The 25 Greatest "Holiday" Movies of All Time -- and Why I Believe This To Be So:
01. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) 8.0 (recent IMDb user rating)
This is the all-time BEST Christmas movie ever made! "Miracle on 34th Street" is almost perfect in every respect. It features superb acting performances from everyone in its relatively large cast, right down to the smallest, uncredited part. So much so, that, with only a few special exceptions, those performances actually constituted (or approached) "career-topping" efforts for virtually EVERY member of this amazing troop of actors. The cast includes Maureen O'Hara (as the overly businesslike and too-literal-minded mother), Natalie Wood (as the very sweet but disbelieving child), John Payne (as the good neighbor, and attorney, whose interest extends beyond mere neighborliness), Gene Lockhart (the less-than-eager "competency hearing" judge who will be running for reelection soon), William Frawley (the savvy, cigar-chomping, political advisor to the judge), Jerome Cowan (as "Thomas Mara," the District Attorney and father to a young son), Porter Hall (the story's quirky "villain" and psychological "quack"), Philip Tonge (as the toy department manager and compatriot with O'Hara's character in the back offices of Macy's Dept. store), Harry Antrim (portraying the real-life R. H. Macy), Alvin Greenman (as "Alfred," the young Santa-wannabe), Jack Albertson (a postal clerk, in a pivotal role), Marlene Lyden (as the young Dutch-speaking girl, also a pivotal role), and Thelma Ritter (as the newly "won over" customer at Macy's). And all this is to not even mention the absolutely incredible Edmund Gwenn, as "Kris Kringle," in what has to be, by far, the single GREATEST turn any actor has ever taken in the role of Santa Claus! Further, this immortal film "takes on," head first, the concept of disbelief in Santa Claus in a brilliant way that not only will *NOT* dislodge that belief in any young child who happens to watch the film; but, also, in refuting that concept of disbelief so very charmingly, the story makes true believers out of everyone else, except, perhaps, for the most hardened and heartless of cynics among us!
02. The Bishop's Wife (1947) 7.5 (recent IMDb user rating)
Movies seldom ever get as good as this one, let alone better. The cast of this film, and their "miraculous" individual performances, when I think about them, make me literally vibrate and quiver with the anticipation of future viewings, as do they make me ecstatically swoon with joy over the memory or prior viewings! Just think, for a brief moment, about the cumulative talents these amazing artists, at their absolute peak, lovingly bring to bear on this touching and inspirational material: Cary Grant (as the most sophisticated angel Heaven ever sent out), Loretta Young (at her loveliest, in the title role), David Niven (as the faithful, albeit Protestant, Bishop), Monty Woolley (as the kindly, old history Professor who specializes in antiquities), James Gleason (as the best cabbie one could ever hope to meet), Gladys Cooper (as the rich widow and potential church benefactor), and Elsa Lanchester (as the Bishop's wonderful housekeeper). The real glory of this film is the truly magical, central performance given by Grant as the angel who escorts the Bishop's wife (to free up time for the harried Bishop's work) and, yet, who seems to actually be falling in love with her!
03. The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) 7.7 (recent IMDb user rating)
If Monty Woolley was adorably charming, quixotic, and tender in his performance as Professor Wutheridge in 1947's "The Bishop's Wife," (and he was!) it is all the more remarkable how, with such perfect pitch, in the choice role of Sheridan Whiteside in this hilarious film, Woolley is able to be so deliciously snide, discourteous, self-centered, and downright nasty to nearly all those surrounding him-- while remaining, all the while, quite loveable! This brilliantly clever film, which spans the Christmas season, and reflects on the Christmas Spirit, also features Bette Davis in one of her most attractive and endearing screen performances as Whiteside's faithful secretary, plus excellent acting turns from Ann Sheridan (the sexy, gold digging actress), Richard Travis (the small town newspaper editor and suitor to Davis' character), Jimmy Durante as "Banjo" (imitating the real-life Harpo Marx!), Billie Burke (as the Ohio matron whose home "Sherry" Whiteside has "taken over"), Reginald Gardiner (as "Beverly Carlton," a character presumably based on Noel Coward), Grant Mitchell (the household's ineffectual patriarch), George Barbier (the town's elderly doctor with literary aspirations), and an unforgettable portrayal from Mary Wickes as the home care nurse who is the long-suffering target of the relentless verbal barbs from Whiteside, her irascible "patient." Both Woolley and Wickes reprise their roles which they originated in the smash Broadway production.
04. Home Alone (1990) 6.6 (recent IMDb user rating)
Let's face it, there has never been a child actor in the entire history of the movies who has been as adorable and as supremely talented as was Macaulay Culkin during his two outings as "Kevin" in the first couple of "Home Alone" movies! The first film, especially, is quite magical in BOTH of its halves; meaning, that the "first half," which revolves around the situation of Kevin being accidently left behind while his large, extended family flies to Paris France for the rapidly approaching Christmas holiday, is supremely well done in the sense that it brilliantly captures the range of thoughts and emotions, and assumptions the precocious 8-year-old undergoes as he adjusts to being forgotten by his parents and the others. In the "second half" of the film, Kevin is forced to "defend" his home from a pair of bumbling yet dangerous burglars who have targeted the presumably empty dwelling. This latter portion of the movie is just as well done as the earlier portion, even if it accords to Kevin some unlikely skills, and levels of bravado & assuredness in his "defense" efforts which might seem unrealistic. Let us not forget that it is Kevin's elderly neighbor who actually saves him from the burglars' evil intentions at the end of the movie. Reviewers like Roger Ebert who downgraded or faulted this absolutely charming (and eminently watchable) movie for having a plot "so implausible that it makes it hard for us to really care about the plight of the kid," simply didn't "get it," and that just astounds me. This movie was obviously never intended as a "realistic" drama; it's a Christmas "fantasy" tale trumpeting the triumph of youthful innocence and goodness over adversity and evil! Indeed, for 17 years, I have been expecting Ebert, whom I generally respect, to revise his rating of this "modern classic" upward to the 4 stars it deserved from him. Thank God the public "got it" regarding this marvelous film! While it was in its initial theatrical release, it became about the fifth highest-grossing box office success of all time, with only the three original Star Wars films and "ET" ahead of it!
