What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[LizzieMaine]

Frosty is the outlier among the Christmas specials for being the one that gets into the deepest of theological and philosophical thoughts, pondering as it does the very nature of life itself. What exactly separates the animate from the inanimate, the sapient from the inert? Is not the life force "magical" in that it's the one thing Man, no matter how creative, has never himself created? Does not the creation of Frosty, a lifeless snow golem brought to life thru what amounts to faith, parallel the Genesis account of the creation of humanity itself? And yet, who really *was* Frosty? Is his re-creation thru the hat's power a rejection of the religious concept of physical resurrection of the actual bodies of the dead? In the end, is Frosty the snow -- or is he the hat? But the hat clearly existed before Frosty. Are Frosty, the Hat, and the Force of the Hat a representation of the Trinity? Or are they an Arian rejection of that concept? Or to offer an even more unorthodox thought -- could the universe and all it contains be the accidental creation of a second-rate magician who doesn't even understand the power he posesses?

Deep thoughts to ponder. And it becomes apparent that of all the characters in the program, only one knows the truth -- Jimmy Durante. The nose *knows.* But he's left it all for us to figure out for ourselves. Dem is de conditions dat prevails! Ah-cha-cha-cha! Umbriago! "He'll be back again some-day!"

 

[Fading Fast]

We rotate Christmas movies each season, with Shop Around the Corner being one that's "up" this year and the one we chose to watch first. I'm always impressed by how well the characters are developed and how real the emotions feel in SATC. Aborning love, co-workers fighting, cheating spouses, sycophant employees, flash tempers and thoughtful forgiveness - they all show up, they all feel raw and real and they make this an outstanding movie that happens to take place (mainly) at Christmastime, but one that is much more than just a Christmas movie.

We also watched the second half of Christmas in Connecticut over the weekend on TCM - this one is just a Christmas movie. It also proves the power of talented actors to carry an only okay script. Stanwyck, Morgan, Greenstreet and Sakall bring joy and credibility to a silly story with the scenes between Greenstreet and Sakall being all but classics (in that less health-focused time, fat men sometimes celebrated being fat - and calling themselves and each other fat in a lighthearted way - it's one of the fun scenes). If not for the outsized acting talent, the movie would succumb to its way-too-high schmaltz factor.

It's taking all our restraint to "save" The Bishop's Wife for closer to Christmas.

 

[Worf]

Frosty is the outlier among the Christmas specials for being the one that gets into the deepest of theological and philosophical thoughts, pondering as it does the very nature of life itself. What exactly separates the animate from the inanimate, the sapient from the inert? Is not the life force "magical" in that it's the one thing Man, no matter how creative, has never himself created? Does not the creation of Frosty, a lifeless snow golem brought to life thru what amounts to faith, parallel the Genesis account of the creation of humanity itself? And yet, who really *was* Frosty? Is his re-creation thru the hat's power a rejection of the religious concept of physical resurrection of the actual bodies of the dead? In the end, is Frosty the snow -- or is he the hat? But the hat clearly existed before Frosty. Are Frosty, the Hat, and the Force of the Hat a representation of the Trinity? Or are they an Arian rejection of that concept? Or to offer an even more unorthodox thought -- could the universe and all it contains be the accidental creation of a second-rate magician who doesn't even understand the power he posesses?

Deep thoughts to ponder. And it becomes apparent that of all the characters in the program, only one knows the truth -- Jimmy Durante. The nose *knows.* But he's left it all for us to figure out for ourselves. Dem is de conditions dat prevails! Ah-cha-cha-cha! Umbriago! "He'll be back again some-day!"

Arrrrgh! Will you quit it please! All this deep analysis and interpretation of 30 year old animated Christmas schlock is making my head hurt and my teeth melt! You secretly being funded by Grinch Incorporated? Whatever you do PLEASE don't massacre "A Charlie Brown Christmas"!

Worf

PS you should hear me sing "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch"! I got that one down cold!

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Charlie Brown" was the single most audacious product of sixties commercial television -- a fearless expose of the Boys and their "Big Eastern Syndicate," which was made even more audacious by the fact that Brother Schulz made the Boys themselves pay for it: the program was funded by The Coca-Cola Company, which didn't know what they'd bought until it was delivered.

