In case you’re new to Medium Cool, BGinCHI is here once a week to offer a thread on culture, mainly film & books, with some TV thrown in. We’re here at 7 pm on Sunday nights.
My favorite Christmas movie is Billy Wilder’s The Apartment. Not because it’s about Christmas, but because it’s about people struggling with real-life issues, exacerbated by the holiday season.
Of course, there are other holiday films, where miracles occur, BB guns are desired, and Grinches learn valuable lessons. For this week’s Medium Cool, as we celebrate our end-of-the-year holidays, religious or otherwise, what film(s) do you watch on or around Dec. 25th?
mrmoshpotato
Die Hard
WaterGirl
@mrmoshpotato: I have never seen Die Hard, and I don’t understand how that got to be a Christmas movie.
Jeffro
The Fro household has had a long-standing tradition of watching that ultimate Christmas classic, DIE HARD, every Christmas night. (Along with Chinese take-out – YUM)
This year we decided to change things up a bit and go with another Christmas classic, TALLEDEGA NIGHTS*. And Thai food – DOUBLE YUM!!
*because Ricky Bobby prays so earnestly to “little shining Christmas baby Jesus” in one of the best moments in all of cinema. =)
Origuy
Trading Places
Looking good, Billy Ray!
Feeling good, Louis!
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl: A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Steeplejack
@mrmoshpotato:
Shorter: It’s a stupid Internet bro meme.
Suzanne
I love Die Hard. I watched it two weeks ago.
Maybe I’ll watch Die Hard: Like A Vengeance tonight.
Wyatt Salamanca
It’s a Wonderful Life
Scrooge (released as A Christmas Carol in the United States) starring Alastair Sim
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Man Who Came to Dinner
OT
I have a needle in a haystack question.
Earlier this week, some commenter posted a link to a website containing a collection of Hitler Downfall parody videos. Unfortunately, I misplaced this url and I don’t have the patience to scroll through every comment posted to a week’s worth of Balloon Juice posts.
I ran several Google searches, but was unable to find this website.
Is there anyone here who either recalls this website or is great at searching the BJ archives who could retrieve this url?
Thanks.
mrmoshpotato
@Suzanne: Samuel L Jackson’s character: Do I look Puerto Rican to you?!
mrmoshpotato
@Steeplejack: Go hate on Jeopardy too.
mrmoshpotato
Oh, I randomly saw Bill Murray’s Scrooged a few years ago. It’s hilarious.
UncleEbeneezer
Elf. It’s one of the only ones that I can still watch repeatedly. I’m sure I’ll get tired of it someday, like the rest, but not yet.
And the 2019 FX version of Christmas Carol, starring Guy Pearce. My favorite version by far because it’s very dark, high budget (looks modern) and it strays just enough from traditional versions to make it a bit more interesting.
WaterGirl
@mrmoshpotato: That explains it, thank you!
UncleEbeneezer
@mrmoshpotato: We watch Scrooged every year. Pretty dated, but still enjoyable.
Mr. Prosser
The Lion in Winter with Peter O’Toole (Henry), Katherine Hepburn (Eleanor of Aquitane), a young Anthony Hopkins (Richard the Lionheart) and a young Timothy Dalton (King Phillip II of France) Nigel Terry (John) and John Castle (Geoffrey). Excellent acting around the machinations of the Plantagenet Family seeking power at a Christmas Court as Henry II ages.
UncleEbeneezer
@Jeffro: If you want another Die Hard-ish option try The Tower. It’s a Korean disaster movie similar to Towering Inferno set at Christmas. Really enjoyed it and it gets pretty intense.
piratedan
it’s usually rom-coms around the house hold, so While You Were Sleeping and Love Actually are in the rotation along with assorted Hallmark Favorites (The Nine Lives of Christmas and The Mistletoe Promise)
mali muso
It’s a Wonderful Life – feels surprisingly modern with the greed and avarice of Mr Potter and his dystopian vision of Pottersville straight up Rethuglican goals
charlie brown Christmas – it’s all about the music. 🤣
Now that I have a small person in the house, the Polar Express has been added to the mix. Tom Hanks plays pretty much all of the adult male characters, which is kind of amusing to me.
I do enjoy checking out the schlocky holiday romance flicks that get churned out this time of year. Empty calories and guilty pleasures.
jeffreyw
@Wyatt Salamanca:
This it?
