Saturday, December 12, 2009

At Least Some of the Movies Are Good

I can grow a bit Scrooge-esque around this time of year.  I like the idea of a time of coming together and giving, but I dislike feeling forced into it at this one particular time of year.  Realistically, am I forced?  No, that isn't really it.  I guess it amounts to me not being a strong enough person to ignore this social norm.  And I want people to know that I love them!  If they need gifts now to know that, then they shall have them.  Of course, I like getting gifts too.  I guess I just wish it were less expected and could happen randomly at any time :-)  As for the whole "reason for the season" thing and the "Happy Birthday, Jesus" banners, I am not too religious, so I can't be outraged on Jesus' behalf at how commercialized everything has become.  I think the Jesus I've read about would approve of thinking of one another with a spirit of generosity....but I also suspect that he'd prefer those things to be going on year round.  Yeah, me and Jesus, thinking alike again. 

Second paragraph and I am just getting to the point of this post.  Nothing new there.  I wanted to celebrate an Eclectic Holiday...a day late.  See, today is Start Your Own "Psychic Friends Network" Day, which I fully support.  Yet I feel it would be an inopportune time to start my own business in this bad economic climate.  So for now I am going to leave that all to Dionne Warwick.  Instead, I wanted to celebrate yesterday's holiday - Make a List of Your Favorite Holiday Movies Day.   So, here you are, in no particular order.

1. Anything Rankin Bass - I just watched The Year Without a Santa Claus.  Who doesn't love the Snow Miser -Heat Miser song?  This genre would also include, among others, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. 


2. A Christmas Story - You'll put yer eye out!
3. The Ref - And you thought your family was difficult.  Hilarious, honestly.
4. Elf - Will Ferrell is a human raised as an elf.  More adorable than it sounds, I swear.
5. It's a Wonderful Life - I wish I had a million dollars...Hot dog!
6. Bad Santa - Aw, I miss Bernie Mac. Sort of the anti-Christmas movie...but not entirely.
7. The Nightmare Before Christmas - A little dark and demented.  Perfect antidote to the sweetness in the air.

What are some of your favorites?

Hope that you are all having a good weekend.  Maybe watching a holiday classic?  Most certainly being less Bah Humbug than me!  Stay strong :-)

10 comments:

MrManuel said...

1. Die Hard
2. Die Hard 2

Tara said...

I forgot about "The Ref"! Great movie, I love Denis Leary and Kevin Spacey.

Okay, favorite holiday movies:

1. A Christmas Story
2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
3. Home for the Holidays (more of a Thanksgiving movie, but it still fits in there well)
4. Scrooged
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated, not the Jim Carrey version)

I have never seen "A Nightmare Before Christmas"!

Sebastien Millon said...

My favorites are Nightmare before Xmas... Christmas Story as well. Also used to love the claymation Reindeer one, haven't seen it it in ages, remember loving that one.

I want to see the Ref.

The funny thing about Xmas is that historically speaking, Jesus wasn't born on that day. It's all a big mistake, actually a couple of months off. Hehe.

crazy4coens said...

I love love love that you included The Ref in your Christmas movie list! I absolutley agree! A great Christmas move, although I did not think, until this very moment, that anyone else would consider it a Christmas movie!

I also consider Die Hard to be a Christmas movie and would have to add that to my list. Didn't like Die Hard 2 nearly as well, though. John Amos slitting a Marine's throat was a bit too much for me.

As for being Bah Humbug - I am probably way more that you - in fact I am getting grouchier and grouchier by the day.

Anyway - here is my list

1. Elf - make work your favorite
2. It's a Wonderful Life - that guy don't get no breaks
3. A Christmas Story - indeed you'll put your eye out
4. The Ref - who could forget the candle hat?
5. Die Hard - bare foot and still kicking ass and Let it Snow

dmarks said...

Gotta love "Mr. Heat Miser".

How about this holiday classic? "Trading Places".

Because nothing says Christmas more than a disheveled drunk Dan Aykroyd in a Santa suit, shoving a stolen fish through his beard and into his mouth.

FW said...

There's a couple on your list I haven't seen but I think I'd probably enjoy them from your descriptions. My list includes Miracle on 34th Street and Scrooged.

laura b. said...

MrManuel: Great choices, especially the first one :-)

Tara: Excellent list! I should have included the Grinch, for sure. And I LOVE Home for the Holidays.

You HAVE to see The Nightmare Before Christmas. I think it is your kind of movie.

Sebastien: You should definitely see The Ref. Dark and funny.

I have heard that about Christmas being misplaced and that it was partly due to wanting to offer something that would sort of be an alternative to the pagan Winter Solistice celebrations.

Crazy4Coens: I'm so glad to see you! And happy to see that you and I would get along so well :-) We have very similar sensibilities, I suspect.
Now I really want to see Die Hard again this season.

Dmarks: Trading Places! Yes, good call..nothing says Christmas quite like a hooker with a heart of gold.

FW: Oh, I like those two also. In fact, I just watched Scrooged last week!

Churlita said...

I love all of yours, but I also really like The Family Stone as a Christmas movie. I can relate to a lot of it.

laura b. said...

Churlita: I didn't even think of that one...but it's a good movie! So happy to have Netflix for these good ideas.

Sebastien Millon said...

Yes! I think it was under Charlemagne that the more modern calendar developed, much centered around pagan holidays mixed in with Christian stufferoo... not positive at all though on that.