The 12 Movies of Christmas

Alright, let me preface this with a big ol' apology. I realize that it's been a few weeks since I last wrote for you. I could say I've been busy. That I've had a lot going on. That's true, but I'm still sorry for not posting more.

Now with my apology out of the way, I'm gonna conduct my countdown of my 12 favourite Christmas time movies. Let me qualify this as well. I'm talking about "Christmas Time" movies, not "Christmas" movies. This broadens the definition to include movies that take place during Christmas as well as those that embody the spirit of Christmas (thanks to @sean_ashbridge for clarifying).

12. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
I'm starting with a classic on this one. This movie is fantastic, and a faithful adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book (perhaps the most faithful book to film adaptation ever?). You all know the story of the Grinch who had hated Christmas and yet, came to save the day and fully embrace the season. Not really sure what else I can add, other than the original version is far superior to the 2000 Jim Carrey and Ron Howard product that was way too long and completely unnecessary.
Verdict: Christmas Spirit

11. Home Alone (1990)
A childhood memory for those of the mid-late 80s and early 90s. This tale of horrible parenting is a Macauly Culkin star vehicle. It launched his career, and was the best looking thing he's done until Mila Kunis (Boom! tasteless sex joke in a Christmas blog, and Mom said it couldn't be done. That just proves kids that if you have a dream, and stick to it, you can accomplish anything. But I digress). This film falls under the category of Christmas Time rather than Christmas Spirit movie, as beating up senior citizens with micro machines and paint cans is hardly what Jesus had in mind.
Verdict: Christmas Time

10. The Santa Clause (1994)
See the pun in the title? I hope you had before this, otherwise you should put more effort into being observant. Starring Tim Allen, the movie follows a man who kills Santa and replaces him. While that man sound like the plot of The Talent Mr. Ripley or American Psycho to most people, this lil' number is anything but a serial killers film. A unwilling man accepts responsibility for his actions, and sucks it up for the greater good.
Verdict: Christmas Spirit

9. Batman Returns (1992)
That one catches you off guard doesn't it? Well it takes place at Christmas, so it counts. My favourite non-Nolan Batman features Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. While admittedly over-the-top (featuring Batman blantantly lightling criminals on fire with the Batmobile - a definite Bat-No-No), it's well done and very Burton-esque. Danny Elfman's Batman Theme is still my first go to when thinking of Batman (sorry Adam West!). With lots of Christmas spectacle throughout, this movie always makes my watched list during the holidays.
Verdict: Christmas Time

8. Home Alone 2 (1992)
Mac does it again. The first repeat customer on my list, Home Alone 2 features our favourite neglected child, this time lost in New York. How this kid can be forgotten twice is mindblowlingly illogical, but no more so than how he outsmarts and abuses Joe Pesci on two separate occasions. This one holds a much more special place in my heart than the first, but that's probably because I owned the VHS and didn't own the first. And for those wondering, NO, Home Alone 3 and 4 don't make this list.
Verdict: Christmas Time

7. Jingle All The Way (1996)
Arnie's only spot on this list (don't worry, my afinity for 80s movies will have him on many other lists to come). Arnie vs. Sinbad in a hunt for the ultimate gift for Darth Vader (or at least the kid who played him in The Phantom Menace). This movie reminds us to not get our hopes up about that one "Hot" gift. Instead, we should just hope that our dad dresses up like a super hero and saves the day.
Verdict: Christmas Spirit

6. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Looks like 1992 was a solid year for Christmas movies, or maybe I've got a serious case of nostalgia. Regardless, we all love the muppets (even if they became a little tired and overdone for years). Starring my favourite butler/actor Michael Caine, this movie isn't half-bad...it's all bad (har har har, muppet pun out of the way). Anyway, to break it down - it's a retelling of the Christmas Carol....featuring muppets.... I don't know what else I can say.
Verdict: Christmas Spirit

5. Bad Santa (2003)
Come on, it's Billy-Bob and Christmas...together. Sold. A solid black comedy about the debauchery of Santa and his elf. Hilarious at nearly every point, this film inverts the traditional feel-goodery of Santa on its head and shows us that each of us can be naughty, even Santa. Thornton dominates the screen with his traditional dry delivery. Plus, isn't always nice to laugh during Christmas?
Verdict: Christmas Time

