MERRY CHRISTMAS! Christmas Carol-A-Thon 2017 comes to a close with this eeriest of all the versions to date!
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2012) – This adaptation of A Christmas Carol was a noble effort to try something different that was not just a gimmick. Ignore the negative IMDb reviews which accuse this adaptation of using “Elizabethan language.” They’re off by a few hundred years, since in reality the dialogue follows that in the Dickens novel of 1843.
This 2012 version of A Christmas Carol boasts absolutely beautiful cinematography. Its emphasis is on the eerie nature of the story and has the look of a horror film much of the time. It has assorted flaws which I’ll cover as we go along but I almost hate having to cover the negative aspects of such a brave experiment.
I will take a hundred creative attempts like this, which may fall short but are trying something new, over one more soulless item which updates the story to the modern age but has no emotion to it. Continue reading
NUMBER ONE – My two-part look at NEW DEMOCRAT SLOGANS was a comedy hit. This “Party of CEO’s” has come to deserve its reputation for having driven away all of us except pompous snobs and hilariously pretentious asses. 
NUMBER TWO – One of Balladeer’s Blog’s most popular Ancient Science Fiction posts EVER was this look at a very obscure 1896 work and its fascinating female lead. 
NUMBER THREE – Legendary Camille Paglia was in rare form this year, speaking on behalf of all of us who left the Democrats in disgust in recent years. 
NUMBER FOUR – For Frontierado Season this year one of my blog posts dealt with the story-telling possibilities inherent in a neglected aspect of Mormon history. 
NUMBER FIVE – Another western figure got a lot of attention in July, a gunslinging lady who braved Old California on a stage coach route. 
Here at Balladeer’s Blog I am appreciating all the history we are living through right now. America has its first de facto Third Party President in Donald Trump. He is being attacked from all sides by crooks just like Bernie Sanders or ANY OTHER outsider would have been. 
It’s no secret that the longer Mueller’s make-believe investigation (LMAO) goes on the more it has become apparent how Barack Obama imposed Chicago-Style Corruption in every governmental agency. And I mean EVERY. 
PETER STRZOK (Pronounced “Strzok”) – This clown proved that there actually ARE grotesque ethical violations that – once sufficiently publicized – WILL force Murky Mueller and his Funky Bunch to pretend they’re going to do something about it. Strzok was – by his own social media accounts – a Hillary shoe-shine boy and bears a pathological hatred of President Trump. It redefines “sleaze” that this bizarre little man was allowed to be part of both the coverup of Hillary Clinton’s crimes and the investigation of the man who defeated her in the election. 
NUMBER ONE – With the passing of eccentric actor Bill Paxton I wanted to do an appropriately weird movie of his to give him an authentic Balladeer’s Blog sendoff. 
NUMBER TWO – SJW’s are among the saddest and most pathetic people alive. 
NUMBER THREE – In March I reviewed the 1888 novel A MEXICAN MYSTERY. 
NUMBER FOUR – Just as Balladeer’s Blog features Liberals moving on from that outdated label I also feature Conservatives moving on from THAT outdated label. 
NUMBER FIVE – Superheroes are everywhere these days. 
*** Anyway, our de facto Third Party President Donald Trump nicely overturned another idiotic policy from Michelle Obama by restoring the choice of chocolate milk for children at schools. It’s a small thing but the fact that that hopelessly embittered woman tried keeping chocolate milk from kids is so typical. 
*** As expected the Supreme Court AGAIN upheld President Trump’s travel restrictions. I only point this out because the hilariously uninformed people who hate Trump have such short attention spans they always celebrate the pointless challenges as if those ungrounded challenges “prove” Trump did something wrong. 
*** A Think Progress Op-Ed recently blasted Faux-cahontas aka PRIVILEGED WHITE WOMAN SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN, who deceptively exploited minority set-asides by pretending to be 1-32nd Cherokee. The Tribe Warren claimed descent from REJECTED that claim long ago which is why President Trump delights in calling the repulsive Warren “Pocahontas.” 
NUMBER ONE – Since President’s Day weekend is in February it’s no surprise that the top post that month was my look at PRESIDENTS FROM EISENHOWER TO TRUMP. 
NUMBER TWO – One of my Ancient Science Fiction items came in second for the month of February, IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN (1904). 
NUMBER FOUR – From the 1886 story THE MAN IN THE BLACK CLOAK I examined the title figure – a neglected forerunner of Pulp heroes like Judex and the Shadow. 
NUMBER FIVE – Coming in in fifth place for February was this item about a female research fellow and her courageous examination of viewpoint harassment and discrimination on American college campuses by Faculty Lounge Fascists. 
NUMBER ONE – It wasn’t even close! Far and away the most popular blog post from January was my examination of Jean de la Hire’s neglected Pulp Hero, the Nyctalope (“Nightwalker”). This cyborg hero debuted very early in the 20th Century – as in before World War One! 
NUMBER TWO – The ladies in the Real-Life League of Extraordinary Women always get a big reaction from readers and this entry was no exception! 
NUMBER THREE – Balladeer’s Blog’s reviews of bad and/or obscure movies are among my favorite pieces to write. For January the film review that stood out to you readers was this one: 
NUMBER FOUR – Legendary Apollo Astronaut Eugene Cernan passed away in January of 2017. 
DEMOCRAT CORINNE BROWN SENT TO PRISON FOR RUNNING A FAKE CHARITY AS A SLUSH FUND – If you’re like me you’ve lost count on how many Democrats in office commit this same type of crime. In this case Democrat Corinne Brown, a Florida Representative to Congress until her electoral defeat last November, was sentenced to 5 years in prison plus restitution payments when she gets out. 
“The rest paid for things such as events and travel for Brown and those in her orbit, as well as dozens of cash deposits to her personal bank account and a range of frivolous expenses, like nearly $14,000 for Beyonce tickets and $15,000 for a suite at a Jaguars-Redskins game.
Ah, Democrats and their “Peculiar Institutions!” Like Fake Charities and so many others.
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