Looking Back at 2020!

2020 definitely wasn't the year that we all wanted but it was the year that we got and we tried to make the best of it.  Sure I had plenty of events that were cancelled or postponed until 2021, AEW in Boston that was first postponed to August 2020 and then April 2021, New Japan returning to Madison Square Garden was cancelled before tickets went on sale.  I had tickets to two great concerts, KISS and Guns n' Roses that have been postponed until August 2021. 

However, instead of focusing on all the things that we couldn't do or didn't get to do I want to look at what we were able to do.

Before the pandemic and Covid restrictions I went to three wrestling shows, went to my first Boston Bruins game with my Dad & brothers, and Kate & I had an overnight get away to New Hampshire where we went to La Festa Pizza and Funspot.

After the restrictions were put in place at first we stayed home and played a lot of basketball, more than we ever had before and continued to play a lot over the summer.  Drive-In theaters had one of their best years in years screening classic movies as new films were not being released.  We took in such classics as The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, The Evil Dead, and more. 

When the campgrounds opened Kate, Wesley, & I spent a weekend in Medway at Pinegrove Campground & Cottages.  All five of us returned in July for four nights.  We couldn't do out normal trip to Canada because the borders were and are still closed, but we explored a part of the county.  

We also found and explored many hiking trails locally and around the State.  We even went Apple picking five weeks in a row at five different orchards.  

We even managed to take a nice vacation to Vermont in mid-October when travel was allowed and the numbers were leveled out.  While in Vermont we did do a lot of sightseeing however, almost everything that we did was outside and we had great weather while we explored. 

You can read all about our adventures over at Labbe Family Voyages.

In 2020 I also had surgery, graduated college, self-published two books, and managed to stay connected with my friends even if we didn't get to hang out like we would have preferred.

I don't see 2021 starting out any different than 2020 finished, but I do have faith that by mid 2021 things will be much, much better. 

Happy New Year! 

More About Aspect Ratios

Back in July I made a post about aspect ratios you can read it here.  Well I'm back today with some more information that I learned about aspect ratios in older movies.

On Christmas night the wife and I sat down to watch "It's A Wonderful Life", the timeless Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed 1946 classic.  I had a digital copy on Vudu that I fired up and I was a bit surprised to see it was in 1.33:1 or 4:3 scale.  I looked up the original aspect ratio of the film and fount that it was filmed in 1.37:1, which is essentially 1.33:1.  This lead me to the website The Digital Bits where I learned so much about the early days of Hollywood and how movies were filmed. 

From the late 1890's until the early 1950's all movies were filmed in the same aspect ratio 1.33:1 or 4:3 which means for every four units width the image has 3 units of height. During this time the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the Academy standard 1.33:1.  So all classic films before the 1950's were shot in this format and any anamorphic widescreen cuts of these films the print has been altered to make it look widescreen by cutting off the top and the bottom of the image.

When home televisions stared becoming mass produced the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) selected the Academy Standard as the official aspect ratio for broadcast television.  This is referred to 4x3 or NTSC standard.  

In the 1950's Hollywood started altering the aspect ratio of movies to lure people out of their homes and see movies on the big screen again in a format their home television couldn't duplicate.  Although there are several different versions of widescreen images the most common ones used is the 1.85:1 ratio also known as Academy Flat and 2.23:1 or Anamorphic Scope.

With the home video boom of the 1980's this lead to movies being released in a full frame version via pan and scan.  Essentially the image was modified by cutting of the edges of the film so it would fit the 4x3 home television screen.  Yes you could rent movies in widescreen format but as a former video store employee I can tell you most casual movie fans hated the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen.  

It wasn't until 1996 that the first HDTV's were introduced with 16:9 aspect ratio, it wasn't until the mid 2000's that they became mass produced.  I got my first one in 2007.  16:9 is now the standard format for television.  

The X-Files is the first show I remember watching on television in widescreen.  Starting with season five in 1997 they began filming the episodes in 1.78:1.  I have the original DVD releases of the X-Files and Seasons 1 - 4 are presented in the 4:3 aspect.  However, in the digital versions on Hulu and on the home video Blu-ray releases they have altered the images to make them 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen.  This, of course, irrorates me!

