Author: James Castro

Trends in Modern Storytelling in Film: Conan – A Case Study

On By James CastroIn Movies, Opinions, ReviewsLeave a comment

OffTheChartsI came late to the Conan films. I knew it was where a young Arnold Schwarzenegger got his first big movie role, and I remember seeing parts of Conan The Destroyer as a kid, which makes sense as the sequel is far lighter and more kid-friendly than its predecessor, Conan The Barbarian.  In fact, I wasn’t really aware of the first movie until adulthood and didn’t see it until only two years ago.  I was vaguely aware of it, but always assumed when people mentioned Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan they were talking about the one I had seen.

I saw the 2011 Conan the Barbarian starring Jason Momoa before I saw the 1982 Arnold film as it was on Netflix streaming.  I remember it got mediocre reviews, but I found it to be a fun action-adventure-fantasy film.  I thought it must outshine the original, I had seen The Destroyer, and despite a fun feeling and a really cute Olivia D’Abo (as a kid that was a big selling point) it was clear the modern take was superior…until I finally saw the 1982 version weeks after I saw the 2011 version.

Conan the Adventurer

Many agree the original 1982 Conan the Barbarian is a terrific, grown-up, action-adventure film.  I agree, it is a great, great film; but during my viewing of it, I realized there are some big differences in storytelling circa 1982 and storytelling circa 2010.  This progression isn’t just strange, but also a little confusing as, in many cases, it feels almost like we’re taking steps forward in technology but steps backward in narrative.  It’s something that has been showing up in a lot of films/shows/stories recently, but as these two films are relatively fresh on my mind and display these differences in such bright clarity, I thought I would use the Conan the Barbarian films, 1982 and 2011, as case studies in how film making and storytelling have changed…not necessarily for the better.  I’ll steer clear of the Robert E. Howard source material, as not only is that digging into a different concept (printed stories versus movie adaptations), this mini-post-series is about narratives and trends in film making more than the Conan character.  I’ll start this week with quick mini-reviews of the two Conan films in question, I actually enjoy them both, but in case anyone hasn’t seen them, I thought a brief intro would be nice:

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

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This film was conceived as a possible vehicle for the then up-and-coming star Arnold Schwarzenegger.  After being impressed by the body builder’s persona in Pumping Iron, he was cast as the eponymous barbarian as the potential start of a franchise.  The film, directed by John Milius, also starred Sandahl Bergman and Gerry Lopez as Conan’s thieving allies, Valeria (who, along with Sorsha in Willow and Selene in the Underworld films is one of my favorite female characters ever) and Subotai (named for the most ferocious of Genghis Khan’s generals).  The story is mostly grounded in reality, as we follow Conan’s journey to find the man who slaughtered his village and sent him into slavery.  We see Conan the boy, the slave, the pit fighter, the thief, the warrior, and finally the hero.  The narrative takes Conan into conflict with Atlantean sorcerer Thulsa Doom (sorcerers were always the most dangerous to Howard’s Conan, as displayed by his arch nemesis Thoth Amon) played terrifically by James Earl Jones with a calm gravitas most villains lack nowadays.  Also appearing are legendary Japanese actor, Mako as a wizard and one of the best narrators in film history, and a cameo by Max von Sydow as King Osric who sets Conan’s band on the mission that finally puts him on collision course with Doom.  Directed with grandeur, acted with full-force, filled with amazing sets, and loaded with action, 1982’s Conan is what you want out of a “grown up” fantasy film and if you haven’t seen it go check it out now!

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

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This version stars Jason Momoa, fresh off his Game of Thrones part, as Conan in a story that shares some similarity with the 1982 film but diverges to become its own, distinct movie.  We see much more of Conan’s youth, see his father (played with power by Ron Perleman), and more of Cimmeria.  The film’s villain, Khalar Zym, destroys Conan’s village in search of a powerful magical relic that will bring back his necromancer wife.  We are then transported to adult-Conan’s life as a reaver and pirate, and we meet his allies Artus and later the thief Ela-Shan.  Conan’s “fate” brings him in contact with Princess Tamara and he has to protect her from Zym who needs her to complete his ritual.  The most interesting character is actually Zym’s witch daughter, Marique, portrayed with creepy perfection by Rose McGowan.  It too is filled with fun action, interesting venues, high-energy action.  While not as “complete” a film as the 1982 version, it is still a fun movie, Momoa certainly has the look of Conan, and the story is inventive.  Well worth a watch if you like modern fantasy action movies.

