NBC isn’t showing “It’s a Wonderful Life” until December 10th. According to the tv critic with Scripps Howard, the network chose “Family Man” with Nicholas Cage as it’s “day after Thanksgiving movie special”.
I normally choose not to watch a network presentation of a major film release because of the commercials. Boy, was I ever right.
NBC took this 2 hour movie and stretched it to fill the 7-10 pm timeslot. I put a watch to it between 8 and 9 and found NBC would show 8 minutes of the movie followed by 3 minutes of commercials. I really liked this movie (I like romantic comedies) but it was almost unbearable to watch. I found myself getting wrapped up in the characters but at a crucial moment, the network broke it up and started showing the same JC Penney commercial.
And what’s with the stupid Hallmark spot? Is that the lamest party You’ve ever seen when about a dozen stiffs stand around a table and watch an animated snowman sing “Holly Jolly Christmas”? I feel I want to smash the darn snowman everytime I hear that loser white guy say “hey, do it again!”.
Christmas is too early this year. I love Christmas but I have a feeling I’ll be tired of it before December 18th. “A Christmas Story” made it’s first of about 2,000 appearances on Turner tonight. Radio stations on the way down to Birmingham were already playing wall-to-wall Christmas songs. The wife and kids and my mom are going Christmas shopping tomorrow. I did a bit early this morning.
Please…let’s all take a breath and wait another week before we start Christmas.
Have you noticed as well that the early part of television movies will have long stretches without commercials, upwards of fifteen minutes sometimes, only to break the movie every five or ten minutes by the end, when you’ve been sucked into the story and are waiting to learn how it ends? (Like you have to guess with most Hollywood movies, but you know what I mean.)
Also, I noticed that Christmas stuff was appearing a week or so before *Halloween* this year!! Ack.