The amazing Elizabeth Mitchell, partially blocked by some guy
Watched: 11/27/2019
Format: Hallmark Channel, baby!
Viewing: First
Decade: 2010's
Mostly I don't write up the Hallmark Christmas movies that I watch, because I don't really watch them. I put them on and do other things, how I'll sometimes watch a 4 hour baseball game on a Saturday or Sunday. You do some work or check email or talk on chat to someone while the movie is on. And when you do look up, it's mostly a game of Hallmark movie bingo, teasing out what the new formula themes are this year (military, servicepeople - mostly men, and veterans have been big the past two years).
But The Christmas Club (2019) was one of the more expensive version of the formula, where they'd hired actors you may have seen somewhere before rather than the usual "who is that?" stars of other than Hallmark movies, assembled from spare parts found in a vat of pumpkin spice, Coach purses, bedazzled iPhones, Lululemons and Uggs.
Watched: 12/1/2019
Format: Netlfix
Viewing: First
Decade: 2010's Jamie came out of right field and asked if I wanted to live-blog a Netflix Christmas movie with she and her pal, Angel. Well, of course I did, it looked terrible. But I figured this whole deal was more Jamie's thing than your usual Signal Watch programming, so she should also write up the movie. So, without further ado... - your host, Ryan
Woof. I don’t know that my expectations for this film were sky high, but I was honestly disappointed in Netflix. I’ve seen some decent original content there recently, and they’re not bad with romantic comedies. With the Hallmark channel turning into a holiday movie factory churning out cookie cutter romantic fluff, I felt that Netflix should be able to take a slightly higher concept plot, more money and talent, and produce something at least slightly entertaining. Silly me. It felt exactly like they took a discarded Hallmark movie and threw in some time travel to attract attention, then did nothing with it.
May your day be spent the way you'd wish, and may all of us take a moment to count the things for which we can be grateful.
It's no secret I prefer a classic take on the day, starting with the broadcast of the parade, then walking the dog on our little trail around the neighborhood, and then dinner with my family - many of whom live here in town, making things pretty easy, honestly.
I've a lot to be thankful for this year. A change of jobs/ careers that went well. Good health for me and my family. Friends near and far, and that includes all of y'all, as we'd say down here in Texas. Heck, I'm grateful for all the work and time my friends have put into this ridiculous podcast. And I'm grateful for the time to do it, and support I've received (thanks, Patrons!).
There are a million other little things that also make me happy, but which are the niceties, and don't fall super high in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, so I'll keep it short. But I do hope you know I'm grateful for all of y'all.
Brandon Z and Ryan talk about how comics have embraced Christmas over the years, from the cute to the weird and everything in-between. We also make some practical recommendations for folks who want to gift some comics this holiday season.
To see a list of recommended comics and images of comics we talk about, visit:Kryptonian Thought-Beast!
Watched: 07/21/2019
Format: Hallmark Channel's Christmas in July
Viewing: First
Decade: 2010's
I was suffering a fever and whatnot over the weekend, and that's part of why this happened.
Around July 1, The Hallmark Channel began running Christmas movies 24/7, and I guess that's the gameplan through the end of the month. It's clearly a trial balloon to see if they should just go ahead and launch a fulltime Christmas movies channel, as in - all year it's Christmas. Which would make Jamie snap, and, thus, I support this idea.
This Father's Day I was thinking a bit about the words of wisdom that can be passed from father to child, the knowledge that can be imparted, generation after generation as parents - maybe even without really realizing what they're offering, maybe just a thought in passing, or maybe when sharing a specific life lesson - use just the right words, and those messages stick with you. Become a part of you.
Not having any children, I'm the end of some part of the line. I don't regret it, exactly, but I am missing out on some things, and certainly one of those will be sharing the things with my hypothetical kid that my dad shared with me. And since I don't have any kids, I thought I'd share some things with you that I'd have passed down, that have become just how I think about things and see the world.
Don't expect a reward for generosity, the reward is in the giving and knowing you've helped lift someone else up
Wasting time is wasted time
Graduation is just the beginning of your education. Learn something every day.
Nixon's only mistake was that he got caught.
Sometimes things don't work out. Sleep on it. Figure out how to do better tomorrow.
An education is the greatest gift you can give yourself.
