Hopefully y'all had a great holiday weekend...Christmas was very very quiet in our home.
Christmas Eve we were all ready to do the big fish dinner and then found ourselves totally not hungry!
We did eat some Oysters and some Fried Calamari (my first attempt at doing these and I was pleased with the results).
We watched some movies that night and crashed fairly early.
Christmas morning, Nancy's boys came over to open their gifts and then headed back to their dad's. We video-conferenced to my sister's home to open our gifts, which was cool...and then Nancy and I watched a couple of other movies and in between tuned into to the two best Christmas Comedies EVER!
Of course those are the 1983, "A Christmas Story", the brilliant Jean Shepard account of Ralphie and his quest to get Santa to bring him "an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time."
Back in college, I was honored with seeing Jean Shepard live and in his two hours of anecdotal tales which included many of the scenes used in the movie.
Quick piece of info...the film was directed by Mr. Bob Clark, he of the infamous "Porky's" movies. After the first Porky's the studio was in a rush to get a sequel out and Mr. Clark was not in the mood to do it, but said he would do one IF, he first was allowed to make A Christmas Story...luckily for us, the studio agreed.
Christmas Eve we were all ready to do the big fish dinner and then found ourselves totally not hungry!
We did eat some Oysters and some Fried Calamari (my first attempt at doing these and I was pleased with the results).
We watched some movies that night and crashed fairly early.
Christmas morning, Nancy's boys came over to open their gifts and then headed back to their dad's. We video-conferenced to my sister's home to open our gifts, which was cool...and then Nancy and I watched a couple of other movies and in between tuned into to the two best Christmas Comedies EVER!
Of course those are the 1983, "A Christmas Story", the brilliant Jean Shepard account of Ralphie and his quest to get Santa to bring him "an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time."Back in college, I was honored with seeing Jean Shepard live and in his two hours of anecdotal tales which included many of the scenes used in the movie.
Quick piece of info...the film was directed by Mr. Bob Clark, he of the infamous "Porky's" movies. After the first Porky's the studio was in a rush to get a sequel out and Mr. Clark was not in the mood to do it, but said he would do one IF, he first was allowed to make A Christmas Story...luckily for us, the studio agreed.
The second movie..."National Lampoon's A Christmas Vacation"...the third installment of the world of Clark Griswold. A brilliant comedy where cats are electrocuted, sewers explode, homes are lit with enough lights to be viewed from outer space, turkey's disintegrate and a squirrel runs rampant through the house. What else says Christmas than that!_Poster.jpg)
Throughout the weekend we watched:"The Hitcher" the 2007 remake of the Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh thriller/mystery. This version stars Sean Bean in the Hauer role as the homicidal maniac who terrorize two teens throughout the movie. This version contains one of the more graphic 'body pulled apart by a semi-truck' ever filmed, which - when watched in slow motion is terrific in it's depiction of guts and body parts being decimated.
The most brilliant Clint Eastwood movie "Gran Torino" which was a first for us both. Clint Eastwood is an American icon, he can act like no one else and as a director, he is totally untouchable.Note: I can not remember the last time I actually walked into a movie theater - I know ---sad indeed...
We also watched the 2001 romantic comedy "Serendipity", with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. The boy meets girl, boy loses touch with girl, boy plans on getting married, boy wants to find the girl, boy finds the girl movie. This has some great scenes shot around New York city and made me nostalgic for home. Eugene Levy does a great small role as the sales clerk at Bloomingdale's who helps Cusack track down his lost love.
"Michael Clayton", the George Clooney drama about a lawyer whose job is to smooth the way for other lawyers at his firm was also enjoyable to watch. The storyline tended to wander a tad, but we did find feel the time we spent watching it was certainly well spent. and totally loved the ending when he stuck it to the big-time corporate lawyer who found herself out of her league.
The final film was another that you will laugh at the fact that I have never ever viewed it...the absolutely phenomenal "The Green Mile". The film stars Tom Hanksas Paul Edgecomb and Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey and is based upon the Stephen King novel of the same name. Even knowing it was a Stephen King novel, I was not ready for the twists this story took.
Michael Clarke Duncan was stellar in his role of John Coffey - "like the drink, only spelled differently"...he and Hanks were terrific on screen together. This is one that, if like me you have been in a cave for a long time, is a MUST see!
So...What did you do on your Christmas Break?
In Dallas on business...tied up the rest of the week...
See you all in the new year.
