What Fun It Is to Buy and Buy

23 Dec

Who says it’s hard to be a Jew on Christmas? The truth is, what fun it is. There’s no pressure to buy last minute gifts, no wrapping, no tree to trim, no big meals to prep … just a lot of festivity to take part in. To wit: I spent part of yesterday and some of today at the malls (Cambridgeside and Arsenal), braving the crowds and taking advantage of some great discounts at Old Navy and other stores. Parking was difficult, but for some reason I have a great deal of patience and skill when it comes to finding a spot, so it wasn’t impossible. I kept my bags close by so as to avoid any trouble. And when all was said and done, I spent about $100 on a ton of clothes and almost felt guilty for not buying more. Here’s one example of the folly of holiday shopping: Old Navy is selling boxer shorts 3 for $12. But if you buy them in a pre-selected gift box, three boxers are only $10.80. And it’s fun, when the salesperson asks if you want gift boxes, to tell her “No thanks. It’s all for me.” I even tried a gingerbread donut at Dunkin’ Donuts. Even more fun than all that is walking from store to store, listening to the holiday tunes. U2’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” in one place. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in another. It’s a good time. How sad it is that just like that, on Wednesday it’ll all be over. So I’m of the school of thought that says you should enjoy the season and make the most of it while you can. Especially since Hanukkah, with its nine days and all, is long over. And my wardrobe is better off for it.

A Tale of Two Photos

23 Dec

It struck me the other day how similar these two photos are, and yet how utterly different the films they’re from — Dreamgirls and Sweeney Todd — are. Perhaps the only thing these two photos have in common is that they both capture killer performances of very different kinds. What a difference a year makes.

But It Is a Classic

22 Dec

Jeeeez. A whole article about Christmas CDs and not one mention of A Very Marty Xmas 2007 being an instant classic. That doesn’t seem right.

Attend This Tale of Sweeney Todd

22 Dec

How excited was I to see Sweeney Todd?

Well, as I’ve previously stated, it’s one of my favorite musicals of all time, and I had high hopes based on the trailer.

And now, having seen the film, I’m happy to say I was not disappointed.

Sweeney Todd tells the story of Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a wrongly imprisoned barber who returns to London having rechristened himself Sweeney Todd. He’s hellbent on having his revenge against the judge who took his wife and child away from him. But when Sweeney decides not to stop at just the judge, and that “they all deserve to die,” he hatches a plan with Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), his downstairs neighbor, to grind up the bodies and turn them into meat pies.

Soon the city population is a fraction of what it once was, and Mrs. Lovett is making the most popular pies in London.

The film is directed by Mr. Macabre himself, Tim Burton, so needless to say, it’s a very dark film and there’s a lot of blood.

And yes, if you missed it above, this is a musical. But it’s safe to say you’ve never seen a musical quite like this. Continue reading →

Winter Wonderland?

21 Dec

Thought I’d post a couple photos I took this morning in the ‘hood. They’re not quite wonder-ful, but they are snowy. What a fun weekend this is going to be, digging out my car tomorrow (finally) and seeing a lot of this snow get washed away on Sunday when it rains.

Not Doubly Great

20 Dec

All those self-important musical bio-pics — like Walk the Line and Ray — were due for some mockery, but they don’t quite get the ribbing they deserve in Walk Hard.

While the film does make fun of many of the conventions of the genre, it’s more of an affectionate tribute than a satire, and that, ultimately, makes the film less impressive. Continue reading →

On the Ninth Day of Hanukkah …

18 Dec

Not sure how many of you folks missed the memo or something, but apparently, Hanukkah is now nine days long. Thanks, Bill-o.

The Cards Are in the Mail

18 Dec

They say that yesterday, Monday, was the Post Office’s busiest day of the year. So I figured it was a good time to share some Christmas card fun facts, courtesy of the kind folks at American Greetings, who sent me a press kit of facts, tips and other stuff (way back in August) related to card-sending and other holiday trends. Here are some of the more interesting factoids:

* More than twice as many cards and letters are processed on December 17 than on any other day of the year. USPS employees predicted they would process 900 million pieces of mail on that one day alone. Also, apparently, 900 million pieces of mail is enough to circle the globe six times.

* According to the Greeting Card Association, Americans will send nearly two billion Christmas cards this year. No surprise, Christmas is the top card-sending occasion in the U.S.

* Also according to the GCA, more than half of all people who buy cards will send up to 25 of them, but nearly 15 percent will send more than 50.

Down Goes Santa Claus!

16 Dec

It’s that kind of lazy Sunday here in Brookline. I slept in, I’ve made some French Toast, I’m watching the Patriots beat up on the Jets (again), I’ve done some apartment cleaning, I’m avoiding cleaning off my car because there’s no real need for me to drive anywhere for at least five days, I’ve got a couple new DVDs to watch after the football game, I called some friends to catch up, I’m debating baking a cake, the bed’s not made, I haven’t showered … and it’s good that I did my laundry yesterday so I don’t have to fight for the machines today, which means I don’t have to leave my apartment at all, and life is pretty good. This was a well-timed snow — or rain or sleet or whatever it’s doing outside — day.

(And btw, that photo came from Boston.com, though I sort of wish I had taken it.)

It’s All Emma Thompson’s Fault

15 Dec

When I Am Legend begins, we’re listening to a sports reporter say that the American League team in New York, of course, is the best and that they will play the Chicago Cubs in the World Series.

So you know right off the bat that this film is a fantasy and you shouldn’t take any of it seriously.

Then Emma Thompson appears on screen playing a doctor who has found a cure for cancer simply by reorganizing the structure of the measles virus.

Cut to three years later and the entire city of New York (and, apparently, the entire planet) has been totally wiped out by this “cure,” except for virologist (and of course he’s a virologist) Robert Neville (Will Smith) and plenty of animals.

Oh, and the zombies.

Lots of rabid zombies — the folks who had been affected by the cure and now only come out at night and are out for blood.

We don’t quite know how Neville managed to be the only one to survive, but somehow over the years he has figured out the zombies’ behavior and has made a life — albeit a lonely, solitary one — for himself. Continue reading →

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