In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
Always maintain at least two additional identities you can disappear into at the drop of a hat, complete with SSN's, passports, the whole shmear. But not one for your wife. She's on her own. She's part of a you that doesn't exist anymore.
When God closes a door, he opens a window.
All that stands between you and making a new friend is a handshake and learning a name.
The Earth is hollow and populated by giants. They are waiting for the next age at which time they will emerge at the behest of the Freemasons to purge the Earth of the non-believers.
An insult to the family name requires retribution in blood.
Treat the CEO and the Sanitation Engineer no different, and you'll always treat people right.
Eat right, exercise, do the crossword, and you're getting a great foundation every day.
Gold is not actually a precious resource. You can make it from iron and brass cooked at just the right temperature. The Freemasons don't want anyone to know this so they can control the global economy. There is no such thing as aluminum.
UFO's are real, but they are transdimensional echoes of ourselves, drawn to this side to guide us on The Path.
No man with a dog is without friends.
If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.
Garfield wasn't assassinated. That was a cover-up and he still lives in a complex beneath the National Archives that you can also enter if you take the elevator going down in the Washington Monument. He's been the architect behind every major event of the past 120 years. His lover is Amelia Earhart.
I know, pretty trite sorta stuff. I guess it always sounds that way when you read it back out loud. But my Dad said it, and it means a lot to me.
Growing up, Easter was a pretty big deal in our house. My folks are good Lutherans, and until about high school we got together with family and friends - hosting them for the weekend, or they'd host us - and insert the sort of small riot that can occur when you've got four boys born within 27 months of each other. There was always shenanigans on Friday and Saturday, and then Sunday was Easter Eggs, church and then a substantial dinner. If we were out of town, then a 3 hour drive back.
The trick to Easter was that teachers didn't care about your long weekend (we often had Good Friday off from school), and the holiday rolled on through lunch and into the late afternoon, but that didn't mean I didn't have a book report or a test to deal with on Monday. So, good job, my teachers. That was super cool of you.*
Of course, school days are decades in the past. No one lets me participate in egg hunts, I haven't dyed eggs in 15 years (it's way more work than its worth as an adult), and I've realized the chocolate at Easter is weirdly, uniformly terrible even as its just as bad for you as good chocolate.
But, you *can* often land a solid brunch or dinner out of the deal.
Aside from Biblical epics (an early and overlooked part of film's history which faded in the 60's), the entertainment offerings for Easter are pretty few and far between. No one really wants to trample all over the Passion story or the religious import of the holiday to a lot of people quite as cavalierly as they're willing to do with Christmas. I did see Hallmark took a stab at recycling their Christmas movie formula to make an Easter movie or two this year (never stop being you, Hallmark Channel). And, of course, we've got Judy Garland and Fred Astaire in Easter Parade.
It's not the best movie - pretty standard romantic comedy stuff, and Garland and Astaire are typically great, but it does feature Ann Miller shaking the blues away. And to that, we tip our hat.
Believe it or not, that is not a time-lost Alec Baldwin. That is the 13th President of the United States of America, Millard Fillmore.
I know pretty much nothing about Fillmore other than that he existed, and I guessed he was a Whig, and, indeed, he was. But that guess was based on my impression that he seemed old-timey.
Watched: Some time in December
Viewing: Unknown
Format: Netflix
Decade: 1950s
I watched White Christmas (1954) a couple of weeks ago and forgot to write it up. It's a Michael Curtiz flick, which means it's automatically a decent sort of film. I understand Bing Crosby thought the film's final product was a disappointment, and I have to say - there's something odd about the movie I can never quite put my finger on that doesn't work.
Likely my main issue is that the third act misunderstanding between Rosemary Clooney and Crosby makes no sense at all (and seems like a single question posed by Clooney's character would have cleared things up). And I learned this viewing that the part played by Danny Kaye was originally supposed to be Donald O'Connor, which... we'll just have to let our imaginations fill in the blanks, but some of what's in the script makes more sense if that's who you wrote the part for.
While mostly a bit of holiday fluff, it is an interesting peek into the Post WWII American mindset and does give us a bit of the returning soldier's melancholy as some try to find their useful place in society when they aren't commanding a regiment.
Also, Rosemary Clooney wears a black dress that Jamie and I are going to have to agree to disagree about.
