Midwest Movie Maker

Ralphie gets advice from Santa For many Americans, A Christmas Story is a modern classic holiday movie. While certainly on the same list as similar modern classics - Home Alone, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation - A Christmas Story may well be on its way to the same lofty heights as A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street , and It’s a Wonderful Life . The movie is especially popular in Cleveland, where many of the film’s exterior shots were filmed, as well as the film’s iconic visit to Santa. “Those scenes are a historical reminder of what Cleveland was like back then,” says Ivan Schwarz, director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. “The movie is giving us a chance to look back at our own history.” Still, it’s a movie for everyone from anywhere in the world. It celebrates childhood. It explores growing up. It reminds us what life was like when our worries were no bigger than Scut Farkas. If you’d like to share that feeling with friends and relatives, we have some gif...

LeBron James returns home to the Cleveland Cavaliers When LeBron James ended weeks of speculation by announcing his decision to leave Miami and return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, what he really did was cap the kind of sports story that is quickly optioned by a major motion picture studio and transformed into a summer blockbuster - maybe even an Oscar contender. It’s the kind of story that deserves the feel good treatment. Young gun breaks the heart of his Midwest city - fans, friends and family, learns that there's more to life than just the "one thing," and redeems himself by Coming Home (assuredly the title). Here’s how I imagine Coming Home .  Movie opens in a small gym. We see James in the distance in a contemplative moment, alone, shooting hoops. He says nothing - in fact, he has very few lines in the entire film. Over this quiet moment, we slowly hear the rising sounds of sports radio - Baskin and Phelps , maybe. It is June 25, the day James announces ...