Jeffro
@Suzanne: We were all coming back from vacation on Thursday, and I freaked the kids out by noting that we were passing through Dulles Airport…near Christmas…JUST. LIKE. DIE HARD II 😳
Scout211
Rotten Tomatoes has a 100 best Christmas movies of all time list. They list Meet me in St Louis (1944) #1. I love that movie but it never felt that Christmasy to me.
They list Die Hard as #8, The Apartment as #12.
My favorite is Holiday Inn (1942), listed as #40.
J R in WV
Wife is watching old British Hitchcock movies, B&W, not well lit, so dark around the edges, strange accents, but great films to kill lots of time. And you get to keep an eye out for Alfred in his bit part somewhere in there, getting onto a bus, or opening a door, or something vital like that for 7 seconds.
prostratedragon
Meet John Doe. I also like The Apartment — an anytime favorite — Sims’s Scrooge, and Wonderful Life.
In a less-traditional mood are Brazil and Eyes Wide Shut.
mrmoshpotato
@J R in WV: What are the 39 steps?!
Another Scott
@Wyatt Salamanca:
CaptionGenerator.com, perhaps?
(via a comment by schrodingers cat)
(found via a Google search on: site:balloon-juice.com “downfall” december 2022)
HTH!
Cheers,
Scott.
FelonyGovt
Comfort and Joy, a 1984 Scottish comedy by Bill Forsyth of Local Hero fame. Glasgow radio DJ is dumped by his girlfriend right before Christmas.It has everything, including warring ice cream vendors.
prostratedragon
@Scout211: Well, there is that hit song … but it does cover about a year of that familiy’s life. Good movie, too.
WaterGirl
@mrmoshpotato: It’s like a 12-step program, only with a lot more steps. //
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl: Hehe
prostratedragon
@WaterGirl: Midge Wood: “Now, step number two … “
geg6
Elf and Love Actually. I love Elf even though I am not a Will Farrell fan. Such a sweet and funny movie. I usually also catch Christmas Vacation. It makes me laugh harder when I remember an in joke that my ex and I had regarding Cousin Eddie.
cope
We watched “The Bishop’s Wife” on demand last night because all our DVDs are packed.
Suzanne
@mrmoshpotato: “My name is ZEUS! He said HEY, ZEUS!”
Almost as good as the original. Jeremy Irons is just as charismatic as Alan Rickman.
Suzanne
I watched Elf and Love Actually for the first time this year.
Not enough shit blew up, not enough flying monkeys.
Wyatt Salamanca
@jeffreyw:
@Another Scott:
Many thanks to you both!
Ivan X
Having inky black hearts and little tolerance for movie sentimentality, our go to for Christmas cheer is unequivocally Bad Santa. I also like The Ice Harvest, with John Cusack (and Billy Bob, again), and The Silent Partner, with Elliott Gould. All wonderfully nasty Yuletide fare!
PaulB
I’ve always liked the George C. Scott version of “A Christmas Carol,” at least in part because of the excellent supporting cast.
I also enjoy revisiting “The Christmas Setup,” the first LGBT Christmas movie from Lifetime. The two lead characters were married (are married?), and the chemistry between them is excellent. Fran Drescher as the interfering mama trying to set them up is really good in that role.
I’ve never really gotten into “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” It’s inventive, and visually, it’s stunning, but the movie drags and the songs are mostly forgettable.
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” remains a favorite, with the original outshining all of the various remakes.
“Holiday Inn” is a classic, one I watch on a regular basis.
Rachel Bakes
White Christmas every year.
the (original) Grinch.
Charlie Brown.
Curious Gorge Christmas Monkey
While you Were Sleeing
Desk Set
Suzanne
@Scout211: So I have never seen It’s A Wonderful Life.
One movie on that list that I think of fondly is While You We’re Sleeping. Normally, I am meh on Sandra Bullock. And nothing blows up, and there are no flying monkeys ANYWHERE.
But there is some hilarious dialogue:
”Argentina has great beef. Beef and Nazis.”
And there’s a great scene where they (attractively, with great sexual tension) almost wipe out on the icy sidewalks.
Percysowner
Mine are oldies but goodies, Christmas in Connecticut and Meet Me In St. Louis.
Wyatt Salamanca
@mali muso:
The backstory surrounding this film is also very interesting. Capra originally wanted Jean Arthur or Ginger Rogers to play George Bailey’s wife, but chose Donna Reed because they were both unavailable due to other film projects.
According to Wikipedia, RKO Pictures wanted Cary Grant to play George Bailey.
