*This is a re-post from 2010, our favorite Christmas movies still remain intact*
Now that the Holidays are upon us, we thought it would be a good time for The City of Films to compile our take on the Best Christmas Movies of all time. This could turn into an annual tradition with some titles are obviously newer than others and we hope that more Christmas classics are coming soon. In no particular order, The Mayor and The District Attorney present for your reading pleasure…the Best Christmas Movies of All Time.
THE MAYOR’S LIST
A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)
My first memory of any Christmas movie, and an annual event in my life; sure it’s on TV ad nauseum every December, if you have TBS in your house you know that they play it for 24hrs again and again, bit much perhaps. A small boy and his burning desire for a Red Ryder BB gun, frozen tongues and of course the leg lamp (“It’s pronounced Frageele”) are usually the memories most have when looking back on A Christmas Story. Some might say that it lacks a message (he gets what he wants) but look closer and you might see the coming together of family and the hi-jinks that ensue to make this the very best Christmas story.
HOME ALONE (1990)
If you never designed your own ‘catch a burglar’ traps map, move along. Home Alone is fairly slapstick movie, not nearly as slapstick as the sequels get (avoid). The film is sort of A Christmas Carol for kids. Kevin wants to be alone. He gets it, and realizes he likes his family, even if they are a pain. The movie did very well, it made Macaulay Culkin the biggest child star on the planet, reigned at the box office for 12 straight weeks and grossed $533 million worldwide, but the best thing about this holiday staple is watching an 8-year-old kid toss burglars Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern a good old-fashioned Christmas beat-down.
Leave it to the direction of Chris Columbus, writing of John Hughes and the score of John Williams to make this movie into a heartwarming Christmas tradition. I have a memory of watching this at a family friends house we were staying at; and one of us kids was sick from a batch of Oreos. I never forget where I was when watching Home Alone.
A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993)
Directed by stop-motion animator Henry Selick (not Tim Burton), the film is loosely based on the drawings and a poem by Burton. A clever story in which Halloween’s Pumpkin King, one Jack Skellington decides he’d rather preside over Christmas all combine to make this a gently spooky holiday treat. Burton’s original poem was inspired after seeing Halloween merchandise display in a store being taken down and replaced by a Christmas display. The juxtaposition of ghouls and goblins with Santa and his reindeer sparked his imagination. Maybe because you can really watch it twice a year and get the same effect is why I have come to appreciate this film so much. The great songs and characters are near too dark for little ones, but somehow the movie pulls off a grinch esq feeling of Christmas and caring and all that crap. My friends Dad came home one night when I was over mooching some dinner to surprise us with the VHS, Christmas history was born.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
I was a young brat no older than ten when I first saw It’s A Wonderful Life. Mind you I was a lover of the movies by then and thanks to my parents, I could handle an old black and white film with ease. What had me squeamish about this particular movie was the hype from my Dad about James Stewart. He would go on about how they (Hollywood) don’t have anyone like that anymore. All the hype and build up was true; this film was everything you would want – not just in a Christmas movie, any movie. The point of the film we all know by now is that Bailey’s life is truly wonderful. It may not seem as great as what he dreamed, but he has touched the lives of many people, and changed his world in greater ways than he ever thought. It is funny, heart breaking, inspiring, and everything that a great film should be. Frank Capra’s film, more than 30 years later endures as a beloved testament to everything Christmas embodies: family, friends and the joy of life.
MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1983)
Mickey’s Christmas Carol is a twenty-four minute animated short film produced by Walt Disney as an adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, featuring Scrooge McDuck as his namesake and inspiration Ebenezer Scrooge and Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit. I saw this on TV once as a child and I never forgot it. Annually asking my Mum to find it on TV for me with no luck. Maybe they showed it at odd times or maybe you needed a special Disney channel, I was lost. I grew up, and got on EBay to find an old VHS copy. Let it be known that my Christmas’s were never content until that VHS arrived in the mail, a few years ago. Since then I have acquired the DVD and make a tradition to watch this movie every Christmas, touching and brilliantly animated – gotta love the giants red nose. Enjoy it forever.
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S LIST
Warning: The following are by no means ‘Christmas Classics’. They are a collection of movies that I choose to watch now, or have spent a lot of time in the past watching and enjoying around the holiday season. They are in no particular order. So kick up your feet, grab a glass of egg nog and enjoy, or don’t, whatever.
JINGLE ALL THE WAY (1996)
Let’s kick this off with a bang. Okay this is an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie that my family just so happened to own a VHS copy of years ago. For many years it was the only Christmas movie we actually owned a copy of. Needless to say, it always found its way into the holiday rotation and still does. It falls into that odd slapstick genre, where lazy last minute parents are shopping for THE toy of the holiday season, the Turbo Man action figure. Interestingly enough the film is based on the shopping craze in the 1980′s over the Cabbage Patch dolls.
CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)
Witnessing the Griswold family and all of their hijinx makes me very comfortable with my ‘run of the mill’ family Christmas. I also have the strong urge to never hang Christmas lights. It’s hard to believe this one is 20 years old at times, but still a must see around the holiday season. Was anybody else disappointed in their childhood when they saw the animated opening and expected a cartoon Christmas movie? I thought so. Regardless, Chevy Chase plays the part of vacation bafoon Clark Griswold so well that you can’t help but root for him.
BAD SANTA (2003)
He’s an eating, sleeping, drinking… well you get the idea. I can’t think of an adult holiday film I enjoy as much as Bad Santa. Mom and Dad, send your kids to bed before you pop this one in, it definitely isn’t for the faint at heart. Since it’s release in November of 2003, it has been part of my holiday rotation. Whether it’s the pathetic life of mall santa/professional thief Willie, played by Billy Bob Thorton, or the prudish mall manager, the late John Ritter; this one has it all. Honestly, this is one of the few Bernie Mac movies I really enjoyed. Just remember, don’t bug him when he’s on his lunch break.
You got a little something right there...
CHRISTOPHER THE CHRISTMAS TREE (1994)
Most of you will have absolutely no idea what I am talking about here. But if you know what YTV is, you will know that every holiday season you were guaranteed to find that they would play Christopher The Christmas Tree on more than one occasion. The story is simple, Christopher was a small tree, nobody ever picked him. This half hour journey through the psyche of Christopher.. nah who am I kidding, he sings with squirrels. Honestly, I don’t even know why I am admitting to watching this to the general public. Below is part 1 of this ‘instant classic’. Youtube has all 4 parts, so if you are really bored, give it a watch, only if you are bored.
DIE HARD (1988)
This one may be a bit of a stretch, but common, it all takes place at a staff Christmas party. There is no deep meaning to this movie, besides the fact that you don’t want to mess with John McClane. A classic late 80′s action movie, complete with Christmas cheer and Carl Winslow. If only they found a way to work Urkel into one of Hans Gruber’s violent outbursts. Christmas time or not, this is a must watch if you want to see Bruce Willis when he still had hair. Yipee Kai Yay Mr Falcon.
What do you mean you forgot my watch?!
Tags: a christmas story, a nightmare before christmas, arnold schwarzenegger, bad santa, bernie mac, billy bob thorton, bruce willis, chevy chase, christmas, christmas vacation, christopher the christmas tree, die hard, home alone, it's a wonderful life, jingle all the way, john ritter
