The Life and Times of a Midwestern Movie Addict

I hope everyone enjoyed the second annual 25 days of Christmas films...but now that its over, I am so glad to bid the Christmas movies farewell.  And in honor of that, I figured I would try to get as far away from Christmas as possible with tonight's choice.  However, before we get to that, I'd like to give a shout out to my family and the wonderful gifts I received.  You guys know about the mixer and pizza stone my mom gave me...but my Dad upped the kitchen ante with a set of new high-quality pans and my Uncle Mike gave me a hot water dispenser.  So now I've got a kitchen full of new appliances and a cabinet full of new cookware.  The chef in me is squealing with delight...in fact I cooked up a storm last night.  It was a nice change this year, I only got a few movies.  Most of my new ones I bought for myself after the fact.  Tonight in fact, I'm going to talk about one of my new purchases.  It is a classic in both mystery and horror circles...

Well friends, another Christmas has come and gone and we are left again with the aftermath.  For some that means cleaning up the mess, for others it means sleeping off the dinner, and for others it means planning that ever important trip to the mall to take back or exchange those unwanted gifts.  None of us will begin planning for Christmas 2011 until well into next year and meanwhile we will ride the high of the holiday into either satisfaction or disappointment, but we still have time to watch one more holiday movie before the season is done.  Today's film is both a classic of the genre and it is an embodiment of what many people wished for today (some even got it...like my mom and sister).  It's also named after a very famous Irving Berlin song that you simply cannot avoid during the season.  It's old-fashioned and big, corny and heartwarming, and the perfect film in which to end our 25 days of Christmas movies.  Let's complete this year's round with Whi...

Well, Christmas 3 of 3 has come and gone and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  Not only did Dad and Mommom enjoy their gifts, but my Uncle Mike liked my gift for perhaps the first time in years.  I got him a boxset of Zatoichi films (which he very much enjoys), and my sister did as well (after stealing/borrowing the idea from me).  Myself, I received a set of 8 really nice All-Clad LTD2 pans (the chef in me squealed with delight), a a water boiler/dispenser, and two blu-rays ( Tremors and Charade ).  So it was a very good Christmas for me as well.  I plan to arrange some kind of dinner party when I get home so I can show off all my new cookware.  Now we are watching the first film in the Zatoichi series while the dishwasher rumbles with the splash and clank of the dinner dishes, and while a fire roars in the fireplace.  Its rather cozy, like an old-fashioned small-town Christmas.  That put me in mind of a post I wrote last year an...

Christmas decorating, we've all done it at some point and we've all seen others do it.  In fact, we've probably seen many people OVERDO it.  Like the folks who cover their homes in tinsel and lights, have the lights blink in rhythm, and then synchronize all of it to music.  And then there are the people who cover their houses in those ugly inflatable decorations (I really hate those, sorry if anyone reading this owns them).  All of it is done to celebrate the season, and few people seem to really take passion in it anymore, so I suppose I can't fault those who go overboard.  If you haven't already guessed, tonight's film has to do with Christmas decorating and the problems it can cause both between neighbors and within families.  It's also yet another one that's named after a song.  So, sing along if you know the words, cause we're gonna Deck the Halls . Local eye doctor and Christmas expert Steve Finch wants his kids to have a great Christmas, p...

There are a lot of movies having to do with reindeer and their relationship to Christmas.  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the most common title of these, but there are also films like Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer , also based on a song, and several films about Santa Claus that feature his flying horsepower.  So it makes sense that one of the most popular holiday films of the late 80s would focus on a reindeer, one of the most important ones in Santa's lineup of fliers.  It has become somewhat forgotten in recent years...but if you mention it to a group of Generation X'ers, most of them will shout out "Yeah! I remember that movie!"  So let's let our imaginations wander as we revisit Prancer . Jessica Riggs is a simple farmer's daughter in a poor town who manages to keep a very positive attitude toward her life despite the inadequate care of her father, John, and the recent passing of her mother.  Her mood cannot be hindered by this of course, beca...

