I am forever Changed!!

I have always been a fan of Les Miserables. As you may know, the original story was a novel by Victor Hugo, published in the 1860's.   I loved the movie version with Liam Neeson as Jean Val Jean.  The story touches me in ways I have had a hard time explaining. It has been a novel, a mini series on the radio produced by the great Orson Welles, TV Miniseries, musicals, even a Japanese TV series called Inochimoyu. The story has been done over and over. So when I went for my Christmas present, I wasn't sure what to expect.

I went on Wednesday as a Christmas gift from my 15 year old son. Through out the experience I was constantly crying.  At one point I looked over at him, he too had tears in his eyes reflected by the light on the screen. He hates things emotional. What 15 year guy doesn't?  So after the experience I asked him what he thought about it.  He told me it was the best movie he ever saw. High praise for a guy that loves Call of Duty: black ops or Assassins Creed III. He said that it was powerful. So we talked about it for awhile afterward. He loved the character of Jean Valjean, my son wants to be a really good man.  It changed his view about religion too. He normally questions it with his scientific mind. He saw how powerful on a persons life it can be. He watched Bishop Myriel restore Jean Valjeans faith, and forever change his life. Nick was angry and touched by Fantine's journey in trying to care for her daughter and how she was mistreated. So if I had no other feelings for the movie, that would have been enough for me.

That said, I was so moved by the movie it affected me the rest of the day.  The movie it's self is so well done, it should have more than 4 Golden Globe nominations.  It will be a contender for Oscar night too.  I think definitely Ann Hathaway as Fantine and Hugh Jackman as Jean ValJean should be named. Russel Crowe did amazing job as the nemesis Javert. A surprise for me was in the performances of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as Thenardier and Madam Thenardier, the corrupt inkeepers that cared for Fantine's daughter Cosette. They were one of the lighter parts of the movie, and there were not many. They registered stupid more than corrupt. Samantha Barks played Eponine their daughter. That actress did an amazing part as the girl who loved Marius (Eddie Redmayne), while he pined for the 17 year old Cossette (the wonderful Amanda Seyfried).  The acting in this movie was superb as was the singing.  In fact Amanda Seyfried was trained vocally in the technique she used to make her voice sound so young. It was beautiful.

There is another part of the movie for me that was thrilling, and moving.  The struggle of Jean Valjean to be completely transformed to a loving, caring honest man after all he had experienced. Like my son I was motivated by his journey, and the quality he tried to have. I also thought he was able to reinvent himself over and over because of his faith in God and his ability to go back to the convent as needed. It was as if he could go home again and recharge his batteries. The reason for this being thrilling to me is that when I hear of transformations now, they are usually being said about some new age philosophy. As a new-ager I think we forget that our greatest journeys are about how we treat our fellow beings and what kind of humans we are. It is one of my struggles also.

So the movie was magnificent. the music was good, the actors brilliant and the story timeless. If you have a chance to, go see it, I think it could remind you of what it is to be human. I have known humans that on the outside look good to the world, but on the inside they are unkind and judgmental.  Javert reminded me why being with the law is important, but being human and flawed is where the joy and love are.

One More Time A Christmas Story

So now the night is winding down.  It has been A Christmas Story all day long, like background music. The narration of Jean Shepard who wrote the Book "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash", takes on us on a family vacation to Hohman, Indiana in 1949.  The war was over, Americans were making babies, buying cars and houses, and living the American dream. Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.  With every authority at Christmas repeating, "You'll Shoot Your Eye out".  

The cast is wonderful, with the toe head blond, be-speckled 10 year old boy retelling the story of his family Christmas. His father is played by the reknown Darrin McGavin, and though McGavin is no longer with us, he will live on as the cursing father of Ralphie Parker.  The man enamored with a cheap the looking plastic leg lamp, and net stockings. His mother is Melinda Dillon who I best remember in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. She is the long suffering wife and mother, who never gets a warm bite of food and protects Ralphie from the wrath of his father when he beats up the school bully. She is first to tell Ralphie "you'll shoot your eye out". When he answers her question as to what he wants for Christmas.

His little brother Randy (Ian Pretella) runs along behind him encased in a snow suit that allows no movement not even the dropping of his arms to his sides. Randy won't eat so his mother engages him in eating "like the piggie does" allowing Randy eat off his plate like an piggie, snorting and laughing through dinner.  The "old man" as Ralphie refers to his father as, has his head in the paper not seeming to care about the goings on of his family during dinner. His job is sneaking turkey, introducing the word Fragile (pronounced by the old man as Fra Jill lay) to the world and hitting the ailing furnace.

