It's Advent time now, so prepare for lots of Christmas questions. This week:
What's your favourite Christmas movie?
The definition of 'Christmas movie' is obviously quite loose and can incorporate movies set at Christmas as well as movies that get shown a lot at Christmas. Scrooged, It's a Wonderful Life, The Great Escape? What's your favourite?
As always, leave a comment with your answer or a link to your answer on your own blog.
December 2, 2009 | Reply
This will sound odd, but for me it's one of Jaws or Die Hard 1 or 2!
But other than that, every year I always watch "A Muppets Christmas Carol" with the Wife and Children, but more of the wife than the kids!
December 2, 2009 | Reply
Do cartoons count? I love the cartoon version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmase" (NOT the live action Jim Carrey movie which stunk). If you want me to pick an actual movie, I love the cult classic A CHRISTMAS STORY! Also, the CBS television movie version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring George C. Scott is awesome. How about the original MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET. Still brings a tear to my eye.
-- Nick
from City of Kik
http://nickleshi.blogspot.com
December 2, 2009 | Reply
A movie set at Christmas but without a Christmassy tone: Batman Returns
Love it.
December 2, 2009 | Reply
I'll be tragically trad and say 'It's a Wonderful Life'; but am also fond of Gremlins (spot the link!). Scrooged is pretty good too.
December 2, 2009 | Reply
When Harry Bailey shows up at the end of the film and raises his glass and says, "Here's to my borhter George, the richest man in town" I just bawl like a baby. I'm getting weepy just replaying it in my head.
And I also love Scrooged. And A Christmas Story with Peter Billingsley as Ralphie.
December 2, 2009 | Reply
The 1950s "A Christmas Carol" with Alistair Sim is my favorite, followed very closely by the original "Miracle On 34th Street". (I also have a DVD of a TV version with Thomas Mitchell from back in the 50s. Still trying to track down the version with Ed Wynn from TV. Will have to check the Paley Center....)
For TV specials, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" - THAT should be adapted for the stage to be a seasonal annual!
December 3, 2009 | Reply
Can't knock It's A Wonderful Life. Brilliant film. And I love A Muppet Christmas Carol — I think it's my favourite film version of ACC, although Scrooge (the Alastair Sim one) is great. Liked Patrick Stewart's recent version, too. He's very good at the sheer terror of Christmas Yet To Come, and the humility when he apologises to his nephew at the end.
For some reason, I always associate Christmas with Hitchcock films and Ealing comedies. I think BBC2 did a season of them a couple of years running. So, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, The Ladykillers and Kind Hearts and Coronets all feel oddly Christmassy to me.
December 4, 2009 | Reply
I love A Wonderful Life so much I shamelessly stole from it for Last Christmas. That has to be the ultimate Christmas film, but in our house we're all very fond of Home Alone. Doesn't matter HOW many times we watch it seeing Macaulay Culkin boobytrap the house makes us all laugh, and the bit with the old man is immensely touching. Shameless jerking of the heartstrings but that's what every good Christmas movie should do.
I also love the Snowman - when the children were small that seemed to kickstart Christmas somehow.
I really love repeats at Christmas and agree with Stu_N about the Ealing comedies - I always associate them with the few days between Christmas and New Year.
And having got bored to death of The Wizard of Oz growing up, I rather yearn for it now. Christmas doesn't seem the same without it(-:
December 4, 2009 | Reply
Maybe it's a hindsight thing - I feel sure that Wizard mof Oz was on every alternate bank holiday every year through childhood (e.g. at least Easter and Xmas or Whitsun and August Bank Holiday or a combination thereof). But now it appears far more intermittantly. And yes, I too rather miss it.
BTW JH, your 'shameless' stealing was BEAUTIFULLY done as you know i have told you.
December 4, 2009 | Reply
I always seem to remember it at Christmas. It just seems to fit with Christmas night and Quality Streets.
Aw and thanks for compliment. She blushes (-: It helps when you have a good plot to steal from!
Rob are you going to do best Christmas comedy? Can think of loads for that...