Straight No Chaser: The Twelve Days of Christmas
Posted on December 25, 2019 at 12:00 pm
Merry Christmas! And Happy Hanukkah! Wishing all a season of light and hope and a new year filled with health, happiness, and time with friends and family.
Can the Naughtiest Kids Put on the Best Christmas Pageant Ever?
Posted on December 25, 2019 at 10:00 am
Loretta Swit (“M*A*S*H”) stars in this classic about a teacher who puts the “worst” kids in the Christmas pageant.
The Nativity Play from The Bells of St. Mary’s
Posted on December 25, 2019 at 7:48 am
One of the sweetest Nativity plays of all time, from Bing Crosby’s “Bells of St. Mary’s” with Ingrid Bergman. You can tell that the children improvised much of it themselves — and that Bing knows and is charmed by it.
Merry Christmas!
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy “What’s Cooking?” and “Pieces of April”
Posted on November 26, 2019 at 8:00 am
My favorite Thanksgiving movies are the delightful “What’s Cooking?” and “Pieces of April.”
What’s Cooking? is a peek at the Thanksgiving celebrations of four families celebrating Thanksgiving with all of the secrets, drama, longing for approval, and, yes, gratitude and love we all face at this time of year. The cast includes Julianna Margulies, Dennis Haysbert, Kyra Sedgwick, Alfre Woodard, Mercedes Ruehl, and Joyce Chen.
Pieces of April is also filled with all of the hopes and pressures of the holiday as an estranged daughter (Katie Holmes) struggles to prepare a Thanksgiving feast for her family, including her mother (Patricia Clarkson) who has terminal cancer. The cast also includes Derek Luke, Alison Pill, Oliver Platt, and Sean Hayes.
Honoring Those Who Have Served: Movies for Veteran’s Day 2019
Posted on November 10, 2019 at 5:00 pm
Veterans Day is a time for us to pay our respects to those who have served.
This holiday started as a day to reflect upon the heroism of those who died in our country’s service and was originally called Armistice Day. It fell on Nov. 11 because that is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. However, in 1954, the holiday was changed to “Veterans Day” in order to account for all veterans in all wars.
We celebrate and honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
This year, Midway is in theaters to remind us of the immeasurable dedication and courage of our WWII military.
Some movies for families to watch about real-life US military:
WWI
They Shall Not Grow Old On the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, Peter Jackson used 21st century technology to make archival footage and audio feel contemporary, to make the experience of these men seem as though it happened to people we know.
WWII
Band of Brothers Historian Stephen Ambrose’s book was made into a stirring miniseries about “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division, from jump training in the United States through its participation in major actions in Europe, up until the end of the war.
Korean War
M*A*S*H is a dark anti-war comedy based on the real-life experiences of an Army surgeon. It inspired the long-running television series.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War The documentary from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick tells the story.
Persian Gulf War/Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Jarhead Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhaal star in Sam Mendes’ film based on the memoir of Anthony Swofford about his experiences as a Marine Sniper in Gulf War I.
Restrepo is a documentary about U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, serving in a remote 15-man outpost, “Restrepo,” named after a platoon medic who was killed in action.
American Sniper Bradley Cooper stars as the late Chris Kyle, a top sniper who served four tours of duty in Iraq, and then was killed by a veteran he was trying to help after he got home.
The Messenger Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster play soldiers who have the hardest job of all, notifying families that someone they love has been killed.