According to a recent biographer, James Stewart was suffering from PTSD at the time he was cast and at one point Lionel Barrymore had to talk him out of quitting the film. Stewart later blamed Reed’s casting for the film doing poorly at the box office.
I saw it again last week and it hasn’t lost any of its magic for me.
LarryB
I know, right? And yet, I have a good friend who watch it every year with her children. Not judging. Bruce Willis in a tank top is pretty cool after all.
Brachiator
One of my go to Christmas films is the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge.
But I don’t care that much about Christmas or holiday films, Groundhog Day excepted. I used to spend the holiday season trying to catch up on the Best Picture nominees, top critics choices and noteworthy films that might catch my fancy.
But a combination of health issues, the closure of nearby movie theaters and the semi-walled garden of streaming services, I have seen very few movies at all this year.
One diversion. I have been watching YouTube people post their reactions to It’s A Wonderful Life and other films. Often it’s claimed that this is the first old movie and first black and white movie they have ever seen. Most find the movie to be thoroughly enjoyable and are surprised at how deftly the film combines elements of tragedy and comedy. Some are annoyed that Potter escapes any punishment.
In commentary, some folks ask if A Christmas Carol was written around the same time as It’s a Wonderful Life.
mdblanche
@Mr. Prosser: Whatever family drama you have to deal with over the holidays just remember it could be worse and at least you’re not a Plantagenet.
Suzanne
@LarryB: So every time I watch Die Hard, I enjoy catching the glimpse of the AM/PM gas station with prices below a dollar a gallon. It’s the only part of the movie that doesn’t hold up, LOL.
I have the same thought when I hear “I’m Waiting For the Man” by the Velvet Underground and I ponder buying drugs for $26.
Geminid
I’m not sure The Apartment is exactly a holiday movie. The story does take place during the holidays though, and Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are integral to the plot.
It’s a good movie whatever you call it. Shirley Maclaine and Jack Lemmon are perfect for their roles, and Fred MacMurray is good as a selfish corporate executive. It’s probably one of director Billy Wilder’s best films.
Wilder was an outsider, a Jewish man from an Austrian town who came of age in 1920s Vienna. He became involved in the movie industry there and then in Berlin. He was in France when the Second World War broke out. Wilder fled to North America and after some tenuous months as a refugee, he found success in California as a screenwriter and director.
Billy Wilder was a Hollywood insider by the time he made The Apartment. But he had not lost his outsider’s perspective, and I think I see it in his treatment of late 1950s American society.
schrodingers_cat
I don’t have a favorite Christmas movie. I am currently perusing the output of the great lyricists of the golden age of Hindi cinema.
Right now I am listening to
Jab Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya?
Why be afraid when you have been in love? (from Mughal-E-Azam)
And
Madhuban me Radhika nache re
Girdhar muraliya baje (Kohinoor)
{ Radha dances in the honey garden
As Krishna plays his flute
Two of the many unforgettable tunes…
Lacuna Synecdoche
Fanny and Alexander – Prefer the 6 Hour Swedish Mini-Series Version over the 3 Hour Theatrical Cut
NotMax
Must watch:
A Christmas Carol (1951)
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis – “Deck the Halls” (1959)
Others? Rotating roster, dependent on mood and who else might be watching. A few which pop into the head, in no particular order:
The Man Who Came to Dinner
The Coca-Cola Kid
The Ref
The Dead
Desk Set
Rare Exports
Three Days of the Condor
The Hunt (2012)
The Thin Man
Lady on a Train
In Bruges
The Shop Around the Corner
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
Remember the Night
A Bill of Divorcement
.
One I look forward to seeing someday (patiently waiting for it to show up someplace streamable): 8 Women.
jeffreyw
@mrmoshpotato:
You get a doctorate in AlAnon when you finish them.
Raven
A Midnight Clear
In the winter of 1944, American soldiers led by Will Knott (Ethan Hawke) are assigned to capture a small squad of German soldiers posted in France’s Ardennes forest. Tired of war, the Americans have already lost half their division and discover that their German enemy is equally unwilling to fight. With Jewish soldier Stan Shutzer (Arye Gross) interpreting, the Germans and Americans agree on a plan that will let the former surrender without violence — but then, tragedy strikes.
Brachiator
@Wyatt Salamanca:
Plausible, but I try not to link good acting to details of personal biography.
This seems unfair. Reed is excellent as Mary. The entire cast is solid. And many of the main cast have to nail positive and dysfunctional or dark characters to convincingly convey George Bailey’s alternate history.
