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Post by The Mad Plumber on Nov 29, 2009 8:58:41 GMT -5
Yes, it's that time of year again. Walmart employees will be carrying away stampede victims, Bill O'Reilly will be frothing at the mouth, and every television and radio station will be switching to 100% Christmas-themed programming. However, I have to say that it seems I've been seeing a different trend as of recently; theaters seem to be choosing this season to market violent horror films as opposed to cheerful holiday flicks, which is a little disturbing yet kind of interesting.
Anyways, it's time to assess the naughty and the nice of Christmas-themed pictures.
The Nice
It's A Wonderful Life
It's the ultimate cliché, but this film is the essential holiday film. I was surprisingly moved to tears by it the first time I saw it. I remember that my American Government teacher from high school brought up this film during discussion, stating it was shown so often because of its public domain status.
A Christmas Story
This would be MY personal favorite. A peculiar thing about this film, though, is that, because I grew up in a small village in Michigan that looked incredibly like the setting of this film, I had no idea that the story took place in the 1940s - 50s. Hell, even the mall looked like malls from my childhood in the 1980s.
The Naughty
The Santa Clause
I pity Tim Allen. He seems to have gotten into some sort of trap, doing all sorts of dirty work for Disney ever since he'd gotten his sitcom. So, whenever he actually manages to get cast into some sort of black comedy, I feel a little better for him. God, I hate cute. Somebody call Mr. Gower to send some medicine to that kid.
The Grinch
I believe I read somewhere Jim Carrey was regretting his role in this film shortly before its release. Oh, really!? After The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and The Cable Guy, NOW you finally start to regret some of the work you've done!?
Middle of the Road
Home Alone
I don't HATE it entirely, but I don't like it much either. If the family's watching it, maybe I'll sit down with them. Maybe it's the sequels that turn me off, I don't know. Thinking about it, maybe it's not so awful, but I just can't bring myself to watching it casually as I can better John Hughes films like Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Uncle Buck.
Ernest Saves Christmas
Okay, first off, I don't hate Ernest films that much. As a kid, I had no idea that the character's origins was as a generic commercial magnate. Secondly, of all the Ernest films I've seen, this one is probably the best or second best of them ... which probably isn't saying much. Ultimately, I kind of felt sorry for Jim Varney who probably had a lot of potential and never seemed to do anything outside of Ernest P. Worrell roles. Is Ernest Saves Christmas funny? Nah, but it's watchable, and that's good enough for me.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Nov 29, 2009 14:12:32 GMT -5
Elf[/b] isn't the greatest movie ever, but I actually like it a lot. That's bizarre in two respects, first it's a modern Christmas movie, and second, it's a Will Ferrell movie. I can't stand Will Ferrell. It's not on the level of A Christmas Story, but it's a pretty darn funny comedy.
Also, The Santa Clause[/b] isn't that bad. It's not great, but there are some pretty funny bits scattered through it.
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Post by solgroupie on Nov 29, 2009 15:04:38 GMT -5
i actually saw elf at the theater. i did like ferrell when he was on SNL and i've seen him do some funny scenes in movies since then, but a little of him goes a long way with me. but elf isn't a bad holiday movie if you're in the mood for it. i love bob newhart's role in it.
i'll always love it's a wonderful life. my mom hates it - she thinks it's played way too much during the holiday season, but when i said i loved it, she got it for me for christmas one year. maybe if jimmy stewart hadn't been in it, it wouldn't have become the classic it is. but with capra, you never know.
i also love a christmas story. you can't go wrong with it, IMO. after my family finishes christmas eve dinner, we all watch it. my parents and my uncle get a big kick out of it, because it was set around their time frame when they were kids.
don't forget the shop around the corner. another james stewart classic with margaret sullivan. the christmas theme isn't overly done, but it sure is a great story.
and i always try to catch scrooged with bill murray. i think that is either a love it or hate it kind of movie, but i actually like it. i think everyone should watch some form of a christmas carol during the holidays.
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Post by Jack Burton on Nov 30, 2009 1:39:27 GMT -5
Elves (1989) Dan (Grizzly Adams) Haggerty vs. an elf that has been genetically engineered by the Nazis to mate with a virgin on Christmas whose spawn will be the Antichrist. Greatest. Christmas. Movie. Ever. www.imdb.com/title/tt0099496/ |
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Nov 30, 2009 9:41:11 GMT -5
Haha, I've never heard of that. The quote on the front page of imdb is:
Willy: Is everything all right?
Kirsten: No, Willy, Gramps is a Nazi.
Must see.
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Post by Jack Burton on Nov 30, 2009 11:48:07 GMT -5
Haha, I've never heard of that. The quote on the front page of imdb is: Willy: Is everything all right? Kirsten: No, Willy, Gramps is a Nazi. Must see. That's only the tip of the iceberg. My favorite quote is "When there is no more room in Hell, the Elf shall walk the earth!" I've been watching this annually with friends for the past ten years at Christmas and it's become quite an event. (We had 14 people show up last year.) |
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Nov 30, 2009 12:31:16 GMT -5
Elves sounds awesome. Must see.