With one film made 30 years before the other, and since the latter is neither a direct sequel, nor a true reboot of the original franchise, it stands to reason a lot of differences in narrative, style, and characters would appear.  The next in this series will be a look at how the character traits of the Conans in their respective films differ, and how they may represent the prevailing trends of “heroism” during the time they were made.

Life Lessons from Video Games: Finding a Good Player 2 in a Beat em Up World!

On By James CastroIn Games, Opinions, Random FunLeave a comment

LifeLessonsHeaderIt’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but a recent conversation with my muse of a RevPub partner provided inspiration.  A lot of stock is placed on “multiplayer” in video games nowadays.  I admit, I don’t care for the feature for one simple reason: Anonymity.  Playing a game online to me is playing a video game in a chat room from the 90s.  Everyone is anonymous, which for some reason increases the a-hole quotient by 75% in about 85% of people.

In the arcade days, you had jerks that ran the machine, kids that tried to step up, and challenges face-to-face, but in the skating rink I played arcade games in people would get cocky, talk trash, and laugh about it later.  Even losing didn’t seem so bad.  With online gaming now, the lack of a person to play face-to-face with just makes a lot of people act 12 even if they’re 30…  With the prevalence of online gaming, it seems we’ve started missing out on one of my favorite kinds of gaming: two player games…the kind you play when you’re actually IN the same room as your player two.

When I first started home-gaming this was THE way to play many games — my favorite of which was the side-scrolling beat ‘em up.  My best friend Mike and I (friends for over 20 years) became good friends during games of Streets of Rage 2, Street Fighter II, and Final Fight.  My lovely but vicious RevPub counterpart, Raven, and I played the new Double Dragon Neon and proved how effective we could be as a fighting team, as well as a writing team.  You learn a lot about the people you play with during the course of these games.  I submit that you can tell whether someone could be a good friend, fair-weather friend, or mortal enemy based on how they behave during a side-scrolling beat ‘em up.  It’s the basics of life in a microcosm of 16-bit simulation.  Here are some benefits to playing these games with perspective friends, co-workers, mates, whatever.  It’s a great relationship barometer.  So just some basic thoughts on finding (and being) a good player 2 in a beat ’em up world:

Cardinal Rule of two-player side scrolling beat ’em ups: NO friendly fire! Working as a team is pretty easy.  You can even do team moves, but you start punching me on purpose in the game someone’s getting hurt out of game!

Axel is whacking Blaze…with a weapon no less. Breaking the cardinal rule of co-op beat em up gaming!

1.)    Does everyone share the Found Food? There’s really an etiquette to this.  Found food power ups go to the person with the lowest health, or failing that, the one with the weakest constitution (usually the girl or kid character…sorry PC people) if a player rushes in to take that roast turkey when you’re in the red and they’ve got nearly full yellow they might be the “out for themselves” type.

Streets of Rage 2 Turkey
Roasted fowl found on the street. It’s good for everyone!

2.)    Similarly, how are found weapons treated? Did you know weapons can be found EVERYWHERE?  Trash cans, mail boxes, phone booths; everything hides a weapon.  Two players with weapons are a juggernaut of insurmountable proportions. Beware the second player who drops his or her pipe (thereby maybe making it mysteriously vanish) to grab the recently found sword rather than keeping his pipe so you can have the sword and making a stronger team.

From the SoR remake. Axel with a pipe, Blaze with a knife. Life is good.

3.)    A good friend won’t leave you in the midst of a multithug pummeling.  Even if it means taking half the damage, the idea behind two player co-op is twice the enemies, twice the damage.  Good player twos are there to thrash and get thrashed in turn right there with you.

Streets of Rage 2 bosses…and yep good player 2’s would be right there with you!

4.)    If player two ever says “Ok, I’ll let them target me…it’ll give you the chance to take them out…” they’re a keeper.  We all need more friends like these.  As long as they don’t hog all your shared continues…

Shiva…anyone willing take take hits from this guy for you is a true friend…

5.)    Real friends will avenge your untimely demise by viciously beating your assailant into blinking pixels.  If you drop dead from a well-placed punch, kick, pipe, sword, barrel, whatever, a good player two should turn into Wolverine in a berserker rage and, in the words of Mack from, Predator cut your name into them!