4. Scrooged (1988)
Bill F**king Murray. This guy blows my mind in almost ever role he's had. He tows the line between comic and solemn so often and has a charisma that few can look away from. A retelling of a Christmas Carol, we follow TV exec Frank Cross along on his journey to spiritual redemption.
Verdict: Christmas Spirit

3. Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
This is Halloween, Halloween. This is Tim Burton's (who only wrote and produced this film, not directed) second appearance on my list (and it could've been a third - see my honourable mentions). The songs are fantastic. The message is amazing - stick to what you do well (I guess that also applies to Timmy himself, who's done a dud or two by differing from his standard Burton formula). The DVD also includes a couple great early Burton films (Frankenweenie touches the heart of this dog lover).
Verdict: Christmas Time

2. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Who doesn't love a little Jimmy Stewart at Christmas Time? The best movie for Christmas Eve, this is how I spend each night before Saint Nick visits the household. It teaches us about the value of each individual life and the impact we can have on each other. During the holidays, it's always nice to be reminded how much we mean to everyone in our lives - and it's even nicer when that message is told in 130 min without having to read anything.
Verdict: Christmas Spirit

1. Die Hard (1988)
The second movie starring an 80s action hero, but this is the only 80s action movie on the list. John McClane serves up some Christmas justice in the greatest combination of action and holiday cheer of all time. Fighting off terrorists in order to save his estranged wife and her co-workers during a Christmas party invasion, this movie provides classic action one-liners, special effects, and some good ol' fashioned mindless fun. In the end, Bruce Willis drops Severus Snape off the top of a tower, and how can that be a bad message? Christmas needs justice and action just like fat kids need holiday treats. This is the Christmas movie.
Verdict: Christmas Time

Honourable Mentions:
Edward Scissorhands (1990) - Why? It's the story of where snow comes from.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - Why? A family comedy we can all relate to.
White Christmas (1954) Why? Loves me some holiday racism in song form.

As always, feel free to comment. Share your thoughts on movies I left out, had too high or too low or judged improperly.

Christmas Teaser

Alright everyone. I love the Christmas season. I love the music, I love the songs, and I love the time with friends and family. So I'm gonna blog a bunch on my favourite things about Christmas. This will include;

Top Five Christmas Songs
Top Ten Holiday Specials
Top Five Ways to Spend Time
The Twelve Days of Christmas Movies

So get following, cause I'll be giving you some great ideas for the season.

Suhpid Mistakes

Ndomakung Suh, a year ago he was the best defensive lineman in football. Coming into the NFL he won multiple awards for dominating the college ranks (a particle championship game vs Colt McCoy and Texas comes to mind).

He continues this domination throughout his entire rookie season. Physical and fearce; he was referred to by Ross Tucker (my favourite analyst @RossTuckerNFL) as a future hall of famer on more than one occasion.

Fast forward to nearly a year later. Suh is suspeneded for two games without pay and now carries the moniker of the dirtiest player in the league. Worse than that, his apologies come off as forced from the organization.

Well, I'm shocked first. Suh is a player that gives it his all down in and down out. I never thought of him as dirty. However, I've watched these incidents (stomping, late hits, forcing helmets to the ground) and I would definitely say he plays on the edge and needs to reign it in.

Dirty, however, doesn't come to mind. Inauthentic does though. It appears as though he doesn't care about how he's viewed and doesn't think that he's dirty or even crossing a line. After each game he doesn't say he was wrong, or that maybe he made a poor decision. Instead, he says the other players are wrong, and it's not until a team meeting that he gives a half assed apology that does nothing for him, the Lions or the NFL.

All Suh has to say is that football is a violent game played by violent men and that the line between acceptable and unacceptable violence is barely visible and poorly defined.

Man up and accept responsibility.

Nickelblocked

Awesome. That's all I can say. Awesome.

Aux.tv has created a plugin for Firefox and Google Chrome that effectively removes Nickelback from your internet. The purpose is to "scrub Nickelback from the internet. Permanently." In case you haven't gathered, the plugin is called Nickelblock.