When one of my nieces was little, I did a homemade radio version of "Grinch" on cassette tape as a Christmas present for her, doing all the characters myself. We should do a duet sometime.

 

[Worf]

Did I say 30 year old Christmas schlock???? I meant 50 year old Christmas schlock!!!!!

Ahem... Ahem I say....

Ms. Lizzie..... COAL FOR YOU!!!!

Worf

 

[Bushman]

Speaking of The Grinch, I watched the Boris Karloff/Chuck Jones cartoon last night. It's a lot shorter than I remember it being, but it stays true to Seuss's artistic style and I like that about it.

Then I finished the night off with "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". It's an old favorite of mine, full of fun holiday hijinks. It's a very quotable movie, which I feel ads to its appeal, and somehow I find myself reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the Christmas dinner table every year, just to keep the old joke alive.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Did I say 30 year old Christmas schlock???? I meant 50 year old Christmas schlock!!!!!

Ahem... Ahem I say....

Ms. Lizzie..... COAL FOR YOU!!!!

Worf

Make it fuel oil -- it's expensive to stay warm here!

 

[ChiTownScion]

Frosty is the outlier among the Christmas specials for being the one that gets into the deepest of theological and philosophical thoughts, pondering as it does the very nature of life itself. What exactly separates the animate from the inanimate, the sapient from the inert? Is not the life force "magical" in that it's the one thing Man, no matter how creative, has never himself created? Does not the creation of Frosty, a lifeless snow golem brought to life thru what amounts to faith, parallel the Genesis account of the creation of humanity itself? And yet, who really *was* Frosty? Is his re-creation thru the hat's power a rejection of the religious concept of physical resurrection of the actual bodies of the dead? In the end, is Frosty the snow -- or is he the hat? But the hat clearly existed before Frosty. Are Frosty, the Hat, and the Force of the Hat a representation of the Trinity? Or are they an Arian rejection of that concept? Or to offer an even more unorthodox thought -- could the universe and all it contains be the accidental creation of a second-rate magician who doesn't even understand the power he posesses?

Deep thoughts to ponder. And it becomes apparent that of all the characters in the program, only one knows the truth -- Jimmy Durante. The nose *knows.* But he's left it all for us to figure out for ourselves. Dem is de conditions dat prevails! Ah-cha-cha-cha! Umbriago! "He'll be back again some-day!"

For someone who never attended college, I'd say that you've got that "Late Night In a Dorm Room With a Couple Friends and A Bottle of Lambrusco So Let's Solve a Few World Problems" m. o. down cold.

 

[Worf]

"White Christmas" - Don't ask how... but I got tricked, bamboozled, Shanghaied, press ganged and forced at cane point to take a group of (ahem) "sweet little old ladies" from the senior center to the local multi-dreck to watch this well done Christmas Turkey. I'd not seen it in decades and certainly not on the big screen. I remembered some of the film, particularly the opening scene where the General is relieved and that one number called "Choreography". The rest was a dimly lit blur. The whole thing was just a vehicle to have "The Old Groaner" sing... you know THAT song! Urrrgh. I almost walked out when they announced "The Minstrel Number" but it wasn't in Blackface so I stayed.

Not the worst movie I'd ever seen, not even the worst Christmas movie I'd ever seen but man.... that whole get my buddy married sub-plot made limburger smell like roses. And the worst part of it all was going to the mall around Christmas time! It wasn't too bad as it was a 2:00 showing but getting out around rush hour was hairy. Still, that's my ONE good deed allotment for the month! Well second... I did spend 5 bucks on a "Make a Wish" star but that was under duress! The ole biddies shamed me into it! At least I got a good meal afterwards.

Bah Humbug!

Worf

 

[Formeruser012523]

"White Christmas" - Don't ask how... but I got tricked, bamboozled, Shanghaied, press ganged and forced at cane point to take a group of (ahem) "sweet little old ladies" from the senior center to the local multi-dreck to watch this well done Christmas Turkey. I'd not seen it in decades and certainly not on the big screen. I remembered some of the film, particularly the opening scene where the General is relieved and that one number called "Choreography". The rest was a dimly lit blur. The whole thing was just a vehicle to have "The Old Groaner" sing... you know THAT song! Urrrgh. I almost walked out when they announced "The Minstrel Number" but it wasn't in Blackface so I stayed.

