And so it begins...


I have been barraged with Christmas this week. It's November 5. I would say it all began, in earnest, on Tuesday (Nov. 1). This, of course, isn't really a surprise to anyone.

For a while, you could go to the store and enjoy the fascinating dichotomy of seeing Halloween costumes and candy on one aisle and artificial trees, lights, and decorations on the other. It's still that way in some stores, where all the Halloween trappings are on clearance.

But on November 1, with Halloween firmly a few hours in the rearview, it seems we have switched to all-Christmas, all the time. Christmas music on the radio, catalogs in the mail, and commercials featuring Santa all over prime time. Yes, it's the most over commercialized time of the year!

And, of course, the movies are prepared to tackle this important season as well. That's right, our first Christmas movie arrived yesterday — but it's not what you'd expect. "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" does feature Santa, Christmas eve, and the trappings of the holiday, but it's not what anyone would think of as a warm-hearted Christmas feature.

Still, in a world where Christmas has become a two month ordeal to be survived, everyone is looking for an edge and a marketing tie-in.... At least the movie oddly gets you into the Christmas spirit in it's own special way.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies: No. 23

Image
Back in 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest films as voted on by members of the cinematic community. The year, I'm looking at the films on that list, re-ranked according to my preference. Check back Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year as we walk through this list of classic films. Henry Hill : [Narrating] As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. Goodfellas (1990) Original List Position : 94 Starring : Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci Director : Martin Scorsese About : Scorsese has been a fixture on this list. We've seen him deliver masterpieces in different decades and genres. That's the case with Goodfellas, which is another of his signature films. It was No. 94 on the original list, moving to No. 92 just 10 years later. I have it significantly higher, and I have it as my highest of his films on this list. It's a very different kind of mafia movie than The Godfather , and yet it feels like the c...
Read more

2026 Broncos' Season, Week 5

Image
Week 5: Denver Broncos 23, Los Angeles Chargers 17 Season Record: 3-2 (2-0 Home) Key Play: In the fourth quarter, with time winding down and the Broncos leading 20-17, Justin Herbert threw and interception to Brandon Jones on fourth down. The play allowed the Broncos to milk the clock and kick a field goal to push the lead to six points. Recap: Sean Payton took over the playcalling because there was "meat left on the bone" with the offense. It didn't look like an improvement on Sunday. The team looked lost for most of the game, then used some Special Teams and defensive intensity to manage a comeback and a win. I'm not sure winning is the best thing for this team. Don't get me wrong, I like to win. But this team played badly. They look bad. And getting a win feels like a reward for bad behavior. That's not the kind of football that helps you get to and win in the playoffs. This team feels lost and the offense feels like a mess. A Thursday matchup with the Sea...
Read more

1991 Rewind: City Slickers

Image
It's hard to believe, but 1991 was 35 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 1991 that are turning 35 in 2026. Today, it's a classic comedy. Mitch Robbins : Value this time in your life kids, because this is the time in your life when you still have your choices, and it goes by so quickly. When you're a teenager you think you can do anything, and you do. Your twenties are a blur. Your thirties, you raise your family, you make a little money and you think to yourself, "What happened to my twenties?" Your forties, you grow a little pot belly you grow another chin. The music starts to get too loud and one of your old girlfriends from high school becomes a grandmother. Your fifties you have a minor surgery. You'll call it a procedure, but it's a surgery. Your sixties you have a major surgery, the music is still loud but it doesn't matter because you can't hear it anyway. Seventies, you and the wife r...
Read more