Entertainment Binge

By Isaac White.

So the time has come. When we meet again, a new year will be upon us. Fortunately for you, I won’t go on about how the seasons change, as does life, like a river that bends but continuously moves forward. I should write greeting cards or something because that little nugget I just gave you was on some Confucius level wisdom.

Fine, I admit I’m having a bit of a laugh. Quite frankly, I would never seriously claim to have any marked wisdom. At least not publicly. Who can question the mind of a man who touts the benefits of regular movie marathons as the best use of free time? While having a bit of fun, I stand by that last comment. I’ve learned that in this life, you are better off doing things that bring you joy when you have the chance.

We all have enough stress in our lives. Why make things more taxing on yourself by trying to eat up every minute of every single day’s free time with things deemed “worthy” in the adult world? I know this is turning into a life/philosophical outlook, but I’m being sincere.

Reflecting upon a year of writing these, I feel accomplished. This didn’t make me rich. Trust me, it didn’t. I’m not famous. Although, on that point, I am being entirely truthful when I say I don’t want to be famous anyway. I’ve always found it odd that people want to be known by the entire world. I could never deal with that sort of intrusiveness. I’m happier here on the page.

Why accomplishment? Because I had always dreamed about doing this? You’ve all been riding shotgun with me since Entertainment Binge was first published. So you all know that. Maybe you remember me sharing that I thought Siskel & Ebert was excellent as a little kid and Gene Shalit was super cool. Yes, I’ll repeat it in absolute agreement that there is the outside chance I was an odd child.

So, while this weekly series isn’t going to change political policy, it’s an accomplishment because I did something I’ve always wanted to do. Better yet, I did it well. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself. Yes, that was a joke because I believe I’ve done an excellent job with this odd creature I’ve built. If I have any data to support my claim, it’s the words of readers telling me how much they enjoy Entertainment Binge that lets me know I’ve done something right.

This has given me a chance to do work about something I love, TV and movies. It may seem a waste of time to some. To others, it may seem like a bunch of fun. What I know is that this has been delightful for me. Rewarding and surprising as well. I’d never have thought people would approach me to say they love Entertainment Binge. But they did. And those will always be my favorite readers, so if you’ve never publicly claimed your favor for Entertainment Binge, you better hurry up because I’m keeping a list of MY award winners. Those who don’t sufficiently praise me will not receive a nomination.

I had all that rolling around in my big noggin, so I thought it best to get it out. We’ve been chatting long enough; I have no reason to hold back now. And no, I’m not doing a significant sign-off here, and you’ll never read Entertainment Binge again. At least, I don’t think so, haha.

That was me saying something to all of you before we go on a break here at the paper. Don’t worry; there are always new shows and movies to see. Plus, as you all know, the old ones I love to watch and talk about. Real quick, I think it’s pretty cool that you, as readers, find interest when I talk about a movie that is nowhere near a new release. I wrote about The Devil and Daniel Johnston, which got some high praise from at least one reader. Maybe more, I’ll never tell. I think that was a commercial in the 80s or something.

Moving on now that I’ve roused the emotions of all reading this.

I’ve shared with you all that my family doesn’t celebrate holidays. I’ve also told you that growing up, we did celebrate holidays. That’s why I still have much love for Halloween. Now, this time of year is the Christmas season. I hope someone reading this says, “Yeah, no, duh. Thanks, Captain Obvious.” That would be a treat for me because I just said it in my head while writing it.

But my tendency to say the plainly obvious thing aside, there is stuff about the Christmas season that I still enjoy. The movies and shows built around the holiday are that. Not all of them. By the way, it’s wild that Lifetime, Hallmark, or whoever makes 50 Christmas movies yearly. I’ve never watched any of them, so that I won’t insult it anymore.

So, I just wanted to hit a few of these things because it’s that time of year, and I want to. That should suffice.

This isn’t going to be an exhaustive list. I’m looking for what the kids refer to as a vibe. At least, I think that’s what the kids say. Even if they do, I’m not entirely sure I’m using it correctly. Doesn’t matter.

My favorite is Home Alone. I know that Kevin Smith made fun of it in Dogma, which is, on its own, a fantastic film. I’ve always suspected that people who claim to hate Home Alone wait until the house is empty, and then they fire it up every year around this time. It’s their secret shame, and I don’t know why.

That movie is hilarious. I just saw it the other day and watched some of it. I caught the part when Kevin goes to the grocery store. Then I came back for the main event – the battle. You may disagree with me, but that movie is hilarious, and I love it.

It’s a Wonderful Life is class personified. Forget that it’s a Christmas movie. It’s just a great film. Plus, I grew up thinking Jimmy Stewart was pretty awesome. Well, he was fantastic. My point is that his greatness stuck with me.

It’s not all movies, either. I can’t help but watch Frosty The Snowman every year. Rudolph too. Even if you’d not admit it in public, I bet a lot of you can still connect with the remnants of your childhood when you see those shows. Why not? Those shows were a staple for millions upon millions of children. Children who grew up. Well, some of you anyway. I’m doing my best to hold on to my childlike wonder. That’s me having a bit of fun, but you get my drift. It’s that nostalgia thing again.

Charlie Brown Christmas. How can you not feel a twinge of happiness when you see that? I love Elf with Will Ferrell, too. I’ve always found that movie to be hilarious. When he has the snowball fight with the kids, I still lose my breath laughing so hard. Stinkin’ kids have no idea what trouble they’re in.

I wanted to put something about Christmas entertainment because it connects us back in time, just like Halloween. I’ve always found that interesting.

I have a new movie I watched, which I want to tell you about. The Burial is an Amazon Original movie starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones. Foxx plays Willie Gary, a slick personal injury lawyer who takes the case of Jeremiah O’Keefe, a funeral home owner who is misled by a big corporation offering to buy some of his homes at a time when he needs a cash injection.

The corporation lied, of course, and didn’t follow through on the deal. Jeremiah does have to do some convincing to get Mr. Gary on board. But once he does, magical things happen. We see the oft-told story of the vast corporation trying to crush the independent operator.

Not only on the business side of things. The Loewen Group, the gross corporation that is the foe of Mr. Gary and Mr. O’Keefe, brings in a slew of high-priced attorneys to beat back the fight of the two men taking them on.

I’m running out of room so I’ll wrap up quickly. This movie is fantastic. Do you remember how I told you that I love “lawyer movies?” Well, this one is going on my top 10 list. Foxx and Jones are excellent, as always. This movie is based on a true story.

I hope the true story is close to what we see in the movie because the movie shows some wonderful human moments. The cooperation and love between an older white southern man and a black lawyer were great on the screen. They addressed race in a meaningful way.

It wasn’t about their races in competition. It was about these two men from different backgrounds coming together to beat the corporation. Because that’s what it’s all about in the end. The ultra-wealthy divide working-class people, and they’ve been successful for hundreds of years.

Willie Gary and Jeremiah O’Keefe have something to say about that, which you should all witness.

I’m out of time.

Thanks for reading, and until next year…..