posted
It needs to not be cheesy, not be rated harder than PG-13, and needs to be good and/or funny. Any suggestions for a Christmas movie?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
I was thinking of something on DVD, though - it's for the movie corner of a thing at someone's house. Christmas-themed would be nice.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah? What did you like about it, Puffy? I've never heard of it, but I like the strength of that recommendation.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've always favored Its a Wonderful Life, the fact James Stewart is dead still makes me sad. Its funny in a simple light hearted subtle sort of way. Theres alot of small details buried in the movie you have to pay attention to in order to catch.
Ill have to think about more modern examples later.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, it's sort of a modern version of It's a Wonderful Life without being a rip-off of said classic.
An angel is sent to help a woman regain her joy at Christmas time...and what follows is an enthralling mixture of realism, fantasy, darkness, and happiness. Some good people make bad choices, unexpected twists and turns occur. The happy ending feels earned, rather than merely required.
Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
White Christmas all the way, baby. It's a double romantic comedy with singing, dancing, and tons of fa-la-la-la-la-la. All of my twenty-fifty-something friends and family just love it. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm taking all of these suggestions to the group.
Matt suggested Bad Santa. When that was immediately shot down, he suggested Ghostbusters 2. Was that set at Christmas?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Definitely White Christmas, especially if there are people there who haven't seen it, including yourself. Bing Crosby has a voice like molten gold. I forget who said that, but they're right. Plus, it has Danny Kaye in addition to Bing. That's a hard combo to beat in *any* film.
Holiday Inn is great too (it has Bing and Fred Astaire), and if this get-together is happening soon, it works for American Thanksgiving as well! (Trivia time! The song "White Christmas" actually premiered in Holiday Inn, not in its namesake film.)
Posts: 624 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
If you can find it "The Nutcracker" with Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov will really set the tone for your Holiday.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by katharina: I'm taking all of these suggestions to the group.
Matt suggested Bad Santa. When that was immediately shot down, he suggested Ghostbusters 2. Was that set at Christmas?
Isn't Ghostbuster 2 set at the New Year? I thought that was the whole reason the evil spirit thing was coming out of that painting. I could be mistaken though.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I can never decide whether It's a Wonderful Life is my favorite Christmas movie, or whether it's Scrooge, which imo is the best film version of A Christmas Carol. And it's a darn fine musical to boot!
Posts: 202 | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Astaril: Definitely White Christmas, especially if there are people there who haven't seen it, including yourself. Bing Crosby has a voice like molten gold. I forget who said that, but they're right. Plus, it has Danny Kaye in addition to Bing. That's a hard combo to beat in *any* film.
Holiday Inn is great too (it has Bing and Fred Astaire), and if this get-together is happening soon, it works for American Thanksgiving as well! (Trivia time! The song "White Christmas" actually premiered in Holiday Inn, not in its namesake film.)
Second both of those.
If you want some movie trivia for those:
Vera Ellen's neck is never shown in White Christmas, because anorexia had prematurely aged it, and her costumers were told to hide it.
In Holiday Inn, during Fred Astaire's drunk dance scene, he took a shot of bourbon before each take, of which there were seven. The seventh take is used in the movie.
Also whoever said Muppet Christmas Carol, amen to you too! Love that movie.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I really like Mixed Nuts starring Steve Martin, Juliette Lewis, Rita Wilson, Rob Reiner, and a very young Adam Sandler, among others. It's the story, of, well, a bunch of nutty people in Venice, California on Christmas Eve. Here's a bunch of quotes (which in no way spoil the movie) from IMDB: http://imdb.com/title/tt0110538/quotes
It has low ratings on IMDB, but read the reviews to get a clearer sense of the movie. One reviewer said it was similar to Seinfeld, humor-wise, which it is - think of the more zany episodes, though.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas The original, I might add, not that lousy re-make. It's always a delight for young and old.
A Christmas Carol There are so many different versions . . .
Little Women has a LOT of old-fashioned Christmas scenes in it . . . might consider that. (the 1995 version)
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Other possibilities that I haven't seen listed yet (though I may have missed 'em):
Miracle on 34th Street (multiple versions) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer A Charlie Brown Christmas (the dancing! the little tree!) Grumpy Old Men/Grumpier Old Men The Bells of St Mary's (another Bing Crosby classic) Frosty the Snowman Heidi The Little Drummer Boy Meet Me in St Louis (Judy Garland classic)
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
| IP: Logged |
No, no, it was Christmas. However, it suffers from being invalidated due to rating. I know, I know, how could Die Hard be rated R?
Another I forgot to mention was Noel with Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon, and many others. It wasn't released in theaters here (as opposed to Italy, where it was), but I thought it was a rather nice, clean holiday movie. Not too cheesy. Might be hard to find, though.
<edit>I take it back; it did have a limited release in US theaters, but I doubt it was more than a handful of theaters nationwide</edit>
Posts: 2926 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
For me, Christmas and Victoriana seem to go together well, so...
'Little Women', the newest version. The first half, like the book, is set between two Christmases, and the rest is still all about love and family. You can almost taste the mulled wine.
And I second (third? forth?) 'The Muppet's Christmas Carol' but if you object to puppets, there's also the version with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge which is very good.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
They played It's a Wonderful Life in the MTC on christmas eve. You can't get much more church approved than that. Its also far and away my favorite Christmas movie.
Posts: 686 | Registered: Sep 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thank you for the suggestions!! Matt also suggested Die Hard. I'm starting to think he's not taking the problem seriously. I'm going to ask the group tomorrow which one they want.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Added: I have a confession. I don't like Christmas much, and I don't like the sweet message movies. I certainly don't mind other people liking them, but I just don't think I can take It's A Wonderful Life. We are already going to be making Christmas lollipops and cutting out snowflakes - I want to show something that is a little bit closer to the hilarious than to the heart-warming.
I'm actually really tempted by the MST3K movie. The 20-somethings in question will all be college graduates working in tech or politics in Washington - maybe that would work for them?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm gonna (third? Fourth?) Elf. They showed in on USA this weekend and I saw it after avoiding it for several years. It was actually really pretty funny. Not highly intelligent, and a wee bit twee at times, but not overly so, and funny and cute enough to make up for it.
Or there's always Home Alone. So bad it's funny.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
We are counseled not to. It's more like staying away from things that corrode the spirit, but no R-rated movies is a good catchall for that. It isn't perfect - some R-rated movies are fine (in my opinion) and some PG-13 movies are clearly not (also in my opinion). Either way, there's no chance I'm showing an R-rated movie and if it's PG-13 there had better be a good reason for that to happen (sex and language and nasty violence don't count as good reasons).
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, it's hard to lose with A Christmas Story, though I have actually met people who did NOT find it funny. I promptly told them that we could no longer be friends.
I second While You Were Sleeping and even Christmas With the Kranks. I personally adore the new version of The Grinch and think it's hilarious. My family and I watch it at least twice every holiday season.
Family Man is a wonderful movie that begins at Christmas and runs through the month of January. You still get a Christmassy feeling because it ends at Christmas too...without giving away the plot. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Narnia: . . . I personally adore the new version of The Grinch and think it's hilarious. My family and I watch it at least twice every holiday season.
Cecily! I'm horrified! I can no longer be your Hatrack friend! Everyone knows that the new Grinch is simply appalling!
Ahhh, well -- what the heck . . . Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't see what everyone hates so much about it. Jim Carrey is over the top (of course), but I just love it! It's a failing, I know.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
I'm going to ask the group tomorrow which one they want.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