There are so many songs that leap to mind when we think of Christmas that its hard to really even compile a list of all of them.  There are the religious ones like O Holy Night and The First Noel that feel timeless and classic, and then there are the more secular ones like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Silver Bells.  However, there are several "Christmas Songs" that have little, if anything, to do with Christmas...like Let it Snow, Winter Wonderland, and, a perennial favorite, Frosty the Snowman.  Frosty the Snowman tells a familiar story and we all enjoy its magic little tale, but it is really about winter more than its about Christmas itself.  Of course, since Christmas happens in the winter we allow it...but really, you have to wonder.  Anyway, all nitpicking aside, Frosty has become almost as much as tied to Christmas as Rudolph and Santa himself, and so it makes sense that he should get his own animated specials just like those characters did.  In...

I drove home from Mom's house today and I am enjoying a nice quiet night at home. Its comforting after being surrounded by family for a whole weekend. I love them and enjoy the time together, but its nice to get back to my solitude for a while. I used my new KitchenAid standing mixer and pizza stone tonight and made a pretty damn good pizza. The mixer whipped together the dough in no time. It almost made it too easy...but not quite. I enjoyed how easy it was to use and how efficient it was...I may never use my hand mixer again. The stone works well too...I only hope it doesn't crack soon. Pizza stones are known for cracking if they aren't a certain thickness...and mine is under that. But it worked pretty fine tonight. So now I'm going to settle in and enjoy a chilling little holiday thriller that you might remember from last year...here's tonight's archive post of Black Christmas . I thought I would write about what I'm GOING to watch tonight...

As you well know, I am a big fan of Christmas horror.  I feel like with all the joy and happiness that many of us feel at this season that there are even more who are miserable and unhappy at Christmas...either due to their own mood or the circumstances around them.  Christmas horror and thrillers help to remind people that the holidays aren't a picnic for everyone.  Also, and this is probably just me, but I've always thought that there were few things creepier than a still, quiet snowfall in the middle of the night.  You're surrounded by darkness and hear the barely perceptible sound of snowflakes hitting the ground...and it all seems wrong.  Storms are supposed to be loud and bombastic, but snow storms are quiet.  I dunno, but it's always seemed a bit macabre to me.  But back to those unhappy at Christmas...many people don't like the holiday because of the memories it brings up.  This was the subject of a Shelly Winters chiller from 1971, when G...

Today was a lot of fun.  We did presents this morning and there were several surprises all around.  Mom loved her bluray player and her jewelry case.  Miss and Mr. J enjoyed their presents a lot, as did Dick, mom's man.  I myself was very happy to recieve a Kitchenaid stand mixer, pizza stone, and cookbook along with Avatar and a trivia game.  All in all, it was a very satisfying Christmas 2 of 3, I even used an Amazon.com gift card that mom bought me to get Gone with the Wind on Bluray for a steal.  Miss J forgot to get me one of the presents she had originally intended for me, so she bought it and had it shipped to Dad's...which made me chuckle.  She felt bad, but I told her not to worry.  I was perfectly satisfied with what I had.  When I get home on Monday I plan to use my mixer to make pizza dough for my stone...should be a damn good time.  Anyway, with all that's been happening, its been hard to do more than archive posts these las...

So today was the last day of school before winter break and I must say, even though there were slight annoyances due to the kids' squirrelly nature.  Mostly we all just coasted through the day.  Also, the trip to WV was much smoother this year too so I'm feeling pretty good about it being Christmas 2 of 3.  I'm in the kitchen talking to mom while she cooks and my sister and brother in law are on their way here...they're set to arrive at 9.  I can't wait, cause then we can start stocking stuffers :)  I can't help it, I'm a sucker for presents.  Anyway, today at school I decided to show a Christmas movie that I watch every year and that I had already posted on a year ago...which means you're in for another archive post. So settle in while I begin revisiting this wonderfully comic, manic, and dark film: Is there a Christmas story that has been adapted as many times as Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"?  I don't think so.  This mont...

