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1. Well instead of walking on the beach and watching football, Mum and I opted to see The Hobbit. We both agreed that it was a) okay but not fantastic and b) long. Mum had troubles staying awake during the first part of it. I liked it, but I can't say it was either memorable or worth buying on DVD. We were also quite pleased we had not chosen to see it in Real D- 3D. Would have been headache inducing to say the least.
Felt too long too me and repetitive. Lots of battles and running from things. Not quite sure how they are going to make three movies out of this - two would have been fine. I could see two movies. Part I - the Journey to the Lonely Mountatin and the bulgary. Part II what happens after and the Journey Back. Instead we appear to be doing 1) Journey to the Mountain, 2) the Mountain/what happens after, and 3) the Journey back.
It's admittedly been 30 years since I read the book and saw the 1977 Rankin/Bass Animated Television Film. So my memory of it is a bit foggy, so I looked up the plot on Wiki:
( spoilers for the plot of the portion of the Hobbit that the first film is based, I left out the bits that take place after this film ended. )
2. Anything Goes - great song and dance numbers, weak and outdated (also a wee bit NOT politically correct) story - but hey what do you respect with four writters? The Cole Porter tunes are jazzy and fun though - "Night and Day", "Anything Goes", "Delovely", "You're the Top", and "Blow, Gaberial, Blow"...all came from this musical. The lead, Shannon Lee Jones, had a good voice but isn't a dancer - so she did the Ethel Merman version not the Sutton Foster one. Was fun, was delightful, was delovely...but hardly memorable.
3. Off-the-Beaten Path Xmas Film Favorites:
1. The Ice Harvest - stars John Cusack, a noir thriller about a shady lawyer on Christmas Eve
2. A Midnight Clear - based on the novel of the same name by William Wharton, this flick stars Gary Sinese, Peter Berg and Ethan Hawk and is directed by Keith Gordon (It's a WWII tale about a group of American soliders and German soliders in Adriennes Forest on Christmas Eve in 1944.
3. Bad Santa (2003)- A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.
4. Planes, Trains and Automobiles - two guys struggling to get home for Christmas - the buddy comedy from heck. Steve Martin stars.
5. Little Women - pick your version, my favorite is the Winona Ryder one
6. Meet Me In St. Louis - features the holiday classic "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - written for it especially.
7. Little Drummer Boy (1968) - Rankin/Bass stop-motion puppet cartoon version of the song...very weird film
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas -dir. Tim Burton
9. The Year Without A Santa Clause (1974) - Rank/Bass stop motion puppet cartoon featuring the vocal talents of Shirely Booth and Mickey Rooney.
10 A Christmas Memory (1966) -Award-winning adaptation of Truman Capote's poignant, nostalgic reminiscence about his childhood best friend — a childlike elderly relative with whom he makes fruitcakes and other gifts, in Depression-era Alabama.
Also:
* Die Hard/Die Hard 2
* Love Actually
* A Christmas Story
And I can't find one that I have a vague memory of, but can't remember the title, which is told in the pov of a Christmas Tree...and everything that happens to it. It's live action and I saw it as a child in the 1970s/1980s. Might have dreamed it.
Felt too long too me and repetitive. Lots of battles and running from things. Not quite sure how they are going to make three movies out of this - two would have been fine. I could see two movies. Part I - the Journey to the Lonely Mountatin and the bulgary. Part II what happens after and the Journey Back. Instead we appear to be doing 1) Journey to the Mountain, 2) the Mountain/what happens after, and 3) the Journey back.
It's admittedly been 30 years since I read the book and saw the 1977 Rankin/Bass Animated Television Film. So my memory of it is a bit foggy, so I looked up the plot on Wiki:
( spoilers for the plot of the portion of the Hobbit that the first film is based, I left out the bits that take place after this film ended. )
2. Anything Goes - great song and dance numbers, weak and outdated (also a wee bit NOT politically correct) story - but hey what do you respect with four writters? The Cole Porter tunes are jazzy and fun though - "Night and Day", "Anything Goes", "Delovely", "You're the Top", and "Blow, Gaberial, Blow"...all came from this musical. The lead, Shannon Lee Jones, had a good voice but isn't a dancer - so she did the Ethel Merman version not the Sutton Foster one. Was fun, was delightful, was delovely...but hardly memorable.
3. Off-the-Beaten Path Xmas Film Favorites:
1. The Ice Harvest - stars John Cusack, a noir thriller about a shady lawyer on Christmas Eve
2. A Midnight Clear - based on the novel of the same name by William Wharton, this flick stars Gary Sinese, Peter Berg and Ethan Hawk and is directed by Keith Gordon (It's a WWII tale about a group of American soliders and German soliders in Adriennes Forest on Christmas Eve in 1944.
3. Bad Santa (2003)- A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.
4. Planes, Trains and Automobiles - two guys struggling to get home for Christmas - the buddy comedy from heck. Steve Martin stars.
5. Little Women - pick your version, my favorite is the Winona Ryder one
6. Meet Me In St. Louis - features the holiday classic "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - written for it especially.
7. Little Drummer Boy (1968) - Rankin/Bass stop-motion puppet cartoon version of the song...very weird film
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas -dir. Tim Burton
9. The Year Without A Santa Clause (1974) - Rank/Bass stop motion puppet cartoon featuring the vocal talents of Shirely Booth and Mickey Rooney.
10 A Christmas Memory (1966) -Award-winning adaptation of Truman Capote's poignant, nostalgic reminiscence about his childhood best friend — a childlike elderly relative with whom he makes fruitcakes and other gifts, in Depression-era Alabama.
Also:
* Die Hard/Die Hard 2
* Love Actually
* A Christmas Story
And I can't find one that I have a vague memory of, but can't remember the title, which is told in the pov of a Christmas Tree...and everything that happens to it. It's live action and I saw it as a child in the 1970s/1980s. Might have dreamed it.