tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post2190325723639813816..comments2024-01-21T11:18:54.087-05:00Comments on Lost in the Movies: A Charlie Brown Christmas & It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown!Joel Bockohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-82422601145968875222009-01-16T22:10:00.000-05:002009-01-16T22:10:00.000-05:00"Where the hell were you two when I was getting th..."Where the hell were you two when I was getting the shit kicked out of me in High School for trying to start conversations about Buñuel and Carol Reed"<BR/><BR/>That was you? Shit, man, that was just my way of expressing a preference for David Lean...<BR/><BR/>T.S.,<BR/><BR/>Glad you liked. You can probably get all you need to get out of Christmastime Again by reading this review, sadly; that said, if you're bored and flipping through the channels and it's on it should fulfill any light Peanuts craving (it is based on Schulz's amusing strips, after all).Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-8542603349451000372009-01-16T15:24:00.000-05:002009-01-16T15:24:00.000-05:00Interesting, TS...What's with all these youngsters...Interesting, TS...<BR/><BR/>What's with all these youngsters getting cerebral on cinema? Where the hell were you two when I was getting the shit kicked out of me in High School for trying to start conversations about Buñuel and Carol Reed? (I know that sounds fabricated, but it's actually not much of a stretch...the locker rooms at my public HS were like something out of "Brute Force".) Ah, well, enough of my angst-ridden drivel...Joseph "Jon" Lanthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00826623899121215596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-65310972678254423132009-01-16T15:13:00.000-05:002009-01-16T15:13:00.000-05:00Thanks for the shout-out. I confess I've never see...Thanks for the shout-out. I confess I've never seen "Christmastime Again," although, like Jon, we were about the same age at the time it premiered. This is quite a wonderful assessment of both films, though, from as many angles as one could imagine.T.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00945932279787919282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-9455842710455105422009-01-12T22:58:00.000-05:002009-01-12T22:58:00.000-05:00MM,Of course agreed re: the music, and I have seve...MM,<BR/><BR/>Of course agreed re: the music, and I have several Guaraldi albums in my iTunes (including the Charlie Brown Soundtrack). I merely wanted to point out that replacing Guaraldi with Benoit makes more sense than a lot of people think -- no matter who took the job, though, they would have gotten flack. The only more suitable successor I can suggest is Brad Mehldau, or maybe a subdued McCoy Tyner.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the other comments as well... Indeed, we are very (mis-)fortunate to be writing about film in an age where so many knowledgeable thinkers are self-publishing their trenchant prose. If nothing else, it's keepin' me on my toes...Joseph "Jon" Lanthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00826623899121215596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-58331779429797203532009-01-12T15:51:00.000-05:002009-01-12T15:51:00.000-05:00Jon,As I'm in no way a jazz connoiseur (I have bou...Jon,<BR/><BR/>As I'm in no way a jazz connoiseur (I have bought and burned a few jazz albums, most by Miles Davis), I'll take your word on Guaraldi's standing vis a vis Benoit. In terms of their contribution to the Peanuts franchise though, I think we can agree there's no comparison.<BR/><BR/>As for the "polish" of your or my prose, it's all relative - though I've grown more comfortable with my writing over my months in the blogosphere, I generally have the same reaction you did - in response to your writing and others' (for the first few weeks or so, this embarrassment was pretty constant). I suppose this is better than being TOO pleased with one's own work...Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-69937263025319906142009-01-12T15:07:00.000-05:002009-01-12T15:07:00.000-05:00I think the primary thing to consider is that "Chr...I think the primary thing to consider is that "Christmastime Again" is not so much an entry in the Peanuts special canon as it is an extension of the Peanuts franchise. The original Christmas special was the BIRTH of the franchise -- it couldn't help but be genuine, as Schultz, Guaraldi and the gang saw it as a one-shot-deal. In my opinion the spiritual/cultural ambiguity of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" has never been matched in children's entertainment; "Christmastime Again," on the other hand, hardly jibes with my notion that the appeal of Peanuts springs from their unflinching depiction of human suffering. Charlie Brown just seemed whiny in 1992. You might even look at the networks -- 1965 saw the Peanuts gang on CBS, 1992 saw them on ABC. But think about it: who would pay for a single dvd of "Christmastime Again"? It has to be packaged with the original to receive any kind of distribution.<BR/><BR/>One small point. I'm not as hard on Benoit because Guaraldi's jazz was not exactly groundbreaking for its time, either (just endlessly charming). Guaraldi was primarily known in the 60's for penning the jazz/pop standard "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," which listeners of Ornette Coleman and Oliver Nelson blew modal raspberries at. Guaraldi would have languished as a wanna-be Brubeck, churning out jazz novelty albums, were it not for the sublime inspiration of Peanuts. In fact, Guaraldi might be considered one of the precursors to modern smooth jazz, so to me the progression feels more organic (although admittedly I love Guaraldi and scoff at Benoit from a purely aesthetic perspective).<BR/><BR/>And geez -- you were 8 in 1992? Damn, that would make you roughly the same age as me. I was secretly hoping you were at least a few years my senior, as your prose is significantly more polished than mine. But I digress...Joseph "Jon" Lanthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00826623899121215596noreply@blogger.com