As you can see in the example above most people will think it's no big deal, but it does bother me.

Until Next Time!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

This is one of my all-time favorite Christmas specials…

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas

Original Air Date - December 8, 1974 on CBS
Rankin/Bass

This special has aired every year since its first broadcast on CBS until 1994 and on the now ABC Family since 1995. 

I recorded it off of TV probably 20 years ago now so my copy is rough.  A few years back I bought a commercial release but they had cut a song from it, I can only assume because they said the word gay in it.  I’m actually watching it right now on You Tube, it’s a very good copy and it is complete with each song.

It’s about the town of Junctionville, NY where mice and humans live in harmony.  Essentially a letter in the local paper calls Santa a myth, Santa takes exception and returns all their letters.  Local clock maker Joshua Trundle tries to make the clock at the town office play a magical song on midnight at Christmas pleading for Santa to forgive and come see them.  Father mouse’s son Albert, who also wrote the scathing letter, accidentally breaks the clock causing the Trundle family to fall on hard times.  In the end Albert races against time to try and fix it.

Rankin/Bass are very well known for their much beloved stop motion Christmas specials including Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Coming’ To Town as well as many other animated and stop motion specials for various holidays.

Take the 24 minutes to watch this, it’ll be worth your time!

Last year I was looking on ebay for Christmas record albums and I came across Twas The Night Before Christmas on vinyl.  At first I thought it was just the songs, but once I put i on my turn table I found out that it was the entire special.  It's pretty damn awesome!  The fact that it's a Disneyland record is funny to me. 

Until Next Time!

Rhode Island Comic Con 2014

Reading my buddy Brandon's posts about his experience going to Wizard World in Chicago in 2016 has me thinking about my own convention experiences.   I first posted this on another blog back in 2014 when I got home from the convention.  This is that post and I have expanded it and added detail.  The convention was October 31 - November 2nd, 2014.

 

This past weekend I spent a spectacular time with some great friends in the Ocean State for the 2014 Rhode Island Comic Con. John, Jere, Ju, Jonny, & I piled into Vanna and about 4 hours later we arrived at the Omni Providence Hotel, we made great time.  We were able to check in early and had adjoining rooms which was very convenient.  The hotel is attached to the Convention Center where the Con was being held, and the Providence Place Mall via a skywalk.  Once we parked the car it didn’t move until we left Sunday.  

After getting settled in we attempted to find where we could get out passes as our weekend party pack was at will call.  Turns out we had to go to the ticket master box office at the Dukin Donuts Center, which is attached to the Convention Center, to pick up a single master ticket and then Saturday turn in our ticket for a wrist band that showed we got the weekend pass and were issued another bracelet showing we bought the early bird pass as well.  Those early bird passes paid off more than we thought they would.

Friday night featured the Halloween Party, and as none of us are party people we weren’t that interested in going.  However, Ju wanted to at least check it out so Jonny and I joined her while John & Jere checked out Dave & Busters.  D&B turned out to be quite disappointing while the Halloween Party was not!!   

The three  of us met up with Leah, a very awesome young lady who had traveled from the Boston area alone to the con, and eventually John and Jere came down.  Leah is fan of Supernatural and I dare say she likes that show more than I like wrestling, yes that much!  

The Halloween party featured a mechanical bull, karaoke contest, costume, standard high school dance songs like Cotton Eyed Joe, The Macarena, and ect and a few celebrity guests; Brian O’Halloran, Scott Schiaffo (the chewlie’s gum representative from Clerks), Seth Gilliam (Father Gabriel of the Walking Dead), Linda Blair, Anthony Michael Hall, and Cosplayer Belle Chere.  I got my picture taken with O’Halloran, Schiaffo, Gilliam, & Belle Chere.   Linda Blair even showed up to judge the screaming contest!  The Halloween party was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.  We all had a great time.   I even got to tell Anthony Michael Hall my piss-kaw-talk-us story!

