Movies You Might Have Missed Monday - Christmas Edition

As life rolls along and the scenery changes, my mode of movie consumption changes too. For years, during what I like to call the ‘glory’ days, we got free first-run movies. Then I got free rentals when I worked at Movie Gallery. My first DVR opened up any and every movie that sounded interesting to me on Turner Classic Movies.

For the time being, Netflix has been the available venue. A brand new user, I was excited at first, but it turned out not to be as wonderful as I expected. Still, I manage to put it to good use some of the time. They redeemed themselves a little, however, when what should appear on the ‘recently added’ section but a blast from my past that immediately congers the warm, fuzzy nostalgia feeling. And since I just saw the new Muppet Movie in theatres now (CLICK HERE for my review on Billings365.com), I’d already been primed to experience those remembrance goose bumps to the fullest.

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (A Muppet TV special from… eh hem… 1977) takes us back to pre-computer graphics entertainment. Sure, it’s possible your kids may run screaming from the room with boredom. But this kind of kid show was cutting edge back then. And it always taught us something.

Emmet Otter and his Ma manage a meager existence operating a laundry service. Christmas Eve is days away, but they don’t feel much like celebrating because Pa’s gone ‘where the river meets the ocean’ and they don’t have much money for gifts or decorations. They hear about a talent contest offering $50 of reward money. Each sign up without the other knowing, and each sacrifice something important to be able to enter.

They just don’t make ‘em like this any more.

Do kids these days even appreciate a masterful puppetry display or quirky songs in a variety of genres that aren’t pop or rap? I wouldn’t know, because I don’t have kids, but judging from what’s popular these days, I’d imagine not.

Maybe it’s because I love music, or maybe it’s because I love the Muppets. Whatever it is, watching Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas made me laugh (in a funny-haha way, not an evil or sarcastic way). It’s a good one to blow off the dust and stick in the queue and travel back in time for a sweet 48 minutes.

20 days until Christmas! Where is time flying off to? (I’d go somewhere warm… Fiji?)

Happy Movie Watching, Dry Ground friends!

(photo by photobucket.com)