Must be Santa from Bob Dylan
Posted on December 24, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Yes, that Bob Dylan — it’s on his new Christmas In the Heart
Talking about Holiday Movies with Kojo
Posted on December 24, 2009 at 8:27 am
Thanks so much to Kojo Nnamdi for having me on his WAMU show with film historian Murray Horwitz to talk about sharing our favorite holiday movies with the family. And thanks to the great callers and emailers for some wonderful suggestions!
A Festivus for the Rest of Us
Posted on December 23, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Seinfeld’s alternate December holiday has actual followers. There are even books about it. Its primary attraction seems to be that it is not Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanzaa and that it is easy to observe. All you need is parties, grievance-airing, pole-erecting, beer-brewing and the invention of new Festivus rituals.
The Gathering
Posted on December 14, 2009 at 10:00 am
B+| Lowest Recommended Age: | High School |
| MPAA Rating: | NR |
| Profanity: | None |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | Drinking |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Tense family confrontations |
| Diversity Issues: | None |
| Date Released to Theaters: | 1977 |
| Date Released to DVD: | December 15, 2009 |
| Amazon.com ASIN: | B00310P2H2 |
I’m thrilled that one of my favorite Christmas movies is available on DVD for the first time from Warner Brothers. It is the Emmy-award winning The Gathering and it stars Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton as the long-separated parents of adult children. He is a wealthy man who has devoted his life to his business. He asks her for help in bringing the family together for Christmas because he has learned that he is dying and this will be his last chance to see them. It has been digitally re-mastered for this DVD edition. The sequel, “Gathering II,” is also available on DVD but has not been re-mastered.
I am very fond of these holiday family gathering drama with old tensions and insecurities revived as family members gather for the holidays and this is one of the best. Every member of the family has some issue to resolve and the performances are exceptional, especially the brilliant Stapleton, who shows us her character’s strength and vulnerability. This is a bittersweet classic of the season.