Where’s the Christmas?

When daughter was about three years old, I took her each Wednesday evening to sing in the “Winkie Bear Choir.” This was our girl talk time, and I enjoyed discussing the moon and the stars with her, for these wonders are more significant to adults who gaze, even for a moment, through childlike eyes. In early December, our small town hung candles and poinsettias, crafted from wire, colored tinsel, and bright lights, from the light poles along the main streets. Daughter and I enjoyed these simple decorations as we drove to and from the church.

As it always does, dark and cold January followed, and we continued our customary trek through Jefferson, but daughter was most disappointed. I remember her small voice, coming from the car seat strapped into my 88 Oldsmobile, “Where is the Christmas, Mama?” Although I tried to explain that the magical time comes only once a year, she had not lived long enough to remember the last one, and the next one was too far off for her young mind to imagine.

She is a college girl now, and the idea of driving with me is boring, unless shopping and fine dining with my credit card is part of the journey. Still, I plan some trips during December, “to get into the Christmas spirit” and these involve lights, decorations, shopping, dining, and sometimes something more.

Recently, my children and I paid a weekday visit to a mall about 45 minutes from home, and there were some decorations, some good buys, and a huge movie theatre. I had read that the box office champ for the previous weekend was “Four Christmases” starring Reese Witherspoon. The timing was right, so I suggested that we watch it after some not so fine dining at the food court. I purchased three tickets from a bored vendor, skipped the snack bar, and sat in the center of a truly empty stadium theatre, with loud surround sound and fast paced previews. My offspring sat on either side of me, and I felt good about the idea. Even the seats and carpet were red, which seemed festive.

Alas, once the previews finished, I realized this was a bad idea. The film has a vulgar script, despite its PG-13 rating, and my son, who is studying Shakespeare, pronounced it full of “groundling humor.” Actually, that was kind, but he probably didn’t want to exacerbate my disgust. Daughter was more frank about what we should have seen instead. If one views the script as biting social commentary, this film might be of some worth, but that is the only possible excuse.

We continued our weekday get-a-way afterward, but the decorations were not so festive anymore. Before long, we mutually agreed to return to our van, and the most exciting part of the journey home was merging onto I-85.

The season is far from over, of course, but my daughter’s words now seem profound. “Where is the Christmas?” is a question for this postmodern age. Certainly I did not find it at the movie theatre. My suggestion to you is to skip “Four Christmases.”

Infants and Small Kids at the Movies

Hubby and I took our children, along with a couple of teen friends to see The Dark Knight at the discount theatre today. I was rather surprised at the size of the crowd and fascinated by some of the other viewers. As our eyes adjusted to the gloom in the theatre, I noticed a young woman guiding a toddler toward one of the front rows, with a small baby in a carrier. As soon as the carrier touched the floor, the baby let loose with some serious "I'm hungry" crying. The mom pulled out a baby blanket, picked up the kid, and I think there was some breastfeeding going on. The previews rolled and a few more patrons entered, many of whom were accompanied by small children. A couple sat right behind us, and talked all too often, making me wonder if they normally take in movies at home. Or maybe they were just rude.

Having seen this movie previously, I was really taken aback by the number of young, impressionable minds in that theatre. As many have noted, The Dark Knight really is dark, with violence which is not the bloodless, comic book variety. Heath Ledger is brilliant and scary as the Joker, and Christian Bale's Batman is also rather menacing. The script, which is better than most comic book based fare, is far too sophisticated for a younger audience. My own children watched animated DC comics, especially The Justice League on television, and those are okay for the younger set. I kept wondering why the parents brought but those little ones who did not need to be in the audience. Anyone who read the rating or any reviews should have known take the kidlets next door and watch WALL-E.

Daughter said to me, "What are these babies doing at this movie?" As we waited for our party to get back together, I realized that we were both thinking along the same lines. Perhaps it was a matter of clientele, because there was a couple with an infant and a toddler too young to walk out of the theatre on his own. Most of the patrons didn't even have a drink cup or popcorn bag to toss. I suppose if you can't afford a snack, then a babysitter is also beyond your means. Maybe some of these parents didn't know, but I suspect that several of the adults went to see a film for themselves.

