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General => Movies and TV => Topic started by: Phoenix87x on December 16, 2022, 10:12:42 AM
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Well, tis the season
What has everybody been watching or planning to watch for the holidays?
So far I've just watched Home alone 2, and Home alone 1 is coming next
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The kids like Home Alone 1 and 2. My wife likes It's A Wonderful Life. I don't really care. I love the holidays and will watch just about anything that is holiday-themed. We did a Hawkeye rewatch, which was really fun.
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Pretty much watch these every year:
- Scrooged
- Die Hard
- Christmas Vacation
- A Christmas Story
- Elf
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Pretty much watch these every year:
- Scrooged
- Die Hard
- Christmas Vacation
- A Christmas Story
- Elf
https://media.tenor.com/bI9mkW8aUzYAAAAM/here-we-go-again.gif
For jingle.family, Elf. Every Christmas eve. We even have an 'Elf-tree' (full sized) in the basement, and a whole theme around it - sock, PJs, mugs, pictures, yada yada.
That said, Christmas Vacation is the best them.
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Pretty much watch these every year:
- Scrooged
- Die Hard
- Christmas Vacation
- A Christmas Story
- Elf
https://media.tenor.com/bI9mkW8aUzYAAAAM/here-we-go-again.gif
For jingle.family, Elf. Every Christmas eve. We even have an 'Elf-tree' (full sized) in the basement, and a whole theme around it - sock, PJs, mugs, pictures, yada yada.
That said, Christmas Vacation is the best them.
Christmas Vacation is a timeless classic. Freaking love it.
And I love the 'Die Hard' debate :lol I have a fond memory burned into my mind as it was playing in the background on a Christmas Eve the first time I ever had to build a legit Thomas the Train table....this huge thing with all these tracks and what not.....for my oldest son. It was the first time as a Dad I had to put something extensive together after they'd all went to bed so if I see Die Hard on around Christmas I'm taken back to that time in our first home's basement all those years ago.
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Lots of muppety things top the list:
The Muppet Christmas Carol
A Muppet Family Christmas
A Very Merry Muppet Christmas
Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas
Also
Klaus
Olive, the Other Reindeer
Jingle Jangle
Noelle
We also watch a lot of holiday episodes of shows, like Doctor Who.
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Muppet Christmas Carol and Christmas Story
All others are fighting for second.
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I don't recall seeing Christmas Vacation at the time it was released. A couple years ago, I saw it in the $5 movie bin at Target or some other store and bought it. I do not get what anyone sees in that movie. If I ever watch it again, I'll be surprised.
I'll watch Die Hard anytime and briefly was in the "it's a Christmas movie" camp, but it really isn't.
When the kids were little, we (meaning the kids and my wife) had the Santa Clause movies THE go-to movies of the season. I really only watched for the family experience and for Elizabeth Mitchell. The first one is so hilariously '80s (despite having been released in '94), and I cannot stand Tim Allen's kid.
Honestly, there aren't a ton of Christmas movies that really do it for me. I'm far more into the Rudolph/Frosty claymation TV shows, The Year Without a Santa Clause. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, the Grinch, Merry Christmas Charlie Brown, etc. THOSE say Christmas to me.
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And I want to go on record as saying Michael Caine's Scrooge is hands down, without a doubt, the best ever.
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Eight Crazy Nights
The Santa Clause
Elf
Miracle on 34th Street (new one)
Jingle All the Way
Home Alones
Just Friends
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And I want to go on record as saying Michael Caine's Scrooge is hands down, without a doubt, the best ever.
Agreed!
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The trifecta of Christmas-movies to me that I tend to watch every year: Die Hard (night before Christmas), Christmas Vacation and Jingle All the Way (it's not a great movie but I have watched it since I was a kid and have nostalgia for it).
It's usually a tradition for me to re-watch the LOTR extended trilogy as well, I usually do them 3 days in a row around Christmas, but there's been a few exceptions (like when I haven't been able to dedicate that much time).
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not exactly a "Go To" but a favorite of mine which rarely gets mentioned:
-The Family Man
technically, a remake of sorts of Miracle on 34th Street. This movie totally changed my mind about Nicholas Cage as an actor. I used to hate him, but after his performance in this movie, I grew to like a lot of his work.
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Whichever James Bond is playing on ITV this year.
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For as much as I get in to the Christmas season, I don't care for most "Christmas movies." Like pg1067 I am more in to the Christmas TV specials. If I don't watch the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas or A Charlie Brown Christmas, the holiday season doesn't feel complete.
For a good 15 years I did watch It's A Wonderful Life without fail. I took a break for a while and last year watched it again for the first time since I got married.