Among the top grossing films of 1947 were Welcome Stranger, starring Bing Crosby, The Egg and I (Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray), Life With Father, and Forever Amber. A pretty good mix.
Wonderful Life doesn’t seem to be experimental or different. Not sure why it didn’t succeed.
mali muso
@PaulB: Did you get a chance to watch Netflix’s first gay Christmas romance, Single all the Way? I found it a lovely little entry in the genre.
https://www.indiewire.com/2021/12/netflix-gay-christmas-rom-com-single-all-the-way-1234683026/
billcinsd
Probably
…
1,234,567, 890 Anything with Bruce Willis
CliosFanBoy
We just rediscovered the 1971 animated version of “A Christmas Carol.” Only 25 minutes long it won an Oscar and the animation is quite good. The scariest Jacob Marley by far, and my favorite Ghost of Christmas Past.
Brachiator
@Ivan X:
Loved The Silent Partner. Christopher Plummer does sinister very well. Definitely a dark movie set around Christmas.
HumboldtBlue
I have said this for years across multiple platforms, Die Hard is most definitely a Xmas movie because any movie that contains the Xmas classic Christmas in Hollis is most assuredly a Xmas movie.
The phone call to 11 kids from Elvis Elfington at the North Pole were a hit yet again and with the admonition that Santa doesn’t come until you are in bed and asleep had little feet scrambling to finish preparing reindeer treats and scurrying to bed.
khead
The Ref
Scrooged
The Year Without a Santa Claus – Mother Nature is a badass.
White Christmas – Those folks did the general a solid.
It’s a Wonderful Life – My Dad was a banker who worked at a little bank in a little town in WV his entire life. It may not have been a wonderful life but it was pretty good.
And, yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Now I have a machine gun HO HO HO
Suzanne
“Are you aiming for these people?!”
“No.
Maybe that mime.”
Ascap_scab
For me it’s a Mad Max marathon.
Mad Max
The Road Warrior
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Mad Max Fury Road
Then if I have time:
Vanishing Point
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Fast Getaway
Repo Man
geg6
@mali muso:
This will be an unpopular opinion, but I HATE It’s a Wonderful Life. Just HATE it. Can’t sit through that maudlin mess. I almost always love Jimmy Stewart, but this one is a big no thanks for me. I will do anything to avoid it.
John Revolta
It’s a lot better than you might expect. In fact, Christmas doesn’t even come into the movie until almost 3/4 of the way through. If I had to sum up the theme of the movie it’d be “You can’t always get what you want, and it’s probably a good thing” (with a side helping of “rich people suck”).
Wyatt Salamanca
@Brachiator:
I think James Stewart was perfectly cast as George Bailey, but was disappointed to learn that he blamed Donna Reed for the poor performance at the box office. I thought she delivered a great performance. From what I’ve read, at the time of its release, a large segment of the public felt that It’s a Wonderful Life was overly sentimental. I’m glad that repeated airings on television saved it from oblivion.
I was surprised to learn from an interview with his biographer that after WWII, Stewart was filled with self-doubt and thought he’d never get any more great leading roles.
hueyplong
Just because I haven’t seen it mentioned, I’ll give a shout out to the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol.
Spanish Moss
Our favorites are Miracle on 34th Street (Natalie Wood version), Home Alone, and The Snowman. Occasionally Hogfather (being Terry Pratchett it is highly original and funny, but it can be a bit long for some of us).
PaulB
It’s on my list, along with “The Holiday Sitter,” but I haven’t had the time to watch them yet. Thanks for the tip.
James E Powell
Top Five Film Adaptations of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol ranked by me without regard to what anyone else thinks:
1) Alastair Sim’s
2) George C Scott’s
3) Bill Murray’s
4) Jim Carrey’s
5) Patrick Stewart’s
Honorable Mention: Mister Magoo’s
Other films:
It’s a Wonderful Life – Love it on its own & extra because someone very dear to me loves it way more than I do so it always makes me think of her & the wonderful times we shared.
A Christmas Story – Love it on its own & extra because it was filmed when I was in law school & watched some of the filming.
Miracle on 34th Street – The original.
hueyplong
@geg6: I definitely see where you’re coming from but think Trumpism may have redeemed It’s A Wonderful Life due to the Pottersville scenes.
Suzanne
Watching Die Hard: With A Vengeance.
Between bombs in lower Manhattan, threats of violence in schools, and a line about “yeah, and I’m going to marry Donald Trump!”….. this movie aged uncomfortably spot on.
