This and That

It's been a busy time this past week, with visiting family here -- including a 16-hour trip to Disneyland! -- followed by a heavy work load, not to mention a little movie called STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015).

I saw THE FORCE AWAKENS tonight and thought it was very good; unlike the now-infamous prequels, it felt like a real STAR WARS movie, pleasantly familiar and without the nasty aftertaste. It's quite a solid effort with plenty of humor and heart, if perhaps missing those occasional action and musical punctuation marks which gave audiences of the original films sublime moments of gleeful giddiness.

I intend to review the movie here in the future, but while I will be circumspect about how much I share, I think I will wait a bit, both to better process my reactions and also out of respect for those who want to see it in the first few days knowing absolutely nothing prior to watching it. For those who may be on the fence, yes, I recommend seeing it.

Sunday I look forward to attending the nationwide TCM/Fathom Events screening of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), and I hope as many people as possible will join me. It screens across the country Sunday at 2:00 and 7:00 local time, with repeat screenings on Wednesday, December 23rd.

Work should be slowing soon as the year begins its wind to a close. In the meantime, keep your eye on the ClassicFlix site where my brand-new review of Deanna Durbin in the Christmastime musical mystery LADY ON A TRAIN (1945) should be up soon. (Update: Here it is!)

I have numerous posts in the planning stages, including my 2016 "10 Classics" list, TCM's January highlights, a list of this year's Favorite Discoveries for Rupert Pupkin Speaks, movie reviews, and my annual giant Tonight's Movie: The Year in Review post.

Stay tuned, and enjoy the season!