5 Things I Know: Holiday movie-watching has commenced
The rewatchable tendencies spike this time of year, which is bad timing for a a voting film critic.
Here are five quick things I know, starting with a time of the year that begs for rewatchable movies like a particular Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau comedy.
HOLIDAYS ARE A NATURAL TIME TO REWATCH CLASSICS
If some of my St. Louis Film Critics Association pals could be reading this, I’ll whisper just in case: I wrestle with the notion of rewatching an older classic or movie I like very much instead of screening a new film. It’s a struggle that exists every day.
When I should be watching a thought-provoking and highly depressing new drama that will be all over the ballot in two weeks, something like Grumpy Old Men sits on the mantle for a rewatch. Like a dog begging for a look, the movie just stares me down on my home screen. It knows me. What if these new movies do not?
The reasoning is simple enough: the brain relaxes when you watch something familiar, which feels like a Swedish massage after a crazy day at work. Moving back into the warehouse and a completely new (to me) career has sped up the process of having a less-needy desire to see new movies quickly. You could be walking into a bomb or something special, even if the former is more likely with movies these days. Every winter sees my transition from full-time critic to sorta part-time critic heighten in stature.
Few wish to introduce new November and December classics into their annual arsenal, so they rely on the good ones that ease the brain. The Family Man is playing in my ears as I write this. The underrated Nicolas Cage vehicle combines Christmas pathos with the It’s a Wonderful Life playbook and genuine comedy. It’s zany and touching. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a yearly watch, as is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Home for The Holidays. Yes, Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, two more unusual Christmas movies, will also be screened.
This happens to be the same time as the voting period reaches crunch time. If a strong man forced me to watch a new movie every night and took away my Roku remote, the chances would be greater that it gets done. Like I recently told my friend Mark Reardon, a former full-time critic who has also stepped back from screenings and coverage, the age people reach and start deciding their time is more valuable than constantly packing it with tasks is hitting me before I turn 43. Time is ticking away, folks: use it wisely.
FRIDAYS ARE A BITTERSWEET JOY
Reaching Friday is great. Realizing you have little energy to do anything with the free evening is the reality. In a few moments, I’ll be coming off lunch with about two hours and 45 minutes to go before I leave. I could just about watch Heat in the amount of time left on the clock. The only problem is I have next to zero energy. At the same time, I’d love for a big PVC order to drop in. A task can be like a physical espresso shot.
I don’t have to wonder for long why I’m spent. Getting up and down from a truck repeatedly could tire out any set of one’s knees. Hauling, carrying, lifting, and pulling a wide variety of plumbing supplies adds more battery power lost to the situation. Steep or under-construction driveways present their own ball of wax. Having a normal day go from mundane to an action-packed afternoon of moving and delivering is the icing on the cake of a tired soul. For the 1500th time, time is flying and the body is merely trying to keep up.
Send bourbon, please.
A DAD’S COMMON THOUGHT
Am I doing this right, or am I merely fucking things up? Dads out there, do you ever wonder if you’re a good or great dad? Then, do you try to decipher or identify which areas you can improve in order to increase your DWAR. That’s Dad Wins Above Replacement for the folks keeping score at home. My son Vinny is entering that teenage phase where they may be too intimidated to ask me to clean a pair of their glasses. Over the course of 13-plus years, I have gone from the right-hand man to Vin Diesel if he was genuine and scary-looking.
I kid, but the rumination on fatherhood never seems to stop churning inside my head. Should I press? Should I ask about that? If Rachel texted me after talking to him, will he know if I go right in on a subject? Calling these shots is like being a head coach who never gets fired or retired. Being a good dad is a job to the end, and the most complex task ever known to mankind.
Think about it in the simplest terms. You helped create a human, one that reflects back on you and will carry on your name after you’re gone. How they treat people is going to be examined like a pitcher’s earned run average is examined by journalists more talented than me. That’s our scorecard.
As parents, we pull a lot from our parents and then stuff the rest through the grinder that is our life. It’s hard work, and even harder when you’re tired. Time will tell, but I think I developed a wonderful son. It only took eight manuals.
SHOULD THE BLUES FIRE BANNISTER AND REHIRE MONTGOMERY?
No. Drew Bannister was enlisted as the Blues head coach less than a year ago, so that would look very bad and bush league to the rest of the league. You stay with him at least through this season, and possibly into the next. What Doug Armstrong and Alexander Steen can do right now is try to bring Montgomery, a former assistant coach with St. Louis and a very respected former head coach, back into the fold.
Boston cut him loose because his Bruins ran into an injury wall, and then they dropped the ball in the playoffs. Few would place that collapse even halfway on Montgomery’s shoulders after a few minutes of thought. He could come back as an assistant coach or special teams master while he weighs his options, and the Blues could get a helluva mind to continue their reconstruction.
He is a talent that shouldn’t be bypassed, but swiftly replacing Bannister with him would be the wrong shade of brevity. Still, winning a few games in a row shouldn’t be too tall of a task. Robert Thomas miraculously came back early, and the defense hasn’t gone to complete shit in Philip Broberg’s absence. Hold the line, Note.
TALAYNAS IN OLIVE SHOULD BE YOUR NEXT EAT
A well-made pizza? They got it. The best house salad you’ve had all year? They got it. Bread in a basket that makes you appreciate the creation of yeast? In spades. An eggplant parmesan that you’d fight Jason Statham for? Consider the box checked.
Originally located at the intersection of Forest Park Way and Skinker Boulevard, this STL classic local establishment now resides in Chesterfield close to 141 and Olive Boulevard. 25 minutes from the city that only gives a tourist time to lick their chops for some fine Italian cuisine with flavor all over the menu, or a very short trip around the county.
It’s the place you could go have a big salad, some bread, and be done. Large, olive oil soaked croutons mix with loads of cheese and deli meat, all lathered up in a house dressing that you can dip any food in for an extra taste. If there’s room for more, have an appetizer, or some pizza.
You’ll go home stuffed, but think fondly back on a real multi-course dinner.
Time to go kiss my wife, hug my mom, and ride around with my dad. It must be Friday. I’m tired and weary, but still ready to live life. Thanks for reading, and tip your writer with a subscription. If you already are, sign someone else up. Just do it. I’ll take the blame.