Another snow day today which means we have only one calamity day left before we have to start making them up...and tomorrow is our last day of school before break and a lot of non-educational activities along with early releases from several schools in the district.  So if we have a delay...we'll be there for like no time at all.  And just think, if we hadn't had our block schedule this week I could have gotten all my classes quizzed and done for Xmas.  Now, if we have school tomorrow, I will have to play catch up with two classes with a lot less time than usual...especially if there's a delay.  I'm so glad I didn't start Act III of Caesar yesterday with my classes, otherwise I'd be real behind in January with half of them.  Its enough to drive you insane I think.  On the upside, I got the class list for our school's variety show done and can get that hung up on the walls tomorrow if we're in school.  Anyway, its got me feeling a little Scrooged right ...

Today was a much better day at school overall and now there are only two more days until break.  Yay!  I am so ready to be done so I can rip into some presents and some food.  Also, the weather folks are calling for some annoyingly wintry weather which might cause another delay for classes tomorrow.  I'm not exactly sobbing over that either.  But anyway, its time to get to the archive post for today which will feature those wonderful holiday classics Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York .  The first is a classic which features a suburban family who, in their rush to make a flight to Paris, accidentally leave their youngest home alone.  In order to survive he must become self-sufficient and use elaborate booby traps to fend off two bumbling burglars.  The second repeats the first with the same family heading to Miami for their yearly vacation and being separated from Kevin, the youngest, at the airport.  He boards a flight to New York...

So we've already discussed holiday specials and episodes of television programs and how they all manage to bring their own special flavor to the Christmas episode formula.  Some shows are more successful than others.  Roseanne was able to effectively skewer the American idea of the family Christmas several years in a row while focusing on how it takes place in low-class families, The Golden Girls explored how those with advanced age celebrated Christmas, and the Muppets managed to make several special episodes (with at least one featuring John Denver) so yeah, it seems like everyone does one eventually.  Most people don't know how true that statement is though.  Some franchises that should never dip into Christmas have even 'gone there' in order to cash in.  Franchises like...Star Wars.  Yes friends, its come to this.  Time to examine one of the most critically panned Christmas shows ever made for television... The Star Wars Holiday Special . It i...

Ok, how's this for ironic?  I had decided a few weeks back that I would save my most favorite Christmas movies for this final week before break and next week leading up to Christmas since I had so many other ones to view that were new and I figured I'd need the most Christmas spirit in these last days leading up to the holiday since the kids start getting super squirrelly.  I also figured that I had waited long enough to watch A Christmas Story and that it seemed like a great idea for today since I had a snow day and I can always use a good laugh.  Anyway, I went to the past posts page to copy and paste last year's entry into this space and would you believe it?  Last year's post for A Christmas Story was also Day 13 last year too!  I think that's a sign, don't you?  So lets not delay any longer and post this post: Is there a Christmas movie in America that needs less of an introduction than A Christmas Story ?  I mean, its been considered a cl...

I'm rather surprised by how today turned out.  It was low key, yet productive, and I feel completely prepared for the coming week (especially since its our last one before Christmas Vacation...weee!!!).  Here's a recap of what I will be doing this week:  Monday: the Thespian Club Xmas party, Tuesday: Day 1 of Revue Auditions, Wednesday: Block and Day 2 of Revue Auditions, Thursday: Block, Packing, and helping with the Christmas Choral Concert, Friday: Drive home to WV for Christmas 2 of 3.  It's gonna be Friday before you know it.  Plus, we've got a storm a brewing outside that looks to make some sort of delay for us tomorrow at school (and if there's none, I will hear about it ALL DAY LONG from those wonderful students of mine).  Going back to being productive, I baked cookies and made another cheeseball.  I also was sure to put party supplies by the door and get everything situated so I can just grab it and go in the morning. I'm hoping to have sever...

So last night's Ugly Christmas Sweater Party was a complete success, aside from the fact that no one ate any food and I made a boo-boo with JP's Christmas present.  I got him a Cuban cookbook written entirely in Spanish because I thought he would enjoy translating (he teaches Spanish and French) and cooking from.  However, it was full of meat recipes and JP is a vegetarian.  D'oh!  So now we're gonna send it back and I'll get him something else.  He didn't fare much better though...he got me Date Night which was totally something I wanted, but like my sis with Avatar , he got me the DVD instead of the Bluray.  I'm glad that at least this time, I didn't make a mistake on my wishlist...JP just got confused I think.  No problem though, I might just have to deal.  I definitely felt bad about getting him a present he didn't like, you might say I even felt a little naughty...which put me in mind of this post from last year for tonight's blog.  I h...