My hatred of Nickelback is pure, it might be the only true emotion I've ever felt in my life. Removing them from my experience is a fantastic idea, too bad it doesn't erase my memory of their great songs.

With such hits like "I'm a disgusting person", "I can only play three chords" and "My lyrics are bullshit", this band does nothing but destroy the legitimacy of the Canadian music scene. We have so much more to offer!

So, Aux.tv, let me personally thank you from all of Canada for wiping Nickelback from the internet.

But, it doesn't end there. You see, not only do Canadians hate Nickelback, but so do Americans. Today is Turkey Day down south, and as is tradition football is being played by Detroit (Green Bay at Detroit). Nickelback is scheduled to be playing the half time show of this game. The citizens of Detroit, however, have different ideas. 

A petition has been started (click here to sign it, a suggestion I'll give you) to stop Nickelback from playing the show. With comments like "Hasn't Detroit been through enough" and "I'll probably never watch the game, but if I can stop one Nickelback gig, I'll have done good", the nearly 55 000 (of a desired 75 000) have spoken out.

Again, this isn't the end of the story. Nickelback, in response has teamed with Funny or Die to respond. The video, shows Nickelback can poke fun at themselves, something I did not think they were capable of.

Interesting developments regarding Canada's most popular (yes it hurts me, I think I had an aneurysm just typing it) band. They suck, and Detroit thinks so, but at least Nickelback can embrace it.

Why Penn State was Right

Alright, a lot has happened since my last blog and I feel like I should address some of what happened.

First and foremost, Paterno was fired (like I said he should be) by Penn State. The firing came mere hours after he announced that this season was his last. Now some might call this a classless move or a poor way to treat a man that IS your institution.

I disagree. Great move on Penn States part. By canning Paterno, the university is taking a stand that they are not okay with the lies and cover up. As we say PR, the cover up is always worse.

By distancing themselves from Paterno (and hopefully this stands for a long time) the university can save face, but that does not make what happened okay.

Penn St and Joe Paterno

What a mess. This is an awful place to put both your team, school, and self into. For those of you that don't know, former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was recently accused of child sexual abuse.

The school has appointed a committee to review the case against Sandusky. It appears as though this was a cover up involving school officials like athletic director Tim Curley, senior VP for business and finance Gary Schultz (who were both arraigned Monday for perjury) and head football coach Joe Paterno.

Joe Pa has been a long standing figure (60 years coaching, 46 as head coach) at Penn St, and might the single most recognizable figure in college football history. If the allegations are true (which I believe there are, as 8 different accusations have surfaced) then Joe Pa needs to go and his reputation will forever be tarnished, or at least it should be.

Covering up an act this disgusting is not a matter of moral ambiguity. Joe Pa was wrong, he should have admitted his knowledge immediately, fired the coach, and testified against him.

Students have recently gathered at Joe Pa's home to show their support for the university's greatest spokesman. I, however, would not do this. With Paterno's only official statement declaring his lack of knowledge, there is very little for me (and anyone else who is against the shit that athletes get away with) to support.

By this point Joe, you know, and you know that you were wrong to not immediately address the issue years ago. This ridiculous double standard that athlete's and figures in sports have is an insult to morality. Rape, child abuse, murder, robbery and nary a meaningful bit of jail time to be served by anyone. This speaks to our willingness to forgive horrible crimes against nameless humans (like those above)  committed by those we idealize as a society.

This disgusts me, and it should disgust you.

Doug out

My Top 10 Halloween Movies

It's one of my favourite times of year again; Halloween. A time for sexy parties, casual drinks and of course, scary movies. There is no tradition I love more than watching some of my favourite horror films. I've decided to share with you my top 10 list of horror and Halloween themed movies. 

10. Saw (2004). This movie is one of the originators of the torture porn genre, but the first film in the series has quite a bit more substance to it than the sequels and genre siblings. With an original plot (at the time of release), this movie is a classic that features some of the most terrifying methods of murder in movie history.

9. Shaun of the Dead (2004). Another great release from 04, this movie is a zombie parody that launched the careers of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. An excellent change of pace during your horror marathons, this comedy features some clever jokes for any zombie lover. With a gory ending, it falls in line with my horror theme. 

