Rating: 
Summary: Make your Own 24 Hour Marathon
Review: As a family, we have watched the 24 hour marathon for the past three years. I purchased this DVD so that my brother could watch his favorite Christmas movie any time he wanted.Favorite Quotes:
Ralphie: Oh..Fudge!
Dad: Frageeelee...it must be Italian.
Mom: You'll shoot your eye out.
Rating:
Summary: Holiday Classic
Review: I remember seeing the poster for A CHRISTMAS STORY at a theatre in Phoenix in the summer of 1983 and I wondered why in the world would anybody release a Christmas movie then. So I didn't see it. I've heard of bad marketing moves, but I still couldn't understand that one.
Years later, I kept hearing what a wonderfully funny holiday movie this was and checked it out. Now it's a holiday tradition to see it every Christmas. It's that good. I admire it for capturing the 1940's look while at the same time tapping into the universal thoughts and feelings of "Kid-dom."
It's Christmas Eve, I've just watched it, and I laughed out loud all over again. (My only problem with the Special Edition is that I would've loved to have heard from Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon. I adored them both in their roles.)
Rating: 
Summary: Warner Home Video Gave Us Some Coal In Our Stockings...
Review: I won't even bother reviewing the film itself: it's a modern classic & everyone who is reading this has probably seen it a few dozen times.
What I will review are the extras to this 20th anniversary 2-disc special edition.
You'd think after twenty years the producers would have a boat load of extras to offer. If not that then a large assortment of cast & crew members to create a retrospective documentary.
What we get instead is a 20 minute reflection by a few of the cast members (the now grown up actors who portrayed Ralphie, Schwartz, Flick, & Scott Farkus, as well as director Bob "Rhinestone" Clark) called Another Christmas Story. Where's Melinda Dillon? Where's Gavin McGavin? And where's the kid who played Randy (who, might I add, looks NOTHING like he did in 1983. I saw a photo of him somewhere & he looks disheveled & totally washed up).
This "documentary" was probably shot in one afternoon with the five guys rattling off a few generic memories of their experience (They didn't think it was going to be a huge success... who ever does?; The kids played pranks while they stayed in a hotel... Oooh! The insights are killing me). It's so not informative or fun to watch.
I must point out that Scottie Schwartz, porn star extraordinaire, looks creepily the same as he did in 1983. He's just pudgier & has a goatee... as well as a handful of porn title under his belt. And Zack "Scott Farkus" Ward (who you'll recognize from TV's recent Titus) is NOT FUNNY! He's totally lame. Embarrassingly lame.
The rest of this special edition's features are just that: lame. There's the Triple Dog Dare trivia game (which features the above mentioned interview participants reading the questions... clearly taped right after giving the interview); Radio readings by author Jean Sheppard, which are interesting, but a tad on the long [read: tedious] side; a stupid decoder game (does anyone really needs this?); etc. It's your typical DVD special edition filler crap.
The most annoying extra (besides Zack Ward's testimonials) is the featurette on the company that makes the leg lamps. The "correspondent" (I forget his name) gives his worst Daily Show knock-off in what is perhaps the most embarrassing and unfunny segment ever created. This has to be seen to be believed. You'll want to wash your eyeballs & clean out your ears immediately after viewing it.
I still recommend getting this DVD over the other version. The packaging is nice. The film is naturally classic. But the extras are weak... really weak.
Rating:
Summary: Great Holiday flick; mediocre-to-good special features
Review: Merry freakin' Christmas all you Amazon™ians out there! It would've been a bit merrier for me, had Warner Brothers not gone and re-released 'A Christmas Story' in a special edition set, knowing full well I'd buy it even after I had purchased the original release (the chiselers!). Once again I've been hit by 'The Dreaded DVD Double-Dip Ploy' (see my 'So You'd Like To...' guide on this annoying phenomenon at ). Now I gotta find a way to get rid of this suddenly obsolete regular platter of my all-time fave holiday flick. Anybody out there need a coaster? Or a clay pigeon for target practice? Seriously though, I think I'll get down to the review proper. Since I've already covered my thoughts on the movie itself in my review of the regular DVD (way back on Sept. 3, 2000, in case you feel like trackin' it down), I'm gonna dedicate this piece to the new platter's special features... I found the second disc's special features to not be all that special, with a few exceptions. Starting off the list of almost-goodies is a twenty-minute retrospective on the movie and Christmas in general with director Bob Clark, Peter Billingsley (Ralphie), Sccott Schwartz (Flick), R.D. Robb (Schwartz), and Zack Ward (Scut Farkus). With the exception of Scott Schwartz, the principals' don't look all that different today than they did when filming this flick! And it's almost scary how much Zack Ward reminds me of Danny Bonaduce! Anyhoo--while this featurette had some cute moments as the kids and the director remember their fondest and not-so-fondest memories of the Yuletide, it's not something I'd watch more than once every couple years. Y'know, just to remind me that it's still there... Also on the second disc are the "Triple Dog Dare" and "Decoder" trivia games. The latter game isn't too hard to figure out if you're familiar with the flick. Just match the quote to the scene, and you'll be directed to more retrospective bits with the folks featured in the mini-doc. As for the former... let's just say you hafta be an uber-geekin' fan of this flick to get a