Cody’s Down, Haggar to the Rescue.

With Wil Wheaton’s Table Top bringing tabletop gaming back into vogue, I can only hope Felicia/Ryon Day’s show Co-Optitude can do the same for playing video games in person!

Story of the Month: My Date with Sue the T-Rex

On By James CastroIn Short Stories, Story of the MonthLeave a comment

StoryoftheMonthIn September of 2013, I had the good fortune of getting to go to Schaumburg, Illinois, on business.  I’d never been to Illinois before and being so close to Chicago was a great opportunity.

A lot of people had advice on what I should do when I get there.  I should go to the Navy Pier, go to a ball game, or definitely try the food.  The only thing I wanted to do in Chicago, since I had only a short window of time, was see Sue the Tyrannosaurus at the Field Museum — one of the most complete T-Rex skeletons ever found.  Being a lifelong fan of dinosaurs and a fan of the Dresden Files, it was the one thing I had to see.

The work-related training course I attended in Schaumburg ended early on the last day, and I set off to the city.  My hotel had no courtesy van, so I called a taxi and paid the 20 bucks (yeah) to get to the nearest train station.  When I got there, I found the station itself was closed but a woman I met there said, “Don’t worry you can buy tickets on the train.”  When the train showed up I got on, got my card ready, and told the ticket guy I needed one to Chicago.  He took one look and said, “We don’t take cards.”  I explained I didn’t know and the station was closed, he didn’t seem perturbed, but said, “Well, you’ll know for next time.”  It didn’t help too much and I felt like I’d stolen a ride, but the fact that it was a cash-only enterprise and used hole-punchers like the Wetzel’s Pretzels discount card I got at the Woodfield Mall was a little unusual and very different from my last experience with mass transit in Washington DC!  I was lucky the ticket guy was nice; it must happen a lot.

I rode into town with my head down (since I was a ride-moocher) knowing essentially where I had to go.  Walk east from the station and I’m not too far from the Field.  It would be a good walk, but I had all day, and how often am I in Chicago?

Once I got to the station in the city, I got out the GPS on my cellphone and started walking.  Trusting my GPS, I immediately turned a couple times and traveled along a road for which I couldn’t find a street sign to name it.  I passed some interesting city blocks and traveled a bit before I saw something that was awry.  I passed small coffee shops and a place that packed eggs…it didn’t look like I thought it would.  I saw a few buildings in the distance that I thought might be the outskirts of the town and thought, “I was further out than I thought.”  I kept walking, then took a right, and out of the corner of my right eye, I saw the city…

Now I should mention I live in Nashville, which I always describe as a medium-sized city with a small-town mentality and big-city problems.  Chicago as it turns out is a MASSIVE urban center.  The kind that you really can’t miss…unless you start walking WEST on Randolph Street from Ogilvie Station and take a right on Aberdeen.  In my narcissistic mind I had been walking a certain direction…so I just assumed it HAD to be correct!  Finally spotting one of America’s hardest-to-miss cities, I headed east on until I hit a dead end then snaked around until I got to Fulton and headed North on Desplaines.  Once I got to Grand Avenue, I stuck to it like glue and headed east all the way to Lake Michigan.

Once I saw the Navy Pier I knew I was golden…however I also knew the Navy Pier was north of the Field.  I turned south and started walking, keeping the lake to my left.  I added the sounds of sea gull caws and rigging clattering to my audio repertoire and spotted the Field in the far distance.  I admit I was getting tired, but the idea of seeing Sue kept me going.

I finally got to the large, well-kept park outside the museum and headed up the cleanly cut hills to the Field steps.  Once I got to the museum, I saw a sign that said “The Field will close at 4pm, last admittance will be at 330” for an apparent event.  It was 3:27…I had JUST made it.

When I got in the woman at the desk said to someone, “There are more coming in. I’m taking this one and the next one and that’s it.”  She told me the museum was only going to be open til 4, I said that was fine, and she let me in and the person who came in behind me.

But there was Sue, standing tall in the center of the museum.  There were tables and serving areas being set up everywhere, but I didn’t mind.  I took pic after pic to make sure I had all the angles.  I visited the gift shop, got an “I saw Sue” pin and a T-shirt…and left, all in under the 30 minutes I had until the museum closed.

