On Thanksgiving I continued what has become a sort of tradition by eschewing turkey and going to a movie. A co-worker and I trekked into the city (after first making sure that the parade had ended) and went to the Angelika to see "The Station Agent." I go to the Angelika a lot and take its, well, suckiness for granted. This, however, was my friend's first visit. He was rightfully appalled by the tiny screen and my usual crip space at the back of the theater. As a result, he insisted on sitting in the front row. My neck still hurts.

"The Station Agent," however, is highly recommended. Nothing blows up. There's no absurd drama. It's a simple film about people. The characters are amazingly written and the acting turns taken by Peter Dinklage and Patricia Clarkson are exquisite. It seems somehow unfair to me, though, that the under-rated Clarkson continues to get great indie supporting roles while Dinklage can currently be seen in, well, "Elf."

We finished up the evening drinking too much vodka and watching mobsters at the ever-amusing Russian Vodka Room. We were literally the only non-Russians in the place for most of the night. It was, after all, Thanksgiving.

On Friday I chose not to brave the shopping crowds and decided to stay in. Around 4:00, though, I started to get antsy. Having read interesting reviews of "Bad Santa" and knowing that it wouldn't be playing near me for long, I decided to go. I clearly forgot to account for the fact that it was playing at the mall. Playing at the mall that was also showing "Brother Bear," "Looney Toons" and "Elf." You guessed it. It was completely overwhelmed with screaming children. It was a horrible experience.

The movie, though, was tolerable. Not nearly as funny, dark or subversive as some reviews would lead you to believe. It was, however, able to produce a couple of laughs. It's so clearly not for kids and I hope that my assumption that the trio of them running up and down the aisle didn't speak English was correct. I'd have a hard time recommending this one. It's a fine rental, but most of the really funny bits are in the trailer.