A Christmas Story 2... For like the third time

[WoodStoner1]

Nov 2, 2022 1:42:45 GMT -5 GodzillaIsMyMonster said:

I've never understood the love for the first one.

If it wasn't for TBS doing 24 hour marathons would it even be a classic?

Well it got big before that. Mostly due to cable and VHS, as was the usual in the 80s.

So it was popular before they really made the big push with merch and the TBS thing. It's kinda like how now, all of a sudden, Hocus Pocus became trendy...with merch popping up everywhere, multiple airings on Freeform, the reference on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ;-).

Oddly enough, the theatrical release pretty much underperformed.

And just so you know, I've been a fan since day one, TYVM.

[salz4life]

I just watched the trailer. Ralphie and two of his buddies from the first film are in it. I'm in. It might be horrible, but it has serious connections to the original so I'm definitely going to watch it. I also was in on A Christmas Story before it was shown for 24 hours every year. It still cracks me up after all these years. My wife and I leave it on when we go to bed on Christmas Eve.

[WoodStoner1]

Nov 2, 2022 8:18:42 GMT -5 salz4life said:

I just watched the trailer. Ralphie and two of his buddies from the first film are in it. I'm in. It might be horrible, but it has serious connections to the original so I'm definitely going to watch it. I also was in on A Christmas Story before it was shown for 24 hours every year. It still cracks me up after all these years. My wife and I leave it on when we go to bed on Christmas Eve.

I've given most things ACS a try, so I will probably do the same for this. (I do need to see the truly legit sequel in MSS, legit in that Shep was still involved, to see if it WAS bad or I rejected it for not being Peter Billingsley, et al)

I just hope, as I said, that it doesn't end up like one of those "apology" sequels where the try to be legit by getting original cast members and such, and yet they still end up not setting the world on fire or winning over the fandom. I cited Dumb and Dumber To vs. Dumb and Dumberer, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife vs. Ghostbusters 2016 as examples. The Disney Trilogy could be like that as opposed to the prequels...at least The Force Awakens. Then Disney "apologized" for those with the D+ series.

On the other hand, times it did work:

Bumblebee vs. the increasingly bad Bay Transformers sequels
Cobra Kai vs. Jaden Smith Karate Kid

[Milkman Norm]

Nov 1, 2022 23:12:15 GMT -5 CMWaters said:

Thing is, having more stories outside of the one from "A Christmas Story" does make sense, as Jean Shepherd had a bunch of stories he did. Hell, I remember in high school literature class we read one where Ralphie was in either Jr High or High School, trying to avoid getting asked a question in math class, and when he did finally get asked he guessed the answer and happened to be right.

The problem is 1)keeping a tone similar to the original movie and 2)with this movie now, you now have 2 of the 3 movies sticking with the same holiday season instead of looking out at the rest of the year for the family (Not sure how well My Summer Story did telling stories of Ralphie and family outside of Christmas, admittedly).

The thing is that the tone Bob Clark went with in "A Christmas Story" is much more full of wonder and pollyanna nostalgia then Shepard's work. Jean's work is much more set during the depression he grew up in and as a result the nostalgia is more grounded as well a bit more cynical. Other attempts to adapt Shepard's work have been closer to his stories but because "A Christmas Story" was so popular audience consider them to be inauthentic.

[WoodStoner1]

Nov 2, 2022 21:29:06 GMT -5 Milkman Norm said:

Nov 1, 2022 23:12:15 GMT -5 CMWaters said:

Thing is, having more stories outside of the one from "A Christmas Story" does make sense, as Jean Shepherd had a bunch of stories he did. Hell, I remember in high school literature class we read one where Ralphie was in either Jr High or High School, trying to avoid getting asked a question in math class, and when he did finally get asked he guessed the answer and happened to be right.

The problem is 1)keeping a tone similar to the original movie and 2)with this movie now, you now have 2 of the 3 movies sticking with the same holiday season instead of looking out at the rest of the year for the family (Not sure how well My Summer Story did telling stories of Ralphie and family outside of Christmas, admittedly).

The thing is that the tone Bob Clark went with in "A Christmas Story" is much more full of wonder and pollyanna nostalgia then Shepard's work. Jean's work is much more set during the depression he grew up in and as a result the nostalgia is more grounded as well a bit more cynical. Other attempts to adapt Shepard's work have been closer to his stories but because "A Christmas Story" was so popular audience consider them to be inauthentic.