8. The Shining (1980). A classic, what can I say about this movie that hadn't been already said and already said better. Kubrick brings Stephen King's novel to life and Jack Nicholson shows us the insanity of isolation.

7. The Exorcist (1973). Another timeless horror film, but I find that the scares show it's age, as almost everyone of my generation watched this film in their early teen years and no longer finds Friedkin's masterpiece truly horrifying. This movie almost invented the modern horror film and should still be viewed as a great piece of Halloween history.  

6. Psycho (1960). My favourite Hitchcock film, this movie is revolutionary. Featuring my all time horror performance, Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates, this movie still chills to the bone. We all know the story, and if you don't, you better watch this film. Packed with Hitchcock's trademark suspense, this movie still gets me on dark nights alone. 

5. Halloween (1978). The precursor to the slasher films of the 80s, this won't be the only John Carpenter film to appear on the list. This film spawned Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and many more not so good films. The tale of Michael Myers established an entire genre and its rules, it would also be the reason for the genre rebirth in the 90s through the Scream series. Still scary in its own right this movie, like many others on my list, has had a profound impact on horror films.

4. 28 Days Later (2002). My favourite zombie film, Danny Boyle's 2002 release features an isolated England and a man waking up from a coma to find his world at an end. Cillian Murphy, an actor I find to be underrated, stars as the hero, and we view the world through his eyes as he changes from bike currier to protector of the innocent. We see the horrors of humanity during the worst times, and how we continue to both fail ourselves and save ourselves, often within the same events. 

3. Alien (1979). In space no one can hear you scream, or so the saying goes. This film is fantastic. Combining sci-fi and horror makes a film that is easily sell able, and a film that is the best the series. While later iterations of the Aliens series would follow more of an action storyline, this film was all horror. Cramped inside a small ship, a group of cargo haulers fight isolation and rape allegories while creating a fine piece of film. 

2. The Thing (1982). John Carpenter's second film on the list, and definitely his best. As you can see I have a thing for isolation, and no movie does it better. A group of scientists in the antarctic find...a thing... that shapeshifts and must fight off their sense of abandonment and paranoia, not knowing who is alien and who is human. While the special effects aren't up to today's standards, the film's quality has not degraded. 

1. Trick 'R Treat (2007/2009). How did this movie sit on the shelves for 2 years, then not even get a theatrical release? A horror anthology in the vein of creep show, tales from the crypt, twilight zone and others, this movie captures what modern horror is to me; a scary movie full of homage to all its predecessors. This movie is fantastic, and I know that almost none of you have seen it, so buy it, rent it, torrent it, just watch it. 

Review: The Ides of March

Political thrillers and dramas have always been of interest to me. The Manchurian Candidate, Milk and others are films I find quite enjoyable. The Ides of March falls within this generic category and this is my review. Small spoilers are included with large spoilers after the header.

With the preface out of the way, let me say that I was very impressed with this film. Ryan Gosling commits himself to the role of Stephen Myers, the junior campaign manager for Clooney's Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Mike Morris. I felt as though he was the character, feeling and processing every internal struggle through both his body language, facial expression and tones. I've been a fan of his for quite a while and this movie again proved to me that he is one of the best actors of his generation.

Clooney provides solid supporting, as his usual charm and likability are visible throughout. The cast overall is good, with big names that I respect very much. Evan Rachel Wood was impressive as the intern, Molly, who stirs the conflict and drives the film.

Based on the play Farragut North (2008) written by Beau Willimon, the screenplay written by Clooney, Willimon and Grant Heslov. I thought the writing was good, not great. However, one scene blew me away.

SPOILER


The meeting between Myers (Gosling) and Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) is superb. Every word captures the audience and sucks them into the conversation, delivering powerful blow after blow. This is the scene that resonated most with me, and feel free to tell me otherwise, but I thought the intensity of the conversation at this pivotal moment of the film was fantastic.


END SPOILER

As always I wished I could view this multiple times in a row, then come back to it before writing my review, but with limited funds and time that seems unlikely. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and while some may argue that it does not accurately portray politics, it captures the audience for an entertaining ride and makes us follow the arc of Myers (Gosling) as he is exposed to the corruption of a system he believes in.

