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Established A.D. 2000, March 19. Now in our eighth calendar year!Number 404 (Vol. 8, No. 51). This edition is for the week of December 17--23, 2007.
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Sad Passings2007 Musings
The Top 10 Christmas Movies of All Time
CANOVA the Comic, "Prologue"
The Year That Was, Part 1
Readers' Comments
I'm sure I've said it before, but I'll say it again: it is quite unbelievable to me to think that another year has already passed. Can it be almost 2008?? As I get older, the years scream by faster and faster (a feeling no doubt shared by my baby-boomer brethren).
Sad Passings Last week I neglected to mention the passing of Ike Turner at 76. Former husband to Tina Turner and rock music legend in his own right, his reputation was forever marred by stories of his abusive and violent nature, particularly toward Tina.
Hugh Smith, one of the original anchors for local television station WTVT Channel 13 in Tampa, died last Sunday at the age of 73 from cancer (stage 4 melanoma). PCR Lettercol readers may remember I was contacted by Hugh's son, Ward, a couple weeks ago and informed of his father's dire condition.
Hugh Smith worked at Channel 13 for 28 years, and
while there he anchored Tampa's first color broadcast of a newscast in
1966. In 1976, he did Tampa's first live remote shot, reporting from a
helicopter hovering over town. He also was instrumental in expanding
WTVT's newcasts from 15-minute reports to 30 minutes and eventually to
60 minutes.
He left WTVT in 1991 for personal reasons, but will always be remembered for the pioneering work he did as a newsman for the station.
2007 Musings
AND TO OUR ADVERTISERS... TO OUR NEWEST WRITERS... ED TUCKER wins the Mike Smith award for not missing an issue since his debut. Thank you, ED! Well done. And everyone, keep up the great work!
"CANOVA" the comic strip by John Miller, debuts this issue, so is technically a 2007 "new column", but of course, it's way too early to judge proper feedback yet!
THE TOP TEN CHRISTMAS MOVIES OF ALL TIME, CONT'D 1) National Lampoons Christmas Vacation - Why?? Because this movie is my family!! Omitting the beloved TV specials opened up a few spaces on my list, which
I've filled by stretching the "Christmas related" theme as much as
possible, as you can see:
10. Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) I suppose this is my chick flick pick, so
I'll spare you the gory girlie details. I will say, however, that this
movie does a good job of making fun of those brightly-colored Christmas
sweaters our relatives have bought us over the years. (If your mother
never bought you any, you can have one of mine. I've got plenty.)
It’s a Wonderful Life - Frank Capra’s holiday classic about George Bailey, who throughout the course of his life just never gets a lucky break, at least in his own eyes. George gets the gift of gifts, however, when Clarence the angel takes him on a tour of life as it would have been for all involved had he never been born. In a movie filled with emotional heart tugs at every turn, Jimmy Stewart shows why his is considered today one of the great actors in the history of film, pretty much owning every scene he is in.
10. Lethal Weapon (1987) – Great action film that takes place around Christmas time and best film out of the whole Lethal Weapon series.
