Irrelevant But Awesome

First and foremost this month, we need to address that December is usually full of movies that are trying to win an Oscar, which means that while there technical release date falls somewhere in December, it’s usually a limited release date with the wide release happening sometime early in the next year. So while we will be categorizing this by release date, it’s very possible that some of the following movies will not be available in your local theater until early in 2017. That being said, let’s jump into the lineup for December. December 2nd: Jackie: Natalie Portman Plays First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the days following the Assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. It’s not really a biopic as it only focuses on that one brief moment in her life, but it looks to be a powerful film that addresses a lot of things most people didn’t even consider about those days. In addition to grieving for her husband, Jackie Kennedy had to console her children, prepare to leave her home (sinc...

Joel:   I like how rarely the Bartlet children are in the show. It would be very easy to make The West Wing a family drama where the family in question just happens to be a first family. I’m not saying that that version would be bad, in fact there is probably a good family drama to be made about the First Family. But I’m glad that for the purposes of this show, Bartlet is a President first and a father second. Still, it’s nice to every once in awhile bring in the whole family with all the potential chaos and see what happens. Christmas is a good moment to have that story in the show and it also helps out the writers. For the first few seasons of the show, the Sorkin years, the Christmas episode always seemed to be addressing something very dramatic, very heavy and emotional, and it’s a scary pair of shoes to fill when writing your first post-Sorkin Christmas episode. The family drama allows the writers to put something in there that would only make sense as a Christmas episod...

Joel:  Most of Sorkin’s characters tend to have issues with their fathers. In each of his shows, at least one person seems to be estranged from their father, had issues as a child, or something that will cause a problem when their father shows up. In The West Wing we already have Bartlet’s father issues that we’ve explored in great detail, and Sam’s issue with his father which took up an episode in an earlier season. Charlie’s father abandoned his family. Now, Toby’s father is showing up, and what do you know? There is a strained relationship between the two and Toby wants nothing to do with his father. Not that Toby’s issues with his father aren’t valid, but you have to notice the recurring theme of sons disappointed in their fathers that seems to ring true through this whole show. In other news, Danny’s back! I’m honestly quite thrilled to have Danny back, but we only get fun Danny for maybe one scene before it’s all business, and Danny is going to uncover the secret eve...

Merry Christmas Eve! I justed wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays for today and tomorrow. Fingers crossed for those of us in North Carolina. There's a chance of flurries tomorrow...the first white Christmas most of us have seen. I hope everyone gets some fabulous nerdy presents from their families and friends. I hope everyone's had the chance to give some fabulous nerdy presents to their families and friends. As the only nerd in a non-nerd family Christmas is an interesting time. Having to explain the significance of a t-shirt or other nerdy item can be difficult. Especially when it's a gift they bought me. I got a Doctor Who shirt from Mom and Dad last year. Mom didn't have a clue and Dad only had a vague idea what it meant. But I think it's nice that even though they don't understand, they're still willing to get me what I want. At the moment Mom is giving me a funny look for still watching Syfy's Christmas Eve Next Generation marathon. ...