Classic of the Month: Holy Moly...

it's a ghost! Marley's ghost, to be exact, and I'm ready to romp the streets with him and his three buddies, Past, Present, and Future, as they tramatize and otherwise scare the begeebies out of old Scrooge, in Dickens' ever-loved novel, The Christmas Carol. (Come back to this post by clicking on The Christmas Carol displayed on my sidebar for the latest update on my reading!)

I'm reading this one for several reasons:

1) I've never actually read it.

2) I'm just a bit short of being a HUGE Dickens fan; I loved Great Expectations and enjoyed Tale of Two Cities, plus, though I haven't read the book yet, I love the story of Nicholas Nickleby.

3) It fits in with the Christmas Reading Challenge set up by Michelle at The True Book Addict.

4) It fits in with my new Classic of the Month feature! (Ta da!)

& 5) IT'S CHRISTMAS!!! How can you not?



But, as a bonus for this otherwise meatless post, here's my first movie review ever on TrueHarbour: the new A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey!

The family and I went to see this blockbuster the week it first came out, complete with 3D glasses and giant Diet Cokes. The first thing I have to say is: Wow, the 3D! I've been to one or two in the past, but they weren't very impressive. With this one, literally in the first 30 seconds all of us were breathless with the shockingly realistic visuals. The burning candles, the pages of the book were so close, I knew I could touch them when I reached out. I felt that I was in the scene for most of the movie, and was thrilled that this remake actually made me rethink both the actual story and the themes that Dickens tried so hard to promote when he originally wrote it. (There were actually bits where I cried!)

This is not a happy-go-lucky version like one imagines with A Muppet's Christmas Carol (a lovely version, mind you). Carrey's Scrooge is simple: a sad, bruised old man who seeks to shut out both the world and his own memories, who clings to the one thing in his life that has never failed him: his money. Carrey and the filmmakers bring a fresh perspective on the classic miser, and create a dark, but ultimately hopeful story that will be a memorable film for a long time. I highly recommend it for families (though younger children won't find it entertaining; the kids with us were quite terrified in certain parts). Parents, especially, will find this film to have many, many emphasized Christian themes which make for great discussions with children.

Go see it this weekend with your family; you'll have a blast!

P.S. I'm posting this today despite my declared week-long hiatus only because I forgot to post this last week like I promised in my Full Sail post. Now I'm returning to my lion's den of Finals homework.... See you next week...if I survive!