A Christmas album
from Bright Eyes seems like it would be done jokingly,
tongue-in-cheek. Why would Conor Oberst & Co. ever make an
entire album for Christmas? This is the same band that writes songs
about babies drowning in bathtubs and opens a record with a
disturbing preacher voice waxing poetic about bizarre creationist
theories.
“A Christmas
Album,” while blandly titled, is surprisingly sincere. Bright
Eyes never lose their low-happiness folk sound, but actually
produce a solid holiday-themed album. Personal favorite: a
rendition of “Blue Christmas” that gives Elvis a run for his
money. Singing steadily was never Oberst's strong suit, but his
angsty, quivering vocals add a depth of sorrow to a Christmas
classic that no one else can top.
b) Dr. Suess's How the Grinch Stole
Christmas live-action
I was not into
the live-action version of The Grinch when I first saw it. The movie
seemed mean and creepy and it kind of gave me a head-ache. I know
the whole point of the Grinch is to hate his guts (including that
tiny heart of his), but even after he “redeemed” himself, I
still thought he was an asshole. Also, the entire backstory of why
the Grinch turned evil seemed way over-the-top for me. This was not
the story Dr. Seuss intended, I told myself.
And I don't
know if it was through everyone else over-quoting the movie or I
just learned to let things go, but I've grown to appreciate the
movie. It's interesting, I'll say hesitantly. It is one of those
movies, like Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2, that I will watch if it's
on TV, but will never go out looking for it, asking friends, “Hey,
you wanna come over to my place and watch The Grinch?”
Believe me, I
understand the irony of hating a movie about a guy (thing?) that
hates Christmas. Bah, humbug.
c) Calvin and Hobbes Christmas
I don't have much
to say about this because it would just ruin it, so I'll just show
you:
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