Funny, I just found a newspaper article around the time the movie was first released, where Shep is interviewed and says as much. Seems he bemoans the "Hollywooding" of the original stories ("His name is not Ralphie, it's Ralph!" for instance).

I mean, Clark does try to add some of the realistic, "Sh*t happens" elements of Shep's storytelling, but we still get the happy endings as a kind of compromise.

I do want to try some of the more "authentic" adaptions, though. Which would you recommend?

[Milkman Norm]

I need to rewatch it but I recall My Summer Story being a bit closer in tone. Though I saw that before I read Shep's work, so it have just been the fact that it was different.

[Zone Was Wrong]

ACS is my legit favorite Christmas movie, it and Christmas Vacation. I'll probably check this out.

[bogey316]

Nov 2, 2022 1:42:45 GMT -5 GodzillaIsMyMonster said:

I've never understood the love for the first one.

If it wasn't for TBS doing 24 hour marathons would it even be a classic?

I mean there was a reason they started running it for 24 hours.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

A Christmas Story 2 the for the third time! >_>


Edit: and yes, it was a cult classic for years before they started doing hte 24 hour marathons.

It's not an It's a wonderful life situation where it became big because it was on TV all the time... though it certainly got BIGGER once they started doing that.

[wildojinx]

I've read that ACS works for the 24 hour run since it's essentially a series of vignettes. Yes, there is the overarching story about the Red Ryder gun and the various subplots, but there are scenes like the decoder ring or oh fudge that work in isolation.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

Nov 3, 2022 22:13:51 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

I've read that ACS works for the 24 hour run since it's essentially a series of vignettes. Yes, there is the overarching story about the Red Ryder gun and the various subplots, but there are scenes like the decoder ring or oh fudge that work in isolation.

makes sense you can catch clips of it during the day depending and watch a bit and then move on since it's Christmas and you probably are doing something else.

[WoodStoner1]

So I finally watched My Summer Story/It Runs In The Family. Well...knowing it's authentic Shep material helped, as opposed to the "official" D2V sequel we do not speak of.  Still, it feels like a combo of ACS and, well, THAT.  Mrs. Parker gets a sidestory to give her character, for instance. 

[wildojinx]

And yet we STILL dont have any footage of the Ralphie saves Flash Gordon dream sequence. And considering Flash hasnt been popular in the mainstream since 1985 (Defenders of the Earth), we probably wont be seeing it anytime soon, since nobody would know who Ralphie is saving.

[WoodStoner1]

Nov 11, 2022 23:30:33 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

And yet we STILL dont have any footage of the Ralphie saves Flash Gordon dream sequence. And considering Flash hasnt been popular in the mainstream since 1985 (Defenders of the Earth), we probably wont be seeing it anytime soon, since nobody would know who Ralphie is saving.

Think it was lost...

[fortknox]

All Eight — Yes, Eight — of the ‘A Christmas Story’ Sequels, Ranked

www.cracked.com/article_36038_all-eight-yes-eight-of-the-a-christmas-story-sequels-ranked.html

[WoodStoner1]

I will probably watch it on Thanksgiving. So far I've seen positive feedback from the fandom.

[WoodStoner1]

Nov 21, 2022 9:20:14 GMT -5 fortknox said:

All Eight — Yes, Eight — of the ‘A Christmas Story’ Sequels, Ranked

www.cracked.com/article_36038_all-eight-yes-eight-of-the-a-christmas-story-sequels-ranked.html

You scared me. I thought it was ranked worst to best at first.

I really need to see those pre-ACS programs.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{Spoiler}Yes I'd say I'd hold ACSL even below ACS2 '12. At least I finished the latter.

[salz4life]

Nov 3, 2022 22:27:37 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave is Correct said:

Nov 3, 2022 22:13:51 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

I've read that ACS works for the 24 hour run since it's essentially a series of vignettes. Yes, there is the overarching story about the Red Ryder gun and the various subplots, but there are scenes like the decoder ring or oh fudge that work in isolation.

makes sense you can catch clips of it during the day depending and watch a bit and then move on since it's Christmas and you probably are doing something else.

I've seen it so many times that I don't need to see the entire thing. I can just tune in for my favorite parts and be perfectly happy.

[salz4life]

Nov 11, 2022 23:30:33 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

And yet we STILL dont have any footage of the Ralphie saves Flash Gordon dream sequence. And considering Flash hasnt been popular in the mainstream since 1985 (Defenders of the Earth), we probably wont be seeing it anytime soon, since nobody would know who Ralphie is saving.

Flash had a small resurgence with the movie Ted.

[fortknox]