perfect score! On 'page two' of the second platter is a short doc on the history of Daisy, and the Red Ryder line of air guns they produced back in the day. Apparently, the model that Ralphie desired throughout the flick didn't actually exist (and apparently author/co-writer/narrator Jean Shepherd's memories weren't quite as up to snuff as people thought they were), and had to be custom-built for the movie. Also thrown in is "Get a Leg Up", a dumb interview with the head of the company that produces the infamous leg lamp. I felt really embarrassed for the guy as the interviewer threw these ludicrous questions and statements at the guy, followed by stretches of uncomfortable silence as the interviewee tries to come up with funny replies. Needless to say, most of it falls flat... kinda like what happened to the old man's precious prize. And speakin' of the leg lamp: one of the "Easter Eggs"-- or, in this instance, "Christmas Presents"-- is a satire commercial for the kitsch classic, which is almost as dumb as the aforementioned "Get a Leg Up" doc. Winding things up on Disc 2 is the Story-Time Radio feature, which is a radio template you can "tune in" to listen to two of movie narrator/co-writer Jean Shepherds' stories from "In God We Trust... All Others Pay Cash", the novel that parts of the movie were based on. Both the 'Tongue Stuck to the Flagpole' and 'The Saga of the Red Ryder air rifle' memories are told by the author in such detail, and with so many sidebars, that I was amazed they were able to pare them down to several minutes' screen time in the movie and still capture the stories' spirit and sense of fun. Unfortunately, this particular feature has a few downsides, including the inability to pause or fast-forward/rewind these lengthy bits of audio. So needless to say, if you're interested in takin' a listen, make sure you've got enough spare time set aside, and have a reasonably strong bladder. Well, actually you can scratch the latter part if you've got one o' those headphones with the fifteen-foot-long cord, and the can's fourteen feet away from ya... Disc 1 also sports a couple mediocre goodies, including the obligatory theatrical trailer and another "Christmas Present": a segment of the screenplay for the "Flash Gordon fantasy" scene that apparently was filmed (according to the director's and star's recollections on the feature-length commentary track), but was eventually cut outta the film. Which is something I don't really get. I mean, why not show the actual deleted scene, rather than the script to it? It could be that it was lost, or MGM (the movie's backers) wasn't able to line up the rights with the Flash Gordon people. In any case, I find it a bit of a drag to not be able to see the filmed scene... Finally, there's the commentary track featuring director Bob Clark and star Peter "Ralphie" Billingsley. As you might expect, both go over their fond and not-so-fond memories regarding the filming and technical aspects of the various scenes. And of course there's the pontification by both men regarding the movie's universal appeal and how just about everyone can relate some parts of 'A Christmas Story' to their own childhood memories. Oh yeah, they also have a few brief bits where they state how difficult Jean Shepherd (who was usually somewhere on the set during filming) could be. They also sorta briefly mention co-star Scott "Flick" Schwartz's eventual turn as a blue movie star, without actually directly referring to him having been a blue movie star... 'Late
Rating:
Summary: Timeless
Review: Ralphie's story is one of childhood want. All he wants is a trusty Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, but is constantly told "You'll shoot your eye out!" His young mind schemes to get the gun and the cut-in scenes of his daydreams are hilarious. The movie's setting (the 1940s) is a simple time, but there is so much texture to the story with the neighbors dogs, the school bully, the leg lamp and the famous 'oh f-f-f-fudge!' scene. This movie is a holiday classic, even more so to me than the Grinch.
Rating:
Summary: A Christmas keeper
Review: I was really happy to hear they were finally coming out with A Christmas story on DVD. Don't get me wrong, the VHS was good, but DVD's are always much more clear, and you can get really neat special features on them.
When 9-year old Ralphie Parker starts obsessing about a Red Ryder 200 shot range model air rifle around Christmas time, he will come up with any scheme to get his parents to know that he wants that for Christmas. In the way of doing, he must dogde getting in trouble with his parents for saying terrible words, beating up school bullies, and complaining. He must somehow get his teacher to sympathise with his plot too, with a theme for homework, and maybe a little bribe here and there. All these things may lead to Mayhem, but they sure do make a funny story when it comes to getting gifts. Will Ralphie prevail with his dream gift or will Santa smash his hopes? Only Christmas will decide that.
I thought the acting was great, especilly with Ralphies little brother Randy, always being a pushover. I recommend this movie to anyone, but I also recommend the book, "In God We Trust, All others pay cash" by Jean Shepard. Definetely a great addition to your DVD library.
Rating: 
Summary: Whatever happened to...
Review: While the "extras" on the new DVD are fun there is much lacking. Insights from several leads were missing - Mom, The Old Man, Randy. Where is the Buck Rogers footage that ended up on the cutting room floor? I'd also have liked a "Whatever happened to..." information. I knew Peter Billingsley spent much of his time behind the camera these days working with Jon Favreau on Dinner for Five, but knew/know little to nothing of the others. All in all this special edition is just ok. It could have been much more "special."
Rating:
Summary: "Ok, Black Bart, now you'll get yours!"
