If you're like many people, every Christmas season, you watch your favorite Christmas-themed movies. Mine are "Elf," "Santa Claus: The Movie," "Home Alone," "Miracle on 34th Street" (both versions), and "Die Hard" (of course!). The very best Christmas story of all time, however, is Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." 

The story of miser Ebenezer Scrooge, a tyrant and general jerk who is visited by the ghost of Marley, his deceased business partner, followed by three ghosts on Christmas Eve is a beautiful tale of misery and redemption. It's a perfect reminder to us about the true spirit of Christmas - and that it's never too late for us to change for the better. As a result of the over-arching moral themes and charming plot, this book has been adapted over and over again for film and television. 

My favorite version is the one with Alistair Sim that was released in 1951...it's shown on network TV every year. One of the joys I've discovered with Netflix DVDs is that there are so many - and each has its own charm. Scrooge was played as a straight drama by such greats as Reginald Owen (1938), Patrick Stewart (1999), George C. Scott (1984), Michael Hordern (1977), Seymour Hicks (silent - 1913), Kelsey Grammer (2004), and even Marlo Thomas as Ebby Scrooge (1977), to name just a few. Of course, there are comedies as well - the best being "Scrooged," with Bill Murray (1988). Untold numbers of animated versions were created, like "Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol" (1962) and Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983). Jim Carrey even made an animated version in 2009. Several TV shows produced special episodes with the "Christmas Carol" story line, like "Doctor Who," "Sanford and Son," "Beavis and Butthead," and "Blackadder." The best TV adaptation comes from "Family Ties," in which Alex Keaton (Michael J. Fox) sees the error of his "bah, humbug" ways, and buys his family unusual gifts from the local convenience store. 

Personally, I never get tired of being walked through a full range of human emotion as the ghosts walk Scrooge through his life. The moment when Scrooge realizes that he can and wants to be a better person, and when he sees how that affects everyone his life -- never ceases to bring out the tears. There isn't anyone who can't learn from any adaptation of "A Christmas Carol." You can find many of these on the Netflix DVD service (http://www.dvd.com), and get your Scrooge on during December - or any month! Just search for "A Christmas Carol" or "Scrooge," and you'll be able to choose from all your favorite actors - and many that you haven't heard of. 

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I have loved horror films since I was a child. I recall watching old Vincent Price films on Sunday afternoon, my favorite being "House on Haunted Hill." When the skeleton came dancing out of the vat of acid, I always watched through my fingers - but I did watch every time. From "The Fly" to "The Tingler," Price sent chills up and down my spine every time he spoke. I was fortunate to have met him when I was 15 after seeing him perform as Fagin in a stage production of "Oliver!" Even now, 25 years after his death, hearing the deep tones of Dr. Phibes' organ sends my hands up in front of my eyes.

Along with a love of horror films comes an enjoyment of everything scary that comes out for Halloween. Several years after first subscribing to Netflix DVDs, I decided to make a concerted effort to watch as many horror films as possible in October. Netflix offered all of my Vincent Price favorites (over 55 titles at this time), so I loaded up on them for the entire month. I enjoyed the impromptu film festival so much that I decided to repeat it the next year - watching as many Price movies as I could cram in between family and work. With a quick shuffle of my Netflix queue - they just kept coming. For over 10 years, I've been leaning heavily on Neflix (http://www.dvd.com/20years) for my horror film addiction. 

The third year, I tried something different - finishing off the AFI top 100 Thrills, which included a lot of horror and drama. The fourth year, I went for films with weird titles, like "Cockneys vs. Zombies" and "Dead and Breakfast." Most of them were so bad they were really good. That level of "bad" quality did not extend to the fourth year, when I went for films that were sequels. As you may suspect - they were bad bad. "Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan" and "Poltergeist 3" were so bad that I ditched the theme in the middle of the month and just watched whatever horror film I wanted. 

Over the years, I've really enjoyed most of the themes I chose, and I started sharing my October Horror Film Fest adventures with my social media friends, often posting reviews for each horror film. I was able to introduce young people to old black-and-white classics like Frankenstein and Nosferatu, later classics like "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Dunwich Horror," and a lot of my favorites like "King Kong" and "The Mummy" (the old and new versions of both). 

Last year's theme was "...of the Dead." Sure, I had "Night of the Living Dead," "Dawn of the Dead," and "Sean of the Dead." If you're looking for new films to watch, though, don't miss "Juan of the Dead," "Night of the Living Bread," and "Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead." 

One more aspect of the October Horror Fest: I'm working my way through all of the discs of the "Dark Shadows" soap opera of the sixties. My mother watched it all the time and I loved it. Netflix DVD has so many seasons that you'll never run out! 

You don't have to do horror - but pick your favorite genre, pick a month, and queue up a bunch of DVDs!