Belle Chere as Jessica Rabbit

I was huge fan of Anthony Michael Hall from from many of his movies, but most recently he had been the star of the USA Network show The Dead Zone, based on the Stephen King book.  The show took place in Maine and they used many actually Maine town names and landmarks even though it was not shot in Maine.  They even "went" to Litchfield once, the town I grew up in.  Well in one episode he was looking for the blood mobile and they wouldn't tell him what town it was in only the county and it was Piscataquis, pronounced piss-cat-a-quis but the actress pronounced it piss-kaw-talk-us.  This tickled me and made me laugh so much, so I shared this horribly boring story with Mr. Hall and he patiently listened to it and seemed genuine when he laughed after.

The costumes through-out the weekend ranged from very intricate detailed work that was just fantastic to store bought to meh.  The majority of attendees wore costumes, lots of Dead Pools, Black Widows, Harley Quinns, and lots and lots of cat suits.  There was a few random‘s that surprised me like a Firestar, Darkwing Duck, and very large heavy set male dressed as Elsa from Frozen.   Everyone was very happy to pose for photos if asked and I got a few.  Once of my favorites was a girl with a very nice Captain American contest with the upper portion was actual scales woven together.  The pictures do it absolutely no justice. 

The convention floor was set up left to right with comic artists, vendors, celebrity photos & autographs, and finally celebrity headliners.  The headliners filled a large area as it was anticipated their lines would be long, and they were correct.  William Shatner was there both days and I never saw him once.  

Outside the convention center on the main floor were several vehicles and minor booths set up.  Vehicles included; the DeLorean, Kitt from Knight Rider, Mystery Machine, the batcycle and others.  If you went up to the next floor they had the panel rooms as well as the pro photo op rooms, and a few other attractions.   

We all pretty much did our own thing on the convention floor, sticking together and separating at times.  I had Brian O’Halloran sign my Vulgar DVD, I got a couple trading cards by Curt Hawkins and my photo with him, also a photo with cosplayer Jennifer Rose as batgirl. 

I was at a comic book convention so of course I picked up plenty comics, some of them for pretty darn cheap too spending about $20 on close to 40 books.  Also Jonny got me a Bates Motel room keychain in the style of the old plastic motel key tags, pretty darn cool!  They had a lot of really neat stuff there, and if I had the money I could have spent quite a lot of it. 

 On Saturday Jay joined us as he was there to see and meet Colin Baker the 6^th Doctor.  We did hang out on the floor together for a bit, but mostly he did his own thing as well.  He got a couple signed photos, did the professional photo op with Baker and got that photo signed as well, and attended his Q&A Panel.  Jay had worn a Dr. Who shirt that had the outfits of all the doctors on it in the order with which they played the iconic character.  In the photo Colin pointed to himself on Jay’s shirt, it’s pretty awesome!

Jonny and I attended the end of the Raiders of the Lost Ark panel as we planned on meeting everyone for the Supernatural Panel that was to follow after.  They couldn’t get in because the crowd was so large, so it was just Jonny and I.  Then everyone on the panel except for Jim Beaver, had played bit characters that were only in a few episodes.  The main reason I had wanted to go was to see Mark Sheppard in action as Leah had sold how funny he was at the panels, and he wasn’t even there.  So we left.   

We were pretty tired from being on the floor all day and decided to head up to the room for a spell, knowing we probably wouldn’t get back on the floor.  Basically they oversold the show and the Fire Marshall shut it down and for a few hours they wouldn’t let anyone back in the center, no matter what kind of ticket they had.  People were lined up down the hall ways, around the building outside in the rain, thousands of people.  People were furious and rightfully so, especially the people outside in elaborate costumes that were there for that evening’s costume contest and they couldn’t even get in to have them seen.  Luckily we had the early bird and was able to get in straight away before the chaos broke out. 

Saturday night we all, including our new pal Leah, went to dinner at Joe’s American Bar & Grill.  I had a fantastic burger, cooked to perfection as did Ju.  John and Jere went with the Mac & Cheese  and were very please, Leah the half roasted chicken, and Jonny…I just can’t recall but I’m leaning towards chicken sandwich.  It was fun dinner. 