Review: Jean Shepherd's classic A Christmas Story was not a big hit when it was released to theatres in 1983 (in fact, I don't remember any advertisement of it that Christmas). However, thanks to Jean Shepherd's narration and story telling and Peter Billingsley's performance of the shy and scheming Ralphie, who wants a Red Ryder BB gun more than anything else in the world. When my father 1st saw it on video, he was amazed at how much the father (sometimes flamboyant, but always respected- or else) reminded him of himself (what real life father couldn't relate to a man whose obscenities flew over Lake Erie for years?). The mother is a lot like my own, except for the "Pretend you're a piggie and this is your trough!" scene which my mother certainly wouldn't have tolerated! Ralphie, of course, reminds me of myself. Although I never asked for a Red Ryder, there were plenty of other presents Santa had to bring or it just wasn't Christmas! Scut Farkus is pretty real, too, as the menacing bully, as well as the no-nonsense teacher ("Those of you who put Flick up to this know who you are and I'm sure you feel terrible!") and the Bumpus neighbors' annoying dogs (one gets their tail caught in the door but they get their revenge!). Ralphie's kid brother is realistically whiney: "I can't move!" Then there's Ralphie's buddies, the conniving Schwartz and the hapless Flick, whose double dog dare acceptance gets him in big trouble! The fantasy sequences are quite amusing! Which brings me back to the BB gun- Ralphie makes his request known to his mother and his teacher ("You'll shoot your eye out!") and finally hopes Santa can bail him out, despite an attitude bigger than his belly and 2 ornery elves helping not so jolly Santa at Higbee's department store!
Rating:
Summary: "You'll shoot your eye out!"
Review: This Hoilday Christmas classic will never get old. Every Christmas this film always played non-stop on the TNT network that should probably will ruin its welcome. But it doesn't. I just gave it four stars because I don't this isn't all perfect. But Jean Shepard delightfully narrates the story during the 40's and it's about a boy named Ralphie(Peter Billingsley) who desperatly wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Chaos ensues for poor Ralphie because everyone bawks and says "You'll shoot your eye out!." I like the characters very much including Ralphie's dad who loves his prize from a radio contest: a sexy leg lamp. One of my favorite scenes is during Ralphie and his brother visit a department store Santa and bawks the same mantra: "You'll shoot your eye out" and hits Ralphie's head and says, "Ho, Ho, Ho." But there's one scene that everyone remembers when Ralphie's friend is "double-dogged dared" to stick his tongue to a frozen pole at school. He does and it's hilarious! This film is sweet in alot of ways, it gives us a sense of realiom as well as warm humanity. Billingsley is great by the way who presents us with fun skill. So everyone drink egg nog, open your presents and watch this hoilday classic with your family on Christmas day.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet but never cloying Christmas classic
Review: Post holiday depression, the syndrome in which we overdose on Christmas cheer only to feel deflated when the tinsel is taken down and the tree is tossed to the curb, was considerably lessened for Cleveland, Ohio residents following yuletide 1982. Santa may have returned to the North Pole, but in the heart of the city, Christmas was extended as Hollywood came to town to make a modestly budgeted comedy titled "A Christmas Story." As exciting as it was to have a movie made in one's own backyard, there was little to suggest this film would attract much attention beyond the city limits. The film's biggest star, Darren McGavin, was a superb actor but not a box-office name. His star shone brightest on television where he memorably played the hard-boiled private investigator of NBC's 1968-69 series "The Outsider" and ghoul hunting newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak of ABC's "The Night Stalker" (1974-75). The director, Bob Clark, won admirers for his 1975 holiday themed thriller "Black Christmas," but probably lost most of them after he directed "Porky's," the teenage sex comedy that was a big hit with youthful audiences but widely reviled by almost everyone else. Perhaps because it so superbly applied a modern sensibility to the innocence associated with an earlier era, "A Christmas Story" transcended its generic title and its distributor's indifference to become a modern classic following its release to television and home video. Based on the wryly autobiographical work of humorist Jean Shepherd, "A Christmas Story" is set in the radio days of the Forties before television dulled our imaginations. Young Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) hears a commercial for a Red Ryder BB gun and becomes obsessed with receiving one for Christmas. But whenever he expresses his wish to his mother, father, teacher, playmates, even Santa Claus, he hears the same dream crushing pronouncement: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid." "A Christmas Story" succeeds because it's sweet but never cloying. It's grounded in reality yet avoids the cynicism that film-makers usually favor when attempting to avoid sentimentality. Despite scenes reminiscent of one of Norman Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post covers, the film never idealizes childhood or Christmas, and yet it positively glows with nostalgia. The cast, especially McGavin, is superb, and so is the direction. This film just may have benefitted from Clark's work on "Porky's." If the characters in that sleazy teen comedy were thoroughly despicable, they may have at least helped Clark reign in Billingsley who may have otherwise overdone the cute aspects of his character. Instead, the pint-sized protagonist is wholly believable. There hasn't been a Christmas film of this quality since the 1951 Alastair Sim version of "Scrooge," and "A Christmas Story" can stand alongside the very best of them.
|
