I plan to watch 365 movies this year because it’s good to have pointless goals. And even better than them simply being pointless, are goals with stipulations. At least two movies a week should be something I’ve never seen before and it doesn’t have to be “one movie per day” as long as I hit 365.
THE MOVIE: A Christmas Story
Seen it before? Yes. Every year in part or whole since the mid-80s.
Thoughts: Yes, I put this on every year courtesy of TBS’ seemingly never ending dedication to running their annual “24 Hours of A Christmas Story.” It has become a tradition for my kids as well now. We don’t really sit down and watch it so much as have it looping constantly where we catch our favorite moments. The structure of it being a series of vignettes with the loose Red Ryder thread running through it makes it ideal to drop in and out. It’s weird that a movie built on very specific nostalgia for an age that most viewers did not personally experience has resonated to such a degree that it has become a modern classic (and considering it is 40 years old at this point, maybe the word “modern” does not apply.) The are so many great moments and lines that have become touch points for three or four generations now – “you’ll shoot your eye out,” “fuuuuuu…dge,” “I double-dog dare ya,” and “fra-gee-lay.” And my absolute favorite line, “I’m a…I’m a thinkin’.” Fun fact that we discovered on a brief visit to Cleveland a couple years ago. The original house (nestled in the middle of a suburban neighborhood) has been preserved and turned into a museum along with a couple of the surrounding properties. You can even stay at the Bumpus’ house.
Artists Pay Back (The Blog) 