Movies on Christmas Eve

Our family often went to see movies on Christmas Eve evening when I was a teenager. Usually we picked something funny or an animated movie (then they were all Disney movies) so that we would laugh and have a good time. It was a good tradition, because it brought my family together, the years we did it. Who can forget us being five of only eight people in the theatre to see Clockwise - and howling with laughter? :)

We didn't exactly follow that tradition, but Ian and I did see two movies today :) First, we saw Casino Royale. I haven't seen any other Bond movies in the theatre - then again, I don't think I've seen many other Bond movies, period :) Ian didn't like this one as much as other Bond movies, but I did like it for a movie that I could just watch and enjoy. It was pretty good overall, although there were a few things that were strange. The poker game, for example, was weird, because it didn't seem like real poker. The product placement was also too obvious - I would have noticed that it was a Ford car, for example, without centring the logo onscreen for two seconds. One thing that I especially liked was the opening sequence.

This movie was also definitely darker than other Bond movies - it's much more personal in some ways. I usually think of the killing in Bond movies as sort of distant, with guns. The killing here is very up close and personal, as are the emotions Bond portrays. This movie is much more violent and bloody than the other Bond movies I've seen or know about. So if you want to see something dark, action-packed, and sort of escapist, see this one :)

Later on, we watched It's a Wonderful Life. The only part of the movie I'd ever seen before was the kid at the end saying that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. The kid was a bit too saccharinely cute, and so I never watched the movie. Today I got to see most of it and it turns out that I liked it :) Yeah, the story is old and has been done a hundred times, but I liked the originality of it. Not to mention that I'm a sucker for classic black and white movies :)

I especially liked the message about how each person's life affects the lives of those around them more deeply and profoundly than they know. I know that I can be impatient, mean, and cranky, but I've been trying over the last few years to be a better person. I don't think that I would save a whole town from debauchery, the way our protagonist does in this movie, but I hope that I've made a positive impact on other people's lives.

Tonight was the night that we ate yummy food at Ian's parent's house. This was the big traditional meal of the holiday there, and I must say that I'm stuffed! Pleasantly so :) Now I just have to get myself to sleep so that Santa can come :)