Christmas Movies

modage · **Reply #30 on:** December 03, 2003, 10:03:10 PM

#4

ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS (1988)
Knowhatimean?

tonite i watched the cinematic classic Ernest Saves Christmas. which, honestly must be one of my top 3 favorite Ernest films of all time, (the other two being ...Goes To Jail, and ...Goes To Camp, for all you wondering). Jim Varney was a pretty funny physical comedian and in this adventure dresses up in no less than 3 disguises (an old lady, an uptight politicians aid, and a redneck snake handler) which help to show the many faces of ernest. along the way he helps santa claus find a replacement and saves christmas. i wouldnt recommend this for everyone, but for ernest fans it's good viewing this year.
if anybodys still here, i'm getting to the good stuff. it must be saved and built up to in this crazy christmas crescendo! its not that i am unaware of the good ones, they just have to wait their turn...

Gloria · **Reply #31 on:** December 03, 2003, 10:19:17 PM

That is definitely a Christmas guilty pleasure. I admit that I enjoyed this movie as well. I used to watch this movie all the time when I was little. I've always loved Jim Varneyl He was a really talented and funny man. He is very missed

modage · **Reply #32 on:** December 04, 2003, 09:31:12 PM

#5

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (1998)
It gets better than this, i swear it does...

alright, by now everyone has stopped reading this entirely unpopular thread anyways except for Gloria who i am having a lovely time conversing with about these. so i will continue what i set out to do! it only gets better i swear it. you have to have the holiday cheese to appreciate the good stuff. these are appetizers...
but, c'mon what the hell is this right? when i worked at the movie theatre when i was in high school and this came out i thought it was about the worst looking thing i'd ever heard of. but, somehow down the line i ended up watching this out of my familys enormous christmas movie collection and discovered that its 'good bad.' jonathan taylor thomas (jtt, to those in the know) plays Jake who has everything all figured out, (think Zack from saved by the bell). buut, sinec his mom died he hasnt been home for the holidays in a while. so to get him home his dad offers him a porshe if he can be there by christmas time. did i mention jessica biel was in this? anyways what follows is like a disney-fied version of planes trains and automobiles (without the trains and laughs) where Jake does everything he can to just get home. it actually does have a few funny moments, and in the end is pretty enjoyable cheese. i'm a sucker for christmas movies, and this ones not bad. ebert called it "unrelentingly corny".

Gloria · **Reply #33 on:** December 04, 2003, 10:03:07 PM

Oh gosh....this movie was soooo bad! What ever happend to jtt (yes, I'm in the know) anyways? He actually wasn't bad, but I really could not get into this movie. I am usually pretty lenient when it comes to christmas movies, but this one was just not my kind of 'so bad its good' movie. I forgot that Jessica Biel was in it, but I dont think I want to remember much of this movie...

aclockworkjj · **Reply #34 on:** December 04, 2003, 10:51:32 PM

edit:sorry, didn't realize GT mentioned Die Hard.

modage · **Reply #35 on:** December 07, 2003, 10:00:16 PM

#6

HOME ALONE (1990)
Joe Pesci's character, Harry Lime, is named after Orson Welles' character from the film The Third Man

boy did i LOVE this movie when i was 8 or 9 years old. didnt everyone want to be left 'home alone' when this came out? granted as a 22 year old, the movie doesnt hold up as well as it did when i was 9 years old but there are still quite a handful of enjoyable john hughsian moments throughout, as well as the infamous 15 minutes of pain finale. also littered with christmas spirit in the sntk., and on tv (miracle on 34th st, its a wonderful life, the grinch, etc.) good john williams score. seems pretty whimsical for a kids comedy though, and more like it would belong in Harry Potter or something. also noticed Hope Davis has a small role as the french airport woman behind counter.
Harry: Why the hell did you take your shoes off?
Marv: Why the hell are you dressed like a chicken?

Gloria · **Reply #36 on:** December 08, 2003, 10:21:54 AM

I've always liked Home Alone. I agree that it doesn't hold up with age, but it is still an enjoyable romp. It took slapstick to the extreme and it had so many likeable leads. I always remember the mom saying "Kevin!" and passing out. I loved the subtle interaction between the family members. The tarantula and 'bedwetter' are funny highlights. Actually, Home Alone 2 was pretty good as well.

modage · **Reply #37 on:** December 08, 2003, 09:21:24 PM

#7

ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS (1985)
The "21 Grams" of Christmas movies.

had never seen this one before either, although it is in my family christmas collection, i'd never sat down to watch it till tonite. it was very low key, kind of like Prancer, not like the market-researched movies of today where everything is targeted to make sure it appeals to everyone perfectly. back when even giant corporations like Disney would make a movie because they thought it was a good story, and not because they could sell toys. so, i respect the movie for being that. it was another twist on the Its A Wonderful Life glimpse into another future type thing when Mary Steenbergen doesnt seem to have any christmas spirit. and boy does she pay for it.

BIG SPOILERS

if i got anything from this movie, its this: it doesnt matter how badly things are going or how poor you are, DONT skimp on the christmas spirit or you're gonna PAY for it. 'cause man, santa and those angels will do whatever it takes to make sure you are in full-on christmas mode. they will kill your husband, they will kill your kids, they will do whatever it takes. dont try to skimp on the presents or the good cheer. cause they are ruthless.

END BIG SPOILERS

but, overall the movie was enjoyable. if for nothing else having the courage to just be what it is, and not what people want it to be. makes you long for the simpler times in moviemaking.

Gloria · **Reply #38 on:** December 08, 2003, 09:29:13 PM

Unfortunately, you hit one I haven't seen (or even heard of). Maybe, if I can find it somewhere, I'll give it a shot. I'm always up for new Christmas movies. Also, thanks for the big spoilers warning.

modage · **Reply #39 on:** December 08, 2003, 09:32:53 PM

yeah watch it. i wanna know what you think. (its definitely the OPPOSITE of I'll Be Home For Christmas.) and definitely dont read the SPOILERS till after.

eward · **Reply #40 on:** December 08, 2003, 10:16:48 PM

to grandmother's house we go

Sigur Rós · **Reply #41 on:** December 09, 2003, 09:51:03 AM

Quote from: SoNowThen

Christmas Vacation...

...and a little bit of The Nitemare before Xmas should get me going

Jeremy Blackman · **Reply #42 on:** December 09, 2003, 09:55:34 AM

Quote from: ®edlum

This is how I knew Episode I would be a lost cause.

Sigur Rós · **Reply #43 on:** December 09, 2003, 01:21:03 PM

^
l
l
l
"Oh no, I forgot to pickup to stupid doll!"

Love that scene where he fights all the elves and santas though!

phil marlowe · **Reply #44 on:** December 09, 2003, 03:16:15 PM

come on evryone, every second of that movie was beautiful.

'i'm not ah perrvert, i wass just lohking for ah turrbo mann dohll!'