holidays – Late to the Theater

New Year’s Eve Eve

Hola!

I missed last week’s entry because I had a family emergency in addition to holiday stuff going on, but I wanted to just throw out a ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!’ since I know I’ll miss it otherwise!

I appreciate you, reader! I don’t always say it, but I do. I appreciate the comments and discussions, and reading your posts (even though I forget to say anything or Like them), and just getting those much-needed windows into other people’s lives and perspectives.

Let’s be honest – 2017 is not looking so hot. This article does a fantastic job collecting some articles to help you understand what we’re in for next year and beyond. Basically I would advise against asking a Magic 8 Ball what’s on the horizon, because of the risk of sudden heat burns when the thing self-destructs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t hope for the best, and do good things in the meantime.

I had a much cheerier article planned but the deaths of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and a few other people cast a pall. Writing about what hair products, Xmas presents I’ve received, or my favorite new coffee just seemed gauche. So! I will write some fluff NEXT week, but for this one, I’m shaking 2016’s dust and ash off and boldly going into our future, whatever that may be. Maybe things will be great! I sincerely hope so!

Either way, I wanted you to know that I’m still here. I’m listening, watching, reading, and doing a little tiny bit of writing, but mostly, I am thinking. And planning. I don’t know what to expect, but at this point I’m prepared for anything.

Have a WONDERFUL and safe New Year’s Eve! And if you can’t be good, be careful!

THE STARS HAVE ALIGNED!

I’ll sit back and let those first few notes of the theme carry me away, and experience the magic all over again. Then I’ll get home, pack, wrap Xmas presents, throw Herzog in the car in his carrier and head north for ninety minutes.

It’s been a rough few weeks. I got to see Star Wars, and have been struggling financially otherwise – basically I live paycheck to paycheck. I’m not complaining – in fact I am INCREDIBLY fortunate that I just have myself and Herzog to look after, and that I’m able to live as well as I do. Many people don’t! Many people have kids to look after, family obligations to take care of, and of course, keep food on the table and the light and heat on and manage to do so by the skin of their teeth, or by working two jobs. I have friends who are on food stamps despite working full time jobs, just so they can eat. My financial troubles were ALL My own making and I am slowly fixing that, but there are a lot of things I do without.

So when I realized I was getting paid a day early, I was over the moon! AND I am getting released several hours’ early from work. This means that I am seeing Star Wars again, in my favorite theater, before I head out of town to visit my family for the holidays. It’s a little dinner theater that serves beer and wings and salads and burgers, and there are hand-painted murals on the walls of Silver Screen legends like Chaplin and Mae West. It’s a wee little theater and I’ve spent some of the happiest hours of the last year there – in fact, I was there LAST Christmas Eve watching The Hobbit: Battle of The Five Armies.

This is the gift I’m giving myself this year, and I’m super, SUPER thankful that I can do it. I’ll sit back and let those first few notes of the theme carry me away, and experience the magic all over again. Then I’ll get home, pack, wrap Xmas presents, throw Herzog in the car in his carrier and head north for ninety minutes.

So once again, from me to all of you, wherever you are and whatever you celebrate, please have a holiday season of warmth, light and joy!

Five Rando Christmas Movies

So I think we all need a break. We need warmth, joy, family and friends, and to remember the important stuff – and I don’t mean all the shit we just put ourselves into debt to buy. I mean the REALLY important stuff.

It’s been a hell of a year, folks.

This year’s news was a constant parade of nightmares and horror, and it was easy to get lost in the torrent of sorrow. The plight of Syrian refugees; Paris, the City of Lights darkened by terrorism, and then rising from the ashes in glorious solidarity; the destruction of world Heritage sites by madmen; natural disasters; mass shootings; and of course, the inevitable callousness that comes with being inundated with such tidings. I’ll never forget the moment I said the words ‘Wait, which mass shooting from this year are you talking about?’ because there had been too many to keep track of.

So I think we all need a break. We need warmth, joy, family and friends, and to remember the important stuff – and I don’t mean all the shit we just put ourselves into debt to buy. I mean the REALLY important stuff. And so today’s entry includes five movies that celebrate that aforementioned REALLY important stuff. I am sorry they’re all just for Christmas – I wish I knew of some Jewish and Muslim holiday movies to discuss! Maybe next year I’ll have found some.

These are all movies my family gets together to watch. My Dad and I get drunk and bray like donkeys at the screen, and my Mom disapproves but laughs along with us.

Have a read and enjoy!

Continue reading “Five Rando Christmas Movies”

Halloween and the Kitchen Sink Week: The Nightmare Before Christmas

You should see it.
That is all.

October is Horror Movie month, where we let down our hair and celebrate all things macabre and scary! Not that we don’t during the rest of the year, but still… HORROR MOVIES! People who don’t like horror are encouraged to check back November 1st for less bloody and/or disturbing films. For everyone else, let’s put on our galoshes and WADE INTO THE MIRE!

We’re switching gears yet again with Halloween and the Kitchen Sink Week – this week’s entries all include Halloween or its trappings in some way, AND they will be much shorter in length. There’s not much logic to their selection, so don’t think that I’m intentionally leaving things out – these movies put me in the Halloween spirit for whatever reason. It’s the final countdown to Halloween, so throw some candy in a bag, put on your walking shoes and come trick or treating!

I was going to review Tim Burton’s classic, immortal The Nightmare Before Christmas but I’m literally having too much fun carving my pumpkin and getting ready for tonight, so here’s my super short review:

You should see it.
That is all.

If you haven’t, watch it tonight! It’s not scary– just a wonderful, joyous celebration of all things spooky, ooky and kooky. Here’s the opening song to get you and everyone else in the mood!

Happy Halloween, y’all!

Have fun tonight, and if you can’t be good, be careful!

GASP!

All right, I’ve been lazy with the blogging and just settling for posting videos…

… and here’s another one!

CANNOT.

WAIT.

One of my exes introduced me to the Krampus legend about 15 years ago, and I always get excited when I see him pop up in pop culture. I LOVE that they made a movie about it.

It looks pretty decent – I like the comedy dynamic of the cast (Adam Scott, David Koechner, and Toni Collette!) before the weirdness sets in. A commenter on another board said it looked like this generation’s Gremlins, which is another of my family’s strange, unconventional holiday traditions.

If you don’t know who Krampus is, let me enlighten you!

Fancy pants, indeed!