"I'm light as a feather! Merry as a schoolboy!"

HI GUYS!

This is Ben. I noticed how long it has been since this little blog has shown a post and I got sad. I didn't want to not post on this thing. It is a cute blog and I want to spend more time on it. So here I am again. Think of this as "End of the Line Blog Start-Up Take Two."

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and I hope you will all have a blessed New Year. I know I had a merry Christmas. And guess what?? Mine is still going! HA!

See, we get TWELVE days of Christmas in our house. Not just one. I realize most people think that the Twelve Days of Christmas as BEFORE the 25th, but actually the are after. They last until the Epiphany (January sixth) which is the day the Wise Men came to see Baby Jesus and offer Him the gifts. We have this cool tradition for Epiphany. When my older sisters were little there was one year when my Mum wasn't home for Christmas.So all the kids saved aside one gift so they could open something with her when she got back. Ever since then we have saved aside one gift for the Epiphany and its like we get a little Christmas all our own. Its super cool and I love it. It always makes me cry.

I'm very emotional at Christmas time 8-)

We had a white Christmas this year! (thankfully!!) We were dry and green until the twenty-fourth of December when at last God heard our prayers and decided we could have snow on Christmas. Granted, it wasn't much snow but it was still snow and we were lucky to get it. After all, what is Christmas without some snow? I've had a Green Christmas before and it is a very surreal thing. I wouldn't like to repeat it. I like my snowy, cold winds, icicles on the eaves Christmases.

I WUV CHRISTMAS!!!

I grew up watching Mickey's Christmas Carol. I have loved it for as long as I can remember. I love Bob Cratchet and his family, I love Scrooge, I love the old drawn animation and the fact that Jiminy Cricket is the Ghost of Christmas Past. I love every single thing about it and could probably quote it back to you from the beginning, word for word. It's fun and easy to watch but it isn't afraid of showing things in black and white. I never realized how dark it really gets near the end until it occurred to me how much of that would have been taken out in Children's Cartoons today. For instance, the reality of Hell and the fact that it is not a pleasant place. I've always taken that for granted but showing it in a kids cartoon is something unheard of today. Which is a very sad thing. That is why it was so surprising when the new adaption came into theaters.

This brings me to the real reason I wrote this post. Today I watched A Christmas Carol with my sister Mahri at the house. It was made with stop-photo animation and it featured Jim Carry as Scrooge. I hadn't seen it before now because most of my family doesn't much like that version of The Christmas Carol. I wanted to see it for myself anyway and when Mahri agreed to have me over I was very excited. I've wanted to watch it for AGES.

A Christmas Carol

IT WAS REALLY GOOD!!! I was surprised by how much I liked it! I went it knowing it was going to be a little different (and a little disconcerting too) but even still I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Now, I am not a big fan of Stop-Photography animation. I never have been. The people always look kind of disproportionate and they never hug right. Does anyone else notice that? This movie handled it well though, and because of how they portrayed the story itself  I will give them leeway with their animation choice.

Scrooge was hilarious. I'm sorry. I know he was an awful old crank and yes, he was SUCH A CREEP, but he cracked me up. He said these things that were just funny. Like at one point he is going up to his house and he drops his keys. And what does he say?

"Bugger, it. ALL!"

You just don't expect a phrase like that in a cartoon! And it so weird to hear it come out of his mouth! It almost seems like he shouldn't be allowed to say funny things like that - but he does anyway. It's funny and I kept giggling at his pathetic crankiness. (really, what a Scrooge! LOL!!!)

It wasn't just that either. It was his whole take on the spirits and the Christmas Season and life in general. He was so pathetic and wimpy. He reminded me somewhat of Smeagol from Lord of the Rings, and not just because of the way he sat, hunched over like an old yo-yo. He said Smeagol-like things. For instance: "Don't be hard on me, Marley!" *as he writhes back in his couch like an idiot* He was a funny turd and I couldn't help but laugh at him, especially when the Spirits gave him a good scare. He deserved it, the old Cheep-skate. That's what you get for not buying coal!

Marley was a little creepy but I was expecting him to be. He was a spirit and they did a good job with him. They actually did a good job with all of the spirits. There was certainly nothing human about them, but they weren't horrific or ridiculously different either. They were spirits, pure and simple and I appreciated that. You don't get many good spirits these days. Its refreshing. I will say that The Ghost of Christmas Present was a little ridiculous. Mostly near the end. When he was dying and crumbling and melting away and keeps laughing. With no skin. Yeah. That was weird. Otherwise he was fine. He laughed a bit but what can you do? He was a jolly man and he only had one Christmas to live! Might as well live it to the fullest, right?

The Ghost of Christmas Past made up for him. First off, he was a FLAME. yeah. He was freakin' FIRE. How cool is that?? I don't know why that cooled me out so much. But it did. It represents so much. How he is the light of the past. The memory of ages long since gone. The ever burning flame devouring the present. I dunno. It made me feel excited. And it was unique. And he was cool to look at. And completely original.

I liked the Ghost of Christmas past. He reminded of me a little bit of Sandy from Rise of the Guardians.I feel like he was that symbol of hope, the spirit who brings back the memories of joy and peace and good things.

The Ghost of Christmas Future was brilliant. He is the best representation I've ever seen. He was dark and menacing and you weren't sure about anything with him. He was everything the Ghost of Christmas Future should be and I was incredibly pleased with him. He freaked me out and made me want to hide. So did his horses.

It was awesome.

I don't know why it didn't hit me the same way it hit the rest of the family. Maybe it is because I read so many fairytales when I was younger. Or maybe its because I am a writer and explore a lot of weird possibilities myself. but I didn't thing anything in A Christmas Carol was all that strange or even that over-done. It was frightening and dark but it was supposed to be. This is a story about a man nearing the last years of his life (supposedly) He is sinful and brooding and lost and he receives intercession to save his soul. It isn't supposed to be a light story. It is a story about life and how the choices you make effect who you become and what you will change. It's about sin and virtue and it's about how your actions will reflect on you when you die. It's about heaven being real and hell being real and about the choice between good and evil being real. And it was done very well! They even showed Hell in his grave, something I haven't seen since Michey's Christmas Carol and that was something I hadn't expected. It didn't sugar-coat anything, but on the other hand it didn't leave the watcher without hope, which is how so of those heavier, dark movies end up. This movie does anything but. It leaves you a lot of hope. Hope that people can change. Hope that the world isn't all bad. Hope that anyone can find redemption and that there is always reason to look up and keep going. It gives you a warm, Christmas-y feel and I am very glad I watched it.

Do I think that it was better than Mickey's Christmas Carol? No. Mickey's Christmas Carol was geared more toward little, little kids and it has a special charm all it's own. I also like the  good ol' drawing-animation better. Mickey's will always be very special to me and it will always be my favorite version of The Christmas Carol but the new was very good and I would like to watch it every year - preferably with Mahri. It has also made me think about reading the book, and anything that can make you think about reading Charles Dickens is worth your time. So long as you go in knowing its different and strange and a rather disturbing, you should be fine and hey, if you have an open mind you might even enjoy it!



THAT IS ALL! GOODNIGHT!!

Ben-Out