1.) A Christmas Story (1983) – When I told a couple of friends that I was doing a top ten Christmas movies list they simultaneously blurted out “number one, A Christmas Story”. It was unanimous, nothing gets me more in the holiday spirit than the story of little Ralphie’s quest for his beloved BB gun. Add to this a nostalgic 1940’s Christmas time as seen through the eyes of a child and this has classic written all over it. I am still amazed that this didn’t do better at the box office during its initial release but this is one of those films that truly gets more enjoyable with subsequent viewings. Next Week: Operation Flybone
January through June, 2007 January starts off with a brazen boast by yours truly that my multi-media aspirations would take off -- only they didn't. Well, not exactly like I wanted to, anyway. UFOs gather over O'Hare airport, rocks fall from space, and we lose our first notable celebrity of the year, Yvonne DeCarlo. ED Tucker appears in Tampa with a giant spider -- an authentic prop from The Giant Spider Invasion! Mike Smith begins his year-long serial on "Whatever Happened To..?". Terence Nuzum opines on the Best Albums of 2006 and meets Dinosaur, Jr., while Andy Lalino's short-lived "Putzo the Clown" character derides non-crazed believers. Hillary Clinton confirms her candidacy for president, and we lose a Watergate burglar in E. Howard Hunt. February sees more crap falling from space, while Ed and Andy make the Florida FX Show. We lose Tige Andrews (Mod Squad). ED Tucker visits Sanford, Florida and meets up with Charlie Carlson and Harry Wise. Will Moriaty sends the first of what would be only six La Floridianas to grace us this year, but it's a doozy: paranormal and skunk apes. Andy covers Peter Straub's visit to USF, Pan's Labyrinth opens to rave reviews, Will interviews Paul Guzzo, and Matt's Rail returns. As the 79th Academy Awards heats up, ED reports on this year's MegaCon. March, an incredibly action-packed month, brings us the first Gasparilla Film Festival the largest event of its kind attempted, and the heir apparent to the late Tambay Film Fest. Yours truly has the honor of being a judge for the Best Young Filmmaker Award! Speaking of film festivals, Horrors & Hotties anyone? Andy Lalino's inaugural all-horror film fest exceeds expectations. Captain America is shot by a sniper and killed (what the..?), while 300 shows Michael Bay can occasionally not suck quite so bad. Frederick Pohl, Harry Harrison, Prof. Rick Wilber, and Rusty Hevelin visit USF, but we lose another rock star when Brad Delp (Boston) leaves for the great beyond. ED partakes of Munchkin Mayhem as some genuine wee folks from the movie visit a Jacksonville mall! Scooter Libby is convicted of lying to Congress and local councilman Steve Stanton decides he'd rather be a woman. Mike Smith updates his picture in The Rant, and local strip bar owner/politician/wildman Joe Redner makes another bid for public office. The "true tomb" of Jesus is one story we run on our first Crazed FanPoll of 2007. April is a pretty full month as well and sees the debut of the Crazed Fanboy Chat Room, although it got under-used during the rest of the year. Keith Richards claims he snorted his own father's ashes, while a drunken Mexican driver kills cult film director Bob Clark. Locally, Tampa weatherman John Winter takes his own life, leaving a community in shock. Don Imus loses his job over racist remarks. Grindhouse, the ultimate experiment in retro-culture by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino impresses some fans and critics, confuses others, then tanks at the box-office. Oh, well. I liked it. Comic strip artist Johnny Hart (B.C.) and legendary novelist Kurt Vonnegut leave the mortal coil. The SunScreen Film Festival is visited by Chris Woods. I am honored to know TBO.com lists Crazed Fanboy as a top area "blog" -- I seem to be the only one still referring to what we do here as an "online e-zine". Although that's more prestigeous, "Blog" is easier to promote, ironically. Finally getting to excercise my video chops, I cobble together a "book trailer" for Patty G. Henderson to post on YouTube. Virginia Tech is shot up by a madman (yes it's already been that long ago), and Mike Smith reviews "The Shark Is Still Working", a documentary on JAWS that he appears in (I will review it later in the year). The first--and only--hosted chatroom takes place as four of us discuss Genesis (the Bible book, not the band). MPAA chieftain Jack Valenti and former Russian leader Boris Yeltsin die. As we move into May, actors Tom Poston and Dabbs Greer, bandleader Tommy Newsom, and former astronaut Wally Schirra all pass away. I seem to be the only one who remembers Tom Poston in Zotz!. Jimmy "Scotty" Doohan, who died a couple years ago, finally got his ashes shot into space via shuttle as per his request. Televangelist Jerry Falwell, creator of the "Moral Majority" and influential in politics (long a pain-in-the-ass to creatively daring individuals like, say, Larry Flynt) dies. But so much death, anything positive happen? YES, Spider-Man 3 breaks all box-office records. Yours truly breaks into some local media by being a guest on a video produced for BobRossMovies.com, where Bob and I discussed the summer movie agenda. Two days later, Tampa Digital Studios interviews me for live web video, "Tampa Bay's Media Talk" (probably still on YouTube)! I am indeed honored. Shrek 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 continue the "summer of sequels" (or "threequels" in this case). Chris Woods writes up The Legends of Wrestling, while former president Jimmy Carter calls George W. Bush "the worst president in history". Mike Smith attends JAWSFEST, legendary character actor Charles Nelson Reilly passes on. Tropical Storm Barry causes problems on the Gulf Coast. June. Crazed Fanboy moves to a new web host, Will Moriaty forgives J. Lamar McMichael (the guy who screwed him out of a quarter million dollars), and John Lewis opens Comics & Critters Too in Clearwater (a "sequel" to the Comics & Critters store of years ago); oddly, he's close-mouthed about it around me. I finally review "The Shark Is Still Working" documentary, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer didn't do all that fantastic, but local underground indie film hero Marcus Koch, along with Joe Davison, premiere 100 Tears. Although my review was positive, I got grief for months over my few objections regarding actor chemistry and conservative editing. The sports community is shocked by the death of young WWE star Chris Benoit, and, of course, Paris Hilton's release from jail got obscene media coverage
Next Week: The Year That Was, Part 2, July through December! PLUS...The Graveyard of Dead Columns has only ONE tombstone this year; can you guess which one?
