"You'll shoot your eye out, kid."

Seasons Greetings!

Sorry for the recent lapse in blogging. I know my many, numerous, multitudes of readers were probably in a continual state of despair, thinking I had left, never to return. Fear not, brave blog-viewers! I was only in Las Vegas for a week and didn’t have a chance to watch many movies. I promise to make up for it over the holidays.

In fact, I managed to get in a great Christmas classic with some friends this past weekend. A Christmas Story is one of many holiday films I grew up watching. I was actually surprised to learn that several of my friends had never seen it before and it was a real treat to be with them for their first viewing. I’ve said many times that one of my greatest pleasures is to watch a really good film with a really good friend who’s never seen it before. And A Christmas Story is definitely one of those movies that really benefits from being watched with a roomful of friends.

Ralphie is a pretty typical 9-year old, getting ready for Christmas in December, 1940. And there’s nothing he wants more than an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle. A Christmas Story is told as seen through Ralphie’s eyes, with the adult voice-over giving explanation for this thoughts, plans and ideas. If you’ve ever seen the hit television show ‘The Wonder Years’ then you have an excellent idea of how the film works. In fact, A Christmas Story was the inspiration for The Wonder Years, so if you liked the TV show you’ll almost certainly enjoy the film.

"Let's face it, most of us are scoffers. But moments before
zero hour, it did not pay to take chances."

Originally released in 1983, the film was a low-budget affair based on a collection of short stories, written by screenwriter Jean Sheppard, titled ‘In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash’. It’s essentially a collection of clichés that most of us can identify with, both as children and parents: sticking your tongue to a frozen pole, getting bundled up for the cold weather, getting your mouth washed out with soap. It may not sound that interesting but somehow it comes across as very endearing. And you can’t argue with the fact that this low-budget collection of clichés has since become a Christmas classic in many homes.

The 2-disc Special Edition comes packed with bonus features. I don’t know if they are any good though because I haven’t watched any of them yet. I know, you’re shocked. Add it to my never-ending list of things to watch and report back to you on. The video is presented in a wonderful 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with the option to switch to full frame (though no one in their right mind would voluntarily choose that). I thought the picture was pretty good considering the film’s age. But I was also seated at the far edge of the viewing area so I can’t say for certain how pristine the picture may or may not have been. The audio is a bit of a disappointment though. Dolby 1.0 (mono) is the only option. It would have been nice to have some stereo effects for some of the musical bits and some 5.1 surround would have added wonderfully to Ralphie’s many day-dream sequences.

"It's a major award!"

A Christmas Story is a wonderful holiday film that everyone should see at least once. It’s great for the whole family. And it was a real joy to watch it with some good friends. Thanks Shauna, Chris, Amanda, Jason, Joleen, Dave, Barb and Anthony for watching it with me! Same time next year?

A Christmas Story gets 8 leg lamps (out of 10).
Have you been good this year? If so, click here for ‘A Christmas Story’ trivia.