Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #17 - Gremlins (1984)

 

Gremlins (1984)

What I find interesting about Gremlins is that I always seem to think it’s a Steven Spielberg film, but it’s a Steven Spielberg produced film. It’s directed by Joe Dante (Innerspace, The Burbs, Small Soldiers), who has a history in horror film, but typically ties in comedy so that it’s not so intense. Gremlins definitely has that mark on it, as well as the mark of Spielberg, who Dante admired as a filmmaker, having made his own homage to Jaws with his film Piranhas. 

As far as Christmas films go, I find it difficult to say that Gremlins is not a Christmas film. The setting and time of year are intricately tied to the events that occur. It starts out with giving an unusual and exceptional Christmas gift and then how careless the recipient is with the gift. There are secondary characters who have their own feelings about the holiday season and the references to It’s a Wonderful Life are numerous. This monumental event, or invasion, happens during Christmas, which is a time that is meant for family, not gremlins taking over the town and harassing people. I don’t know. It just feels appropriate to watch at Christmas.

I wonder how much of that has to do with Chris Columbus being the writer of the film (or the credited writer). I mentioned earlier that he’s done quite a few films all set during the “winter” season as either writer, director, and/or producer: Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Adventures in Babysitting, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (and additional Harry Potter films), Mrs. Doubtfire, Christmas with the Kranks, and more.

I could probably go on and on about Easter Eggs and fun trivia about Gremlins, but I'll just stick to saying that I do think it's a Christmas movie, despite the gore, and is one that shows up on my TV every holiday season.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #16 - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

   

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

For some reason this movie finds its way onto my TV every year. I think it’s because the actual television stations play the goodness gracious out of it. So I always watch it, but I never really enjoy watching it. I’m just not a Griswold fan and some of the absurdities that he “gets away with” are just too baffling to me. I struggle with the amount of belief in reality that I'm being asked to suspend. And yet, I leave it on every time. I don’t actively seek out watching it. 

I will say, it is at least the most meaningful of the NL-Griswold movies. Christmas Vacation is a staple on many Christmas Movie Lists and I think some of it is just that obvious holiday connection and the comedy that ensues over a tragic holiday season, but I think some of it is nostalgia at this point. Suffice to say, I like it better than A Christmas Story (which I avoid at all costs). 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #15 - Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)

  

 

Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)

Still want to get some Star Wars holiday goodness in without subjecting yourself to the insanity that is the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)? I went into the Lego movie with little hope of something interesting, but boy was it a good bit of fun. Sure, it throws all caution and destruction of established timelines to the wind, but it was entertaining and silly and still had some meaningful things that happened. And if you’ve seen the original Holiday Special, you’ll notice that Chewbacca’s family is properly represented in Lego form and name! 

Rey wants to do her best to help train Finn into a Jedi, but starts to doubt herself. So she locates an old Jedi temple and uses a special set of stones to time jump and learn what is stopping Finn from being a Jedi. The secondary story is about Poe trying to get ready for Chewbacca’s family and Life Day! Let the hilarity ensue. And there are cameos from all sorts of your favorite Star Wars characters… err… Lego Star Wars characters. It was honestly worth the watch and was great in the wake of the original special.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #14 - Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

  

Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

When your husband tells you not to watch the Star Wars Holiday Special, my advice is to listen to him. This was an excessive amount of time lost on nonsense! It got better after the halfway mark, but by then we were already disengaged and befuddled. It was also heartbreaking, because the budget was clearly very low. 

Essentially it’s a low budget variety show couched in a thin threaded plot of the Empire to stop Chewbacca from getting home for Life Day. I can at least appreciate that you can follow the Wookie storyline with no verbal communication. There was, though, some inappropriateness that left us questioning whether our daughter should be watching this variety show, though. 