05. We're No Angels (1955) 7.4 (recent IMDb user rating)
This wonderful film, uniquely detailing the conquests of the Christmas Spirit (of love and generosity) over the worldly devilments of avarice and self-interest, stars Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, and Peter Ustinov as three convicts newly escaped from Devil's Island. They take refuge in the home of a French family, which lives near the coast in French Guiana, South America, where they are inspired, by the difficulties facing this generous and welcoming family, to help "right" matters for them. The kind family played by Joan Bennett (as an earlier, middle-aged "Amelie"), Leo G. Carroll (her gentle husband, Felix), and Gloria Talbott (their lovely but as yet unmarried daughter, Isabelle) are at the mercy of their wealthy and rather evil uncle Andre, played by Basil Rathbone, who holds complete control over their combination home & retail store business which is less than sufficiently profitable. Needless to say, the haughty overarching uncle proves to be no real match for the three criminals, who also find time to play matchmaker for the daughter and her suitor.
06. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) 5.4 (recent IMDb user rating)
This film sequel is essentially a "remake" of the first Home Alone movie, with the main difference of having the eventual "homes" for Kevin (due to a mix-up in boarding flights at the Chicago airport) become, first, the Plaza Hotel in NYC where Kevin cleverly, but lavishly, employs his father's credit card; and, second, the vacant residence of an absent New York uncle. Meanwhile, the rest of his extended family's communal vacation sojourn takes them to a rain soaked motel "dive" in Florida. By chance, the same two bandits from the first film (played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern), having escaped justice, arrive in NYC with a plan to rob one of the city's largest toy stores of its cash hoard after midnight on the night of Christmas Eve. The movie involves three additional subplots-- (1) Kevin's ongoing battle with the Plaza Hotel's Concierge, brilliantly played by Tim Curry, who rightly suspects the boy of being "alone" in the hotel; (2) Kevin's coincidental relationship with the generous founder & manager of the huge toy store; and (3) Kevin's friendly relationship with a homeless woman, played by Brenda Fricker, who frequents Central Park near the hotel. In the latter portion of the film, there is another (and significantly more violent) Battle Royal between Kevin and the two bandits, who are now seeking simply to kill the boy, in the vacant residence of Kevin's New York uncle. Partly because they did "pull out all the stops" in this second effort to make it spectacular, it suffers the flaws of many sequels, but viewers would need to be particularly heartless to NOT love and want to root for the adorable Kevin as played by the very young Macaulay Culkin. [It has been asserted by some that Macaulay Culkin was named for Thomas Babington Macaulay, the nineteenth-century English poet and historian. However, whether that is correct or not, I prefer to believe that he was named for the character, "Macaulay Connor," portrayed by James Stewart in the "Philadelphia Story," another film I love.]
07. Family Man (2000) 6.5 (recent IMDb user rating)
In my opinion, this is one of those rather rare films that have actually improved upon their inspirational source material from the fabled lore of Hollywood movie history. Clearly, the inspiration for this film was Frank Capra's classic, "It's a Wonderful Life," but the thing that makes this film superior to the earlier one (in my mind) is that in THIS film it truly *IS* a wonderful life that the main character missed out on (due, simply, to a path not taken). And the angel's magic is used to give the main character a second shot at attaining that life, by allowing him the opportunity to eventually come to fully realize the nature of the life he MIGHT have had, despite his having become a rich and powerful Wall Street success in the version of life to which his previously chosen path had led him! In other words, the triumph of familial love over avarice is at the film's core. Whereas, in the older movie, the main character was fleeing FROM his already achieved (supposedly) "wonderful life," having never actually recognized its less-than-totally-obvious value. In the earlier film, Stewart's character consistently rejects or postpones self-serving opportunities for advancement and self-enrichment, often not so much out of any higher moral principles, but rather out of necessity or a sense of duty; so, subsequently, he comes, after a number of years, to view his life as failed, despite the normal trappings of love and family he has theoretically enjoyed all along. To my way of thinking, a clearly GREAT life (albeit an average middle class life) which is recognized as such in the face of having HAD, and having reveled in, the experience of real wealth and success, is somehow preferable to a "great life" that apparently can only be recognized as such in the context of its "hidden impact" on the community at large. In the older movie, the angel's magic is used merely to create a shift in the focus with which the main character "sees" his one and only life. In "Family Man," the angel's magic actually allows a new and superior life to be striven for by Nicholas Cage's character.
08. Home for the Holidays (1995) 6.3 (recent IMDb user rating)
This is the best movie about the Thanksgiving holiday. Period. It simply involves most of the members of a relatively normal, yet moderately dysfunctional family (is there such a thing as a "functional family"?), gathering together at the "grandparents" home for Thanksgiving dinner and a couple of days worth of interaction. The factors that make this movie so excellent are to be found in the even-handed, rather subtle direction of the story by Jodie Foster, and the collective skill of the very talented cast which includes some of my very favorite actors, including Holly Hunter, in the lead role, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Dylan McDermott, Geraldine Chaplin, Claire Danes, Steve Guttenberg, Cynthia Stevenson, and David Strathairn. A perennial seasonal favorite of "dysfunctional families" everywhere!
09. Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) 7.4 (recent IMDb user rating)
This is the second best movie about the Thanksgiving holiday. Period. This film, however, focuses on the efforts of a man (played by comedic genius, Steve Martin) simply to "get home," from his job in New York City to Chicago, for the holiday celebration with his family, in the face of many delays and other travel crises which seem totally beyond his control. He becomes "teamed up," rather against his will, with another fellow traveler, played by the very great John Candy, whose character, although basically a decent fellow, is something of a nightmare as a traveling companion. Thus, the film becomes a mismatched buddy, road trip film with hilarious, laugh-inducing results.
10. Scrooged (1988) 6.6 (recent IMDb user rating)
This is probably the very BEST "remake" of Charles Dickens' seminal story, "A Christmas Carol," that has been produced so far. It stars Bill Murray and Karen Allen (both of whose work I adore) as people on the prowl for love and sex in the world of modern day network TV, and features Carol Kane, David Johansen (of The New York Dolls fame), Bobcat Goldthwait, John Forsythe, Michael J. Pollard, Alfre Woodard, Jamie Farr, Robert Goulet, and Robert Mitchum!
11. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) 7.2 (recent IMDb user rating)
Okay, the Griswold family's misadventures on their various vacations are legendary in the world of motion picture comedies, so it is no big surprise that their "Christmas Vacation" movie makes this list. Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Randy Quaid, William Hickey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Brian Doyle-Murray are all excellent in this very funny version of the Christmas holiday no one ever wants to have! The many highlights include the insanely over-lit exterior of the house, the electrocuted cat which chewed through a strand of Christmas lights, the burning Christmas tree, the "Jelly-of-the Month Club" Christmas bonus fiasco, and the exploding sewage gas, in the street's rain water drain, that had been dumped there by Cousin Eddie from his nasty old RV parked in the driveway. It's far from being highbrow humor, but it's funny, and Chevy Chase (Cary Grant's "arch enemy" at one time) is always interesting.
12. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) 8.0 (recent IMDb user rating)
Okay, I have basically been ignoring, or discounting, "animated" films on this list for numerous reasons; however, I'm willing to make an exception in this case. First, there is an obvious, deranged charm to this Tim Burton movie and to its lead character, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town; and, second, the stop-motion animation, which is a lovely throwback to the days of 1964's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and even earlier, is totally magnificent! Plus, I find the three little trick-or-treaters, "Lock, Shock, and Barrel," to be adorably mischievous. And I love the character of "Oogie Boogie" who is so deliciously evil; and who, in the end, is revealed to actually be a sort of "collective kibbutz" of bugs, working together to achieve his existence. Granted, the concept of Halloween's King deciding to kidnap Santa Claus and imprison him, for the sake of "taking over" his Christmas duties, and then ruining everyone's Christmas as a result of failing to grasp the nature of Christmas, is pretty twisted stuff, but it's also great fun to watch!
13. Scrooge (A Christmas Carol) (1951) 8.0 (recent IMDb user rating)
This excellent cinematic presentation of the famous Charles Dickens yuletide story-- with an astounding performance by Alastair Sim as "Ebenezer Scrooge"-- wasn't the first of the many efforts that have been made to turn that beloved literary classic into a motion picture, but it is certainly the "definitive" version!
14. Jesus of Nazareth (1977) 8.5 (recent IMDb user rating)
Forget all about Mel Gibson's ridiculous blood fest, "The Passion of the Christ," the ultimate film for the Easter holiday is Franco Zeffirelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" with Robert Powell as Jesus, and featuring Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Claudia Cardinale, James Farentino, James Earl Jones, Stacy Keach, James Mason, Ian McShane, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Fernando Rey, Ralph Richardson, Rod Steiger, Ian Holm, Olivia Hussey, Cyril Cusack, Michael York, and Peter Ustinov in very well crafted supporting roles! This extremely long version of the story of Jesus was originally a TV mini-series, which format, in general, I've excluded from this list, but I'm making an exception for this title because of its surpassing excellence.
15. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) 7.3 (recent IMDb user rating)
Delightful in every way, this fine film's superb cast sparkles! Enjoy the perfect "at home" Christmas celebration with Barbara Stanwyck, Sydney Greenstreet, Reginald Gardiner, Dennis Morgan, and S.Z. Sakall. The story/plot of the film can be summed up this way: Imagine "winning" a chance to spend Christmas with Martha Stewart in her private home...if (#1) Martha were (in secret) totally clueless about how to decorate, or how to prepare a large meal; and...if (#2) Martha were to suddenly, somehow (?) become "as worth spending time with" as Barbara Stanwyck, in her prime, clearly was! And it's NOT that I dislike Martha Stewart-- she's totally fine-- it's much more that I just LOVE Barbara Stanwyck of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s who made numerous films which score well on my all-time top favorites list!
16. Ha-Ushpizin (2004) 7.5 (recent IMDb user rating)
This is an amazing film about the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, or "the Feast of Booths," with marvelous characters, and a fine balance of drama, comedy, and even suspense. There are not a lot of movies dedicated to this holiday, so I think it's fair to say that this one is the very BEST film for the Sukkot holiday! The husband in the family, "Moshe Bellanga," as played by Shuli Rand, is truly an amazing portrait of a fascinating man! And the traditional customs and beliefs of the Ultra-Orthodox Jews, such as those living in the Breslov community in Jerusalem, have never been portrayed better on film, to my knowledge.
17. Holiday Inn (1942) 7.5 (recent IMDb user rating)
Starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, and Virginia Dale, and featuring the music of Irving Berlin (including the debut of the song, "White Christmas"), this wonderful film, "Holiday Inn," is the original version of the story upon which the extravagant 1954 "remake" entitled, "White Christmas" was loosely based. Even though the 1942 film was shot in B&W, whereas the latter one was shot in Technicolor and was the first ever VISTAVISION film, I am inclined to count "Holiday Inn" above its "remake" for this list. Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire are both superb in this movie and, by contrast, a 12-years-older version of "Der Bingle," with Danny Kaye subbing for Astaire, doesn't quite compare. Sadly, the film, "Holiday Inn," is only rarely ever shown anymore on television-- either broadcast or cable. It is said the primary reason for this ridiculous fact is due to a single song the movie presents about Abraham Lincoln which was performed in "blackface" by Crosby and Reynolds. Obviously, today's television programmers are not worried about offending President Lincoln; so, we see here an example of "politically correct" attitudes having gone insane, which, for me, just makes "Holiday Inn" that much more interesting.
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The same phenomenon, as occurred with "Holiday Inn" and its remake,"White Christmas," can be recognized, for instance, with "Silk Stockings," the 1957 color remake of 1939's B&W "Ninotchka," where the original seems the superior version to many. Ironically, "Silk Stockings" stars Fred Astaire who turned down the opportunity to reprise his co-starring role from "Holiday Inn" when given the script for "White Christmas" to read! Perhaps Fred regretted that 1954 decision by the time 1957 rolled around, or maybe it was simply the chance to co-star with Cyd Charisse (for the third time) in "Silk Stockings" that swayed his decision for that film. And another example of a 1950's color remake which fell short of its classic, 40's, B&W original, would be "The Birds and the Bees," a 1956 version of 1941's "The Lady Eve." Of course, the absolute epitome of foolishness in Hollywood's silly trend during the 1950s to remake great B&W films, from prior decades, as lavish color musicals, can be seen in the film, "High Society," which attempts to redo 1940's "The Philadelphia Story," but with Bing Crosby in Cary Grant's role, Frank Sinatra in James Stewart's role, and Grace Kelly subbing for Katherine Hepburn. What WERE they thinking when they did that?!?