After dinner we separated as Jonny, John, & Jere headed to the IMAX for a screening of John Wick, Ju eventually made her was back to the room after some window shopping, she almost shared and elevator ride with Brian O’Halloran.  Lean and I ended up heading back to the convention floor for the last half hour of the show.  We grabbed some pictures, browsed a bit, and saw some cool costumes.  The coolest part of all though was that near the elevators of the hotel we saw Scott Wilson, Hershel from the Walking Dead.  I had a wonderful, but albeit, brief conversation with him and I have to admit I marked out like crazy.  He was such a super nice guy and thanked me after I thanked him and he was so sincere about it too.  Then he ended up on the elevator with us, Leah asked him if he was having a good time and he replied, “more importantly, are you having a good time?”  It was so cool!

Jonny, John, Jere, & I finished off the night laughing heartily while watching 22 Jump Street.  The movie is completely stupid, but it is hilarious and was the perfect way to close the night. 

Because of the time change we got and extra hours sleep before checking out of the hotel and heading into the convention center.  I took in two panels this day, one about cosplay costume making that was really enjoyable and the other was phenomenal, Warehouse 13 with Saul Rubinek and Eddie McClintock!

First off they ruled the panel, they cut moderator off immediately and ran it themselves.  When it came time for audience questions Eddie was the one holding the microphone for them even.  In the next room to us was the Walking Dead Panel and the kept erupting in applause, Saul lead us on a loud ovation to out due them, and then when it happened again, he just said “oh fuck them” and continued with his story.  It appears that they characters that they played on the show were just extensions of their natural personalities.  It was a great way to close the weekend before the long drive home. 

I had been reading the weather updates and it was talking about nothing but snow as we were to head north and back home it was piling up.  Fact is we didn’t really hit any snow until Maine, and nothing that affected the roads until Topsham.  So on the van ride home, we made great time!

Planning for this trip started back in February and culminated 9 months later with a fantastic weekend full of interesting stories and wonderful experiences with some great friends!

Until Next Time!

Scrooge 1935

My all time favorite version of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" is the 1938 release starring Reginald Owen as Scrooge.  I have watched other versions but not for a very long time.  My dad loves the Alastair Sim's version.  I decided to search Roku for other versions and came across this one.  So I thought I would watch and compare them.

Scrooge
1935 run time 78 minutes
Twickenham Film Studios (United Kingdom)

I found this for free on a Channel called Snag Films.  This is the first sound version of the Christmas Carol story.

Seymour Hicks plays the titular roll of Scrooge and he had previously played him on stage as well as in a 1913 silent film version.

Opens in the street with a trio playing music before fading to the back of who I assume is Scrooge.  Camera pans to a cold Bob Cratchit who attempts to put coal in the fire, Scrooge threatens to fire Cratchit.  Fred shows up invites his uncle to dinner and makes his speech about how great Christmas is, Cratchit applauds and Scrooge threatens to fire him.

Closing time and Scrooge grants Cratchit the day off and of course threatens to fire him if he isn't early the next day.   Cratchit heads home through the busy streets of London.  Appears to buy a Turkey.  Scrooge goes to a nearly vacant restaurant.

Next we cut to scenes of several upper crust residents arriving at a large party.  Then down to the kitchen where kids beg from the window.  The cooks throw the kids scraps.  Next we cut to the dining room where the Mayor of London introduces the Queen and everyone rises singing "God Save the Queen."

Back to Scrooge who is not a good tipper. Scrooge gets home and they are able to show Marley's face on the knocker, Scrooge doesn't react.  Once in his room Scrooge settles in for the evening.  A bell rings indicating someone is at the front door, Scrooge checks and no one is there.  Suddenly the voice of Jacob Marley is heard but he is not visible on the screen.  Marley lays out what is going to happen tonight similar to other versions of the film.  Scrooge appears to be able to see Marley but we cannot, we can only hear him.  Either there was an issue with effects or that was how it was meant to be.