Dan Fogelberg, with his signature soft acoustic guitar stylings, and mainstay of '70s soft-rock culture, has died at the age of 56 from prostate cancer after a three-year battle.
Before I sail into The Year That Was, Part 1, I'd like to single out a few special things that happened in 2007 (as I'm not sure all of you will actually read all of "The Year That Was" Two-Parter, as it's basically a summary of the Archives section):
I wish to personally thank Unique Video and MRL Comics for sticking with me this far. I hope that The Terror Shop can once again re-join our fold someday. I'd also like to thank Andy Lalino who has been most helpful in developing contacts for potential ad revenue. Of course, this is something that needs to increase dramatically in 2008! Haha.
This year saw the debut of Retrorama (ED Tucker), FANGRRL (Lisa Ciurro), and Film Biz 101 (Corey Castellano). Congratulations to one and all for a successful debut and consistently good showing!
by Juanita Craft (Mrs. Mike Smith)
2) Trapped in Paradise - I need to research this and find out whose idea it was to pair one very unlikely actor with the other two (Nicholas Cage, with Dana Carvy and Jon Lovitz) Love the movie......never heard the reasoning or story behind that...if there is one.
3) While You Were Sleeping - Simply because I am a woman and it is a romantic movie.
4) The Santa Clause - The first one.
5) Home for the Holidays - Oh wait, no that movie is my family!
6) Miracle on 34th St - The original version.
7) A Christmas Story - My mother always bundle me up in so much winter attire that I could not stand or walk either....
8) It's a Wonderful Life - Just a classic!
9) Home Alone
10) The Santa Clause # 2
by Lisa Ciurro
9. Better Off Dead (1985) Any time I can include a John Cusack movie on
my list, I'm happy. This is a black comedy about suicide with skiing, a
French foreign exchange student, bizarre neighbors, gross food and a
homicidal paperboy thrown in for good measure. The depressed main
character Lane Meyer (Cusack) gets TV dinners as Christmas presents (which
is actually a good thing considering his mother's cooking) and some of the
film's many famous quotes involve Christmas. "It's a Christmas present.
Do you have Christmas in France?"
8. Lethal Weapon (1987) Opening with Christmas music and ending with a
Christmas dinner with family, Lethal Weapon uses the festive holiday season
to make the murder and mayhem taking place more jarring. This film is a
nostalgic fave of mine...when it was filmed, the buddy-cop routine wasn't
exhausted, the infamous lines weren't over-quoted and Mel Gibson was crazy
only on the big screen.
7. Die Hard (1988) Great lines, great casting, great action, great
villains, the great Nakatomi Christmas party. Watching the fourth
installment, Live Free or Die Hard, this past weekend reminded me how much
I enjoyed the original Die Hard movie.
6. Gremlins (1984) I can't remember what this film is rated, but I know
that I went to see it a few times in the theater and lied to my mom about
what movie I had seen (sorry, Mom). I loved this movie. I bet I could
find one of those gremlins dressed like Santa on eBay if I looked...