I do make a point to watch some version of A Christmas Carol. More often than not it was the 1984 version with George C. Scott, which became the definitive version for me. I feel like I've seen most of the ones that are currently available on some viewing format. Last year I watched the FX version with Guy Pearce. That rocked my Christmas Carol world. I plan on watching that again next week.
Oddly I didn't see the Muppet Christmas Carol until a few years ago. as a fan of the Muppets and the many versions I've seen over the years, I was disappointed.
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I do make a point to watch some version of A Christmas Carol. More often than not it was the 1984 version with George C. Scott, which became the definitive version for me. I feel like I've seen most of the ones that are currently available on some viewing format. Last year I watched the FX version with Guy Pearce. That rocked my Christmas Carol world. I plan on watching that again next week.
I should do that. Believe it or not, I think the last one I watched, and the only one I can definitely remember is Scrooged, and that was when it was still a "new" movie. I'm not even familiar with what the different versions are. I should check out a few this year. Anyone want to give me the rundown?
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Folks, my new Christmas tee shirt.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Nfj9sNTb/20221215-203046.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/7bjYXnKT) (https://keyboardtester.co/)
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I do make a point to watch some version of A Christmas Carol. More often than not it was the 1984 version with George C. Scott, which became the definitive version for me. I feel like I've seen most of the ones that are currently available on some viewing format. Last year I watched the FX version with Guy Pearce. That rocked my Christmas Carol world. I plan on watching that again next week.
I should do that. Believe it or not, I think the last one I watched, and the only one I can definitely remember is Scrooged, and that was when it was still a "new" movie. I'm not even familiar with what the different versions are. I should check out a few this year. Anyone want to give me the rundown?
There's a lot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptations_of_A_Christmas_Carol#Live_action_films
I've seen the 1951 version generally considered "the best" though my money is with the 1984 TV version, if you want the best translation of the story to the screen. George C. Scott is a boss, as always, and the rest of the cast is superb. It also has the most "tenderness and depth of feeling [referencing a line from the film]." It is faithful to the story and feels right, for lack of a better description. The 1954 version is alright. Fredric March is always solid. I recall they did something toward the end I've never seen in another version, which I thought was brilliant. I won't spoil it here. the 2019 FX version I mentioned follows the story the least, adding in some elements I thought were brilliant. It's not flawless. The pacing is off in parts, and if you want a proper telling of the story you'll be disappointed. Still highly entertaining.
Forgot the 1999 with Patrick Stewart because it's largely forgettable. Richard E. Grant might be my favorite Cratchit, though Joe Alwyn turned in a solidly unique performance in the 2019 FX version.
King, that is an awesome shirt!
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I love Elf, oddly it’s really the only Will Ferrell movie I can get through.
My wife and I are old souls so we love the nostalgia of A Christmas Story.
I love a good dumb comedy but the love of Christmas Vacation boggles my mind. Its just awful.
And how about some love for Gremlins.
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I love a good dumb comedy but the love of Christmas Vacation boggles my mind. Its just awful.
Same here. The Clark Griswold shtick wears pretty thin with me. Almost as much as Will Farrell being... Will Farrell. Hence I've never seen Elf.
Never liked "scary" movies as a kid but always enjoyed Gremlins. Do not recall if I ever thought of it as a Christmas movie growing up.
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I love a good dumb comedy but the love of Christmas Vacation boggles my mind. Its just awful.
Same here. The Clark Griswold shtick wears pretty thin with me. Almost as much as Will Farrell being... Will Farrell. Hence I've never seen Elf.
I've seen Elf. Once. On a plane. Movies you see on a plane are usually 50% better than if you saw them anywhere else. But Elf did NOTHING for me. And yeah...Christmas Vacation was truly bad.
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Movies you see on a plane are usually 50% better than if you saw them anywhere else.
Interesting. I have found the opposite to be true.
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At some point during the holiday season, I like to catch
White Christmas
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
A Christmas Story
Home Alone
Die Hard
Gremlins (if I can sneak it in)
And lots more are fine, they just aren't "musts".
On the Die Hard question, I don't care what your opinion on it is, view it how you see fit. I will just say that, from what I can tell, given the glut of "Christmas" movies out there, Die Hard is as much a Christmas movie as a lot of other Christmas movies are.
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I love Elf, oddly it’s really the only Will Ferrell movie I can get through.
Same here.
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I love a good dumb comedy but the love of Christmas Vacation boggles my mind. Its just awful.
Same here. The Clark Griswold shtick wears pretty thin with me. Almost as much as Will Farrell being... Will Farrell. Hence I've never seen Elf.
I've seen Elf. Once. On a plane. Movies you see on a plane are usually 50% better than if you saw them anywhere else. But Elf did NOTHING for me. And yeah...Christmas Vacation was truly bad.