I then walked back (went to the wrong station, I ended up at AmTrak instead of Ogilvie…it was at that point I decided I’d get a MAP instead of a GPS next time…) and got back to Schaumburg around 6.

I’m looking forward to going back to Chicago to see all the things I walked by at a good clip to get to the museum or to the train station home.  I know how to get train tickets and what it costs to get from point A to point B (and generally how to get there) so it’ll be MUCH better next time.

I learned a lot from this trip, which turned a less-than 3-mile walk into an 8-10 mile adventure of narcissism, faulty technology, and idiocy.

In the end, Sue was very worth it…but I had to leave her in Chicago, probably for the best.  It wouldn’t have worked out anyway, long distance isn’t good for any relationship.  Plus, I think she may be a little too big bone-ded for me anyway 😉

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Off the Top of My Head: On Self-Improvement

On By James CastroIn OpinionsLeave a comment

Off The Top of My Head

There’s a lot of talk this time of year about “resolutions” and self-improvement.  I took a moment to look back at things over the last year to review a big change I made and see if it can help others in a similar situation.

I spent nine years, 2003-2012, giving everything I could to an organization.  Though it was a government organization and not known for productivity, I did pride myself on doing everything I could to be the exception to the stereotype of “lazy government workers.”  I wasn’t alone; there were a lot of us there actually who worked very hard to ensure our overall mission was accomplished.  I always felt doing the job well was more important than minor rewards, and it wasn’t until I began speaking with people who didn’t work where I did that I realized how bad things actually were.  I had been there nearly a decade, was essentially a group leader, volunteered to be a committee chair, accepted lots of extra work and challenges, and had received praise for work I’d done in all aspects of my job…and still made about 25K a year.

My last year there I felt things became clearer.  Maybe I was naïve for a long time, or maybe the environment changed.  I was told a lot of conflicting things about why I could be moved into a semi-supervisory position but not paid for it.  I found out how much money was wasted around the place on silly things like mobile electronic devices, new staff, and PC replacements.  All while people were doing hard work for little money and others did very little work for quite a bit.  I became pretty angry, disillusioned, and disgusted with the place.  I was told, point blank, “We can’t do what we do here without you” only to be immediately told, “You aren’t qualified for any more money,” but I WAS qualified to do the work…just not get paid for it.

I soon realized that maybe I shouldn’t be angry at the place I worked.  Yes, they were taking advantage of hard workers by paying them peanuts, piling them up with work, and telling them they wish they could provide raises…but never doing it.  That all seems like grounds to be angry…but really I was angry with myself.  I complained a LOT about the situation…but never did anything to change it.  So when I had the chance, provided by the all-too-important contact who knows something, to break free and start, day one, making more than 10k a year more than I was at the previous place, I surprised everyone, including myself by taking the chance.  I was nervous. I don’t deal well with change. I didn’t know much about the job, but I was still confident.  I was still me.  I’d still give my all to learn it and do it as well as I could.  And within my first few weeks at the new place, a supervisor from another department came to see a database I built in my spare time that my supervisor mentioned to him.  He came over saying “I was told you made something for us I just had to see…”  No one claimed credit or tried to take possession, they just came by to see how it could be used.  My first evaluation at the new job I was told how much I was appreciated and even rewarded for the work I do.  It CAN happen.

So what was the point of this semi-rant?  I know a LOT of people are where I was in 2012.  They’re stuck in a situation they don’t like but put up with it because it’s what’s “familiar” or easy.  And it is easy. It’s MUCH easier to talk about how you need to change and what you wish was better.  It’s harder to do something about it.  But you CAN do it, and if it’s affecting you to an extent that it intrudes on your life outside of the situation no one can change it but you.  No one owed me anything at my old job.  I allowed it to be what it was.  No one owes me anything at my new job or anywhere else.  Changes occur for those who seek them and stop talking about how they need a change and actually change.

I’ve found it works in all aspects of life.  So the next time you start to think “I hate my job/situation/whatever” stop thinking and start doing something about it.  If someone as riddled with crippling OCDs and neuroses as me can do it, anyone can!

So happy New Year, RevPub readers.  Here’s to a fresh start for those who want it!

