Deck the Halls and Dust off your DVDs

Allow me to explain my absence for the last half of last week. I had a little slip-up with a pairing knife while cutting some carnations at the flower shop and ended up with eight stitches in a very sore thumb. While this was incredibly inconvenient and took me out of work (this blog included) for a couple of days, it did allow me to catch up on some of my favorite films of the season. So, to quote Rob Gordon, here are my "all time, top five" movies to watch around Christmas. Enjoy! -hil


The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
My all time favorite version of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol." I'm not usually a Muppet fan, but this rendition is very beautiful and full of the whimsy of animation, only without it. Plus, Michael Cane plays Scrooge and Gonzo plays the narrator, Charles Dickens himself. What's not to love?

The Family Stone (2005)
Okay, so I'm a little embarrassed about this one (I know it seems super chick-flicky) but I love it and it's easily rentable from the local library. It's an all-star cast and follows the Stone family through their holiday as they learn to accept new members into their close-knit unit and learn to face new challenges. Basically, the now-grown Stone children learn to actually grow up. It's heartwarming and I cry every time at the end.

Little Women (1994)
Always a beautiful story, but that first scene set with the winter that the March sisters recall as "the coldest of our childhood," feels so much like Christmas. It's a wonderful story of a Family that doesn't have much but finds wealth in the company of one another. If not that, what is Christmas about? And when Beth gets that new piano from Laurie's grandfather...so priceless. An absolute must. Plus, Kirsten Dunst is just an itty bitty and Christian Bale grows a snooty mustache.

Love, Actually (2003)
I know, I know, so cliché. But throw out the Kiera Knightley plot line and keep rewinding that part where Hugh Grant dances to the Pointer Sisters and you've got a pretty good Christmas film. My favorite line? "I'm the Lobster," said with that cute little british accent.







Hook (1991)
Ok, so this movie isn't about Christmas, but it does remind us all of the beauty of childhood, to think happy thoughts, and remember: never grow up. I think Christmas tends to bring out the kid in everyone, not to mention an appreciation for your family. This film accomplishes both feats. Bangarang!

Chicago part deux: the mini-film

This past weekend in Chicago I tried out the Super 8 app on my iPhone. It was actually really fun to learn to use and nice to have another way to document things besides photographs. You can use different lenses and you actually navigate the camera in the app as though it's a three dimensional object. The app claims that it allows you to edit video footage on your phone, which is true in the sense that you can delete and rearrange shots, but I exported it to iMovie to make it go a little quicker and to add some music. It was fun to see this mini documentary of our lives take shape, because the weekend was very fast; we saw a lot of folks and went a lot of places, but there was so much beauty to it all. I think seeing it crammed into film reflects that nicely. The music is by Anathallo, a (now) Chicago-based outfit. Enjoy!