Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin in the Bob Clark movie ‘A Christmas Story’

It was almost a week before Thanksgiving in the United States when A Christmas Story (1983) was released on Friday, November 18, 1983. Christmas day would come in approximately five weeks, with the day of holiday being the day we review and remember the movie with those who found us on Matt Lynn Digital.

(Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker in the Bob Clark movie A Christmas Story).

Peter Billingsley portrayed nine-year-old Ralphie Parker, whose experience of anticipating Christmas that year was shared through a series of vignettes leading up to the secular holiday from 1940. The stories for the movie, set in Hammond, Indiana, reflect the hometown of Jean Shepherd, the narrator and adult voice of Ralphie Parker. Shepherd‘s books In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters provide the source material for A Christmas Story. Bob Clark directed the movie.

(From left, Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker, Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker and The Old Man, Ian Petrella as Randy Parker and Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker in the Bob Clark movie A Christmas Story).

We are introduced to the Ralphie’s fantastic daydreams associated with receiving a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle for Christmas. We meet Ralphie, his brother Randy, some of Ralphie’s friends, and Ralphie’s parents in the opening scenes of the movie. Ian Petrella portrayed Randy Parker, Ralphie’s younger brother. Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon portrayed the mother and father of the Parker children.

(From left, Scott Schwartz as Flick, Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker and R.D. Robb as Schwartz in the Bob Clark movie A Christmas Story).

The vignettes contained with The Christmas Story offer some delightfully engaging notions of what life was like growing up in a North American factory town in 1940. Others offer glimpses of poor taste bordering on garish. Others engage the audience with a realistic sense of time and place, referencing old fashioned means of transportation, communication, electric power and living. The drive for Ralphie’s toy rifle intermixed with traditions of Christmas and growing up in the neighborhood.

(From left, Yano Anaya as Grover Dill and Zack Ward as Scut Farkus in the Bob Clark movie A Christmas Story).

The neighborhood and schoolyard were the sources of many of the neighborhood storytelling. There were the stories with Ralphie Parker, Flick and Schwartz in the class of Miss Shields that included classroom shenanigans as well as a metal pole in the winter cold of the school yard. There was bullying in the schoolyard and along the path home of bullying by Scut Farkus and Grover Dill. R.D. Robb and Scott Schwartz portrayed Schwartz and Flick, respectively. Zack Ward and Yano Anaya portrayed Scut Farkus and Grover Dill, respectively.

(From left, Tedde Moore as Miss Shields and Leslie Carlson as Christmas Tree Salesman in the Bob Clark movie A Christmas Story).

Miss Shields, as portrayed by Tedde Moore, transitioned between the vignettes for Ralphie’s home life and school life. Beyond the school yard and classroom specifics offered in The Christmas Story, there is a very clear theme from the adults to Ralphie regarding the safety concerns related to the safe operation of Ralphie’s desired air rifle. Would Ralphie get the gun? Could Ralphie handle the gun without hurting himself? Would the adults speak past Ralphie’s wishes to the safety concerns, in essence dashing his hopes? This recurring plot point worked quite well for the movie, even with repeated viewings of the film. The multiple storylines related to getting the family Christmas tree, in addition to a lamp won as an award, hit different people different ways on the engaging and garish question.

(From left, Drew Hocevar as Male Elf, Jeff Gillen as Santa Claus, Ian Petrella as Randy Parker and Patty Johnson as Lead Elf in the Bob Clark movie A Christmas Story).

My intention here has been to give you some glimpses at a high level of some plot points that were engaging to me for this movie, while touching others in glancing form. There are vignettes that were not discussed, and the engaging quality of them get into the humor and sentiment related to time, specific subject matter, the fantasy with humor interspersed throughout, along with other points. There is plenty to enjoy with A Christmas Story as directed by Bob Clark, which I give 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, December 25, 2021

Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz in the 1986 David Cronenberg movie ‘The Fly’

In returning to a somewhat more graphic sense of science fiction and horror film coupled together in movie, we once again look to an Airport Friend favorite with Canadian David Cronenberg‘s The Fly (1986). The 1986 film is loosely based on the George Langelaan 1957 short story The Fly and movie The Fly (1958) that followed.

(Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle in the David Cronenberg movie The Fly).

The somewhat sympathetic protagonist of The Fly is Seth Brundle, as portrayed by Jeff Goldblum. Brundle develops a teleportation means that would transform the notion of transportation, if only he could make it work with living beings. We meet Brundle at a science conference where journalist Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Quaife is assigned to cultivate interesting content for a scientific magazine.

(Geena Davis as Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Quaife in the David Cronenberg movie The Fly).

Geena Davis stars as Ronnie Quaife, initially judging Brundle as a socially awkward scientist who doesn’t get outside the laboratory all that much. Quaife agrees to look closer, receiving modest interest from her magazine editor and former love interest for spending time cultivating a magazine feature on Brundle and his work. The notion of the magazine feature and personal stories between Quaife, Brundle and editor Stathis Borans run parallel to the larger narrative that gives the movie its name.

(John Getz as Stathis Borans in the David Cronenberg movie The Fly).

John Getz portrayed Stathis Borans. Borans perhaps is drawn in the harshest light consistently through The Fly, yet his story serves the needs of the journey that is the horrific transformation of Seth Brundle from awkward, curious, and jaded scientist into a morally damaged monster that exists somewhere between human and housefly. That transformation for Seth Brundle initially engenders curiosity among ladies. Initially enhanced human characteristics bring about a pair of romantic evenings, including with Tawny.

(Joy Boushel as Tawny in the David Cronenberg movie The Fly).

Joy Boushel portrays Tawny. The role that Tawny played feels like it could have been expanded to run parallel to a compelling storyline with Ronnie Quaife. The interaction between Tawny and Ronnie is compelling, and theoretically opened an avenue to further installments of the moral considerations that drives story of The Fly to its full resolution. Suffice it to say that further exploration of the Tawny storyline, along with the other characters relevant to her, were not necessary in resolving the core questions raised with David Cronenberg‘s treatment of The Fly, in my opinion.

(Director David Cronenberg acting as a gynecologist in the David Cronenberg movie The Fly).

The transformation and resolution for Seth Brundle through the course of The Fly is perhaps the starkest part of the film in total, though the storyline surrounding questions of life, death and quality of life for Ronnie Quaife and Stathis Borans carry relevant heft as well. The graphic quality that brought many of these questions to resolution were a bit much for Lynn, my better half and viewing partner for this film. There is substance to this story for those of a mind to watch, though maybe The Fly is not for everyone. I give The Fly as presented by David Cronenberg 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, October 27, 2021