Just watched my annual Christmas Eve traditional flick.

[longship]

Nope, it is not A Christmas Carol. And not It's a Wonderful Life. Nor is it Miracle on 34th Street. (All of which I like.)

Believe or not, it is Groundhog Day, directed by Harold Ramis and starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowall, with a damned good supporting cast and a great script and story which, for me, lays down what Christmas means to me.

Interestingly, Harold Ramis tells the story of shortly after the release he was innundated with thousands of correspondents from many religious traditions, and many with none, of how Groundhog Day told a moral story parallel to their teachings. There were Buddhists, Yogis, fundamentalist Christians, atheists, and even Hasidic Jews (who actually led a demonstration in front of a theater in California in support of the film).

I watched it twice tonight, the second time with Harold Ramis's commentary.

It is a narrative of how a person can go through a trial and become a better person.

Hyvää Joulua to you all. (Finnish for Happy Christmas).

[edhopper]

1. I am partial

To Die Hard.

[longship]

2. Well, I am likely going to follow it up with something like that.

I like SciFi quite a bit, but Dr. Strangelove or old Hitchcock will do equally fine.

Maybe end the night with some schlock SciFi, like Earth vs. The Flying Saucers or Gog. Look 'em up.



Of course, there's always Miracle Mile but that's both not a comedy and not upbeat. If I want the world to end, at least let it be a comedy.

I may opt for Rear Window.

Merry Christmas to you, edhopper.

[bvf]

5. Eyes Wide Shut. n/t.

[longship]

11. Maybe fine for you, and I love Kubrick, but I do not do Tom Cruise.

No kooky Scientologists.
Sorry. That douch spoils the Kubrick.

[bvf]

12. I hear you.

I despise Tom Cruise myself, but I remember reading two things about Kubrick:

1. He supposedly put Cruise and Kidman through more of an emotional wringer in EWS than he was normally wont to do with other actors, and

2. He reportedly had a penchant for deliberately using mediocre actors at times, the description of which fits Cruise to a T. Of course there are a ton of exceptions.

Wish I had cites, but I'm certain I read all this years ago.

As to Groundhog Day, I also remember reading about the reactions you mention. FTR, it's one of the few flicks I'll drop everything to watch if I come across it while surfing.

[orpupilofnature57]

3. ' It's a Wonderful Life ' is the only traditional flick I ever watched religiously , this year it was

' It's a Mad Mad Mad World ' Joy should be the operative word, whatever makes you Joyful .

[longship]

4. I saw that in Cinerama in downtown Detroit.

At the Music Hall, which was this wonderful edifice of a movie theater with multiple balconies, now after full restoration, a home to the fine arts.

That movie is so over the top funny, with just about every single Hollywood actor doing their obligatory bit part. It is a brilliant, deliberately ham-handed comedic gem.

My favorite scene: when Jonathan Winters single-handedly takes down the desert service station. He was brilliant.

Of course with Arnold Stang.

And joy to your world, my friend.


Oops! I guess there's video available.

Of course, lots of stunt men participated.

Happy holidays!

[Goblinmonger]

6. watched The Interview

on Google Play.

Not a bad flick. Not great. Laughed a lot.

[longship]

7. I have no bandwidth for that.

And it is not likely to be playing in rural west Michigan any time soon. I guess I will have to wait until NetFlicks DVD (mail) has it available. No broadband Inet or cable TV here in the Manistee National Forest.

The best to you and yours this holiday. Stay warm.

[LiberalEsto]

8. Head Jõulupühi to you

That's Estonian for good Yule holidays

[longship]

9. And to you, God Jul.

(Merry Christmas in Norwegian, literally the same as your post.)

[sailfla]

10. Save the neck for me Clark n/t

[cbayer]

13. I love that movie and wish I had it to watch.

I've never thought of the religious connection and now I am going to have to watch with that in mind.

Feliz Navidad to you, dear longship!

[Cartoonist]

14. Then you completely missed the point

The great thing about Groundhog Day is that it shows how a secular person can better himself without God's help. It reminds me of Oral Roberts. He survived a bout with tuberculosis. Instead of thanking the doctors, nurses and caregivers, he gave all the credit to God.

[cbayer]

15. You may want to reread his post. Nothing you say here is any different than what the OP says.

I hope you are not saying that longship reminds you of Oral Roberts, because that wouldn't be cool at all.

Hope you are having a pleasant holiday.

[Cartoonist]

16. Pleasant wishes to you

From the OP
a great script and story which, for me, lays down what Christmas means to me

[cbayer]

17. And that is consistent with what you say.

His takeaway from the story is that people can improve when given challenges and that is what christmas means to him. People can find christmas meaningful without being christian.

He's an atheist. He is likely to fully agree with you that people can improve without god.

[Cartoonist]

18. Thank you for your interest

I'm sure Longship can answer for himself. It feels like we're talking about him behind his back. Oh yeah, we are.

[cbayer]

19. Maybe he will but I doubt very much that he would object to this conversation.

I was just observing that you felt he missed the point when he had exactly the same point you did.

But I have no problem letting him address it. He is more than capable of handling it.

[kwassa]

21. Actually, I think you missed the point of Groundhog Day.

The movie is identical to the spiritual journey involved in learning to understand huge personal challenges, and what is truly important in our lives as people. This is why Ramis got the reaction he did from all these religious sources.

Essentially, Murray becomes a great Christian by the end of the film, in his new understanding and treatment of other human beings. His new knowledge, in my opinion, was not limited to a Christian tradition alone, but is reflective of many spiritual traditions that emphasize the same things.

[Cartoonist]

22. Opprtunities Lost

Harold Ramis has had plenty of opportunities to insert God in his movies, but he never did, unless as a joke. One thing we militant new atheists like to say, is that you don't need god to do good things, or to undertake personal journeys. People who assign God to their personal journeys do so at their own risk. To insert Christ into Groundhog day is clearly not the intention of the movie, and instead is an act of hijacking.

I'm glad he liked the movie, it's one of my favorites too.

[kwassa]

20. Groundhog Day is a movie about a spiritual journey, and hilarious, too.

It is probably one of my very favorite comedy films, and one of the very few films I will watch over and over again.

The best thing that Bill Murray and Harold Ramis have done in either of their careers.