18. A Christmas Story (1983) 8.0 (recent IMDb user rating)
"A Tribute to the Original, Traditional, One-Hundred-Percent, Red-Blooded, Two-Fisted, All-American Christmas..."
One of the most violent "Christmas movies" ever made, this is the story of meek little Ralphie Parker, a nine-year-old schoolboy in small town Indiana (circa, the 1940s) who, when pestered by some local bullies ("Scut Farkus" & "Grover Dill"), while on his way home from his school, knocks Grover Dill to the ground, beats Scut's face bloody, and then pounds Scut's head into the snow-covered ground numerous times! Despite Ralphie's sudden uncharacteristically sadistic behavior, for Christmas, he is rewarded by his father (over the strenuous objections of his mother, his school teacher, and EVEN Santa Claus) with his heart's most passionate desire, a Red Ryder Carbine Action, 200-Shot, Range Model Air Rifle (or BB gun), with which, over the next few weeks, he proceeds to shoot out not only both of his own eyes, but also the eyes of everyone else in the entire neighborhood! [Just kidding.]
19. The Holiday (2006) 6.9 (recent IMDb user rating)
This delightful film has Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet on the prowl for love and sex in both England and California during the Christmas holidays. Plus, it offers probably the best romantic performance ever given by Jude Law, with some nice comedic counterpoint from Jack Black who keeps "grazing" Kate's boobs. What more needs to be said?
20. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 8.6 (recent IMDb user rating)
This is the famous Christmas classic, directed by Frank Capra, which many people cite as their #1 favorite holiday film. While it obviously does not suck, it is (in my view) an amazingly overrated movie. First, it is just one among many in a long line of films about Heavenly angels who are dispatched to Earth to intercede in the lives of deserving (or not so deserving) humans; and while "Clarence," the bumbling, novice angel-in-training, nicely played by Henry Travers, is fine, he's no Cary Grant, nor is he even a Don Cheadle. Second, even though this clearly is a "fantasy" tale, and while the closely examined life of Jimmy Stewart's character, "George Bailey," certainly seems to have brought some significant good to the lives of a number of the other characters, the movie stretches credulity to the breaking point in making its (far too weak) case for the absolute "Hell on Earth" their small town would inevitably have become if this one particular man had never been born! If this film was not quite so maudlin, or maybe if it had a more central element of real romance in the storyline, it would be a superior movie, I believe. I guess movies based on potential suicides (brought on by depression over lost opportunities) and the eventual salvation of such sorrowful characters from themselves, just aren't my cup of tea. On the other hand, as I said up above, "it doesn't suck," and is easily capable of being enjoyed on the level at which it exists.
21. Millions (2005) 7.2 (recent IMDb user rating)
"Millions" is a movie I almost skipped for this list of particular "holiday" films because it strikes me as being suitable for all seasons, equally, even though it takes place during the X-mas season. But it truly *IS* a "Christmas movie" in that it clearly attempts to focus on the "real meaning" of Christianity in a way that isn't even touched upon in many films purportedly "aimed at" the holiday's audiences. Directed by Danny Boyle-- who also helmed Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and Sunshine-- it's set in the suburbs of Manchester, England, apparently at some future point in time when the British pound is about to soon be eliminated as the official currency of Great Britain in favor of the Euro (a change which is not now, and may never be, scheduled to actually occur). "Millions" features a luminous performance by Alex Etel as the 7-year-old "Damian," a religious child who is visited by odd apparitions of Roman Catholic saints. "Damian" and his older brother, "Anthony," who are both still trying to deal with the recent death of their mother, suddenly become "wealthy" beyond their wildest dreams when a bag filled with money seems to fall straight from Heaven into Damian's little cardboard "religious retreat" he has set up near some railroad tracks. The rest of the film (and its messages) grow out of how the two boys (and the film's other characters) relate to the money; that is, how they spend, disburse, covet, or otherwise dispose of the cash.
22. La Bûche (1999) 6.4 (recent IMDb user rating)
"Christmas, family, and infidelity." It features Charlotte Gainsbourg, Emmanuelle Béart, Sabine Azéma, Christopher Thompson, and others, all on the prowl for love and sex in France over the holidays while the dysfunctional family that brings them all together for a rare Christmas dinner, struggles with the many pressures of the season -- what more could one ask of any "holiday" film?
23. Hocus Pocus (1993) 5.7 (recent IMDb user rating)
There are lots of scary films that many people repeatedly enjoy during the Halloween holiday every year, and some of those movies are superb, but I would question whether they really qualify as films which are centered on the holiday of Halloween itself. Many such favorite "Halloween" scare-fests are simply generic horror films which could just as well take place in January or July or any other time of year. But Hocus Pocus is, by far, the best film I know of, that seems to actually be focused on the Halloween holiday. In turns, it alternates back and forth between being delightfully humorous and quite scary. Plus, it includes excellent performances from both Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, as well as a truly stunning performance from Bette Midler-- who, together, portray three witches, the long-deceased "Sanderson sisters" from 17th century Salem, Massachusetts. By mistake, they are brought back to life by some children through the use of a magic spell, and into our modern times, on Halloween. In one of the film's most hilarious segments, the three newly reincarnated (but somewhat confused) witches mistake Garry Marshall for the real Satan! Marshall is dressed up for the holiday in a red devil's costume, and he welcomes them into his home, believing they are adult trick or treaters! Eventually, the film turns a lot darker as it becomes clear that the three witches will require children as "sacrifices" so they may extract and ingest the life essences from those youngsters to maintain their own unnaturally prolonged, wicked existences.