Bottom line… hold onto your childhood memory of it being worthwhile and let this one go.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #13 - The Grinch (2018)

 

 

The Grinch (2018)

I just wasn’t feeling this version. Too much exposition with too many “modern” references and jokes. We don’t need Sue’s elaborate Santa plan. The original told the story simply and directly, but here’s there’s just so much added Hollywood fluff to squeeze another movie out of this beloved tale. It’s not a bad version of the story, but just too much and it has a huge Despicable Me vibe to the whole thing. Good enough.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #12 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

 

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

I really like this live action version of the Grinch. Jim Carrey is a perfect choice. The movie itself has some overly silly moments and it adds in quite a bit of information, but it really builds on the backstory of the Grinch and why he feels the way he does or is the way that he is. The soundtrack is also awesome and some of the songs have even become part of my holiday music rotation.  It doesn't top the original and it has its moments where it tries too hard to be like the original (montage of robbing the town), but it's definitely a holiday must for us.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #11 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

The classic. The original. Boris Karloff and Thurl Ravenscroft lend their amazing vocal talents to this heartwarming rendition. I actually have a record version of the story being read aloud and it has the songs and everything. 

This epic story holds up over the years and I love watching the original. I don’t need a bunch of filler or added information for this story to make sense. The less you give the view, is sometimes the best, because it allows them to connect more with the characters. A must watch at every Christmas.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #10 - The Nightmare Before Christmas

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Is it a Christmas movie or is it a Halloween movie? That is the debate I overheard in my daughter’s 5th grade online class at Halloween. But it’s Burton who is combining the two holidays he loves the most into one movie. After watching it with this question very much in mind, it was agreed that the movie applies to both holidays. It was a bit more dominated by Halloween than Christmas, but it celebrates the Christmas spirit. If you’re stumped for something to watch with the kids that is a little less traditional, this music stop-motion animation film might just do the trick. 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #6 - Peter Pan

 

Peter Pan (2003)

You can watch whatever Peter Pan you want. My preference is the 2003 live action version.

Now you might asking yourself, “Why Peter Pan?” Well, it is technically a “christmas” movie. It was originally released as a play during the winter holiday and continues to be released in the UK during this time. It also focuses on childhood wonder and to believe, which is part of the beauty of Christmas for children. J.M. Barrie appreciated the connection between the fantastical and the magic of childhood. There’s more to come in the Hook movie that draws out the connection, but for now, enjoy this wonderful and beautiful adaptation.

Note: The film is dedicated to Dodi Al-Fayed, who was executive producer of the 1991 film Hook. Al-Fayed planned to produce a live action version of Peter Pan, and shared his ideas with Princess Diana (who was President of Great Ormond St Hospital... The significance of Great Ormond Street is that, in 1929, author JM Barrie gave the copyright to the play of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.). Diana supposedly said she "could not wait to see the production once it was underway." Al-Fayed's father, Mohammed Al-Fayed, co-produced the 2003 adaptation of the tale after his son died in the car crash which also killed Princess Diana. He dedicated the movie to his son. This also ties into the memorial park that was constructed for Princess Diana in Kensington Garden, as well as the garden itself being the connected to Peter Pan.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #1 - Love Actually & The Holiday

I'm starting with my girly movie favorites.

Love Actually (2003)

My husband argues that this isn’t a Christmas movie, because it’s only set at Christmas time. If we’re going down that road, then we need to consider Die Hard, dear sweet loved one. But anyways. I love watching this movie during the holidays, because it is full of the warm fuzzies, even the disappointing warm fuzzies of failed or dismal relationships. It’s just all about love, which is what we’re supposed to be full of during the holidays. The Andrew Lincoln/Keira Knightley scene is still the most tear-jerking scene for me. But I love the whole cast! Talk about a hit with all the right people! The Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson story is the absolute saddest. Laura Linney's is the most heartbreaking, because she is at the mercy of her heartfilled dedication. The funniest one, though, is Martin Freeman. Sigh, ok... I don't want to go through every storyline. Essentially, the whole thing just shows all the levels that love works at.

The Holiday (2006)

The grass is always greener on the other side, right? An adorable story of changing places and finding the beauty of what is right in front of you. Always makes me squeal with joy and cry tears of mixed emotions. Kate Winslet and Jack Black are my favorite couple. Everything wraps up in a neat package for everyone. Try not to think beyond their initial relationship, or it might just spoil the magic of what love found during a vacation can do for you and your self-esteem. 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Pre-Thanksgiving 2020

The conditions we are living in, as a world, has made me want to just remind my readers that I am quarantined. I am a caregiver to an immunocompromised individual. That particular individual is my mom and she is who we are celebrating Thanksgiving with this year. So the woman I am taking care of is also who I am spending this holiday with. We're not having other people over or inviting others in. It's just the four of us who see each other almost weekly as it is and take numerous precautions to be as safe as possible at all time.