At one o'clock the Ghost of Christmas Past appears, it is a man and only a bright outline can be scene.  He shows us the past cutting to a younger Scrooge in his counting house talking to a young couple and I think he basically foreclosed on their home.  They leave in tears as a woman enters, it appears to be Scrooge's girlfriend.  She is appalled at his actions and how unforgiving he is.  He asks for her hand in marriage.  She very dramatically says no.  Old Scrooge is sad.  Next the ghost shows Scrooge kids singing and dancing around a Christmas Tree, oh it's the woman that rejected Scrooge, she is married with a litter of kids.

Scrooge awakens in bed and it's two o'clock the Ghost of Christmas Present is a large man eating a large feast. Scrooge touches his robe and we go directly to church getting out.  Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim are leaving walking home.  In the Cratchit house all the kids are very excitable as they sit down to eat their goose.  They toast to Scrooge, Tiny Tim sings "Hark the Herald Angel Sing."

Scrooge awakens in bed and it's three o'clock the Ghost of Christmas Future has arrived.  We don't see the Ghost just the shadow of his pointing finger and over-sized sleeve.  A group of men stand around talking about someone who has died and how they wonder what they did with his money.  Next they cut to a pawn broker where Scrooges laundress and the undertaker and selling items they have stolen from someone.  They laugh about the fact that someone has died.  Cut to a sad Bob Cratchit standing over a dead Tiny Tim.  The Ghost takes Scrooge to the cemetery and shows Scrooge his own grave and he loses it.

It's Christmas morning, Scrooge his happy to be alive.  His laundress brings Scrooge breakfast.  He sends a boy off the get the prize turkey while he gets ready.  Cut to Fred's house where Scrooge crashes the party.  He wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, cries at tree and they sit down to eat.

We cut to the next day with Bob heading off to work late, he get's there at 25 past nine in the morning.  Scrooge pretends to be angry then raises Bob's salary and promises to be a second father to Tiny Tim, but not his 5 other kids.  He then sends Bob home to be with his family with Scrooge declaring Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone as we fade to black.

The external scenes of this movie are very dark where as the internal scenes are very well lit.  A lot of the dialogue is similar to the 1938 version which I know is pulled from the book.  Scrooge's sister Fan and Fezziwig are not in this version.  I've never seen a version before that has the Mayoral party with the unseen Queen while the patrons sing.

It was a decent flick. I still like the 1938 release better, but I'm glad to have watched this.

Until Next Time

Scrooge 1951

Scrooge
1951 run time 86 Minutes
Renown Pictures

Starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge this is my father's favorite version of the film.  Alastair plays a much more laid back and arrogant version of Scrooge.  In the other versions I've scene Scrooge is mostly played as a grumpy old man.  Critically this is heralded as the finest adaptation and the one that is the closest to the original works.  Although the entire backstory with Mr. Jorkin is not in Dickens story.

The film opens on a bookshelf with copies of Charles Dickens books in identical binding with very ominous music playing.  A hand removes the book and sets it down opening it to a montage of the film credits and the music switches to "Hark the Herald Angel Sing."  This is the adaptation that uses this song in such a prominent role.  In the 1932 release it is the opening & closing credits and Tiny Tim sings it.  In the 1938 release it used in the opening & closing credits and is sung by the parishioners at the church service.

After the credits a narrator opens with the first line of the book as the camera goes into the page fading too a scene of Scrooge having a conversation with two men that ends with Scrooge saying Christmas is a Humbug.  Outside the hall he is stopped by a man who owes him money begging for more time so he doesn't go to debtors prison.

Entering his counting house Scrooge is confronted by two men looking for a donation for the poor and destitute while Cratchit takes his coat. The men are dismissed and Fred promptly enters to invite his Uncle to Christmas dinner.  Scrooge tosses him from his office.  Fred stops off in the outer parlor to speak with Bob Cratchit.

Tiny Tim is shown looking through a display window of some nice mechanical toys.  His mother comes from the butcher shop with their giant prize goose and they head off home.  Back at the counting house Scrooge begrudgingly grants Cratchit Christmas day off, hits up his favorite dive restaurant before heading home where the image of Jacob Marley greets him on his door knocker.  The effects were good on this.