Not the worst movie I'd ever seen, not even the worst Christmas movie I'd ever seen but man.... that whole get my buddy married sub-plot made limburger smell like roses. And the worst part of it all was going to the mall around Christmas time! It wasn't too bad as it was a 2:00 showing but getting out around rush hour was hairy. Still, that's my ONE good deed allotment for the month! Well second... I did spend 5 bucks on a "Make a Wish" star but that was under duress! The ole biddies shamed me into it! At least I got a good meal afterwards.

Bah Humbug!

Worf

Don't ever watch Holiday Inn.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Bing made some fine movies in his day, but that one wasn't one of 'em. "White Christmas," as a song has always struck me as second only to "God Bless America" as Irving Berlin at his drippiest, and I've always resented how it superseded Crosby's multilingual performance of "Adeste Fidelis" as his defnitive holiday number.

We showed that movie a couple of years back, and got precisely that same audience. I think they must travel the country in a tour group.

 

[Zombie_61]

...We showed that movie a couple of years back, and got precisely that same audience. I think they must travel the country in a tour group.

Groupies.

 

[NattyLud]

I just happen to have watched this tonight on Netflix. It is syrupy, sentimental, formulaic, squeaky-clean cinema, but I loved it. The sets, the costumes, the colors, all magnificent. Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney are just gorgeous. Not a hint of cynicism or the lowbrow gutter comedy that a contemporary version would surely have. Mindless entertainment doesn't usually do much for me but this one does.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Hey, White Christmas is what it is. A borderline terrible movie, hopelessly old-fashioned even when it opened, loaded with overwrought schmaltz (a term it actually name-checks in attempted lampshading), with some okay performances and songs. But I saw it a bunch of times as a kid - one of the NYC local stations ran it on New Years Eve for years, and we kids at our parents parties were shuffled off to watch it - and have some nostalgic affection for it. But it's not actually, you know, good.

Last night's film was 1995's Carrington, with Emma Thompson as the early twentieth century English painter Dora Carrington, who only went by her last name. She was a member of the Bloomsbury Group, a loose affiliation of nonconformist liberal artists and intellectuals. I knew very little about any of this stuff, and found the film interesting. And sad... things don't end well for these folks.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think my biggest beef with "White Christmas" is that it has Danny Kaye, at the peak of his abilities, and actually does very little with him that couldn't have been done by any other run-of-the-mill song-and-dance man. Where's the special material by Sylvia Fine? Where's the patter song? Where's the skippin' and the tippin' and the scattin' and the frattin'? It's like he's playing a part written for Donald O'Connor. Oh, wait, he was.

Danny Kaye doing "Santaslavsky of the North Pole Art," now that would have been worth my time.

 

[Touchofevil]

Cleaning gutters? Yeah.... right! Tell the truth! You'd tied a red towel around your neck and decided to give it a try! Who knows you MIGHT be a Kryptonian orphan! All kiddin' aside. Sorry for your mishap... I sincerely hope you heal fast and full! In the future... ahem... HIRE someone younger and perhaps more agile to do the second story work! Just sayin'.

Worf (Still doing my get well dance!)

Unfortunately, I had kryptonite in my pockets and went splat instead.

 

[Touchofevil]

For the nth time, The Apartment. It was on, I stopped. A nice little story. A nice cast. Nice cinematography. A nice diversion.

 

[Fading Fast]

For the nth time, The Apartment. It was on, I stopped. A nice little story. A nice cast. Nice cinematography. A nice diversion.

Like you, I've seen it too many times to count and, as we've talked about, a great time capsule of the period. Very Mad Men.

How goes the healing?

 

[Worf]

Don't ever watch Holiday Inn.

Doo tell! Doo tell! Enquiring minds hasta know!

Worf

 

[Trenchfriend]

Re-watching "Alien" Director's Cut from DVD, in original tone.

Yeah, 18 yo CRT-TV works! And 11 yo storebrand DVD-Player from ALDI works, too!