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It’s 2 days before Christmas and all through the land, there isn’t any news. So, in the spirit of the season, I’m recycling a post from Christmas past.
What Christmas movies or TV specials that you can’t live without at this time of year?
For me I have to watch A Wonderful Life and Holiday Inn each year.
A Wonderful Life I’ve likely watched 50+ times. I can do all the lines. It’s always good to be reminded the importance of friends. “No man is a failure if he has friends”/ I’ll admit to tearing up at the end every time I see it. The funny thing about the movie is that it wasn’t popular when it came out. It was too dark. People didn’t like it., but Jimmy Stewart would always name it when asked his favorite movie and, well, it was cheap to put on TV (someone forgot to renew the copyright), so it got played at Christmas over and over. Times changed, it didn’t seem so dark.
It is kind of funny that the town of Bedford Falls is much more interesting in the time when he didn’t exist. And, as my son points out, the town is supposedly worse because there is more ethnic diversity. And, of course, his wife’s life is ruined because she has a career. Oh my god, a woman has a job, isn’t that awful.
Of course, my favorite and most quoted line is: “You call this a happy family. Why’d we have to have so many children.” I don’t know why, but I relate to that line. (My wife would like me to tell you that I’m joking. She says I really love my children.)
But, with all that, I love the movie.
Holiday Inn really isn’t a great movie. You have to be a fan of old Hollywood musicals to like it. Bing Crosby at his best minimalist acting and great singing. Fred Astaire dancing and showing off his limited acting ability. A pretty silly plot: Bing is lazy (maybe that’s why I can identify), opens an inn that will only be open on holidays, and, as always in these movies, they fight over a girl. Though, with how they treat her, I have no idea why the girl would want either of them, but that’s the way those movies go. Women in those movies didn’t have much choice in men. Features one of my favorite Christmas type songs: Happy Holiday. See this was back before Fox News sold us on the idea that saying Happy Holidays is spitting on North American culture.
I also watch the Alastair Sim Christmas Carol movie.
I have to watch these in the original black and white, I think of colorizing sort of like remixing old music. I want the original vision of the artists.
And I love the original Grinch that Stole Christmas. I loved Chuck Jones cartoons and this was on of my favorites. I get a kick out of them doing new long version movies and wonder how they can pad out that little bit of story for an hour and a half.
Anyway those are my favorites, tell us about the ones you like best.
Poll
My Favorite Christmas Movie
This poll is closed
-
9%
Home Alone
(20 votes) -
8%
Elf
(17 votes) -
13%
It’s a Wonderful Life
(28 votes) -
17%
Die Hard (I still don’t think of it as a Christmas Movie)
(37 votes) -
17%
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
(36 votes) -
0%
Holiday Inn
(0 votes) -
5%
Christmas Carol
(11 votes) -
3%
Love Actually
(8 votes) -
3%
Bad Santa
(7 votes) -
2%
Scrooged
(5 votes) -
1%
Miracle on 24th Street
(4 votes) -
1%
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carry, not the great tv cartoon)
(4 votes) -
0%
The Grinch (the new one with Benedict Cumberbatch)
(0 votes) -
3%
The Polar Express
(7 votes) -
12%
Something else? This list is too long already.
(26 votes)