RevPub Christmas Special Favorites: Part 1

On By James CastroIn Opinions, TV ShowsLeave a comment

Back in October, we here at RevPub shared are favorite Halloween specials. In the spirit of that, we decided to share our favorite Christmas/holiday specials as well.  Though Halloween still has most of our favorite specials, Christmas isn’t entirely left out and can produce some great, memorable moments as well.  Here they are:

Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987):  This is one of the most memorable from my childhood, though I only remember seeing it once, maybe twice.  It was the height of claymation in the 80s after the California Raisins hit it big in their TV commercials.  I loved this special — doo-wop, camels, the self-striking bells, and the “wassailing” lyrics runner.  Of course my favorite, being the person I am, were the dinosaur hosts, Rex (the actor sounds like he’s doing a George Plimpton impersonation) and Herb the Styracosaurus.  I just rewatched it for the first time in probably over 20 years, it’s still a great show.

A Garfield Christmas Special (1987):  I still love all things Garfield.  While this one has a more sappy ending than most Garfield stories (even the orange feline himself acknowledges it!) it is still one of my childhood favorites that still holds up.  From the “gift that keeps on giving,” to the “doc boy, doc boy, doc boy” runner, and of course Odie’s gift exchange.  Even the music’s good!  I hope they still show this one every year!

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (1989): It’s not the strongest episode of the veritable TV family, but it was the first time they broke out from shorts on the Tracy Ullman Show and had their own 30 minutes to fill.  It’s still a great episode, and because it’s early in their lifetime, it feels more like an animated sitcom than a zany cartoon.  The voices are still works in progress and the animation a little primitive, but it’s still a great show and takes you back to the basics of what made the Simpsons a hit.

MST3k Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1991) and Santa Claus (1993):  I have distinct memories of watching these two episodes on Christmas Eve night during that “can’t sleep” phase of Christmas.  Martians is completely absurd but perfect for riffing, and contains a number of hilarious runners, my favorite being “head butt” when the martians touch heads.  Santa Claus is a goldmine of humor, from the creepiness of Santa’s cloud-spy lair, his horrible laughing reindeer, and the weirdo antagonist, “Pitch” the devil.  It also has a quote that sticks in my mind, “Santa has the power to reverse film!”

Futurama Xmas Story (1999), A Tale of Two Santas (2001), Futurama Holiday Spectacular (2010), and the holiday song in Bender’s Big Score (2007):  ALL of Futurama’s holiday episodes are brilliant shows about the nature of the holidays.  They are also so dark that even the creators comment during the audio commentaries “wow, we shouldn’t have been able to air this!”  But they are so wonderful.  Where else can you see a robot Santa who judges EVERYONE to be naughty and tries to gun them down?  Or Hanukkah Zombie (voiced by Mark Hamill) or Kwanzaa Bot, voiced by effin’ Coolio! (who’s been giving out the same book What the Hell is Kwanza? for 647 years!)  Watch them with a sense of humor and they won’t disappoint.

Honorable Mention: AVGN’s Bible Games (2006), Bible Games II (2009), and Bible Games III (2012): I found the first of these episodes RIGHT after I found AVGN.  They are some of the best and most entertaining Internet videos out there.  They have throwing baby Moses in the water, “Sunday Fun Day,” and the great word search in the Game Boy version of the King James Bible. Definitely give them a watch to lighten the holiday mood!

My Christmas List

On By James CastroIn Music, Opinions, Reviews, TV ShowsLeave a comment

Off The Top of My Head

My lovely and talented RevPub colleague posted her favorite and least favorite parts of the holiday season.  In the same spirit, I thought I’d do a short and less creative list of my top five favorite holiday films, with a little bonus of holiday music at the bottom.

Christmas movies tend to follow a typical pattern, usually revolving around the “miracle” of Christmas and/or togetherness.  That’s all well and good, but like any cliche it can get less entertaining as it’s used repeatedly in both movies and TV specials.  Of course any “Christmas” movie will have that theme somewhere in it, but the ones I like tend to be the ones that either give that a twist (without devolving into pure anti-holiday, which seems like an easy way out in films) or use the holiday premise to make what might seem like a NON-holiday movie.  Here they are, my top five Christmas movies!