Scrooge retires to his room where strange noises signal the arrival of Marley.  He appears on screen in a transparent state, the effects are quite good.  Marley delivers his message of the arrival of the spirits before departing.

The Ghost of Christmas Past is a long hair angelic elderly man who take Scrooge back to him as a teen at the boarding school where he believes he is being left for the holiday.  His sister Fran arrives to take him home, in this version Fran appears to be older where as in the 1938 version she was younger.  She died giving birth to Fred, as Scrooge's mother died giving birth to him which is why Scrooge doesn't like Fred, similarly as to why Scrooge's father didn't like him.

Next we are at Fezziwig's for the party, Scrooge is scene with his lady Alice pledging his love to her.  Sometime later Fezziwig is shown refusing to sell to a Mr. Jorkin while Scrooge looks on from his clerks table. Mr. Jorkin lures Scrooge to turn on Fezziwig.

Scrooge at his sisters deathbed

We are now at Fan's bedside where Scrooge watches his sister die and with her death his heart turns to stone.  He leaves the room before she can say her finals words which is asking Scrooge to take care of her son.  Old Scrooge begs forgiveness and cries.

Man this Past segment is really long compared to other versions.  Mr. Jorkin introduces Scrooge to Marley upon Scrooges start working for him.  Scrooge and Marley eventually buy out Mr. Fezziwig turning his warehouse into their counting house.  Alice comes back into the picture where she breaks up with him because he loves gold more than she.

Mr. Jorkin talking to Scrooge

We travel a few years into Scrooges life and find out that Mr. Jorkin is being charged with embezzlement.  Scrooge and Marley show their shrewdness by buying the company from the shareholders at 50% the going rate.  We travel to apparently to 7 years in Scrooges past to the night when Mr. Marley died.  He was sent for at 5:45 but at the shop didn't close until 7pm he said he would go at the end of the business day.  Scrooge arrives to find Marley near death who tells Scrooge to change his ways but Scrooge doesn't get the message.

Finally the past is over and we get to the Ghost of Christmas Present.  Once again the spirit is represented by large robbed man surrounded by a feast.  A touch of his robe and we are off into the celebration of that Christmas.  First up is a throng of people around the fireplace singing, yup, "Hark the Herald Angel Sing."  Next we see Bob Cratchit with Tiny Tim on his shoulder, once again eldest daughter Martha is hidden to play a joke on Bob that she's not coming for Christmas this year.  Peter's collar is ridiculously huge, Bob goes to toast Scrooge and his family balks at the sentiment.

We segue to Fred's who also toast his crotchety Uncle before breaking into dance.  Quickly we fade to Alice who is taking care of the sick and indigent.  The present leaves Scrooge in the street and the future appears in the form of a clocked being with only and extended hand exposed.

Our first stop in the future is at the Cratchit household where everyone is saddened because Tiny Tim has died.  We cut to a group of people who are happy to see someone has died and they have taken this persons belongings to sell to Joe the pawn broker.  We see the men that Scrooge was talking to at the beginning of the film, they make disparaging remarks about the recently deceased as well.  Scrooge starts to realize it might be him.  The cemetery is the last stop where Scrooge sees his own tombstone and vows to change his ways.

Scrooge awakens in his room to the knocking of his laundress a new man loving life and Christmas too.  His exuberance and happiness scare her.  He tries to do an handstand in his chair and she runs screaming from the room. Scrooge gives her a raise and the day off.

Scrooge hires a passing boy to buy the prize turkey to send to Cratchit.  Goose must have been cheaper than Turkey then.  The Cratchit's receive the turkey but it doesn't say who its from.  For some reason Tiny Tim feels that is was Mr. Scrooge, but no one else does.

Scrooge arrives at Fred's surprising all in attendance.  He apologizes to Fred's wife, for some reason and not Fred.  Then they all break into dance with Scrooge and niece-in-law leading the way.

