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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 9, 2015 0:31:24 GMT -5
A few favorites. Headed to bed, but may expand on them later…
It’s A Wonderful Life (and not just because it contains one of the scariest noirs ever as a “film within the film")
White Christmas (a kitschy masterpiece... worth watching if only for the appearance of Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer and realizing that he is in two of the best Christmas movies ever)
A Christmas Carol (Owen, Sim, Scott and Magoo and Muppet versions are all uniquely superb)
Love, Actually (uplifting and devastating)
Rudolph (great score)
Scrooge (neglected and forgotten, perhaps, but lots to like in this musical)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town (great origin story!)
The Shop Around the Corner (if this isn’t a perfect movie, nothing is delightful script, excellent cast, elegant direction by Lubitsch… accept no substitutes – or remakes!)
March of the Wooden Soldiers (nothing scared me like the boogeymen did until I saw Psycho)
A Christmas Story (that it was directed by the late Bob Clark, who directed Porky’s, proves that there is some good in each of us, I guess)
Meet John Doe (particularly apt this election season)
Tenth Avenue Angel (Margaret O’Brien at her best in an admittedly sentimental stew of cliché and heartstring-tugging with a fine cast… so take your insulin before you watch)
BBC Office Christmas episodes (unsappy, but sweet; hilarious but poignant.)
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 9, 2015 1:14:15 GMT -5
I really like the Alastair Sim version of A Christmas Carol, but I don't make it a point to watch it every year. It's probably objectively better than the 1938 version by a long shot! (I saw it last year and I really enjoyed it! Alastair Sim is the very best Scrooge, even better than Mr. Magoo!) But the 1938 version is just overflowing with charm, enthusiasm and good cheer, and I find it immensely entertaining from start to finish. I laugh out loud at every scene with the Cratchit family because of how spastic they are. I always expect Tiny Tim to jump up on the table and start rubbing himself against the Christmas goose. There aren't that many movies that I can watch every year and enjoy them without fail but the 1938 A Christmas Carol is one of them. I've never seen that version. Maybe I'll skip Sim and watch that instead this year. It's one of my favorite stories, I love how the second most iconic Christmas story ever is such a dreary depressing ghost story. I'm pretty sure TCM is showing it again later this month. |
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Post by DE Sinclair on Dec 9, 2015 8:41:46 GMT -5
As much as I love Bing, Danny and Rosemary Clooney, I think I prefer Holiday Inn because of Marjorie Reynolds. Everybody else made so many good movies and White Christmas is not anybody's best movie. But Holiday Inn is one of the few movies where you see Marjorie Reynolds looking so good! Yeah, I love her in the low-budget Mr. Wong movies with Boris Karloff and she is pretty badass in Ministry of Fear (where she shoots the bad guy through the closed door! Love that scene!), but Holiday Inn is a great vehicle for Marjorie Reynolds, an actress who isn't nearly as well known as she should be. I especially find the blackface scene to be HILARIOUS! I do enjoy Holiday Inn as well, but the Lincoln's Birthday/blackface number is painful to watch. |
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Post by dupersuper on Dec 10, 2015 1:40:17 GMT -5
It's a Wonderful Life
Miracle on 34th Street (original and remake)
Elf
Scrooged
Mickeys Xmas Carol
Muppets Xmas Carol
Muppets Xmas Special
Die Hard 1 and 2
Gremlins
stop motion Rudolph and Kris Kringle
animated Grynch and Frosty
Mr Bean Xmas special
Nightmare Before Xmas
Little Matchstick Girl
A Xmas Story
Bad Santa
Ernest Saves Xmas
Xmas Vacation
Xmas episodes of TV shows I like
and: because the title is "holiday movies" -
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
8 Crazy Nights
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Star Wars Holiday Special
V for Vendetta
Big Fat Quiz of the Year
Royal Canadian Air Farce New Years Special
...I think that's it...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2015 2:46:56 GMT -5
Holiday Inn - I have certain feelings about this movie and if they had taken out the blackface part of it and re-edit to make it more enjoyable; I would had considered it in my top ten holiday movies. The blackface part made it difficult for me to watch it and having said that I only saw this movie once and hadn't seen it since then that why I don't talk about it with family and friends.
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Post by DE Sinclair on Dec 10, 2015 16:21:53 GMT -5
Another movie that we have to watch every Christmas season is "We're No Angels" with Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, & Aldo Ray. It takes place on Devil's Island in the late 1800's where three hardened criminals have just broken out of the island prison. They go to the local general store to rob it of the clothes and supplies they'll need to escape the island, but have the misfortune of falling in with.... nice people. But the shopkeepers also have to deal with their evil cousin who owns the store (and quite a bit more) who comes to check up on them. Christmas hijinks ensue, the body count rises, along with visitations from a snake named Adolf. Good entertainment, in a bit of a dark vein.
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 10, 2015 16:46:59 GMT -5
It's a Wonderful Life is showing on USA three times between now and Christmas!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2015 16:53:08 GMT -5
It's a Wonderful Life is showing on USA three times between now and Christmas! I know and thanks for the heads up!  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2015 0:45:27 GMT -5
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