I have always stayed awake on New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop in Times Square. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, for that final minute, I’m going to be glued to the television. It’s been a tradition of mine since I was a young child, and as far back as I can remember, I’ve never missed the event.
I have a faint memory of one such New Year’s Eve when I was a very young child. My parents were having a small party involving several family members. I was sitting on the couch in our living room, wrapped in a blanket, staring at the television, likely confused by all the commotion. When the ball finally dropped, everyone broke into song, belting out a raucous rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.”
I’m confident the sugar subsequent adrenaline made the formation of this memory more enduring, but I was absolutely gleeful at how happy everyone seemed at that moment. The experience didn’t involve money, fame, or material items. It was just a moment in time wallpapered with pure joy. Because of that memory, I’ve always looked for another scenario where that joy would arise again.
Visiting Times Square on New Year’s used to look appealing to me as a life experience. In fact, at one time, attending the event was high on my bucket list. However, my interest has waned over the years. Suffering through the traffic, drunkenness, crowds, and over-priced cuisine convinced me long ago that I’d feel more fulfilled in my cozy living room, bourbon in hand, watching the event on my 65” 4K flat screen.
I’m also a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. For some reason, I’ve always felt that I’d have a better chance at succeeding with my Jan. 1 goals if I was fully present at the moment of inception. Therefore, as the ball slides down the pole during the countdown, I am fully committing myself to whatever goals I’ve made for the following year.
In the days leading up to this New Year’s Eve, I asked my son if he had made any resolutions. He replied that he wanted to eat better and stop swearing, which I agreed were valid resolutions. He then asked me what my resolutions were. I sheepishly admitted that I didn’t have any specifics, and instead, I was opting for a broad brushstroke resolution of simply trying to be a better man than I was the previous year.
I guess at this stage of my life, I’ve tried all the obvious resolutions, so now I’m merely trying to improve upon the final product (kind of like buffering out the scratches on an antique car).
Last week, as midnight was approaching, I found myself alone in my living room. My wife’s interest in staying awake on New Year’s diminished years ago, so she was fast asleep in our bedroom. My son, obviously from a different generation, had little interest in ringing in the holiday and preferred to hang out on the phone with his long-distance girlfriend while playing video games with his buddies.
I rarely watch network television, but on this night, I scanned the channels for the most interesting New Year’s Eve events. I eventually found the three major shows being aired and switched back and forth between them.
However, as extravagant as the shows tried to come off, most of what I watched bored me. I’ve a bit aged out of pop culture, so while I’d heard of most of the singers and performers being featured, my familiarity and interest in them were minuscule at best.
Eventually, the big moment arrived. I felt forlorn about the solitude of my New Year’s when I heard my son’s bedroom door open. He came careening down the stairs during the final minute of 2024, announcing that he couldn’t think of anything better than ringing in the New Year with his dad.
That was, admittedly, a pretty special moment.
This week’s feature, “The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, fell short of being pretty special, but it did succeed in being a big-budget thrill ride.
Action comedy is not an easy genre to pull off, but “Fall Guy” was successful in its effort. Add in the fact that it included a viable love story that didn’t alienate viewers with cheesiness, and you’ve got a winner. Gosling and Blunt, thankfully, had enough chemistry and charisma to make a flippant storyline more enticing.
Check this one out if you’re in the mood for an amusing and exciting (albeit meaningless) couple of hours. The story isn’t worth much, but it’s sure fun working through it.
An enthusiastic “B+” for “The Fall Guy,” now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Got a question or comment for Dom? You can email him at moviediary@att.net.
