Since Thanksgiving heralds the beginning of the Christmas season and the year-end celebrations, I thought I'd share a few of my family's media traditions, starting with Thanksgiving. I'm actually really quite excited for the holidays, even though I do act quite Scroogey to stores and various forms of advertising that try to cram Christmas down my throat two months too early.
My family is one of film buffs. We're also big into traditions. I think part of the reason for this is that when we all moved to Montana, we left our family and friends behind. We knew nobody here. All we had here was each other, and our own traditions naturally evolved and gave (and continue to give) us much comfort and joy.
We have two movie traditions in my family. One of them is to watch the film, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles every year at around Thanksgiving. This film is by John Hughes, who directed such 80's fare as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club. I love all those movies, but Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is this man's cinematic masterpiece.
It's strange to me to even call the film a "masterpiece," and yet after all these years of watching it I have come to the conclusion that that's what it is. I'm saying this as a seasoned film enthusiast and a lover of great cinema. It's not your typical masterpiece in that it doesn't appear to take itself seriously. It's just a good, good movie. The film is funny, well-acted, well-scripted, and in the end, deeply moving. I have come to appreciate its message of brotherly love more in recent years, and I now end up crying like a baby every time I see it (although you should keep in mind that I cried at the end of The Return of the King, too... I'm a sensitive guy).
The premise of the film revolves around going home for Thanksgiving, so it's an obvious choice for a Thanksgiving movie tradition. I would urge you all to add this to your Netflix queue. Film critic Roger Ebert lists it in his "Great Films" series, and also says its one of the few movies he watches every year with his own family. His review.
Hannah and Her Sisters
While I'm talking about Thanksgiving movies, I thought I'd mention this one. I've always liked Woody Allen here and there, and thought I'd check this out. We watched it last week, and by coincidence, it also revolves around Thanksgiving. The film starts and ends on a Thanksgiving family gathering. It's also a beautiful, funny, and ultimately moving film. I can't count it as a "tradition," at this point, but I liked it and thought I'd mention it while I had a chance.
Michael Caine looking pimp as usual.
The other Thanksgiving movie tradition involves actually going to the theater. On our first Thanksgiving in Montana, it was just my parents, an 11 or 12 year old me, and my five younger siblings. We were all together but had no extended family to spend the day with like everyone else, so we made the best of it and went to the movies. I can't say for sure what that first one was, but I believe it was Disney's Beauty and the Beast back in 1991. I can't say for sure whether or not we watched this on Thanksgiving at the movie theater, but I know I saw it in a theater and that it came out in November of 1991.
1992 - I definitely remember watching Aladdin in the theaters on Thanksgiving the next year.
1993 - The tradition was still in its infancy at this stage and I don't think we watched a movie this year. MAYBE Mrs. Doubtfire. Can't say for sure.
1994 - The Santa Clause
This movie was funny, and then they went and made INFINITY NUMBER OF SEQUELS.
JULIET MARRIES SANTA CLAUS = NOT ENTERTAINING.
1995 - Toy Story
Freakin' awesome. One of the best animated films ever made. Revolutionary. This was followed by:
1996 - Not positive on this, but it was either 101 Dalmations or Jingle All the Way. I know we saw both in theaters... And I'm pretty sure Jingle All the Way was by far the superior.
Which was followed by:
1997 - Flubber
Ouch.
1998 - A Bug's Life
A return to form.
1999 - Toy Story 2
More of the good stuff. The rare sequel that's just as good as the original. Considered by many to be one of the best animated films of all time. Followed by:
2000 - Little Nicky
This was the year the tradition almost died. I was put in charge of taking the siblings out to the movies by myself for some reason, while my parents did other things. Little Nicky was a crude, retarded movie and I felt embarrassed for having exposed my siblings to it.
2001 - No movie. Mission
2002 - Mission again.
2003 - Elf
2004 - The Incredibles
2005 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2006 - Rachel and I went to see The Fountain by ourselves one freezing cold night during Thanksgiving break. The theater was virtually empty and the movie rocked. It kind of became "our" little movie.
"Together we will live forever."
2007 - Nothing good was on this year.
2008 - Nothing.
2009 - NEW MOON!!! The movie tradition is BACK, baby! YEEEEEEE-AH BOYYYYY!
Next Up: The Christmas Media Celebration!
0 comments:
Post a Comment