24. White Christmas (1954) 7.2 (recent IMDb user rating)
Directed by the great Michael Curtiz, "White Christmas," starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen, and featuring songs by Irving Berlin, is a lavishly produced musical, shot in Technicolor and VISTAVISION, which is, basically, a loose "remake" of an earlier Bing Crosby & Fred Astaire vehicle, "Holiday Inn," that was made in B&W 12 years before. Astaire chose not to be in this version and was ultimately replaced by Kaye. The plot involves the efforts of Bing and Danny (who play a professional song and dance team), along with the aid of the two female leads, to "save" the financially distressed Vermont resort that is now owned by a man who used to be their commanding officer when they were Army buddies during WWII. Much of the glory of this film is to be found in the musical score and the songs, all of which were entirely composed by Berlin, and which include about half new music, written specifically for this film, and about half older numbers originally written for prior shows. Obviously, this film's "title number" is one of the older songs, as it debuted in "Holiday Inn" well over a decade earlier. Regardless of whether one prefers this movie or "Holiday Inn"-- and a rather strong case may be made for either-- the film, "White Christmas," just like the song which it is built around, has become a revered holiday classic and is certain to remain so, far into the future.
25. Bad Santa (2003) 7.2 (recent IMDb user rating)
It's not difficult to imagine that many people might be tempted to argue with the inclusion of "Bad Santa" (or its slightly more explicit twin, "Badder Santa") on this list. However, this film was directed by Terry Zwigoff, produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starred Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Bernie Mac, John Ritter (in his final live-action movie performance), and Lauren Graham-- very talented people, all! Let's just be content to say that "Bad Santa" features Billy Bob Thornton (as a drunken store Santa) and Tony Cox (as his twisted "elf" helper) on the prowl for kinky sex, massive quantities of hard liquor, and as much ill-gotten booty as they can steal from the shopping malls of America over Christmastide. And if someone foolishly happens to "love" either of them, despite all efforts to push such pesky nuisances away, so be it! I guess one has to be capable of tolerating (if not of enjoying) this sort of crude humor; however, somewhere, buried among the scenes of meaningless but wall-shaking sex in department store dressing rooms, their exceedingly intoxicated, "falling-down-drunk" behavior, and the puke jokes, the redeeming aspect of a real "Christmas message" peeks out at us by the end of the movie, due to the almost irrational dedication to this depraved version of "Santa" by a young boy who is a rather strange outcast himself.
Spencer
2 Comments:
Spencer,
Now you've gone and made me feel guilty for not having written more in my post... you always amaze me with your exuberance for things like this. Let me try to respond to some of your remarks film by film.
--Kate
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
I still cannot decide which version I like better. I loved the 90s version and I saw that one first, but I love this version too. I think it's a toss up for me. However, despite how many times I've seen both of these films I have no clue what any of the actors or characters names are.. if you are truly remembering this all that clearly then that's pretty amazing. I guess I assumed one could just follow my links to read more about it!
THe Bishop's Wife
Did we see the same movie? I liked it. It's a good one. I certainly experienced no quivering and I guess the mere fact that I even liked it is amazing considering it's one of those angel/ghost type films I have such an aversion to. It's certainly not ranked that highly in my memory.
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Well, this is one of my favorite films of all time, but it never registered as a holiday film. Sorry. One could call Die Hard a holiday film or Ghostbusters just because they occur at the holiday season but for some reason it seems the focus of the film is something other than the holidays in all of these films.
Home Alone
I dislike this film. I hate the creepy bad guys and I don't enjoy watching them fumbling around. I know I'm pretty much "Alone" in this view. But there it is.
We're No Angels
I've never seen this one but now I'm intrigued. I may have to add that to my list of films to watch.
Home Alone 2
When I didn't "love" the first one, I'm not sure what prompted me to see the second film, but I did. I'm just not a lover of this sort of genre. I think that film Mousetrap or whatever it's called is a lot like this too.
Family Man
Was this a holiday film? I really don't remember that. I recall a colleague really liking this film. I did not. Maybe it's Nicolas Cage playing the role, though he seemed fine. I guess it's just not for me.
Home for the Holidays
This is one of my favorite all time films and certainly one of my faves for the holidays. I am never quite sure why. I think it's because like almost everyone I can relate to some of the holiday dread involved in spending time with family one doesn't see all that often. Dramas emerge, tensions run high and nothing is quite as good as it was when one was a child. I think this film captures that and yet it shows some real tenderness and love too.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Since I'm not a John Candy fan it's rather surprising that I like this film as much as I do. I guess my love of Steve Martin counters that? I agree this is a fun Thanksgiving day flick and also a terrific comedy.
Scrooged
This is another one I've never seen. Probably because I don't like "A Christmas Carol" or any of its derivatives. However I really do like Bill Murray and I should give it a chance.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
I loved the original Vacation, but after that I have little interest in repeat watchings. I think the RV draining scene may have been what did it for me. The character of Randy Quaid is what spoils this movie for me.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Ignoring animated programs? What? That's insane. That is the best of the best when it comes to holiday shows. Charlie Brown? The Grinch? I've already DVR'd both of those shows this season to watch and savor.
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
I may have seen this one. There is a foggy image in my mind. Sorry, Dickens. I just don't like the story all that much.
Jesus of Nazareth
I've never seen this one and I wasn't even thinking of "Easter" themed shows. I guess I was a bit stuck on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Of course, in the end, I never did see Passion of the Christ either.
Christmas in Connecticut
Okay, this sounds like something I would love. I am definitely going to watch this one this season.
Ha-Ushpizin
I didn't even think of this film. Perhaps because it's not a "holiday" I typically celebrate. It was a pretty good film, though.
Holiday Inn
Hmmm... I actually don't really like Holiday Inn as much, BECAUSE it's in black and white and not the lavish technicolor of the film White Christmas... and that one scene with the black face is offensive and precisely the reason I don't particularly care for it. I understand what you are saying and perhaps I need to give it another shot, but I really can't say that anything is likely to knock White Christmas from it's top spot. I love Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby and Vera Allen. The clothing, the songs, the banter, the story. I love it all.
A Christmas Story
This one has great narration. I reminds me a bit of Woody Allen's Radio Days. Ultimately, I think it's just really funny. The desires of this young kid, his bizarro imagination, the licking the frozen flag pole (I once did that with the handle of the screen door on a dare... not a good idea). It's a cult classic.