We drove down this morning to my mom's house. The weather and traffic were good enough to make it without any problems.

After unloading the car, my husband and I went to run errands. I went to the Breadsmith to get the bread my mom had been wanting and to pick up a little extra dessert. My husband went into the Festival grocery store to pick up our pre-ordered turkey and get any last minute items we felt we needed.

At home, I decided we should eat in the antique dining room. So I started to clear off of the table and then my mom and I picked out the table cloth and I got it ready for tomorrow.

I made sure we had plates and things that wouldn't cause extra hassle for anyone.

I planned a dinner that also wouldn't be a hassle. We ordered the turkey already cooked and then we bought a bunch of heatable items to fill out the rest of the dinner, including the mashed potatoes. It wasn't about the cooking, it was about being together and this was a fun and "silly" way to still be able to have fun.

I also found a cool German Beer Glass from when my parents lived in Germany. So I got those out, too.

There were also these neat tumbler glasses with animals painted on them. I let me daughter assign all of us an animal glass. I used to love these glasses as a kid.

But we're technically ready for tomorrow. The dessert is in the fridge and the potatoes and turkey are safely stowed in the garage with the NA Cider for the kid. I don't know why I feel nervous. It's going to be just fine.

For now we'll watch some holiday or winter movies on FreeForm and relax before tomorrow. We've been doing lots of little tasks around the house, but it'll be fine. It's sadly so dark out, it's making everyone sleepy - no turkey needed.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Thankfulness Edition Day 25

 

Day 25: My Car

We have had so many issues with cars over my years since I started owning vehicles, but I am so thankful to have a car that is working and running properly right now. Even if I do have some fickle little nitpicks about things that I don't have control over. I love my car and am so glad we found it and have it to get around.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Thankfulness Edition Day 24

 

Day 24: Clean Glasses

My glasses can't seem to ever be clean, so when I actually take the time to clean them, it is always such a blessing. 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Thankfulness Edition Day 23

 

Day 23: Socks and Slippers

The one day that I didn't swear them, I got a nasty sliver in my foot and it's still hurting today. I always wear socks or slippers in the house, because it gets chilly during this time of year. So I am really thankful I have things to choose from in order to keep my feet warm and my body healthy.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Thankfulness Edition Day 22

 

Day 22: Family

I'm going to clump everyone together, because I don't want anyone to feel left out. But most importantly is my mom. I love her so much and this time together is challenging, but I am thankful for getting to spend the time with her. 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Wellness Update #2

 

As I mentioned previously (somewhere before this), we spent the bulk of the week at my mom's. So all my fitness expectations kind of disappear. And then once I'm home, it's trying to figure out how to be home again. 

After one day of dealing with being home, I was able to get on the treadmill and I really rocked it out! I got up to 2.8 and a I did 1.5 miles all at one time! But now today I'm feeling sore and just really weak. Today is not a good day for me. 

Either way, I think the medication I'm on is negatively affecting my ability to lose weight. 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Thankfulness Edition Day 21

 

Day 21: Critical Role

I'm not going to go into all the nitty gritty about why I am thankful for Critical Role, but I'll focus just briefly on how I am in-this-moment thankful for Critical Role. 

Going through everything I am going through right now, Critical Role has offered a positive distraction that helps to get me through the day. I can listen to the show when I'm driving down to Milwaukee. I can put it on my TV on YouTube when I need something to distract me. I can watch it on my phone while I'm on the treadmill. 

My family connects over it. It's my husband's favorite show. It's a show my daughter is greatly interested in, because she is so interested in D&D right now.  It also inspires our own  D&D sessions.

They've had some super sweet merch that I've been able to get to help cheer me up and also for Christmas. 

So I've always been a fan, but CR has been a welcome distraction during this difficult time for me.