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If you only watch blockbuster movies, you miss some real gems. If I had never rented "Brigsby Bear" from Netflix, I would have never seen the preview for "Maudie," and that would have been a great loss. Not only would I have never seen the movie, I wouldn't have known about the life and artwork of Maud Lewis. 

"Maudie" is the true story of Nova Scotian folk artist Maud Lewis, whose colorful paintings have been increasingly popular in her later years. The oils are far from the most interesting thing about her, though. Sally Hawkins is amazing as Maud, who had rheumatoid arthritis and an "odd sense about her." Ethan Hawke is her (future) husband, also a loner and town oddball, who takes Maud in as a housekeeper. Both are almost unrecognizable as they melt into their respective parts. 

Sometimes sad, sometimes touching, sometimes angry - "Maudi" captures the hard road for Maud Lewis as she struggles to win even an ounce of respect from her family and, at the beginning, from Everett. When Maud starts working at Everett's house, they each have a lot of growing to do even to get along with the one other person who needs them. They grow closer, but even their version of "close" is unusual. When Maud's paintings become quite popular, they don't change a thing. They live in the same tiny house without electricity, living on only the bare necessities...but Maud starts painting the walls, and it becomes a work of art itself. 

In fact, the movie itself uses very simple scenery, costumes, and dialogue to tell what ends up being a very lovely story. Half of Ethan Hawke's lines are old school Canadian fisherman "grunts," but they say a lot in the context of the film. The couple's house is small and cramped, just like Maud...and we see it come to life as she paints its walls, just like she comes to life as she paints more and more...not becoming stronger physically, but emotionally.

Sally Hawkins gave a very strong performance in "Maudie," but she played almost the same character in "The Shape of Water," for which she earned an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination. In my opinion, this was a much more transformative role and deserved a stronger nod.  Canadian film festival goers loved it, giving it several film festival awards. I hope that some day, US film goers appreciate "Maudie" as much as I do. 

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I have been a classic movie fan since I was a small child. There was nothing to do on Sunday afternoon except watch old movies on our local affiliate TV station, and it seemed like they played the same 20 movies all over again. Foreign films, comedies, epics, horror - I learned to love it all. Typically, I had to wait for these movies to randomly come on TV and, because DVRs weren't a thing yet, I had to watch them when they were on. I was on Thanksgiving break in 2004 when I heard about Netflix. All I had to do was choose some movies, they'd send them to me, I watched them, and I'd send them back and get more. It seemed unbelievable - especially since I saw what they had available - which was pretty much everything!

I jumped in feet first, and before long, my first two movies were on their way: "Kill Bill 2"  and "Akira Kurosawa's Dreams" - both of which I rated five stores and have remained in my list of top movies of all time. Before long, I had a mailbox full of foreign film like "Blue," "The Decalogue," and another that is still one of my favorites: "I am Cuba." Every disc I received had the potential to be amazing...or a dud. The best part was that no matter what - I could send it back and get another quickly. 

In a few months, I took a chance on a black-and-white Indian film from 1958: "Pather Panchali." This film is the first of a trilogy directed by Satiyajit Ray. The story is simple - the head of a very poor family has to leave and take a job elsewhere, leaving his wife and two children to the elements. When he returns, his heart is broken to find that things didn't go as well as he had hoped. The cinematography was so lovely, and the story so simple and heartbreaking, that I devoured it and the other two in the trilogy:  "Aparajito" and "The World of Apu." I stepped a bit forward in Indian film with "Sholay" (1975), "Black," and "Dil Chanta Hai." I moved from drama, to comedy, and finally the inevitable step in Indian film: Bollywood musicals. Eventually, I saw a movie that changed my life: "Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" starring one of the top Indian actors: Sharukh Khan. I leapt headfirst into Bollywood with Shahrukh, through "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai," "Om Shanti Om," and my favorite, "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi." I became such an Indian film buff that I never ceased to shock my co-workers from India with my knowledge of their film industry. Now, I use my love of Bollywood to make friends with co-workers and friends who are far from home and come to my city to work. It really is a small world, and Netflix DVD helped me make it a little smaller! 

Celebrate 20 years of Netflix DVDs with me by renting a Shahrukh Khan movie! 

20years.dvd.com/

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"Did you hear that? Jeff, are you 'Boston Strong'?" Jeff Bauman is nothing but strong, as we see in the 2017 movie, "Stronger," starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Bauman. 

The buildup to the accident is very quick, because that isn't what this movie is about. We see a quick exchange with his Costco co-workers, a brief scene with his girlfriend, and then we're at the 2013 Boston Marathon. The explosion is seen from afar, and there is no gore. In a scene or two, he's waking up in the hospital having had his legs amputated above the knees.

There aren't any politics, or gossip, or celebrity appearances. This is not a gratuitous movie to please your inner voyeur. It's a heartfelt retelling of the difficulty of Bauman's recovery, and I am sure that it doesn't even scratch the surface. 