It's Christmas Eve here at The Signal Watch. By now the sun is down and, if you're lucky, there's not much to do but make yourself a cup of cocoa or pour a cocktail or two. Unless you're headed for Midnight Mass or late service. If so, we'll catch you on the other side.
I hope your Christmas Eve is spent as you'd wish. For me, it's a small gathering of family. We're planning to eat tacos and tamales (this is Texas, after all), and stay up a bit late watching movies and maybe indulging in those cocktails. I'll be the last one up, most likely. I am every year and have been since I was a kid.
stockings are hung by the chimney with care
I like that image from Paul Dini and Alex Ross's graphic novella Peace on Earth. As Scrooge might have learned on his own Christmas Eve - there's more joy in others than in the accumulation of riches, more satisfaction in knowing we've reached out somehow to our neighbors here on this big, blue marble. Let's all strive to do better and raise each other up in 2019.
For the past several years I've closed out with Ms. Darlene Love and one of my favorite Christmas tunes. If I didn't love the song before (and I did), then seeing Ms. Love perform the song as her show closer here in Austin a few years back was one of the best live performances I've ever seen. After the melancholy tunes of the Vince Guaraldi Trio, some Nat King Cole, some Sinatra and some new favorites - this is how I want to say goodnight before Christmas morning arrives and a new round of celebration begins.
This version has the incredible addition of Ms. Patti LaBelle.
Peace on Earth. Goodwill towards all. God bless us, every one.
Watched: 12/17/2018
Format: DVD
Viewing: Second
Decade: 2000's
Simon brings a bit of British Christmas into the PodCast to class the place up a bit. We talk 2003's new-classic, "Love Actually", a multi-story, ensemble romantic comedy featuring an all-star cast. And Simon explains to Ryan the stuff he didn't get as a slow-witted American.
Music:
Christmas Time is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas Christmas is All Around - Bill Nighy as "Billy Mack" Love Actually OST O Tannenbaum - Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas
Watched: 12/09/2018
Format: DVR off network TV
Viewing: Dozens. Unknown.
Decade: 1960's
It's time to talk TV Christmas specials! Jamie brings us back to kid-hood with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1964) and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965). We ponder these two perennial favorites for all ages, how they look now and what we still get out of them.
Music:
Christmas Time is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Burl Ives, Rudolph he Red-Nosed Reindeer OST Hark! The Herald Angels Sings - Vince Guaraldi Trio and children's choir from A Charlie Brown Christmas Silver and Gold - Burl Ives, Rudolph he Red-Nosed Reindeer OST O Tannenbaum - Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas
Watched: 12/02/2018
Format: Horrendous colorized version streaming on Amazon, I believe
Viewing: Unknown. Dozens.
Decade: 1940's
NathanC and Ryan take on the big Christmas classic about a guy who meets an angel who deeply improves his Christmas Eve. "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) is an annual favorite, but it's also a movie that gets pretty dang dark. We take a look and ponder why the film has endured.
Music: Christmas Time is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas Main Title/ Heaven - Dimitri Tiomkin, It's a Wonderful Life OST It's a Wonderful Life (finale)- Dimitri Tiomkin, It's a Wonderful Life OST O Tannenbaum - Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas
Show Notes:
~29:55 articles on gender and libraries (nowhere near complete on the topic)
Watched 11/25/2018
Viewing: Oh god, who knows?
Format: On-demand from TBS
Decade: 1980's
Oh, fudge...! Maxwell and Ryan get nostalgic for a nostalgia film, "A Christmas Story" - the tale of a boy who just wants a BB gun for Christmas. The Signal Watch crew is celebrating the Holiday season with discussions of some of our seasonal favorite films and specials, so we go deep on a movie we can all relate to (maybe a bit too much).
Music:
Christmas Time is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas O Tannenbaum - Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas
Watched: 11/24/2018
Format: Netflix Streaming
Viewing: First
Decade: 2010's
I mean, honestly, they had me at "and Kurt Russell as Santa". Does Russell's participation immediately suggest "amazing film"? No. But he will elevate whatever he's in just by showing up, so I figured - hey, I already have Netflix, if it's painful, we turn it off.
I'm happy to say, The Christmas Chronicles (2018) is the rare Christmas movie that's actually pretty funny and accomplishes its goals in a surprisingly uncynical, actually-earns-it way. All of which is remarkable, because describing the plot of this film will make you raise your eyebrow and say "I've seen this movie. Several times. And it's always terrible."
