Douglas Howe: November 2007 Archives

Thanksgiving Day TV was filled with marathons. The western marathons. The “Cold Case” marathon. The Alfred Hitchcock marathon. Football marathon. “Charmed” marathon. “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” marathon.

While marathons may be really fun traditions, they don’t say much about the actual reason for the day itself. That’s why I was so happy to see (and share with my family) the gratitude moments that the NFL provided during its games.

One example came from Gwendolyn Jennings, mother of wide receiver Mark Jennings of the Green Bay Packers. “We celebrate at our home in Kalamazoo, Michigan,” she said, “We sit around the table just have a good time thanking God for the things he’s done for us, things that we would be thankful for…for family, and just being together.

“Family is important,” she continued, “it’s our lifeline.”

Somewhere between the eating, the drinking and the shopping, the root of Thanksgiving is to take time to be thankful. That means knowing what we’re thankful for and identifying who we’re thankful to. Mrs. Jennings—as well as several other families of players—provided wonderful reflections that returned all of us in the audience to the real reason for the holiday. They weren’t overly religious. They weren’t overly preachy.

They were just honest acknowledgments of faith-based thanksgiving that made it onto network TV in a really nice way. We need more of that, not just on the one holiday weekend.

If you’re driving this Thanksgiving weekend, buy and listen to Steven Curtis Chapman’s first new CD project in three years, “This Moment.” SCC fans will love and appreciate this new collection of material that combines a fresh themes and lyrics with a new expression of the easy sound that has marked his long career. This is his 16th CD project.

“Miracle of the Moment” is the kind of good vibe with a memorable hook that should start any good CD. “Broken” features the kind of transparent reflection that should mark any authentically spiritual person, and having met Steven twice and watched his career over time, I know that he lives what he’s saying (err…singing!)

Thanksgiving weekend is a wonderful opportunity for us to be reminded of what we’re thankful for. As spiritually minded people, it’s also an important chance to reflect on who it is we’re thankful to. Then, it’s usually an awesome weekend to be off to the movies!

But if you’re looking for some added choices to this year’s T-day new crop (“Enchanted, “ “This Christmas,” “The Mist,” “Hitman,” “August Rush,” “I'm Not There, “Christmas in Wonderland” and “Nina's Heavenly Delights,”) perhaps this is the weekend to buy or rent the DVD versions of the greatest Thanksgiving-weekend releases of all time. They’re really a great bunch, and here are my family’s Top Ten out of the 25 highest-grossing Thanksgiving releases of all time:

It was with high hopes for holiday fare and the memory of “Willy Wonka” and “ Home Alone II” that I anticipated the release of Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman in “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.” Movies like this raise our hopes that there will be something inspiring about it. Something wonderful! This one has all the trimmings. Colorful toys! Holiday theme! Kooky characters! Out-of-the-box thinking! Star power!

As I write this review, though, my advice to you is this: take your kids, or your nieces and nephews, or some friends’ kids if you’re babysitting, because it’s probably enjoyable at their level. But that’s about it.

‘Tis the season for…Holiday Movies!!

For some, Thanksgiving and Christmas are times to celebrate much that is sacred about our lives and culture. For some it’s a time that shows more than others that our culture is splitting apart in terms of what we believe about faith and its role in our society. For some it’s just about shopping. And for some (I say this empathetically), it’s a lonely time.

One thing that most of can agree on, though, is that this season is truly The Most Wonderful Time of the Year when it comes to movies. From holiday flicks to Oscar contenders to star vehicles to merchandising marvels, there is just a dang lot of choices!

This week alone, there are 15 new motion picture releases around the country. “Eleven Men Out,” “Love in the Time of Cholera,” “Beowulf,” “Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium,” “Looking for Cheyenne,” “Margot at the Wedding” and “Redacted” are all out today. On Wednesday, more are on the way with “Enchanted, “ “This Christmas,” “The Mist,” “Hitman,” “August Rush,” “I'm Not There, “Christmas in Wonderland” and “Nina's Heavenly Delights.”

Add these to what’s just came out (Vince Vaughn’s “Fred Claus,” Tommy Lee Jones in “No Country For Old Men” and “Lions for Lambs” with Redford/Streep/Cruise) and you’ve really got a veritable cornucopia to choose from.

Come December, highlights will include “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” “Juno,” “The Golden Compass,” “Atonement,” “Grace is Gone,” “I Am Legend,” “The Kite Runner,” “Youth Without Youth,” “National Treasure II,” and then the Christmas tripleheader: "Charlie Wilson’s War" (Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts), "The Bucket List" (Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson) and "The Great Debaters" (Denzel Washington and some inspiring kids!) You can get release dates and more info from places like Moviephone and Premiere and you can always learn about faith-related films at Beliefnet's weekly listing.

I encourage everyone to make time to do movies with those we love, especially if sharing the common experience helps us through a difficult time in a marriage, relationship or friendship. Whatever our faith tradition—or however our current circumstances are difficult—a good movie creates a moment to share and a conversation piece to talk about…and there’s enough choices to last throughout the holiday season!

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