vacation

Vacation
$22.00
Vacation is the hilarious account of a husband on a journey to save his marriage. Myers knows something odd is going on with his wife, and to solve the mystery he's forced to take a vacation to seek answers even though he has no idea what he's looking for or where he's going. In its own distinctive style, Vacation bears witness to a raw and irrepressible human spirit.

Unferth is a genius at crafting perfect (and perfectly unusual) sentences. Each page is a treat. This excerpt, in which Myers describes what happens to the accumulated stuff when a couple breaks up, illustrates this story's unique blend of melancholy and humor:
"There were also the mirrors, the photos, and other inaccurate reflections. The razor, the bathtub. The kids and the dog, although they had none. The idea of dog, that. The possibility of dog that now would not be possible. Her mother, or her mother's dislike of him, who would get that? Surely that would come with him. Along with the rooster clock that she loved, that he hated, that she bought when she started to hate him."

Images of drowning are prevalent throughout Vacation, and Unferth masterfully transforms these desperate images into events of great beauty:
"A man struggling in water looks somewhat like the inside of a jewel box or a crystal. The tiny bubbles shine whitely and sparkle. The more the man thrashes, the more it seems that gems and bits of silver and pearl are falling around him, as if he were caught inside a heavy opera costume, as if he were crashing through the stained glass of a cathedral, as if he were wrapped in air and light."

Unfortunately, the primary story is disrupted by a sideshow involving a daughter seeking her dolphin-trainer father. This subplot is never resolved and becomes an unwanted distraction that should have been deleted during the editing process. Despite this imperfection, Vacation is entirely charming and well worth reading.

National Lampoon's Vacation (20th Anniversary Special Edition)
$19.98
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved this movie. Everybody does an awesome job and the movie has a great storyline with awesome comedy and famous quotes. Chase plays Clark Griswold, a man who is going to take his family to Walley World, no matter what happens. They run into a lot of trouble, deals with his aunt, visit his redneck cousin, stay at crappy hotels and much more! I highly recommend that you take a VACATION!!!

Ultimate Vacation Collection (Vacation / European Vacation / Christmas Vacation / Vegas Vacation)
$52.98
A fun collection for original Saturday Night Live fans. Love John Candy at Wally World in the original family vacation. Cousin Eddie is a classic!

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Special Edition)
$19.96
Saturday Night Live alumnis Chevy Chase in his 20th film released in 1989,stars in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation;the third installment in the franchises' long and still continuing history.Chase on SNL is not much different from Chase on the big screen,as he displays an alarming lack of range relying mostly on his constant mugging and less than stellar one liners.In fact he was better in his element on TV and(providentially)his career has waned into almost oblivion on the big screen since the early 90s.
The film really can be pared down into about four distinctive "plotlines".Find a Christmas tree,insert gags,take tree home.Get out Christmas Lights,insert gags,turn on said lights.Irritating relatives arrive,insert gags,relatives are ok in the end.And finally,want raise,insert gags,finally get raise.Picture ends with a slow pull back shot of Chase looking vacantly into the night sky and proclaiming"I did it"....cue in music.
Simple is the word and the mostly moronic humour is the byword throughout.Admittedly most of the Lampoon films were made with the cheap laughs in mind and nothing more.They don't pretend to be anything higher than what they are and you gets what you sees.
The pacing here is also one of stops and starts.Just as it starts to get a head of steam on it it slows down for a shopping trip or a conversation with a relative.
Technically the film has been remastered very well and is shown in its' original theatrical ratio.The special features,if you can call them that(especially for a so-called"special edition"),consist of the trailer and some pretty lame commentary by members of the cast(Chase not included).The DVD case itself is also very cheap...no expense spared here;no expense at all!
If you are into the National Lampoon flicks,especially those with Chase then this film is up your alley.If Chase looking at a buxom girl and saying"I was just blousing,er browsing" is your idea of comedy,that is of the very simple,low and frat house type of "humour" it really is,then this is for you; no doubt.For those expecting more,it warrants a big pass.