(https://media2.giphy.com/media/26BkLCUdp1lqUA2JO/giphy.gif)
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Movies you see on a plane are usually 50% better than if you saw them anywhere else.
Interesting. I have found the opposite to be true.
I'm not sure it's true anymore since we now have virtually unlimited viewing options on planes. Back when your options were to watch whatever they were showing on the plane or read or twiddle your thumbs (or, for those who are able, sleep), it was always a "anything is better than nothing" situation.
I love a good dumb comedy but the love of Christmas Vacation boggles my mind. Its just awful.
Same here. The Clark Griswold shtick wears pretty thin with me. Almost as much as Will Farrell being... Will Farrell. Hence I've never seen Elf.
I've seen Elf. Once. On a plane. Movies you see on a plane are usually 50% better than if you saw them anywhere else. But Elf did NOTHING for me. And yeah...Christmas Vacation was truly bad.
(https://media2.giphy.com/media/26BkLCUdp1lqUA2JO/giphy.gif)
I don't know what to tell you. I think it matters a lot that I didn't see the movie when it was released. As I mentioned earlier, I picked it up from the $5 video bin at Target a few years ago. 22-year old me might have found it amusing, but 50+ year old me found Chevy Chase acting like a complete idiot for 97 minutes (along with the phenomenally unfunny Randy Quaid) to be beyond obnoxious.
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Die Hard
Elf
Home Alone
The Polar Express
Christmas Vacation
A Christmas Story (we never watch it until the Xmas Eve/Xmas marathon begins on TV)
I used to put in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, as I loved it as a kid. But in recent years, I realized what an a-hole they made Santa out to be, and how poorly Rudolph was treated, so I don't watch it any longer. Just keep it in my memory from when I was little.
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I love Elf, oddly it’s really the only Will Ferrell movie I can get through.
Same here.
I generally don't care for Will Ferrell schtick, either. The only movies of his I've liked, so far, are Elf, Stranger Than Fiction, and Spirited (a new musical that riffs on A Christmas Carol).
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I usually watch A Christmas Story without fail. Others like many have mentioned, Die Hard, Grinch, etc.. though I've yet to see It's A Wonderful Life.
The Christmas episodes for the show Community are great too.
Also can't miss a chance to pimp this show and esp the 4th season.
(https://imgur.com/QGBSyTn.jpg)
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not exactly a "Go To" but a favorite of mine which rarely gets mentioned:
-The Family Man
technically, a remake of sorts of Miracle on 34th Street. This movie totally changed my mind about Nicolas Cage as an actor. I used to hate him, but after his performance in this movie, I grew to like a lot of his work.
FTFY ;)
Anyway, came here to name the same movie because I'm really not into watching Xmas stuff but that is my annual exception due to my love for Cage. I also rewatched Trapped in Paradise last year, what a mess :lol
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My wife and I love Family Man. We don't watch it every year, but we really enjoy it when we do.
Saw Christmas With the Kranks last night for the first time (was on AMC), and thought it was hilarious. Yeah, a lot of it was predictable and a lot of the gags are generic, but it was still funny, and I don't think people avoid any Christmas movie because of those two particular flaws.
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My wife and I love Family Man. We don't watch it every year, but we really enjoy it when we do.
Saw Christmas With the Kranks last night for the first time (was on AMC), and thought it was hilarious. Yeah, a lot of it was predictable and a lot of the gags are generic, but it was still funny, and I don't think people avoid any Christmas movie because of those two particular flaws.
Is that the one with JLC and Tim Allen? If so, that scene with the botox was glorious.
Or is 'Kranks' with Broderick and DeVito. I'm getting them mixed up methinks.
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The first one. My wife really likes silly humor like that, and she came home in the middle of it, so I may have to track it down and watch it again with her.
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Right... Google reminded me that the latter was "Deck The Halls". Which I also remember enjoying.
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My friend and I were looking for a Christmas movie to watch and randomly decided on The Night Before, which was kinda dumb but fun haha. I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt so will watch just about anything with him in it.
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'Christmas Vacation' on the morning of the 25th, whilst helping the wife out in the kitchen at times (generally when Quaid is on the screen).
I'm reminded of a metal saucer given to me in my 30s so that I could slide down to the mailbox, a chipmunk on the curtains behind the tree one year, going through knee deep snow one year with a friend and his tiny kids to cut a tree, ....so there's enough good/funny stuff to not get tired of.
'Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Kiss my ass. Kiss his ass' :lol
And then, to show the difference in class and style between me and the wife :D, her favorite that we watch together is Mikhail Baryshnikov in 'The Nutcracker'