The Holiday
This is one I considered adding in. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I wasn't sure if it belonged in my top 15 holiday films and I didn't want to spill over to 16. I was questioning the placement of The Family Stone and considering putting this one on instead. Both are pretty recent and possibly not of "lasting quality" that other films have proven to be. Still I think I'll watch The Holiday again this season so that will make it a third viewing for me!
It's a Wonderful Life
I don't think I've ever seen this one all the way through. Just bits and pieces. And I've never been enticed to watch more. I guess your review of it says just what I've always thought. And yet, there it is in your top 25? I am mystified.
Millions
I enjoyed this film and I never thought of it as a holiday one, hence the absence from my own list. Still I'm not sure this one makes it in my top 15 anyway.
La Buche
You liked this one more than I did. I like Charlotte Gainsbourg in it and by the way, she's about to be in another film I'm anxious to see--the Bob Dylan one--I'm Not There.
Hocus Pocus
I almost forgot about this one. I guess I am at a disadvantage since I've only seen it once. I mix up this one with the Witches of Eastwick for some reason. Both are pretty good. I think when it comes to Halloween I can do without the horror for certain and I tend to lean more toward "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."
White Christmas
Well, you've already read my feelings on that. I DO believe that color adds to Christmas films. I think that there is something to the vibrance and contrast you can get from that.
Bad Santa
Wow. I remember the puking, the depravity and the all around grossness, but somehow I've managed to forget the actual plot of the story which involves a boy and the meaning of Christmas. Sheesh. I guess I don't need to say it but I did NOT like this movie. It was like that unfortunate Adam Sandler animated one... ugh.
[Kate wrote: Now you've gone and made me feel guilty for not having written more in my post... you always amaze me with your exuberance for things like this. Let me try to respond to some of your remarks film by film.]
Usually, it is you who makes *ME* feel guilty for writing so little original material in what I post. With this recent Holiday film post of mine, I had intended to write only a very brief (possibly flippant) paragraph for each title, but the whole thing just grew exponentially, almost out of my control, as I was working on it. With only a very few exceptions where I stole a line or two from somewhere else on the net, virtually all of that post actually was original from me, as in being my words, and my analysis or insights. I did copy the cast lists from IMDb in a few cases where I couldn't remember everyone. BTW, I had finished all but the spelling and grammar corrections (and Lord knows there were tons of those) before I even saw your similar, earlier post.
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Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
[Kate wrote: I still cannot decide which version I like better. I loved the 90s version and I saw that one first, but I love this version too. I think it's a toss up for me. However, despite how many times I've seen both of these films I have no clue what any of the actors or characters names are... if you are truly remembering this all that clearly then that's pretty amazing. I guess I assumed one could just follow my links to read more about it!]
Yes, that original version is so deeply imprinted on my mind (as I've seen it numerous times) that I was able to actually remember virtually all of that stuff, although I did have to look up some of the actors' names, but I knew the characters they played by heart. I've only seen the remake once, and it made far less of an impression on me, but I enjoyed it well enough.
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The Bishop's Wife
[Kate wrote: Did we see the same movie? I liked it. It's a good one. I certainly experienced no quivering and I guess the mere fact that I even liked it is amazing considering it's one of those angel/ghost type films I have such an aversion to. It's certainly not ranked that highly in my memory.]
Whenever you write things like this to me expressing a lukewarm appraisal for something I see as a much greater work of art (and you do so, periodically), I am always tempted to, once again, urge you to very closely read the book, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values" by Robert Pirsig. As for your aversion to "those angel/ghost type films," I guess you have never sufficiently explained that aversion to me so that I can fully understand it. I gather this must mean you would tend not only to dislike both of the "Ghostbusters" films, but also any adaptations of Shakespeare's "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark," and Oscar Wilde's "The Canterville Ghost, " and Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw," as well; not to mention the cinematic versions of Thorne Smith's "Topper" books, in addition to the 1947 Rex Harrison film, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," yes? It just seems a wee, tiny, little tad incomprehensible to me how anyone, as a general rule, can automatically dislike every movie that contains any ghosts or angels.
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The Man Who Came to Dinner
[Kate wrote: Well, this is one of my favorite films of all time, but it never registered as a holiday film. Sorry. One could call Die Hard a holiday film or Ghostbusters just because they occur at the holiday season but for some reason it seems the focus of the film is something other than the holidays in all of these films.]
I'm glad you love this 1942 film-- which was based on a highly successful Broadway play that was written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, and that debuted on October 16, 1939. The play has three acts. The first act occurs over the course of the weeks leading up to Christmas, sometime in the 1930s; then, the play's act two takes place entirely on Christmas eve; and the play's act three takes place entirely on Christmas day. In the film, there is a huge, fully decorated Christmas tree which dominates the living room of the home where nearly every scene occurs. Much is made of the "Christmas Eve radio broadcast" that is an annual tradition for Sheridan Whiteside to deliver, and for which extensive preparations are made, and which he ultimately attempts to deliver as chaos ensues around him. Much is also made of the various Christmas presents Whiteside receives, and of the Christmas gifts other characters in the story buy and give to each other. The primary subplot of the story revolves around the romance between Maggie, Whiteside's devoted secretary, and Bert, the local newspaper editor. The culmination of the entire show occurs when the curmudgeonly and extremely self-centered Whiteside goes far out of his way to neutralize Lorraine, the glamorous actress, who seems to be "winning" in her devious efforts to "steal" Bert's affections from Maggie as a means of "getting even" with Maggie for a petty reason, despite the fact that this generous action by Sheridan means Maggie will cease to be his devoted "servant," an outcome he had previously dreaded and had previous worked to prevent! Thus, the triumph of the "Christmas Spirit" over the egocentric self-interest of the main character is the ultimate dramatic climax of the entire story.
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Home Alone
[Kate wrote: I dislike this film. I hate the creepy bad guys and I don't enjoy watching them fumbling around. I know I'm pretty much "Alone" in this view. But there it is.]
The "bad guys" are supposed to be kind of "creepy." Viewers are not expected to "like" them too much. So, I doubt you are totally "alone" in that part of your sentiments. But don't your positive feelings for adorable little Kevin offset the other less appealing aspects of the movie for you? Hmmm?
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We're No Angels
[Kate wrote: I've never seen this one but now I'm intrigued. I may have to add that to my list of films to watch.]
