New Nostalgia Critic recommendation.
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/41874-why-is-arthur-christmas-a-materpiece
Because it's touching, sweet, insightful, funny (I know, for example, I was laughing and feeling sorry for the Critic at the same time when he said that he wished, basically, Christmas would last forever, especially since my mom and I were sort of experiencing the same thing after the holidays ended *), and it really makes me want to go and see the film because seriously...complex characters? Awesome animation? Themes handled with sensitivity and complexity? It definitely sounds like something I need to watch. That and I really loved the Critic's analysis of the film and why it worked. It was really sweet, really interesting (I just really like film analysis. I mean, why else do I do these movie reviews? Granted, it's not the only reason, but still...), and it really got me interested in something I really hadn't heard of until now. So...really good job, Critic. :) (Also, after the sheer sloppiness, They Just Didn't Care, and just plain badness of "The Christmas Tree" -- with the "You always win if you are good" thing kind of being the last straw, which I don't blame him for. ** (I mean, Christmas isn't just about who's naughty and who's nice. It's about family, togetherness, warmth, and just being a better person. The Rankin Bass Christmas specials got that, Nightmare Before Christmas got that...heck, a lot of Christmas movies got that *** Not to mention a nifty bit of Fridge Horror for the kids who might be watching it...what happens when they grow up and don't win despite being a good person? I mean, isn't that actually kind of a sick message to send to kids? Or maybe I'm just overreacting) -- it was nice to see him reviewing (of sorts) a good Christmas movie that actually manages to get Christmas right. So TL;DR, great editorial, Critic. :)
Also, Nicolas Cage month is next month! I believe the phrase "ridiculously excited" definitely comes to mind. :D
* I think it's just the matter of having so much fun at Christmas and then it has to end and...well, after a period of so much goodwill and warmth and time with the family, I almost don't want to go back to regular life because it almost doesn't feel the same. Silly of me, I know, but it's the truth. So yeah, it was kind of a mixture of laughter, "d'awwww"ing and "You too, huh?" for that moment.
** Which definitely led to the main reason I love the episode -- it already had great jokes and great analysis, but I think it's just him saying what Christmas is really all about, even all but breaking character and talking with Rachel, Malcolm and his other behind the scenes people, as well as Rob and his parents (which...Doug's parents are awesome. I can definitely see where Doug got his awesomeness from) -- I think it was definitely seeing the affection Doug has for all of them, and his fans, as well as his sincerity in all of this (in fact, I think it's what makes the reboot speeches some of my favorites, because he's genuine about everything he says, whether it be defending Dr. Seuss, or this) that really made me happy. The Critic is issue-ridden; I'd be lying if I said he wasn't. But I think some of the best characters have issues, one way or another. Perfect characters are boring. And besides, with the flawed characters, the issue-ridden characters, it really makes the moments where they shine all the more inspiring. Perfect characters are dull as bricks. Flawed characters aren't just interesting, but even strangely inspiring.
*** Which I think is why they're heavy on the Character Development. It's really about the internal and not the external journey.
Because it's touching, sweet, insightful, funny (I know, for example, I was laughing and feeling sorry for the Critic at the same time when he said that he wished, basically, Christmas would last forever, especially since my mom and I were sort of experiencing the same thing after the holidays ended *), and it really makes me want to go and see the film because seriously...complex characters? Awesome animation? Themes handled with sensitivity and complexity? It definitely sounds like something I need to watch. That and I really loved the Critic's analysis of the film and why it worked. It was really sweet, really interesting (I just really like film analysis. I mean, why else do I do these movie reviews? Granted, it's not the only reason, but still...), and it really got me interested in something I really hadn't heard of until now. So...really good job, Critic. :) (Also, after the sheer sloppiness, They Just Didn't Care, and just plain badness of "The Christmas Tree" -- with the "You always win if you are good" thing kind of being the last straw, which I don't blame him for. ** (I mean, Christmas isn't just about who's naughty and who's nice. It's about family, togetherness, warmth, and just being a better person. The Rankin Bass Christmas specials got that, Nightmare Before Christmas got that...heck, a lot of Christmas movies got that *** Not to mention a nifty bit of Fridge Horror for the kids who might be watching it...what happens when they grow up and don't win despite being a good person? I mean, isn't that actually kind of a sick message to send to kids? Or maybe I'm just overreacting) -- it was nice to see him reviewing (of sorts) a good Christmas movie that actually manages to get Christmas right. So TL;DR, great editorial, Critic. :)
Also, Nicolas Cage month is next month! I believe the phrase "ridiculously excited" definitely comes to mind. :D
* I think it's just the matter of having so much fun at Christmas and then it has to end and...well, after a period of so much goodwill and warmth and time with the family, I almost don't want to go back to regular life because it almost doesn't feel the same. Silly of me, I know, but it's the truth. So yeah, it was kind of a mixture of laughter, "d'awwww"ing and "You too, huh?" for that moment.
** Which definitely led to the main reason I love the episode -- it already had great jokes and great analysis, but I think it's just him saying what Christmas is really all about, even all but breaking character and talking with Rachel, Malcolm and his other behind the scenes people, as well as Rob and his parents (which...Doug's parents are awesome. I can definitely see where Doug got his awesomeness from) -- I think it was definitely seeing the affection Doug has for all of them, and his fans, as well as his sincerity in all of this (in fact, I think it's what makes the reboot speeches some of my favorites, because he's genuine about everything he says, whether it be defending Dr. Seuss, or this) that really made me happy. The Critic is issue-ridden; I'd be lying if I said he wasn't. But I think some of the best characters have issues, one way or another. Perfect characters are boring. And besides, with the flawed characters, the issue-ridden characters, it really makes the moments where they shine all the more inspiring. Perfect characters are dull as bricks. Flawed characters aren't just interesting, but even strangely inspiring.
*** Which I think is why they're heavy on the Character Development. It's really about the internal and not the external journey.