The ending is ambiguous, but this works perfectly for me. I like to decide what happens after the film ends. I like films that get people talking about the film and its themes, methods and everything involved.

Now I may be bold in these predictions, but I think I've got a good idea how the Academy works. This is early, and I haven't seen as many movies as I should have, but I'll throw Gosling out for Best Actor, the screenplay for Best Adapted, and the film for Best Picture. These are just nomination predictions, but it makes sense to me right now.

Captivating and full of twists, this political thriller is a must see for anyone interested in being taken on a character driven story that straddles the grays of morality.

8/10 (if I have to give a score)
Good, but not great, an above average film with some strong components.

The Faults of Advertising.

God are some ads just brutal to watch. I know you all feel the same, (Thanks @Devon__Taylor and @CASEYinRealLife for the tweets). Tim Horton's, Rogers, Dairy Queen, Boston Pizza, Bell, and many more are all companies that struggle with their advertising, attempting to use humour and failing.

Like we've seen with many a Wayans brother movie, humour, when done poorly, usually achieves the opposite effect, often disgusting the viewer. All of these companies and their ads have that gag reflex on me. Tim's with their silly workplace antics, DQ with their Old Spice rip offs, BP with nibs and nubs, Rogers with toe fingers. It all tries to be too hard, and like the boy who begs for a date, either annoys you at best or disgusts you at worst.

This is not how companies should advertise. If a company is relying on ads their should generally take a firms advice. Having friends who work in the industry and are creative, I know that clients often turn down brilliant ideas, an often dictate what they want done (or at least that's my understanding).

Instead these companies should focus on the product and let the creative people do their work. Don't be afraid to be original in ads, it worked for Old Spice. Instead you come off as an unoriginal company that is behind the times in ads and therefore behind in brand image.

Doug out

NHL and Don Cherry (Class Blog 3)

So Don Cherry, where do I begin? Aside from being what I think is Canada's most prominent personality (sorry to the PMs, news anchors and others who should be on this list but none of you stand out like this man), he is also an arrogant, pompous, dinosaur who's views are as outdated as Leafs fans hopes of winning a cup (stop telling me how you really feel that this is the year for you guys and that Kessel can score 50 in his sleep, and Dion's a natural leader, and that blah blah blah. If they can lose and make money why bother winning?).

Now obviously Don is a very controversial person, and he has consistently said things that prove he has antiquated views (pinkos, commies, and other Cold War era jargon that no one who was born after the advent of television would ever use in public). But his most recent statement, calling three former NHL enforcers pukes and hypocrites has drawn a lot of attention from sports media. I clearly don't agree with him on this issue, as I don't believe fighting in hockey is part of the game. They don't fight during playoffs, good players rarely fight, and no other league allows it (aside from the AHL, which is generally considered THE fighting league). Other leagues and sports kick you out and ban you for fighting (ala Ron Artest and the Pacers).

However, fighting is not the issue here for me (at least not for this blog). The issue is Cherry's half-assed apology (Seriously Cherry, the only time I've seen something more half-assed is in my first-year university papers). Don attempted to clarify that his "pukes" statement was inappropriate because kids watch his show, but never stated that he was sorry or that perhaps his views are outdated.

CBC has stepped up and stated that his views do not correlate with their own, and in so have distanced themselves from Don. However, they have not forced him to apologize. Can they? Should they? Probably, but we all know Don and that he doesn't apologize and that he doesn't believe he's wrong. But clearly CBC does. Now we've got a PR nightmare, what with the lawsuit threats and bloggers and writers stating that he must apologize.

I don't think CBC can fire him if he doesn't apologize, and I don't think he will. If they fire him, they lose all the loyal Cherry followers who believe Cherry knows all with regards to hockey. And if they fire him, TSN will for sure hire him, and then you lose Coach's Corner (or at least why people watch it, I'm not sure about trademarks). CBC is already hurting for hockey, and if they lose Cherry then they lose hockey. CBC is in a tough situation because of Cherry, but can they really reprimand him?

