Dec 15, 2021
Over-exposure makes the heart grow fonder, it seems. In the U.S., the movie A Christmas Story (1983) gets played on a loop for twentyfour hours, every single year at Christmas. And people love it! Meanwhile, in the Netherlands most people will probably never have heard about director Bob Clark's festive classic.
It's an episodic family film, centered on Ralphie, a boy who want a BB gun for Christmas. Adventures and larks ensue. And if you've grown up with it, like filmmakers Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley, chances are you'll varry it in your heart with deep, warm feelings.
One of the most refreshing cinema experiences of 2021 was the brilliant and charming Strawberry Mansion, by the directing duo Audley and Birney. At least, for Dutch audiences, because in the States it will be released in February 2022. Kentucker also plays the lead. And you may have seen him before in Ain't Them Bodies Saints, or in V/H/S or the intriguing She Dies Tomorrow. But if you haven't seen Strawberry Mansion yet, please, treat yourself!
In the episode, we also discuss what it implies when you say a movie "works" or not, watching a Christmas movie when it's nowhere near Christmas and director Bob Clark's other yuletide output.
Links:
- Kentucker Audley: http://www.kentuckeraudley.com/
- And on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2310589/
- Albert Birney: https://abirney.com/
- Guess what? He's on IMDb too: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3490121
- Strawberry Mansion: https://strawberrymansion.nl/
- Host Ruuds review for Strawberry Mansion on FilmTotaal (Dutch): https://www.filmtotaal.nl/recensie/15123
Extra links:
- Best Halloween costume ever? Josh Sundquist dresses up as the sexy lamp (and all kinds of other stuff): https://joshsundquist.com/halloween-costumes
- Folding Ideas - 'A Christmas Story: A Tale of Technological Nostalgia': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4PM1MFT5mk
- One of the Cracked listicles about A Christmas Story: https://www.cracked.com/pictofacts-2287-a-christmas-story-15-holly-jolly-facts-about-beloved-holiday-classic
- Host Ruud talking with De Cinemaatjes about Cruising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku4WQBmZ4aI