There is a more recent "remake" of this film that stars Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Demi Moore, Hoyt Axton, Bruno Kirby, Wallace Shawn, and John C. Reilly. It's not bad, but it falls pretty far short of the original.
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Home Alone 2
[Kate wrote: When I didn't "love" the first one, I'm not sure what prompted me to see the second film, but I did. I'm just not a lover of this sort of genre. I think that film Mousetrap or whatever it's called is a lot like this too.]
Yes, "Mousehunt," if that's what you meant, is marvelous, especially all the scenes with Christopher Walken who plays "Caeser, the Exterminator," the fellow who "thinks like a mouse" in order to catch them-- who sniffs and tastes the mouse's feces to determine how well his "prey" has been eating.
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Family Man
[Kate wrote: Was this a holiday film? I really don't remember that. I recall a colleague really liking this film. I did not. Maybe it's Nicolas Cage playing the role, though he seemed fine. I guess it's just not for me.]
"Was this a holiday film?" Essentially, it's an intentional, modern-day version of "It's a Wonderful Life;" so, I guess it must be, eh?
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Home for the Holidays
[Kate wrote: This is one of my favorite all time films and certainly one of my faves for the holidays. I am never quite sure why. I think it's because like almost everyone I can relate to some of the holiday dread involved in spending time with family one doesn't see all that often. Dramas emerge, tensions run high and nothing is quite as good as it was when one was a child. I think this film captures that and yet it shows some real tenderness and love too.]
I agree with you, wholeheartedly, on this one.
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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
[Kate wrote: Since I'm not a John Candy fan it's rather surprising that I like this film as much as I do. I guess my love of Steve Martin counters that? I agree this is a fun Thanksgiving day flick and also a terrific comedy.]
"Not a John Candy fan," eh? Well, I think it's a real shame that he died so young. In my mind, John made decent enough, quite good, or truly excellent contributions to a fair number of relatively worthwhile movies, including: Cool Runnings (1993); JFK (1991); Home Alone (1990); Uncle Buck (1989); Who's Harry Crumb? (1989); Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987); Spaceballs: The Movie (1987); Little Shop of Horrors (1986); Armed and Dangerous (1986); Summer Rental (1985); Sesame Street Presents: Follow that Bird (1985); Brewster's Millions (1985); Splash (1984); National Lampoon's Vacation (1983); Stripes (1981); The Blues Brothers (1980); and 1941 (1979). Obviously, not all of those films are "5-star" ventures, but about half of them would get a minimum of 4 stars from me, on a 5-star scale.
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Scrooged
[Kate wrote: This is another one I've never seen. Probably because I don't like "A Christmas Carol" or any of its derivatives. However I really do like Bill Murray and I should give it a chance.]
"Scrooged" is one of those films that I enjoy more for a handful of the individual performances in it, rather than for the entire movie itself. And it does have a few rather astoundingly quirky, truly memorable performances.
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National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
[Kate wrote: I loved the original Vacation, but after that I have little interest in repeat watchings. I think the RV draining scene may have been what did it for me. The character of Randy Quaid is what spoils this movie for me.]
I think of the four Griswold family "Vacations," I actually like the Christmas one the best. How can you not just LOVE Randy Quaid? He is so totally cool. If only his younger brother, Dennis, had Randy's good looks, talent, and charm! Indeed, whenever I'm deciding to do anything in my life, I always first ask myself, "What would Randy Quaid do?"
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The Nightmare Before Christmas
[Kate wrote: Ignoring animated programs? What? That's insane. That is the best of the best when it comes to holiday shows. Charlie Brown? The Grinch? I've already DVR'd both of those shows this season to watch and savor.]
"Insane," eh? Well, the reason that I ignored or discounted virtually all of the classic, animated Christmas films was for two principal reasons: (1) Virtually all of them were made for TV, and I was trying not to include too many of the "made-for TV" ventures. And (2) Virtually all of them, including "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and "A Charlie Brown Christmas," and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" had running times of between 25 and 48 minutes; so, at best, they were "animated short films," not feature length motion pictures (which were what I was considering for my list). Not to mention the fact that even had I wanted to include such "animated short films," probably none of them would have "made the cut" for a slot in my top 25 faves. Regardless of how fondly I may remember, or currently like any of those short films, even the best of them is going to be pretty hard pressed to compare well with a full length, live action, 5-star, classic film! I mean, how can what is basically a 25-minute children's cartoon, decrying the commercialization of Christmas-- where the ultimate dramatic climax has the character, "Linus" simply quoting Luke 2:8-14 from the King James Bible, in order to define for everyone "the true meaning of Christmas"-- possibly hope to compare all that well with the likes of (for instance) 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street," or 2000's "Family Man," or even 2005's "Millions"? It's not even really a contest.
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Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
[Kate wrote: I may have seen this one. There is a foggy image in my mind. Sorry, Dickens. I just don't like the story all that much.]
The extremely long list of things that Kate "doesn't like" never ceases to amaze me. Granted, Charles Dickens was no Lucy Maud Montgomery, nor even a Margery Williams, but come on!
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Jesus of Nazareth
[Kate wrote: I've never seen this one and I wasn't even thinking of "Easter" themed shows. I guess I was a bit stuck on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Of course, in the end, I never did see Passion of the Christ either.]
The full-length "Jesus of Nazareth" (all 6 hours and 37 minutes of it) is especially FUN to watch in a church basement or dining room, on a 27-inch TV, with about 45 Christians in their teens or 20s or 30s, all seated on folding metal chairs placed in rows in front of the "tall" rolling metal cart on which the TV is situated. And I've actually done that!
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Christmas in Connecticut
[Kate wrote: Okay, this sounds like something I would love. I am definitely going to watch this one this season.]
Actually, I think you really might "love" (or at least "like") this film. It's more humorous than incredibly inspirational, but it was made in the era when the studios really knew HOW to crank out pretty darned good movies.
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Ha-Ushpizin
[Kate wrote: I didn't even think of this film. Perhaps because it's not a "holiday" I typically celebrate. It was a pretty good film, though.]
I am stunned that you and your family don't celebrate Sukkot every year! What sort of Jews are guys you, anyway?
