I've had some bad Thanksgivings. The three worst ones, in no particular order, go something like this:
#1. 1993. As is tradition, my family gathered around the TV to watch the Cowboys game. In an unusually snowy Dallas, the Cowboys looked to have the game in hand against the Miami Dolphins. I won't go in to much detail, but the words Leon and Lett are forbidden on Turkey Day. A special f--k you to my friend Haspe on this one.
#2. 1997 or 1998, not really sure which. I was in college, and ended up having Thanksgiving at my grandmother's house. Things are going well, plates are being cleared, when all of a sudden, my uncle bursts in with his gigantic then-girlfriend/ex-wife. Both of them are all smiles. We just got married! [again]. The vibe in the room went from actually joyous, to canned happiness at best. My grandmother's cooking skills were unrivaled, but her acting skills? Anything but.
#3. 1990. My sister was born. And while that's a really good thing, accidentally seeing my mom completely naked in the hospital later that day wasn't. Damn you, bathroom mirrors, damn you. She was peeking around the door, but I had inadvertently taken a bad angle, to say the least. [sorry, Mom]
It's fair to say that my trio of less-than-awesome family gatherings doesn't really compare with the Thanksgiving shenanigans in Deadfall. I mean, yeah, the Cowboys loss might've made me want to jump out the window, but at least I didn't get tackled through it. And while my aunt and uncle ultimately ended up divorced again, at least they weren't brother and sister. And my mom? Nope. Not even gonna try to connect that one.
While I almost opted for House at the End of the Street, at the last minute I decided to deny myself the bouncy goodness of Jennifer Lawrence and rent Deadfall. Being that I had never heard of it, I was swayed by a shorter runtime and a solidly eclectic cast. Eric Bana, though criminally absent from a lot of mainstream flicks, has always been a favorite.
Over a snowy Thanksgiving, siblings Addison (Bana) and Liza (the sexy Olivia Wilde) find themselves wandering through the woods after the car they were riding in crashes. Seems they've done something unsavory, as there's a large amount of money to gather in the wreckage. Larceny aside, something else is amiss as Addison's gaze lingers a little too long on his sister as she adjusts her short skirt. Oh, and you wouldn't like him when he's angry as he kills everyone he meets, too. Other than that? He's a good dude.
#1. 1993. As is tradition, my family gathered around the TV to watch the Cowboys game. In an unusually snowy Dallas, the Cowboys looked to have the game in hand against the Miami Dolphins. I won't go in to much detail, but the words Leon and Lett are forbidden on Turkey Day. A special f--k you to my friend Haspe on this one.
#2. 1997 or 1998, not really sure which. I was in college, and ended up having Thanksgiving at my grandmother's house. Things are going well, plates are being cleared, when all of a sudden, my uncle bursts in with his gigantic then-girlfriend/ex-wife. Both of them are all smiles. We just got married! [again]. The vibe in the room went from actually joyous, to canned happiness at best. My grandmother's cooking skills were unrivaled, but her acting skills? Anything but.
#3. 1990. My sister was born. And while that's a really good thing, accidentally seeing my mom completely naked in the hospital later that day wasn't. Damn you, bathroom mirrors, damn you. She was peeking around the door, but I had inadvertently taken a bad angle, to say the least. [sorry, Mom]
While I almost opted for House at the End of the Street, at the last minute I decided to deny myself the bouncy goodness of Jennifer Lawrence and rent Deadfall. Being that I had never heard of it, I was swayed by a shorter runtime and a solidly eclectic cast. Eric Bana, though criminally absent from a lot of mainstream flicks, has always been a favorite.
Over a snowy Thanksgiving, siblings Addison (Bana) and Liza (the sexy Olivia Wilde) find themselves wandering through the woods after the car they were riding in crashes. Seems they've done something unsavory, as there's a large amount of money to gather in the wreckage. Larceny aside, something else is amiss as Addison's gaze lingers a little too long on his sister as she adjusts her short skirt. Oh, and you wouldn't like him when he's angry as he kills everyone he meets, too. Other than that? He's a good dude.
