Displaying items by tag: Thomas A Christie

“It's a Wonderful Life is truly the platinum standard in Christmas movies; the benchmark by which all other entries in the genre are judged.” — Thomas A. Christie, author of The Christmas Movie Book

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 75th anniversary of the release of It’s a Wonderful Life, the Christmas classic directed by Frank Capra (It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and starring James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story, Vertigo) and Donna Reed (From Here to Eternity, The Donna Reed Show).

In 1990 the Library of Congress selected It’s a Wonderful Life for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” and in 1998 the American Film Institute (AFI) recognized the film as the 11th greatest movie ever made. The film has been released countless times on home media formats with its most recent release (on 4K UHD) in 2019 (and reviewed here). [Read on here...]

All right, we’re rounding out the week with a couple things here at The Bits.

First up, Tim has posed two new Blu-ray reviews featuring John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, now available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory. Tim covers both the regular version and the limited edition Steelbook as well, so do give them a look. Whichever version you pick, it’s a great Collector’s Edition.

Also, we posted a new History, Legacy, and Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate late yesterday, featuring a look back at John Hughes’ National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation with film historian Thomas A. Christie.

It’s a great piece, with much for fans of the film to enjoy, so you’ll find that here. [Read on here...]

“Christmas Vacation is a perfect blend of festive nostalgia and domestic anarchy.” — Thomas A. Christie, author of A Righteously Awesome Eighties Christmas

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the third entry in the popular Vacation series starring Chevy Chase (Saturday Night Live, Caddyshack, Fletch) as Clark Griswold.

Also starring Beverly D’Angelo (American History X) as Ellen Griswold, Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers) as Audrey Griswold, Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) as Rusty Griswold, and Randy Quaid (The Last Detail) as Cousin Eddie, Christmas Vacation opened in theaters across North America 30 years ago this December.

For the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with pop culture historian and Christmas-movie authority Thomas A. Christie, who discuss the film’s virtues and enduring appeal. [Read more here...]

Before we get started today, we’ve got two more Blu-ray reviews for you...

They include Tim’s look at Ash vs. Evil Dead: The Complete Third Season from Starz and Lionsgate and Dennis’ take on Jon M. Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Both are pretty good, so do give them a look.

Our own Michael Coate has also posted a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column featuring a look back at Bob Clark’s beloved classic A Christmas Story in honor of the film’s 35th anniversary. The roundtable discussion includes film historians Thomas A. Christie, Caseen Gaines, and Eugene B. Bergmann. Enjoy!

Also, we’ve posted the weekly update of our Release Dates & Artwork section featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. Anytime you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them through one of our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we appreciate it! [Read on here...]

“A Christmas Story should be remembered as a small film that had a very large impact.” – Caseen Gaines, author of A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 35th anniversary of the release of A Christmas Story, the humorous and now-classic Christmas-themed film based upon the writings of Jean Shepherd and directed by Bob Clark (Black Christmas, Porky’s).

Featuring Melinda Dillon (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Darren McGavin (Kolchak: The Night Stalker) and Peter Billingsley (The Dirt Bike Kid) as Ralphie, A Christmas Story opened in theaters across North America 35 years ago this month, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with a trio of historians and pop culture authorities who discuss the film’s enduring appeal. [Read on here...]

First up today, we’ve got three new disc reviews for you to check out if you’re interested...

Dennis has checked out Gotti from Lionsgate.

David looks at Autumn in New York from the MVD Marquee Classics line.

And Tim has given Arrow Video’s What Have They Done to Your Daughters? a spin. All three are on Blu-ray.

Also, Michael Coate looks back today at Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused on the film’s 25th anniversary with author and historian Thomas A. Christie. You’ll find that in his latest installment of History, Legacy & Showmanship. [Read on here...]

“Dazed and Confused is an admirably nuanced take on the teen movie that was congruent with the fresh wave of nineties entries in the genre.” – Thomas A. Christie, author of The Cinema of Richard Linklater

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 25th anniversary of the release of Dazed and Confused, the coming-of-age comedy revolving around the final day of school in 1976 in a small Texas town. Directed by Richard Linklater (Slacker, Before Sunrise, Boyhood) – and featuring a large ensemble cast including Jason London, Joey Lauren Adams, Michelle Burke, Wiley Wiggins, and notable early-career performances by Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Matthew McConaughey, and Parker Posey – Dazed and Confused opened 25 years ago this month, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with author, film historian and Richard Linklater biographer Thomas A. Christie. [Read more here...]

“Leisure rules”

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the popular teen comedy starring Matthew Broderick.

Ferris, directed by John Hughes (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club) and also starring Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, and Jeffrey Jones, opened 30 years ago this week, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with author, film historian and John Hughes authority Thomas A. Christie.  [Read on here...]