Rough day at work today.  I realize that children don't exactly want to sit still and listen to me explain "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" for half a period...but it's my job.  They should just let me do it.  Anyway, I did get through most of the notes and points I hoped to cover involving the big questions on the test on Monday (yes, it was the only time I could schedule it...stop looking at me like I'm a monster) so they should do well on that....but they better hope they know the little things as well as they say they do.  Oh well, Act II is hard to go over anyway because essentially nothing happens...its a character development act where we learn more about Brutus and Caesar and the decisions they make to lead them to the big scene in Act III.  Sigh, at least the day is over now and I can start gearing up for the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party tonight at Clay Clay's house.  I bought a totally tacky top to wear (love that alliteration) and several acce...

Today was a bit of a rough day and didn't provide me with much time to write a brand new post today, so I've decided to archive one from last year.  Enjoy this re-post about one of the most popular recent Christmas movies, about a magical train and an exciting journey: It seems odd that of all the Christmas stories I experienced as a child, the most magical one wasn't about a flight in a slay, a ride on a donkey, or even a romp with a snowman...it was about a ride on a train called The Polar Express. I remember hearing the story the first time in grade school and being completely enchanted by it. It was a wholly original tale that reinforced my belief in Santa Claus for yet another year and made me completely certain that, if I happened to be awake at the right time on Christmas Eve, that I might get to make a trip to the North Pole. Christmas Fable by Chris Van Alisburg captured the childhood wonder and the mystery of Christmas perfectly and taught us to s...

I took a sick day today...something I haven't done in almost a year and a half of teaching.  In hindsight, I'm surprised that I hadn't done it yet.  I've been having this abdominal pain off and on for over a year and some times it happens quite a bit and other times it is gone for months at a time.  I've even gone ahead and taught on days that I felt lousy with it because I knew that it usually only lasts about 24 hours.  However, each of those days was always terrible and I always regretted it...but I didn't want to use up sick days.  For some reason I have this compulsion to always attend work and school and I never liked to miss.  I even went to seventh grade with a hideous fever and stayed there most of the day.  A teacher had to kick me out of class for my own good.  And I have to say, after taking this sick day, it certainly wasn't what I imagined.  I thought I'd sit around and convalesce all day...but in fact I was busier than if I had...

So I'm finding that this year, in an effort to repeat myself as little as possible, I'm having to really scrape the bottom of the barrel for interesting and different Christmas films.  Last year it was easy, just cover the classics and some of my offbeat favorites and I was fine.  This year I'm still gonna look at some old favorites and repeat some from last year, and there are still some classics I haven't done yet...like White Christmas ...but really, I'm finding some stinkers here as far as 'interesting and offbeat' is concerned.  But hey, I promised 25 days of Christmas movies and 25 days you will have...but don't be surprised if you really dislike some of the creative choices I make.  Tonight's film gives Ed Wood's 'so bad its still bad' classic Plan Nine from Outer Space a run for its money and may even best it in terms of pure campy cheesiness.  It capitalizes on two fascinations that America had during the late 50s and early 60s....

So, you gotta love random memories.  I was sitting here trying to think of a film to talk about tonight and I started thinking of old Christmas songs I learned as a kid.  Jingle Bells, Silver Bells, Carol of the Bells...man, that's a lot of bells.  All those ringing bells could keep you up until New Year's if they all rang at the same time.  Sorry...I digressed.  Anyway, I was thinking of old songs and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer popped into my head.  Its a sweet little song, all about how an outcast became a star, and I remember it giving me a lot of hope as a child.  Look, I know that sounds corny...but you don't know how different I felt when I was a kid.  I mean I really was odd...even Mom knew it.  So the idea that someone could start as a social pariah and grow to be a big shot was appealing to me (for your information, I loved The Ugly Duckling too).  Anyway, thinking about that song put me in the mind of its stop-motion animat...