5. Elf (2003) One of Will Farrell's better roles. Absolutely hilarious.
Back in my starving student days I had a part-time job at the mall as one
of Santa's helpers. Wore the elf costume, heard the jokes and lived to
tell about it. So I have a soft spot for "too-tall elf humor" in general
and this movie in particular.
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) Cliched, hokey, mandatory viewing, on one
hand. Moving, sweet and classic, on the other.
3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) I'm a sucker for the scene in the
courtroom where all those letters to Santa are entered as evidence. Plus,
I think Edmund Gwenn is the best movie Santa ever.
2. A Christmas Story (1983) Through the years I've loved and hated this
movie...mostly loved it. Every once in a while, I come across people who
are unfamiliar with the line "you'll shoot your eye out!" and am
dumbfounded by that. This film should be mandatory (love it or hate it,
you at least have to see it).
1. Joyeux Noel (2005) A beautiful French film about the Christmas truce
in 1914, when French, British and German soldiers crawled out of their WWI
trenches and shared food, music and laughter with each other (and found
that killing the enemy wasn't quite so easy afterwards). This movie is a
beautiful example of the Christmas spirit we're always hearing about, and
it's especially moving because the Christmas truce really happened.
by Matt Drinnenberg
A Christmas Story - No Christmas is complete without watching this great flick at least once. Peter Billingsly plays Alfie, whose one line Christmas dream is to get a Red Rider BB Gun. Aside from its Christmas premise, this movie stands alone as one of my favorite films ever. Darren McGavin is simply great as Alfie’s father, who finally delivers the young boy's Christmas dream. And who can forget Schwarts getting his!
The Christmas Tree - Not really a ‘holiday classic’ but it should be. The movie is about a little boy who has a love for Christmas, as well as a love for wolves at the local zoo. His father, played by William Holden, learns that his son is dying of Leukemia, and steals two wolves for his son from the local zoo. The wolves and child somehow come face to face, and the wolves behave more like obedient dogs who love their master, the boy. The movie ends with the child being found Christmas morning by his father, lying under the tree, with the dogs beside him wimpering. Just typing this I’m getting misty eyed. I’m such a sap.
Scrooge - While I love all the Christmas Carol films, my personal nod goes to this 1970 musical retelling starring Albert Finney. An excellent rendition I highly recommend.
Scrooged - In what has to be one of the best comedy takes-offs ever of a Christmas story, Bill Murray plays the unwitting victim to the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. The premise is pretty straightforward to the classic, but has Karen Allen as his love interest, which, since I really like her is a huge bonus. I’m still amazed his brother James doesn’t know it’s the SS Minnow that takes the castaways to Gilligan's Island.
The Santa Claus - Pretty recent to be on a top 10 list, but this movie puts a whole new spin on the Santa ideal. Tim Allen plays an unlucky sapp who kills Santa, thus being bound by the Santa ‘Claus’ which states he must in turn become the new Santa. For Real. Any movie that features the Oscar Meyer Weenie Whistle is going to be high on my list.
Trading Places - One of my favorite comedies ever, this isn’t necessarily about Christmas, tho it is set at that time of season. Eddie Murphy’s coming out party to the big screen from what I remember, and Dan Akroyd is at his best as the beat down by corporate scum white bread silver spooned Winthrop. Also, you gotta love Akroyd as Santa. Always cracks me up. Plus, any movie that has the word ‘Scumbag’ in it will be on my list.
Mixed Nuts - Steve Martin plays the head of a crisis counseling service which is inundated with tragedy and hilarity as Christmas comes to fruition. One of the most underrated ensemble holiday movies ever, in my opinion.
Die Hard - Okay, I wasn’t going to include action films on this list, but as I type this out I keep thinking “Now I have a machine gun. Ho, Ho, Ho”. The perfect combo of Christmas and anarchy. I remember seeing the trailer for this at Hillsboro cinema, I think Mike was with me, and the crowd laughed at the premise of an action movie starring Bruce Willis. Boy oh boy, were they wrong.
Home Alone - This was, to put it mildly, a holiday phenomenon for quite some time. Seems you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about it, and it seemed to always be on TV once it hit the small screen circuit. Pesci does indeed show great comedy timing for someone who normally kills people in his movies. And Caulkin, well, this made him big time for a while, altho he’s kind of disappeared. I did think he was excellent in the Good Son.
by Chris Woods
9. Die Hard (1988) – Awesome action flick that takes place on Christmas Eve.
8. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) – A very funny film and one of the better Chevy Chase Vacation films and a good Christmas flick, too.
7. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – Classic Christmas film and a must watch around the holidays.
6. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) – One of two horror films on my list. A great killer Santa movie.
5. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) – Very cool cult classic film for Christmas.
4. Gremlins (1984) – Another must see film for the Christmas season. A very good movie that captured the great wintry scene of the season and also had some cool scares and fun moments.
3. Black Christmas (1974) – The second horror film on my list is Bob Clark’s horror classic. Just an awesome film in general and the best horror Christmas film.
2. A Christmas Carol (1938) – This classic film I saw when I was a kid and always watched it around Christmas time. It’s also the best film adaptation to Dickens’ classic story.
1. A Christmas Story (1983) – The ultimate Christmas movie that’s a must see and a must own for Christmas. You can also catch it 24-7 on TNT every Christmas Eve/Day. It’s also the other Bob Clark Christmas classic.
by ED Tucker
2.) It’s A Wonderful Life (1943) – If anyone doubts that this film is a classic, just look at how many times the story of a man being given the opportunity to see how his friends and family would have turned out if he had never been born has been copied. Jimmy Stewart gives an excellent performance as a seemingly average Joe who decides his life is no longer worth living until some supernatural intervention shows him just how valuable he really is.
3.) Miracle on 34th St. (1947) – Here’s another must see film for the holiday season. A gentle tale of Christmas versus consumerism as a man who may or may not be the real St. Nick takes a job as a department store Santa. The courtroom trial at the end is cinema gold and Edwin Gwen turns in a marvelously low-key performance as Kris Kringle.
4.) Christmas Carol (1984) – There was no doubt that a Christmas Carol was going on my list but the question was which one? As much as I enjoyed the 1970 musical version with Albert Finney, Scrooge, there’s just something about seeing George C. Scott in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge that really appeals to me. I keep expecting him to switch into Patton mode at any moment and slap the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come straight into next year!
5.) Santa Claus (1959) – I devoted an entire feature to this bizarre holiday conglomeration from South of the border that was a kiddie matinee staple for most of my childhood. Santa versus Satan, I’m there!
6.) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) – One of the weaker, but by no means weakest, entries in the Vacation film series, this is still one of the best cinematic representations of dealing with the extended family during the holidays. Randy Quaid is given a chance to shine with his Cousin Eddie character and no one will ever look at a storm drain the same way again! Sh*tters full!
7.) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005) – I am surprised this hasn’t already turned up on other lists. While not strictly a Christmas film, this movie does manage to combine both the Santa Claus mythos with the Christ-like character of the lion Aslan. This belongs on the list for no other reason than Father Christmas being portrayed as a real bad ass that arms the children with an entire arsenal of weapons!
8.) Bad Santa (2003) – Say what you will but this film always puts me in the Christmas spirit after I get done laughing my head off. Once you get past the crude humor and endless profanity, you realize this is a morality tail of a man at the end of his rope who almost misses what is surely his last chance at redemption. Billy Bob Thorton gives a great performance as the alcoholic, suicidal, small time crook with the Santa Claus MO. Save this one for after the kids have gone to bed on Christmas Eve!
9.) Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) – OK, everyone is allowed to have their guilty pleasures and this one is mine. I admit I have never been a huge fan or Ernest P. Worrell, although I do like Jim Varney, but he manages to evoke a few laughs here without being too irritating. The fact that this was filmed in Orlando and has lots of recognizable scenery is a big plus.
10.) Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) – Alexander Salkind thought he had another Superman on his hands when this film was released in 1985 but he couldn’t capture lightening in a bottle twice. The first third of this movie that explains the historical origins of Santa (humanly portrayed by character actor David Huddleston) is excellent but once the film moves to more modern times it loses steam quickly. Dudley Moore and John Lithgow (both very good actors under most circumstances) turn in performances that prove more annoying than anything else. If this film could have maintained the quality and tone set by its first act it would have placed much higher on the list.
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