One of the biggest debates over the last 30 years is whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie. It wasn’t released during the Christmas holiday season but the summer months. It’s set on Christmas Eve in the Los Angeles area as a NYPD officer is visiting his estranged wife and family for theContinue reading “‘Die Hard’ Mixes Christian Symbolism With High-Octane Action”
Category Archives: Movie Flashback
Chevy Chase’s Christmas Movies Expose The Imperfection Of Perfection
One of my favorite Chevy Chase Christmas movies isn’t National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation even though I like it and watch it several times around Christmas and even in the middle of summer. No, I’m talking about Funny Farm, which was released in 1988, more than a year before NLCV. While most of the movie isContinue reading “Chevy Chase’s Christmas Movies Expose The Imperfection Of Perfection”
‘Gremlins’ Is A Warning Fable About Giving Animals As Gifts
A movie like Gremlins falls into the same clique of movies like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. It’s set at Christmastime. It has a Christmas theme, but people will argue with you that it’s not a Christmas movie. Granted, all three movies didn’t hit the theaters at Christmastime, but neither did While You Were Sleeping.Continue reading “‘Gremlins’ Is A Warning Fable About Giving Animals As Gifts”
‘The Ice Harvest’ Produces A Dark Christmas In The Homeland
Harold Ramis has been gone for almost eight years but his legacy lives on. For someone who looked like he should be an accountant or a hospital administrator, Ramis wrote, produced, directed and/or acted in some of the best comedies ever. In May of 2010, he contacted autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis and spent the last fourContinue reading “‘The Ice Harvest’ Produces A Dark Christmas In The Homeland”
David Lynch’s ‘Dune’ Remains Something To Be Seen
I’m not going to mince words. David Lynch’s 1984 production of Dune, which was released on this date in 1984, is totally fucked up. I mean, that’s exactly what producer Dino De Laurentiis must have expected when he had was able to hire Lynch away from Lucasfilm, who was trying to get him to directContinue reading “David Lynch’s ‘Dune’ Remains Something To Be Seen”
‘1941’ Was Spielberg’s First Casualty
Steven Spielberg is pretty much one of the most powerful men in Hollywood and the entertainment industry but he isn’t infallible. While his adaptation of West Side Story is getting rave reviews, the reported $100 million production has only garnered $15 million at the box office. In his defense, there is still a Covid pandemicContinue reading “‘1941’ Was Spielberg’s First Casualty”
‘Muppet’ Legacy Of Jim Henson Lives On With ‘Christmas Carol’
Jim Henson’s death in 1990 at the age of 53 came as such as surprise that it shocked fans. He had appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show two weeks before his death. He reportedly wasn’t feeling well but thought it was a minor cold or a sore throat. But it was actual an infection thatContinue reading “‘Muppet’ Legacy Of Jim Henson Lives On With ‘Christmas Carol’”
Richard Pryor’s Legacy Still Shines
Mel Brooks, who collaborated with Richard Pryor on Blazing Saddles, famously quipped, “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall in an open sewer and die.” It reminds me of a meme which goes something like: “You can tell if you’re getting old when you fall down in a public placeContinue reading “Richard Pryor’s Legacy Still Shines”
Why The McCallisters Are Awful Parents
Even though Home Alone has become a Christmas holiday favorite as it was once the highest-grossing comedy of all time, some fans and critics can’t seem to shake that the McCallister parents (Peter and Kate) are very terrible. Kevin McCallister seems to live in a toxic household, where he’s constantly being blamed for acts thatContinue reading “Why The McCallisters Are Awful Parents”
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’ Survives Controversy To Become Cult Classic
During the 1980s, slasher horror movies were all the rave. Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott may not care for the superhero and action movies that almost seem to be all that’s being produced nowadays. But about 40 years ago, the movie theaters were full of slasher movies, made very cheap and starring no-name actors. AllContinue reading “‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’ Survives Controversy To Become Cult Classic”
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