One of the hardest scenes to watch is one where Bauman is trying to do a simple task - use the bathroom. Bauman's family fills the living room of his home, cheering on the Boston Red Sox and yelling through the door every time they see "Boston Strong" on a baseball bat or sign. Meanwhile, Bauman is on the floor just trying to tear off a few sheets of toilet paper by himself. His family throughout the movie enjoys the attention, but fails to give Jeff the kind of physical and emotional support he needs. When Bauman turns down an interview with Oprah Winfrey because the publicity is too much, they push back hard rather than trying to figure out how he feels. 

This movie is just as much about Jeff Bauman's girlfriend, Erin Hurley, as it is about him. She's the one who was running the Boston Marathon when the bombs went off. In the movie, she was almost at the finish line, but in reality, she was about a mile away. The race took place during one of their many breakups, and her feelings of guilt, anger, fear, and responsibility weighed heavy on her mind - and on their relationship. 

Ultimately, we get a glimpse into what it means to be an accidental celebrity. Bauman is approached everywhere he goes, yet gets out of traffic tickets and gets to throw out the first pitch for the Boston Red Sox. It's a mixed bag of emotions, but at the end of the day, he still has to do all of the recovery work himself. 

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Wow - I was not expecting this movie at all. I heard of "Brigsby Bear" (2017) from a Facebook group that discusses Netflix DVDs. It was recommended as the brainchild of Kyle Mooney of Saturday Night Live. Two minutes in, I saw that it also stars Mark Hamill, it takes place in a weird universe where James has only seen one TV show ever, and it's one produced for him by the parents who abducted him. It's a very clever take on a Truman Show type situation where the lead character has been duped his whole life, and has to figure out how to deal with reality. He does this by trying to continue the story line on his own. 

This movie is definitely a comedy, but the situations are very poignant as well. I've only seen Mooney on SNL through skits and his videos, and I'm amazed at the talent he has. James doesn't know anything - he's been locked up since he was abducted as a small child. His first Coke, his first experience with a dog, his weird dinner rituals instilled in him by his faux parents...Mooney is excellent at being a confused young man unsure about his present...much less his future. Jorge Lendeborg, Jr., of Spider-Man: Homecoming plays James' new friend Spencer, a supportive guy who serves as co-writer and cameraman for the new Brigsby movie.

Ryan Simpkins and Alexa Demie are James' real sister and her friend, who are a little scared of him, yet they go along on his quest to revive the Brigsby show in movie form. The enthusiasm for Brigsby that James has is infectious, not only to his fellow characters, but to us as well. I found that I wished Brigsby was a real show. It sounds, as James says many times, "dope as sh*t." The ending is just as sweet and funny as the rest of the movie. 

I won't give away any plot points, because many of the scenes are straight out of any given thriller or 80s teenage romances, but they always have a twist that makes you love "Brigsby" more. I'm not the only one who loves this movie - the USA National Board of Review voted it one of the best Independent films of 2017, and was a nominee for the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. I cannot wait to see what Mooney does next.

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As a connoisseur of fine horror and thriller films, I am very familiar with director Chan-wook Park. The second film in his revenge trilogy, Oldboy, has one of the best ending twists I've ever seen. Understandably, I had high expectations of The Handmaiden (not to be confused with The Handmaid's Tale). I was thrilled to find this on Netflix DVD Rental. 

Tae-ri Kim plays Sook-hee, an undercover thief, posing as a handmaiden for Lady Hideko (played by Min-hie Kim). Her task is to convince the rich Lady Hideko to marry a conman so he can steal her fortune and commit her to a mental hospital. Sook-hee eventually admits her part in the plot, but not before Lady Hideko marries the con man, and hatches a plot herself to commit Sook-hee in her stead. When they confide in each other, they also fall in love and eventually...well, I won't spoil the twist for you. 

The costumes and make-up were gorgeous, but the real visual coup were the facial expressions. I'm convinced that this story could have been told with no dialogue whatsoever. Each glance, each body movement, each hand gesture told a story. You can see Sook-hee and Lady Hideko falling in love even before they know it, and you can feel the twist coming a mile away - although it's not so easy to guess how it might play out. That being said, this movie is definitely not for children. There were a lot of abusive and risque scenes that did nothing to enhance the movie or move the plot forward. 

The Handmaiden is definitely no Oldboy. 

It feels like Park is using the premise of a film made about strong and vengeful women to instead make a movie for men. I felt the same about, "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance." I maintain that it's too hard for men to write a strong female character, and this movie is no different. The motivations and actions just don't seem real, although this movie garnered a lot of awards, including a BAFTA award for Best Movie not in a Foreign Language, and a nomination for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Park, at least for me, feels a lot like M. Night Shyamalan...he had a couple of great ideas that turned into fabulous films, and he's just trying to get that magic back. I won't stop watching Park's work - in fact, he has a TV Mini-Series coming out called The Little Drummer Girl that I'll be sure to catch.

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