Hank Williams Jr and MNF (Class Blog 2)

Hank Williams Jr, a man that seems to have been cashing in on his father's name, did something disgusting, but somewhat unsurprising. Making yet another comparison of how Obama is like Hitler, Williams stated that the golf game between Obama and house leader John Boehner would be like a game between Hitler and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

First off, this statement is utterly ridiculous. I don't see eye-to-eye with most of my friends, but we can still play golf or go for a drink. Just because you don't agree on some issues, doesn't mean you can't play a professional round of golf together. Why is this pairing so ridiculous? Only in the ignorant, bi-partisan, us vs. you, USA can two professionals playing golf be viewed as ridiculous based on a difference of opinion.

ESPN in turn, removed Williams Jr.'s song from their Monday Night Football introduction. Good move ESPN. Putting distance between your company and brand, and that of an ignorant and ill-formed hillbilly is one of  the best decisions that the best known name in sports has ever done. Their brand, while not necessarily standing for inclusion, is definitely a family oriented brand and the distancing of ESPN and such an anti-American sentiment continues their alignment with family values.

Disgusting actions like this always need an immediate response, and ESPN did the right thing removing his song. Now make sure he never gets played again.

Tweet Thoughts on the NFL and NHL

Recently, as you've probably all heard by now, the NHL has instituted a policy for social media, and more specifically Twitter. Here is the article in the Toronto Star. The NHL has banned tweeting before and after games due to it's ability to shed a negative light on their sport and brand. Way to hop on the bandwagon. As usual, the North America's 4th professional league is the last to adopt anything, as the NFL, NBA and MLB all have policies instituted.

According to both league and media representatives, Twitter and its 140 character limit of one's thoughts, are completely changing professional sports. Yup. Coaches must be changing how they gameplan and practice alright. In fact, touchdowns and goals aren't allowed if the scorer didn't properly tweet using all 140 characters prior to the score.

ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown ran an article on Sunday Morning that, while being produced well, was full of scare tactics the likes of which is generally reserved for Fox News. Twitter is not a game changer. TO was sounding off long before social media. Joe Namath shared what he thought without his cell phone. It won't affect anything coaches or players do regarding the game. What Twitter does do, is remove the boundary between the athlete and the fan, allowing for accessibility.

Twitter and its access to people's thoughts is blamed for the controversy surrounding Rashard Mendenhall, Jay Cutler and Chad Ochocinco (well, probably not Ochocinco), as well as many other professional athletes. Yes, this can be a concern, as it allows for a direct dialogue between the athlete and fan, and most athletes have not taken classes on public relations and proper communication. The athlete does not only represent his or her own brand, but also that of their team (which includes teammates, coaches, owners, and all other employees) and that of the league. It is the responsibility of the athlete to be professional with their social media, but that still leaves plenty of room for personality.

The Start of a Great Thing

This is the first blog (of what will hopefully be many) I've ever written. Not sure where to start. I guess the first thing I'll talk about is the Bills 2011 season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has been lighting it up in Chan Gailey's offense (7 TD passes NFL lead). While his yardage is limited (472), his percentage is above average(63.4%) and he's only been sacked once. How good can this Harvard graduate led offense be? We'll see Sunday. My guess? Pretty darn good. Chan Gailey has a history of taking average players and making them good.

Fred Jackson appears to be on a mission to make 2010 1st Round Pick C.J. Spiller obsolete, (35 carries to Spiller's 9, 3 receptions to Spiller's 2). This undrafted product of Coe College (anyone know of another alum?) has been an all-heart player for the Bills since 2007, and has already ran another previous 1st rounder out of town (Marshawn Lynch). While I'm not usually impressed with running backs, Jackson's heart (similar to that of another personal favourite Brown's Peyton Hillis) continues to impress.

The only glaring problem I see right now is their defense. Yes, there could be more problems, but for now, they're 2-0 and the offense is on a roll. The defense, on the other hand, allowed 35 points to the Raiders (a team which was held to 23 points versus the terrible Broncos defense). This week they take on all-everything QB Tom Brady and his league-leader passing offense. Can they hold up? Or will we witness an amazing shootout similar to Sunday's Raiders game?

My prediction? Patriots 35 - Bills 27.