saffym

This has got to be one of the most underrated, under-appreciated Christmas specials out there. Granted, the animation isn't fantastic, but the story and songs more than make up for that. I watch it every year and the songs "Give Your Heart a Try" and "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" still make me tear up when I hear them. It's a simple message of following your heart instead of your head even when you should know better. It's not as well-known as Frosty or Rudolph (both of which I love, by the way), but given the choice among the three I'd watch "Twas the Night Before Christmas" every time. A great special not only for kids but for adults who want to feel like kids for 25 minutes or so.

My local PBS station just recently started airing My Family as part of its Saturday night lineup of British comedies. I've only seen about half a dozen episodes from series one, but I already love it. Being a huge fan of all kinds of British comedy from Fawlty Towers to The Vicar of Dibley to Mr. Bean to The Office, I was eager to see something new and I haven't been disappointed yet. Ben Harper's grouchy, sour view of everything and everyone around him is very funny without being grating or annoying. Like many others, I absolutely adore Nick, his facial expressions alone are priceless. It looks like My Family went on for quite a few years and I for one am glad to know that I'll be able to see new (to me, at least) episodes for some time to come.

Being a fan of MST3K, I have seen more than my share of bad movies. That being said, this has to be one of the most excruciatingly awful experiences ever captured on celluloid. The acting is horrendous and the so-called plot is completely incomprehensible. The scene with the séance and the Chinese "ghost" should offend the common decency of anyone with an I.Q. over 10. Everything about this movie (and I use that word very generously) is bad, bad, bad. Anyone who attempts to watch this without the support system of Mike, Crow and Tom should have the makings of a pretty good class action lawsuit against everyone responsible for or involved with this tripe.