by Douglas Barnett, Dec 12 2011 // 10:30 AM
Seasons greetings! This week’s pick is a comedy holiday classic from the successful National Lampoon’s Vacation series. Chevy Chase stars as Clark W. Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
This third installment of the series follows the Griswolds and Clark’s quest for the best family Christmas. The film’s opening sequence follows the family into the wilderness in the ultimate quest for the perfect Christmas tree. As Clark and the fam enter a clearing a beam of light falls on the perfect tree.
Like the two previous films, Clark’s expectations exceed the rest of the family’s and he is completely oblivious to everything. As they gather around the tree, Rusty asks if Clark brought a saw. Clark’s toothy smile turns to an immediate frown as he realizes his first mistake. In the last scene the tree is strapped to the roof of the car, completely torn from the ground, roots and all. Ridiculous yet brilliant.
As the in-laws and assorted family members arrive at Clark’s home for Christmas, things begin to go horribly awry, especially when cousin Eddie (Quaid) and his family arrive unexpectedly. Greatest line ever when Eddie asks Clark if he’s surprised to see him “Eddie if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am right now.”
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Posted in: Box Office · Classics · Comedy · Cult Cinema · DVD · DVD Reviews · Holiday · Monday Picks · Movies · Netflix · Prequels and Sequels
Tagged: Beverly D'Angelo, Brian Doyle-Murray, Chevy Chase, Dianne Ladd, Doris Roberts, E.G. Marshall, Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, Mae Questel, Randy Quaid, William Hickey
by Sebastian Suchecki, Feb 11 2010 // 2:00 PM
Though February is considered Black History Month, this year it seems that Hollywood is turning it into “Reboot Month”. Less than two weeks into the month, and we’ve already gotten word on a reboot for Daredevil, The Thing, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-0, and word that the Spider-Man reboot will be in 3-D.
It seems that Tinseltown and New Line Studios is setting their sights on another classic franchise, in National Lampoon’s Vacation. The original, which started in 1983, beget 4 sequels, including the direct-to-DVD film Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure. From Variety:
The latest project, which will no longer carry the National Lampoon credit, is being described as more of an update than a sequel and will be closer in tone to “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” than the previous chapters. Story will focus on Rusty Griswold, now a grown man, who decides to take his own wife and kids on a road trip to Wally World before it closes forever. Chase is not attached at this time to reprise his role as Clark Griswold, now a grandfather.
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Posted in: Comedy · Movies · New Line · News · Reboots and Remakes
Tagged: Beverly D'Angelo, Chevy Chase, Freaks and Geeks, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, National Lampoon, New Line, Reboot, Rusty Griswold, Seth Gordon, Vacation