5.) Die Hard:  I used to say this was one of my top Christmas movies in high school and people looked at me like I was crazy.  “That’s not a Christmas movie!”  Since then, it’s kind of become accepted as indeed being a Christmas movie.  The whole movie is set around the holidays (that’s why John McClain went to visit his wife after all) and references are made to Christmas all throughout (“It’s Christmas, Theo, it’s the time for miracles,” Run DMCs “Christmas in Hollis” at the beginning, and the holiday tape John uses at the end).  Though the sequels diminished the premise, the original stands as one of the best action movies, and one of the most non-traditional, but still traditional, holiday films.

4.) The Ref: During the height of Dennis Leary’s MTV/standup rant-off, this movie came out as a good vehicle for the fast-talking comedian.  Starring Leary, Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis, and a great ensemble cast of character actors, the film revolves around a cat burglar who bungles a job and has to take the world’s most dysfunctional family hostage.  You have bickering spouses, annoyed relatives, and the mother-in-law from hell; all while we sympathize with Gus, Leary’s character, trying to remain in control.  It’s far from perfect, but full of SO many great moments (two words: Sink Sprayer), and is so much fun it has always been a Christmas favorite.

3.) Home Alone: I went through a period in high school of Home Alone hate.  I remembered it as Macaulay Culkin running around screaming.  It wasn’t until last year that I came full circle and realized what a great Christmas movie it is.  Probably the “most traditional” (whatever that means) movie on the list, everyone knows the premise and knows it has the “miracle” ending, but in between there is so many hilarious and memorable scenes; Angels with Dirty Faces used on visitors, the “Rocking around the Christmas Tree” automated party, great dialogue exchanges (Marv: “Yeah kids are scared of the dark…”  Harry: “You’re afraid of the dark too, Marv…”), and of course the booby trap bonanza at the end.  Some consider it schmaltzy, but it is so much fun and emotional without being overly so it holds up better than ever.

2.) Lion in Winter: I came to this film relatively late.  Obviously, a kid won’t be interested in a dialogue-heavy period piece from 1968, but college-me found how amazing this film is.  Starring Peter O’Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Dalton, and a bevy of other terrific English actors, it’s set around Christmas time at the court of Henry II.  He lets his rebellious wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, out for Christmas and the two of them scheme over who will inherit Henry’s kingdom (the noble but devious Richard or the dimwitted but supposedly-loyal John, middle son Geoffrey is largely overlooked).  Though the premise is kinds and queens, it is actually just another messed-up family at Christmas and that’s what makes it great.  I’ve never had a kingdom to bequeath, but many of us have seen parents bickering, kids taking sides, and random shocking admissions during family get-togethers.  It’s an absolutely brilliant film, and one of my favorite movies, in addition to being a great holiday movie.

1.) TIE Scrooged & Nightmare Before Christmas: Richard Donner’s great retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is still my favorite Christmas movie.  Perfectly cast, perfectly acted, wonderful moments of both emotion and humor.  My RevPub counterpart did a masterly review on it previously and rather than just say it all again, here are her comments.  I’ll just add, “I agree!”  Nightmare Before Christmas is great because it’s both a Halloween and Christmas movie.  It has all the terrific imagery of a Tim Burton film and explores the nature of one’s true-self and personal happiness.  Even though it doesn’t have the typical “Christmas miracle” message, instead substituting a message of finding your place in your own world.  It has wonderful music, a great story, and is perfect for TWO holidays!

Christmas Music:

Christmas music tends to have a grating effect on my psyche.  There are only a couple notable exceptions and here they are in no particular order:

3.) Anything Heavy Metal: Raven posted a hard rock version of my favorite traditional Christmas song on her Good Things About Christmas post, and I tend to like the heavy rock versions of Christmas songs.

2.) Tales from the Crypt: Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas:  My friend Kate at my previous job introduced me to this album.  It is ridiculous, goofy, and sometimes so bad it’s good (the Crypt Keeper was like that…his puns…) but it’s so dark and wonderful, and a great change of pace for the holidays!

1.) John Denver and the Muppets A Christmas Together: My family doesn’t have a LOT of holiday traditions, but this is one.  Every Christmas during the present opening we played this album.  I know Muppet versions better than original versions of almost all of the songs on the album!  I still play it at least once every year, and it’s one of those things that truly takes me back to that time when the world was simple, and sparkling lights and decorations made the world that much better of a place.