sabah, and 300 was looking like a real possibility. We decided to add roughly an hour and a half to our drive by detouring north before heading east. The goal was to explore the rice paddy fields in the Tempasuk Plain.
Scoping the rice paddies at the Tempasuk Plain, Sabah, Malaysia
We arrived with a couple hours of light and immediately went to work finding herons, rails, shorebirds and more. Wandering Whistling-Ducks sometimes flew low over the rice, while Lesser Coucals sang from their perches.
Wandering Whistling-Duck - Tempasuk Plain, Sabah, Malaysia
The shorebirds were rather numerous and I was very happy with my decision to bring my scope with me on this trip. If only we had more time to scan the shorebirds as we were running out of light quickly! We still found ten species of shorebird including Pacific Golden-Plovers, Red-necked and Long-toed Stints, Little Ringed Plovers and Common Snipes.
Pacific Golden-Plover - Tempasuk Plain, Sabah, Malaysia
Marsh Sandpiper - Tempasuk Plain, Sabah, Malaysia
A couple of Eastern Marsh Harriers patrolled the fields along with other raptors like Peregrine Falcon, Black-winged Kite and Brahminy Kite.
Eastern Marsh Harrier - Tempasuk Plain, Sabah, Malaysia
Several large flock of terns flew past near dusk. As far as I could tell they were all Whiskered and White-winged Terns.
White-winged Terns - Tempasuk Plain, Sabah, Malaysia
Whiskered Tern - Tempasuk Plain, Sabah, Malaysia
Rails included Eurasian Moorhen, Black-backed Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen and Buff-banded Rail. Try as we might we couldn't turn up a Watercock. This species is starting to turn into a nemesis for us, as we dipped on them during our six weeks in Thailand and Malaysia in 2022 as well.
Buff-banded Rail - Tempasuk Plain, Sabah, Malaysia
White-breasted Waterhen (chick) - Tempasuk Plain, Sabah, Malaysia
Several other additions included Paddyfield Pipit and Eastern Yellow Wagtail. When it was all said and done we had added 14 species, bringing the trip total up to 306! I would say that was a success.
At sunset we left the Tempasuk Plain behind and commenced the drive through the mountains to the town of Ranau where we had a room at an AirBnB property reserved. Along the way we moved this toad off the road. I believe this is a Giant River Toad (Phrynoidis juxtasper) which is found in Borneo, Sumatra and mainland Malaysia. That night, we fell asleep dreaming of Bornean Peacock-Pheasants.
Giant River Toad (Phrynoidis juxtasper) - Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia
