[Nfbnet-members-list] December events

[Steve Cook]

Hi All, 

 

All are invited to the below events and feel free to share with everyone! 

 

Friday, December 6, 2024 at 8:00 PM eastern

Die Hard audio describe movie

 

Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 8:00 PM Eastern

While You Were Sleeping audio described movie

 

Friday, December 20, 2024 at 8:00 PM Eastern

Christmas With the Cranks audio described movie

 

Friday, December 27, 2024 at 8:00 PM Eastern

Trivia Night 

 

SC Tech Talk every Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern

 

 

Call in information: 

Phone number: 19292056099

Meeting ID: 803 254 3777

Password: 124578

 

 <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8032543777?pwd=QTVQd2RzN3l6QnNmZ0FmSnp6NG8vQT09>
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8032543777?pwd=QTVQd2RzN3l6QnNmZ0FmSnp6NG8vQT09

 

Meeting ID: 803 254 3777

Passcode: 124578

One tap mobile

+19292056099,,8032543777# 

 


Die Hard


 

On Christmas Eve, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Detective John
McClane arrives in Los Angeles, hoping to reconcile with his estranged wife,
Holly, at a party held by her employer, the Nakatomi Corporation. He is
driven to Nakatomi Plaza by a limo driver, Argyle, who offers to wait for
McClane in the garage. While McClane washes himself, the tower is seized by
the German radical Hans Gruber and his heavily armed team, including Karl
and Theo. Everyone in the tower is taken hostage except for McClane, who
slips away, and Argyle, who remains oblivious to events.

 

Gruber is posing as a terrorist to steal the $640 million in untraceable
bearer bonds in the building's vault.[a] He kills executive Joseph Takagi
after failing to extract the access code from him and tasks Theo with
breaking into the vault. The terrorists are alerted to McClane's presence,
and Karl's brother, Tony, is sent after him. McClane kills Tony and takes
his weapon and radio, which he uses to contact the skeptical Los Angeles
Police Department (LAPD). Sergeant Al Powell is sent to investigate.
Meanwhile, McClane kills more terrorists and recovers their bag of C-4 and
detonators. Realizing Powell is about to leave, having found nothing amiss,
McClane drops a terrorist's corpse onto his car. After Powell calls for
backup, a SWAT team attempts to storm the building but is counterattacked by
the terrorists. McClane throws some C-4 down an elevator shaft, causing an
explosion that kills some of the terrorists and ends the counterattack.

 

Holly's co-worker Harry Ellis attempts to negotiate on Gruber's behalf but
is killed by Gruber when McClane refuses to surrender. While checking the
explosives on the roof, Gruber encounters McClane and pretends to be an
escaped hostage; McClane gives Gruber a gun. Gruber attempts to shoot
McClane but finds the weapon is unloaded, and he is saved only by the
intervention of other terrorists. McClane escapes but is injured by
shattered glass and loses the detonators. Outside, Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) agents take control. They order the power to be shut
off, which, as Gruber had anticipated, disables the final vault lock so his
team can collect the bonds.

 

The FBI agrees to Gruber's demand for a helicopter, intending to send
helicopter gunships to eliminate the group. McClane realizes Gruber plans to
blow the roof to kill the hostages and fake his team's deaths. Karl, enraged
by Tony's death, attacks McClane and is seemingly killed. Gruber sees a news
report by Richard Thornburg on McClane's children and deduces that he is
Holly's husband. The hostages are taken to the roof while Gruber keeps Holly
with him. McClane drives the hostages from the roof just before Gruber
detonates it and destroys the approaching FBI helicopters. Meanwhile, Theo
retrieves an escape vehicle from the parking garage but is knocked out by
Argyle, who has been following events on the limo's CB radio.

 

A weary and battered McClane finds Holly with Gruber and his remaining
henchman. McClane surrenders to Gruber and is about to be shot but grabs his
concealed service pistol taped to his back and uses his last two bullets to
wound Gruber and kill his accomplice. Gruber crashes through a window but
grabs onto Holly's wristwatch and makes a last-ditch attempt to kill the
pair. McClane unclasps the watch, and Gruber falls to his death. Outside,
Karl ambushes McClane and Holly but is shot dead by Powell. Holly punches
Thornburg when he attempts to interview McClane. Argyle crashes through the
parking garage door in the limo and drives McClane and Holly away together.

 

Cast

 

Bruce Willis in 2018

 

Alan Rickman in 2011

Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York City police detective[2]

Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, the ruthless leader of the terrorists[3]

Alexander Godunov as Karl, Gruber's second-in-command[2]

Bonnie Bedelia as Holly Gennaro-McClane, a high-ranking Nakatomi executive
and John's estranged wife[4]

Reginald VelJohnson as Al Powell, an LAPD sergeant[5]

Paul Gleason as Dwayne T. Robinson, the LAPD Deputy Chief[6]

De'voreaux White as Argyle, John's limousine driver[5]

William Atherton as Richard Thornburg, an unscrupulous TV reporter[7][8]

Clarence Gilyard as Theo, Gruber's tech specialist[4]

Hart Bochner as Harry Ellis, a sleazy Nakatomi executive[9]

James Shigeta as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi, Nakatomi's head executive[4]

Other cast members include Gruber's henchmen: Bruno Doyon as Franco, Andreas
Wisniewski as Tony, Joey Plewa as Alexander, Lorenzo Caccialanza as Marco,
Gerard Bonn as Kristoff, Dennis Hayden as Eddie, Al Leong as Uli, Gary
Roberts as Heinrich, Hans Buhringer as Fritz, and Wilhelm von Homburg as
James. Robert Davi and Grand L. Bush appear as FBI Special Agents Big
Johnson and Little Johnson, respectively, Tracy Reiner appears as
Thornburg's assistant, and Taylor Fry and Noah Land make minor appearances
as McClane's children Lucy McClane and John Jr.[10]

 


While You Were Sleeping


 

Lucy Eleanor Moderatz is a lonely fare token collector for the Chicago
Transit Authority, stationed at the Randolph/Wabash station. She secretly
loves Peter Callaghan, a handsome commuter, though they are strangers. On
Christmas Day, she rescues Peter from the oncoming Chicago "L" train after
muggers push him onto the tracks. She accompanies the comatose Peter to the
hospital, where a nurse overhears her musing aloud, "I was going to marry
him." Misinterpreting, the nurse tells his family that she is his fiancée.

 

The family admits they haven't heard from Peter in a long time so being
engaged is a surprise. Lucy becomes too caught up in the crisis to explain
the truth. She remains silent for several reasons: She is embarrassed;
Peter's grandmother, Elsie, has a heart condition; and Lucy falls in love
with Peter's big, loving family. While visiting Peter, she confesses her
predicament to him, unaware Peter's godfather Saul overhears the truth and
later confronts her. Saul finds that Lucy is alone, her mother died when she
was very young and her dad just passed the year prior. He says he will keep
her secret because the accident has brought the family closer and he knows
that Lucy isn't being malicious.

 

With no family and few friends, Lucy becomes so captivated with the quirky
Callaghans and their unconditional love for her that she is unable to hurt
them by revealing that Peter does not know her. She spends a belated
Christmas with them, then meets Peter's younger brother Jack, who is
supposed to take over his father's furniture business, though he wants his
own business. Jack is initially suspicious, but he falls in love with Lucy
as they spend time together. She soon falls in love with him. They bond over
their similar humor, their dreams of traveling, and their intense love for
the Callaghans. Although their relationship comes to a momentary standstill
when Jack, due to a misunderstanding, announces her "pregnancy" during her
friend's New Year's Eve party, prompting them to have an argument eventually
revealing their mutual dissatisfaction with life. Meanwhile, Peter's actual
girlfriend, who we only know as Ashley, has agreed to marry him on his
answering machine and leaves follow-up messages about his
non-responsiveness, saying she has come back to town and wants to see him.

 

After New Year's Eve, Peter wakes up. He does not know Lucy, so it is
assumed he has amnesia. Lucy attempts to tell the family the truth, but they
assume she is telling them she's not really pregnant and they brush it off.
Saul intercepts Lucy, saying he will handle telling the news to the
Callaghans. Jack takes her back home and Lucy tells him she appreciates how
kind he's been and says he's been a great friend. Jack is finally able to
tell his father he doesn't want to take over the business and wants to make
furniture. His father not only understands but says he should've told him
sooner.