I'm a sap at Christmas, I'll admit, and I always like a little White Christmas. I think Bing Crosby is a misunderstood genius whose "crooning" actually did for American singing what Kandinsky did for abstract art...but that's not a majority opinion. I also like that White Christmas is pure, unadulterated schmaltz that has absolutely no pretensions to reflecting reality. It's so fake that it doesn't even pull on your heart-strings. It's just pure musical fantasy.
But if you want to think of an edgier version, remember that Bing was probably stoned during filming. Vera Allen was deep in the midst of her anorexia when the movie was made, and it shows when she's in her dance costumes. And the story is also bookended by war, the actual war at the beginning and the memory of survivors at the end, which actually haunts the carelessness of the rest of the movie. The song "Snow," which, in the movie, is just a little holiday ditty was written by Berlin as a war song, originally called "Free," and it was about having to believe you're fighting for freedom even while your friends are dying. Plus, if you're in a cynical mood, the story is really less about good Christmas feeling and more about all the ways that people manipulate and misunderstand one another: Danny Kaye manipulates Bing into creating a career for him, one sister manipulates the other into marriage, even the final big Christmas gift is one big exercise in deception and manipulation, making an old man feel like his life has meaning even though he realizes, in the end, that it's all over.
In other words, a cool movie that has a few different sides, plus some catchy old music.
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Post by Mod City on Nov 30, 2009 13:25:13 GMT -5
Elves (1989) Dan (Grizzly Adams) Haggerty vs. an elf that has been genetically engineered by the Nazis to mate with a virgin on Christmas whose spawn will be the Antichrist. Greatest. Christmas. Movie. Ever. www.imdb.com/title/tt0099496/Good lord. I have to see this thing. |
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Post by inlovewithcrow on Nov 30, 2009 14:21:16 GMT -5
I don't like Christmas--it's not my religion or my holiday, and I find most of the pop culture around it irritating or insipid or some awful combination of negatives. That said, South Park's episode "Merry Christmas Charlie Manson" is a great favorite of mine. I love how Charlie puts a happy face on his forehead after he learns the meaning of Christmas.
In movies, the only one that qualifies for me is Meet me in St. Louis which isn't really a Christmas movie but has some Christmas sections in it. I spent some years in St. Louis and the local stations played it as a Christmas movie, so it retains that connotation for me as the best
The Worst? Yikes, so many. It's a Wonderful Life tops the list.
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Post by solgroupie on Nov 30, 2009 15:17:23 GMT -5
oh man, how could i forget meet me in st. louis? i guess because, as inlovewithcrow already said, it isn't really a christmas movie. but that is where it ends and it has always been one of my favorite movies.
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Post by Continuing Legend on Nov 30, 2009 15:33:13 GMT -5
I don't like Christmas--it's not my religion or my holiday, and I find most of the pop culture around it irritating or insipid or some awful combination of negatives. Complete agreement. I think that might be why SCCTM doesn't feel like a classic episode to me -- I can't get in the Christmas spirit. I haven't seen Santa Claus yet, but I've got XVI pre-ordered so I'll see how I feel about that. Back on topic: to be completely honest, I don't think I've seen any Christmas movies. I know, I know. |
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Post by Broadsword on Nov 30, 2009 16:55:50 GMT -5
0Me and my wife love watching Christmas movies especially the older ones like Shop around the Corner, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, the 1951 A Christmas Carol, Holiday Inn, The Bishop's Wife, Christmas in Connecticut, The Gathering and The House Without a Christmas Tree. For newer movies I really love Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Carol and Elf.
For crappy ones take a look at the Hallmark Channel, my wife loves that sappy stuff but can't stand most of them.
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Post by Nuveena on Dec 5, 2009 18:39:06 GMT -5
I love the older Christmas movies, especially It's a Wonderful Life, Come to the Stable, The Bishop's Wife and Miracle on 34th Street. Holiday Inn I usually save until New Year's; it's more all-encompassing. A Muppet Christmas Carol was okay, too. I also really liked How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas, even though they're more TV specials. A Christmas Story was okay, but I didn't care for it as much.
And, even though it's not a Christmas movie, I loved the 1994 Little Women. It has a weird Christmas-y feeling all the way through, even though there are only a couple of Christmas scenes.
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Post by Trumpy's Magic Snout on Dec 6, 2009 19:07:20 GMT -5
Elves (1989) Dan (Grizzly Adams) Haggerty vs. an elf that has been genetically engineered by the Nazis to mate with a virgin on Christmas whose spawn will be the Antichrist. Greatest. Christmas. Movie. Ever. www.imdb.com/title/tt0099496/Good lord. I have to see this thing. I've ordered an ex-rental VHS copy of Elves off ebay! Cannot wait to see it! |
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Post by Satchmo on Dec 6, 2009 19:44:12 GMT -5
Elves (1989) Dan (Grizzly Adams) Haggerty vs. an elf that has been genetically engineered by the Nazis to mate with a virgin on Christmas whose spawn will be the Antichrist. Greatest. Christmas. Movie. Ever. www.imdb.com/title/tt0099496/Good lord. I have to see this thing. Seconded. |
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