The mall next to the discount theatre did not have much of a crowd for mid-November, another sign of the times. Even Santa's workshop had no customers, and this on Saturday afternoon. The prediction for a weak holiday for retailers does seem to be certain, but it will be a good one for discount movies. Just watch out for the infants and toddlers who are along for the ride.

Star Wars at 30

Yep, on May 25th, the movie that finally made it cool to love science fiction was released. At that time there was little fanfare, because no one in the industry had a clue what was about to happen. I didn’t see it until a few weeks after the release, in the middle of summer, having read an article about this movie which was sweeping the nation. Fortunately for me, I was dating a guy who was a rabid fantasy fan, and he liked science fiction well enough. We saw it in Athens, Georgia, our most frequent date spot, and rode home in his mom’s metallic green Buick Skylark. What a seventies ride!

The movie itself is very much a product of the seventies, despite the “timeless” labels that fans foist upon it. However, for a generation whose parents laughed at the ridiculous stories set in outer space and who had fought for a chance to see Star Trek on Friday night, the lovingly produced Star Wars was an affirmation that these stories could appeal to a mass audience. Lucas and his crew believed they were filming something which would at best be a cult classic, but instead they made a movie which would change the film industry.

I’ve been doing a bit of research for my panel at SFSC, and in so doing, I contrasted the list of all-time box office champs based on actual dollars earned with a list adjusted for inflation. Either way, Star Wars ends up in second place. However, the “actual income” list is dominated by special effects science fiction blockbusters, even when they aren’t called sci-fi. Indeed, the so called prequels, Episodes I and III are also on this list, along with ET and the first two Spiderman movies. Modern movie fans love the films that Star Wars spawned, and that is clear when you look at what is popular now, verses what films made a big splash prior to it.

There were comparatively few special effects in the original Star Wars, due to budget constraints, but it was clearly a space opera, and the movie lovingly embraced the themes and plot devices of bygone eras. Margaret Mead dismissed it as, “just another western” and it may have been, but it was a western dressed up with space ships, blasters, and comic androids, along with the most menacing villain that anyone had seen in quite a while. The opening sequence dispelled any notion that Star Wars was like science fiction films of the past.

Thirty years have gone by, and some people don’t understand why this film was so important. But a look back at the cheesy science fiction like “Lost in Space” or a look ahead at the current box office champ list yields an answer for even the sternest critic. Star Wars made science fiction a genre for everyman, and that’s only one reason that I love it.

Miscreants at the Mall

I went with three teenagers (my daughter and a couple of her friends) to the opening day of X-Men III at the Mall of Georgia, which is located a bit south of my home, on I-85 . When I went into the already darkened theatre, I noticed that there were a number of lights, not flashlights, but the screens of cellphones, being waved about by the young audience. I sat with the crew, at their request, although I often sit elsewhere to give my teen a semblance of being on her own, even though she doesn’t yet drive herself around.

The movie started, with some cheers from around the theatre, and I smiled. Not only would this be an enthusiastic crowd, but maybe my Marvel stock will go up. (In the stock market, I believe in buying what you know, so I own Marvel. I also own Electronic Arts, which makes video games, and my all-time winner was Pixar, the pioneer of modern animation, which recently morphed into quite a few shares of Disney.) Buying movie tickets isn’t exactly cheap anymore, so knowing that I might profit from a big opening for this Marvel flick eased the pain a bit.

Then the miscreants behind us began misbehaving. These overdressed, under-cultured teens were jumping around, sometimes running up and down the aisle, then falling into their seats. Also, they talked loudly and incessantly, and continued waving their electronic devices around during the whole movie. Although I had wanted to see the film, which has gotten decent reviews, I couldn’t say whether or not it is worth seeing. The zoo behind us was rather interesting, however.

Statistically, movies are making more and more of their total sales when they hit pay-per-view and DVD, rather than at the theatre, which is why you have to pay $9.00 to get a diet coke and popcorn from that surly acne scarred teenager behind the concession counter. The miscreant show is free, however.

Increasingly, many of those who study the movie industry believe that all films should be released to theatres, to pay per view on satellite and cable, and to DVD simultaneously, so that all selling venues would benefit from prerelease publicity efforts. The only reason for the delay is to keep theatre owners happy, and it is time for them to face reality. Too many miscreants haven’t been taught civil behavior by their parental units, thus showing movies to a mass audience is becoming a thing of the past.

Now, let’s see what is on PPV this week....