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Holiday Inn
[Kate wrote: Hmmm... I actually don't really like Holiday Inn as much, BECAUSE it's in black and white and not the lavish technicolor of the film White Christmas... and that one scene with the black face is offensive and precisely the reason I don't particularly care for it. I understand what you are saying and perhaps I need to give it another shot, but I really can't say that anything is likely to knock White Christmas from its top spot. I love Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby and Vera Allen. The clothing, the songs, the banter, the story. I love it all.]
Are you serious? You honestly find that scene where they performed the song in "blackface" make-up to be offensive to you, personally? I guess I just find that rather surprising. Maybe these quotes from Wiki will give you an idea of why that style of musical performance/theater should *NOT* really be viewed as "offensive," and especially not when seen in its proper historical context:
"Blackface was an important performance tradition in the American theater for over 100 years and was also popular overseas. By 1840, African-American performers also were performing in blackface makeup. When all-black minstrel shows began to proliferate in the 1860s, however, they in turn often were billed as "authentic" and "the real thing."
"Despite often smaller budgets and smaller venues, their public appeal sometimes rivalled that of white minstrel troupes. In the execution of authentic black music and the percussive, polyrhythmic tradition of 'pattin' Juba', when the only instruments performers used were their hands and feet, clapping and slapping their bodies and shuffling and stomping their feet, black troupes particularly excelled.
"Frederick Douglass wrote in 1849 about one such troupe, Gavitt's Original Ethiopian Serenaders: 'It is something to be gained when the colored man in any form can appear before a white audience.'
"Despite its racist portrayals, blackface minstrelsy was the conduit through which African-American and African-American-influenced music, comedy, and dance first reached the American mainstream. It played a seminal role in the introduction of African-American culture to world audiences. Wrote jazz historian Gary Giddings in Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams, The Early Years 1903–1940:
"'Though antebellum (minstrel) troupes were white, the form developed in a form of racial collaboration, illustrating the axiom that defines—and continues to define—American music as it developed over the next century and a half: African-American innovations metamorphose into American popular culture when white performers learn to mimic black ones.'
"Virtually every major, new genre of popular music in the United States from the twilight of the 19th century to the dawn of the 21st century—from the tight harmonies of barbershop quartets to ragtime, to blues, to jazz and swing, to blues, rhythm and blues and rock and roll, to funk and classic rock, to hip hop and country— is a product or byproduct of African-American innovation." [End of Wiki quotes]
Thus, one can see that "blackface" theater was an important "step" in the long process of ushering African-American art into the American and European mainstreams. To find only "offense" in such performances is to fail to recognize the great sympathy for African-American artistry with which much of it was originally infused. Further, to imagine that there was ANY racist intent underlying that scene in 1942's "Holiday Inn," is to be ignorant of the fact that Bing Crosby was a HUGE admirer, friend, and imitator of Louis Armstrong's as early as 1930. Bing publically gave credit to Louis Armstrong (who was, in age, less than two years his senior) for being the greatest single influence on his own musical career. [Crosby was also an honorary pallbearer at Armstrong's funeral in 1971.]
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A Christmas Story
[Kate wrote: This one has great narration. It reminds me a bit of Woody Allen's Radio Days. Ultimately, I think it's just really funny. The desires of this young kid, his bizarro imagination, the licking the frozen flag pole (I once did that with the handle of the screen door on a dare... not a good idea). It's a cult classic.]
I could not agree with you more on this comment. How long were you stuck to the handle of the screen door?
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The Holiday
[Kate wrote: This is one I considered adding in. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I wasn't sure if it belonged in my top 15 holiday films and I didn't want to spill over to 16. I was questioning the placement of The Family Stone and considering putting this one on instead. Both are pretty recent and possibly not of "lasting quality" that other films have proven to be. Still I think I'll watch The Holiday again this season so that will make it a third viewing for me!]
Well, at least the title of this film seems to imply that it qualifies as a "Holiday movie."
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It's a Wonderful Life
[Kate wrote: I don't think I've ever seen this one all the way through. Just bits and pieces. And I've never been enticed to watch more. I guess your review of it says just what I've always thought. And yet, there it is in your top 25? I am mystified.]
Like I said, "it doesn't suck." Plus, 25 titles for "favorite holiday films" is actually quite a lot when one is determined to keep animated shorts, and most other made-for-TV specials off of the list. Further, there are LOTS of "Christmas themed" movies that *DO* totally suck!
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Millions
[Kate wrote: I enjoyed this film and I never thought of it as a holiday one, hence the absence from my own list. Still I'm not sure this one makes it in my top 15 anyway.]
Right. It didn't make *MY* top 15 either.
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La Buche
[Kate wrote: You liked this one more than I did. I like Charlotte Gainsbourg in it and by the way, she's about to be in another film I'm anxious to see--the Bob Dylan one--I'm Not There.]
Yes, I am eager to see "I'm Not There," too; however, knowing my luck, I won't get to for months or even years.
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Hocus Pocus
[Kate wrote: I almost forgot about this one. I guess I am at a disadvantage since I've only seen it once. I mix up this one with the Witches of Eastwick for some reason. Both are pretty good. I think when it comes to Halloween I can do without the horror for certain and I tend to lean more toward "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."]
I guess I generally keep this movie separate from "The Witches of Eastwick," in my mind, by recalling that Updike wrote the novel, and Jack Nicholson costarred in the cinematic version of "Eastwick." On the other hand, both films actually *DID* each have three witches in them, played (collectively) by six well-known actresses!
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White Christmas
[Kate wrote: Well, you've already read my feelings on that. I DO believe that color adds to Christmas films. I think that there is something to the vibrance and contrast you can get from that.]
Yes, Technicolor and VISTAVISION do tend to make for a very "pretty" movie.
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Bad Santa
[Kate wrote: Wow. I remember the puking, the depravity and the all around grossness, but somehow I've managed to forget the actual plot of the story which involves a boy and the meaning of Christmas. Sheesh. I guess I don't need to say it but I did NOT like this movie. It was like that unfortunate Adam Sandler animated one... ugh.]
By the time I finally got to #25 on my list, I was sort of having to really "reach" to think of any other "holiday" films I actually liked. I guess I just like Billy Bob Thornton a LOT more than you do. Actually, he and Randy Quaid are just about my two top "ideals" when it comes to thinking of "role models" after whom to pattern my every move in life.
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