 

Saul visits Peter and tells him what a putz he is for how he treats women
and he'd be lucky to marry Lucy, that she is special. Lucy and Peter begin
spending time together and he realizes what a sweet girl she is. Meanwhile,
Ashley Bartlett Bacon has come back to the city and finds from Peter's
doorman that he's now engaged and he's in the hospital. She gets there and
confronts him, saying they are engaged but he said no, they broke up when
she turned down his offer not knowing she accepted over his answering
machine. He tells her that he's a changed man and is marrying Lucy now. Lucy
finds out that Saul never told the Callaghans she's not Peter's fiancée and
goes back to the hospital to tell him herself. Peter tells Lucy how much he
cares for her and proposes to her "again" and Lucy accepts, though she is
now in love with Jack. When Jack visits her the day before the wedding, she
gives him a chance to change her mind, asking if he can give her a reason
not to marry Peter. He replies that he cannot, leaving her disappointed.

 

On the day of the wedding, just as a priest begins the ceremony, Lucy blurts
out, "I object," and Jack chimes in, objecting to the wedding as well. Lucy
finally confesses everything and tells the family she not only fell in love
with all of them, but she loves Jack rather than Peter. At this point,
Peter's real fiancée, Ashley, arrives and demands the wedding be stopped. A
man also arrives objecting, and declaring he is Ashley's husband, to which
the priest mutters "get in line." As the family argues, Lucy slips out
unnoticed, unsure of her future.

 

Some time later, while Lucy is at work, Jack places an engagement ring in
the token tray of her booth. He enters her booth and with most of the
Callaghan family watching, proposes to her. Jack and Lucy are married and
then leave on a CTA train for their honeymoon. Lucy narrates that he
fulfilled her dream of going to Florence, Italy, and explains that, when
Peter asked when she fell in love with Jack, she replied, "It was while you
were sleeping."

 

Cast

Sandra Bullock as Lucy Eleanor Moderatz, a lonely transportation worker.

Bill Pullman as Jack Callaghan, a carpenter with scruffy charm.

Peter Gallagher as Peter Callaghan, who is rich, handsome, and mostly
gullible.

Peter Boyle as Ox Callaghan, the head of the Callaghan furniture business
who often makes wisecracks.

Glynis Johns as Elsie, the slightly deluded grandmother.

Micole Mercurio as Midge Callaghan, an extremely passionate and soft-hearted
mother.

Jack Warden as Saul Tuttle, Peter's Godfather and neighbor to the
Callaghans.

Jason Bernard as Jerry Wallace, Lucy's dry-humored boss.

Michael Rispoli as Joe Fusco, Jr., Lucy's troublesome yet harmless neighbor
who believes he invented aluminum foil.

Ally Walker as Ashley Bartlett Bacon, the snarky and superficial real
fiancée of Peter.

Monica Keena as Mary Callaghan, the sweet and girlish sister of Peter and
Jack.

 


Christmas With the Cranks


 

After Riverside, Illinois couple Luther and Nora Krank see their daughter,
Blair, depart for a Peace Corps assignment in Peru on the Sunday following
Thanksgiving, empty nest syndrome sets in. Luther calculates that they spent
$6,132 during the previous year's holiday season, and, not looking forward
to celebrating Christmas without their daughter, he suggests they invest the
money usually spent on decorations, gifts, and entertainment and treat
themselves to a ten-day Caribbean cruise instead. Luther insists that they
completely boycott the holidays but Nora initially objects. She eventually
agrees after convincing Luther to at least donate to local charities as they
do every year.

 

The Kranks discover they are considered pariahs due to their decision to
skip the holidays. Most vocal in their objections are neighbors Vic
Frohmeyer and Walt Scheel. Vic, the self-proclaimed leader of the street who
organizes a campaign to force the Kranks to decorate their home. Walt does
not seem to like Luther, so his efforts are primarily personal. However, it
is revealed that Walt's wife Bev is suffering from cancer, perhaps dampening
his holiday spirits.