Ralphie has 2 side kicks, Flick (Scott Schwartz) and Schwartz (R.D. Robb). Schwartz is the genius who is "triple dogged dared" to stick his tongue to the flagpole to see what happens. The next scene is Ralphie's teacher, Miss Shields (Tedde Moore) standing out in the falling snow, as the firemen and police men get Schwartz' tongue off the pole.  To punish those encouraging Schwartz, Miss Shields assigns a theme paper, "What I want for Christmas".  Ralph can't wait to do the paper, fantasizing about an A +++, only to get a C+ and the words "you'll put your eye out".

The 3rd naysayer in the tale is Santa Claus at the department store downtown Hohman.He says this as he uses his foot to push Ralphie down the slide after his visit with Santa. The story is heartwarming with snow scenes that would do any Christmas proud, parents who love their boys, and a dad who gets his son the BB gun. Ralphie also gets footie pajamas that make him look like a girl Easter Bunny. The funniest scene is that his mother makes him try the pj's on. I think personally she took pleasure in seeing him in them. Who could blame her? I just rolled with laughter the first I saw it almost 30 years ago.  It is not Christmas without TBS' 24 hour marathon of A Christmas Story.

So Christmas is over this year, we are tired, and I am off to bed, I just wanted to share a piece of my Christmas.  My son turned 15 today, it is permit year. Some sane person suggested I hire someone to teach him to drive.  I haven't decided, and as I am not the most sane person, it should not come as a shock to anyone.  For now I will just say good night, and have a great day tomorrow.

HO HO HO

It is Christmas Eve, and since this blog has always been about entertainment I want to discuss my favorite Christmas movies.  Now some of them are not Christmas at all, but hold some part of my heart during the season.  As soon as Thanksgiving is over, I am immediately ready for my Christmas movies.

This is true of my first Christmas favorite, Mamma Mia. I saw it about 4 years ago at Christmas time. I loved it and am a huge Abba fan.  I have fond memories of driving around North Phoenix looking at Christmas lights with my son, listening to Abba in the car. So when I think of that movie it is along with Christmas lights. This year I have fallen in love with another movie, that is becoming part of my Christmas movie marathon, it has nothing to do with Christmas, but is about love and a second chance.  It is We Bought a Zoo. I love Matt Damon and Scarlett Johanson, however, Maggie Elizabeth Jones is my new star. It tells the story of a man who has lost his wife, and drifts until he buys a house in the country that comes with a Zoo. It has the warmth of a great Christmas movie. So it is now part of my experience.

The second movie is slightly irreverent, and yet after turkey at Thanksgiving, it is my first of the season.  Christmas Vacation.  The wonderful Griswold Christmas, with exploding cats, Christmas tree fires, sleeping with your prepubescent brother, and green jello with kitty litter. Who doesn't love Randy Quaid as the white trash brother-in-law Eddie.


For a more British Christmas I found one in Love Actually. Honestly this is my new favorite of them all.  Love really is all around. It has Hugh Grant as the Prime Minister who falls for the cute yet foul-mouthed Natalie.  There is Alan Rickman as the straying husband of the very brilliant Emma Thompson.  Laura Linney as a codependent sister. Keira knightly and Andrew Lincoln (now of The Walking Dead fame) play part of an unrequited love triangle. Colin Firth is a jilted man who finds a new life with Portuguese Aurelia. Kris Marshall, finds love in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Shy sex body doubles Martin Freeman and Joanna Page fall in love and marry. Finally, Liam Neeson is the great and widowed step father to orphaned and in-love Sam (Thomas Sangster).  I love so many parts of the film it would be easier to tell you what I did not like, which is almost nothing.

I do love classics ! I always watch "It's a Wonderful Life", with the amazing Jimmy Stewart, and Donna Reed as the Baileys of Bedford Falls  Then there is White Christmas with Bing Crosby and the amazing Danny Kaye help their former commanding officer at the Pine Tree Ski Lodge save his business. It includes Vera-Ellen and the wonderful Rosemary Clooney.  There is another movie I love for Christmas, called Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. I used to confuse the two as they both take place at resorts, both are about buddies who are performers and both use the song "White Christmas".  Both are great films, but I personally think White Christmas is more magical.

There are wonderful TV Cartoons around the Holidays that are classics from my youth.  A Charlie Brown Christmas is a must see, along with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, that follows the song, and Frosty the Snow Man also follows the song of the same name and is a classic narrated by the late Burl Ives.

I love movies, and TV.  This time of year there are so many wonderful shows and movies I possess, but these are really the ones that introduce the Christmas season for me.  Movies are one the my most treasured experiences in my life, and I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.