The next morning Cratchit arrives at the counting house late while Scrooge pretends to work.  Scrooge makes like he's going to fire Cratchit but instead raises his salary.  This Scrooge wants to help's Bob whole family and not just Tiny Tim.

The narrator returns with Scrooge now having become a loved community member.  Tiny Tim calls out Uncle Scrooge and runs crutchless jumping into his arms before fading to black.

This was a good flick, but I still maintain that the 1938 version is my favorite.

Until Next Time

November Movies

The Birds - Alfred Hitchcock classic

Fantastic 4 (2015) - If you ignore entire history of the Fantastic 4 and watch this as a stand alone film it's actually pretty decent.

Holidate - Netflick original rom-com about two people who agree to be each others date on holiday's or plus one so family will stop setting them up with people.  Solid, I really enjoyed it.

The Last Thing He Wanted - Netflix original with Anne Hathaway and Ben Affleck, wicked, wicked slow, can't get it a hard sell

Taxi Driver - My first time through the whole flick in ages

Jasper Mall - Documentary about a dying mall in Alabama that is a representative of malls across the United States.

Extracurricular Activities - Solid Amazon original flick with a great ending.   

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives - I feel you have to watch a Friday the 13th Film on Friday the 13th!  Part VI is may favorite of the franchise.  Vudu had a great deal, the HD copies of the first 8 films for $13! 

Never Hike Alone: Ghost Cut - The three womp stomp Vorhees films combined into one movie

Psycho - Another Alfred Hitchcock classic, the wife and I got on a classic movie kick

Dances With Wolves - I forgot that this flick is three hours long!  Found out there is a four hour cut out there as well.  

A Better Tomorrow (2010) - the original is much better

Mile 22 - Mark Walberg and Iko Uwais action flick, Uwais is so friggin great!  I Forgot the ending of this movie so it surprised me all over again

Bushwick - I watched this on Netflix, it starts Batista and Brittany Snow and came out in 2017 and I don't recall seeing anything about until recently.  Essentially a story about the a portion of the US trying to succeed from the rest of the country and this is there first offensive in Bushwick, New York

Dead Pool 2 - it's awsome!

The New Mutants - I red boxed this, after all the hype and delays I had to watch this.  And now I've watched all the movies in the X-Men franchise.  

Rush Hour 3 - I didn't know my son hadn't seen the final installment in the series. He has now!

When Harry Met Sally - I had never seen this before, I've seen clips and I'm familiar with the premise and my wife wanted to watch it.  I really enjoyed it. 

Iron Mask -  aka Viy 2: Journey to China; a Russian - Chinese co-production, with Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger in supporting roles.  filmed in 2017, released in Russia and China in September 2019, November 24, 2020 in the states. It's pretty good, we get a fight scene between Chan and Arnie so it's worth watching for that.

Rear Window - Our third and final Hitchcock flick of the month, I look forward to watching more with Kate next month. 

Hillbilly Elegy - Netflix original based on memoir, it was decent.  Don't think I'll watch it again. 

Get Duked! - Amazon original, I saw the trailer and thought it would be decent, it wasn't. 

Die Hard - Started our Christmas viewing season off right with a true holiday classic that Kate hadn't seen before.  

Rocky - Kate mentioned that she had never seen Rocky before.....I corrected that immediately. 

Until Next Time!

A Christmas Story 2

Warner Premier

Release Date October 30, 2012

Runtime 85 minutes 

A Christmas Story is a classic beloved holiday movie written and narrated by the legendary Jean Shepherd.  The movie is also drawn from his classic stories.  There have been several movies over the years based on Shepherds works and they are all written and narrated by Shepherd himself.  I have watched and own them all and they are great!

A Christmas Story 2 features the same characters from Shepherds works however that is where it ends.  I cannot find one trace of any written works of Shepherds involved in this story, and I have read 5 of his books.

A Christmas Story 2 is not good.  The underline back story is actually really good, however the slapstick and day dream segments are excessive.  They tried to spoof as many moments and elements from the original as possible.

I can't imagine I'll ever watch this again.

Until Next Time