 

Children, led by Vic's son Spike, constantly push them to put up a Frosty
the Snowman decoration, and Christmas carolers try to revive the Kranks'
holiday spirit by singing on their lawn, which Luther stops by icing it. The
newspaper prints a front-page story complete with a photograph of the unlit
Krank house, and Luther's office colleagues, scout tree salesmen, and police
fund collectors are also annoyed. However, Luther and Nora continue to stand
their ground.

 

The couple are packing for the cruise on Christmas Eve morning when they
receive a call from Blair, who announces that she is at Miami International
Airport, en route home with her Peruvian fiancé Enrique as a surprise for
her parents. When Blair asks if they are having their usual party that
night, a panicked Nora says yes. Luther and Nora try to decorate the house
and coordinate a party with only twelve hours before their daughter and
future son-in-law arrive.

 

While Nora scrambles to find food, Luther goes to buy a tree but is unable
to get anything but a small, dried-up tree. Luther attempts to borrow the
indoor tree of neighbor Wes Trogdon, who is going away for a week, with the
warning that he is not to damage it. Luther enlists Spike's help to
transport the tree across the street, but the neighbors spot him and,
assuming he is stealing it, call the police. Spike shows that Luther has
Trogdon's keys, and thus was given permission to borrow the tree. Nora comes
home, having only been able to obtain smoked trout, and tells Luther to put
up Frosty on their roof, which fails when he and Frosty fall off, drawing
the neighborhood's attention. Once it is established why Luther is trying
frantically to decorate his home, the neighbors, led by Vic, come out in
full force to help them ready it for Blair.

 

The party starts off strong, with Blair having no idea of the earlier drama.
Enrique thanks everyone for the warm welcome, and Nora thanks her neighbors
for being a strong community. Luther, to everyone's disappointment, offers
only a half-hearted toast. When Nora confronts Luther, he tries to convince
her to still go on the cruise, but Nora refuses, disgusted that he is not
happy that Blair is home.

 

Having a change of heart, Luther slips out of the house, going across the
street to the Scheel's. Bev's cancer, once in remission, has returned, and,
knowing this may be their last holiday together, Luther insists they take
the cruise instead, even offering to look after their cat, to allow them to
go. At first Walt and Bev decline, but ultimately decide to accept his
generosity. Luther, whose holiday spirit has been renewed, finally admits to
Nora that skipping Christmas was not a good idea until she suggests they
should do it next year.

 

Cast

Tim Allen as Luther Krank

Jamie Lee Curtis as Nora Krank, Luther's wife

Dan Aykroyd as Vic Frohmeyer, the Kranks' domineering neighbor and the
unofficial ward boss of the neighborhood

Erik Per Sullivan as Spike Frohmeyer, Vic's son

Cheech Marin as Officer Salino

Jake Busey as Officer Treen, Salino's partner

M. Emmet Walsh as Walt Scheel, the Kranks' obnoxious neighbor

Kevin Chamberlin as Duke Scanlon, a Boy Scout leader

Elizabeth Franz as Bev Scheel, Walt's ailing wife

Rene Lavan as Enrique Decardenal, Blair's fiancé

Austin Pendleton as Marty, an umbrella salesman who somehow knows everyone
(who is actually Santa)

Caroline Rhea as Candi, a friend of Nora's

Patrick Breen as Aubie, a stationier

Felicity Huffman as Mary, a friend of Nora's

Arden Myrin as Daisy

Julie Gonzalo as Blair Krank, the Kranks' daughter

Dava Hulsey as Amanda Frohmeyer, the doting wife of Vic and loving mother of
Spike

Tom Poston as Father Zabriskie, a priest

Kim Rhodes as Julie, Luther's employee

Vernee Watson-Johnson as Dox, Luther's employee

John Short as Ned Becker, a neighbor of Luther and Nora's

David Hornsby as Randy Becker, slacker son of Ned Becker, a neighbor of the
Kranks

Mark Christopher Lawrence as Wes Trogdon, another neighbor of Luther and
Nora's

Rachel L. Smith as Trish Trogdon, Wes's wife

Dashle Reed as Wilber, the family dog

David Lander as Tanning Intruder

 

Steve Cook, Board Member

National Association of Guide Dog Users

 <mailto:scook at nagdu.org> scook at nagdu.org

(803) 260-1292

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