James E Powell
@Wyatt Salamanca:
That was rather un-George Bailey like thing to say. First of all, even if you think that, there is no reason to say that. Second, Donna Reed is so gorgeous in that movie that it breaks my heart.
James E Powell
@Brachiator:
No doubt, they blame Merrick Garland.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@FelonyGovt: that’s definitely one to check out. I love Local Hero.
zhena gogolia
@geg6: I’ve only seen it once. I can’t stomach it, although I think of James Stewart as one of the greatest film actors of all time.
My faves (although I haven’t watched any of them this year, too caught up in The White Lotus) are Christmas in Connecticut, Remember the Night, and Love Actually.
I’ve never seen Die Hard, but today I learned that James Shigeta is in it, so I’ll have to give it a look.
zhena gogolia
@James E Powell: Have you seen her in They Were Expendable? Exquisite.
geg6
@hueyplong:
My sister tried that argument with me (she loves it), but I agree with the original sentiment about the film. Overly sentimental and I just despise films that try to manipulate me like that. I’m like, fuck off Bailey. Just jump before you make me jump off a bridge. She is hilariously horrified by my opinion.
hueyplong
@zhena gogolia: I don’t consider her hideous in From Here To Eternity.
sab
@mrmoshpotato: I believe that was Alan Rickman’s first movie performance. He’d done stage and tv nefore.
Glidwrith
The Bishops Wife with Carey Grant is always a household staple. Netflix just released an animated Scrooge which had strangely familiar lyrics that I remembered from my childhood. Turned out to be using music from a 1971 Scrooge movie that I always regarded as the classic because it was the first one I had ever watched and loved the music. The Netflix version gave me enough material to track down and rediscover my Scrooge.
”I like life, life likes me, I make life a perpetual spree!”
Another Scott
@Wyatt Salamanca:
APNews.com (from January 1986):
Dunno.
Cheers,
Scott.
hueyplong
@geg6: Get your point about manipulation but consider it to be worse in Rocky, Die Hard, and pretty much anything related to Star Wars.
Which is my way of seeing your Wonderful Life unpopularity and raising you.
Old Dan and Little Ann
@geg6: I agree with you. My wife loves it. One of her favorites. We wind up watching most years with me complaining the whole time.
zhena gogolia
@hueyplong: She was a great beauty.
zhena gogolia
@Old Dan and Little Ann: I can’t even stand Zuzu.
Brachiator
@Wyatt Salamanca:
That is amazing. The movies he made after 1947 could make a great career for an actor, and you could even omit Rear Window and Vertigo.
geg6
@zhena gogolia:
It’s actually a pretty good action flick, if you like that sort of thing. McClain is one of the few action heroes that comes off as a pretty realistic person. Willis isn’t overly pumped, muscle-wise, and he’s a pretty flawed guy. Bonnie Bedelia, who plays his estranged wife, is an awesome female character for the time. Reginald VelJohnson is terrific. And who doesn’t loooooove Alan Rickman as a villain. The sequels suck big time, but the original is worth a view.
hueyplong
@zhena gogolia: Zuzu is insufferable
geg6
@zhena gogolia:
LOL, me too!
Mike E
Die Hard is campy fun that takes the piss out of whole echelons of authority figures, well worth the time and effort…Miss E went reeeally deep into the holiday theme one Xmas and selected Troop Zero for our viewing pleasure, the lead character’s name is literally Christmas. Lovely movie.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Another Scott:
When it comes to cinema, I suspect there are many instances of conflicting narratives:
h/t ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ star Donna Reed quietly kept WWII letters from soldiers for decades, daughter says December 25, 2022 https://www.yahoo.com/news/wonderful-life-star-donna-reed-130014815.html
prostratedragon
@Glidwrith: Saw The Bishop’s Wife last night for the first time in years. Really enjoyed it. Was impressed by how Dudley was made to seem spectral with no special effects, just staging. And of course, James Gleason.
Brachiator
@James E Powell:
Good list. But what about the Muppets?
Years ago, I saw a production of the Patrick Stewart one-man staging of A Christmas Carol. Truly loved it. He filled the stage with all the characters. And he clearly dazzled some of the children in the audience, maybe even inspired a few to want to become actors.
Suzanne
Die Hard is a blast. I love a good action movie. I love thrillers and stunts and explosions and car chases and all that stuff. And Alan Rickman is just fantastic, and there is some genuine emotional heft with McClane’s marriage and Al Powell’s reticence to ever fire a gun again.
Like A Vengeance was the only one of the sequels that I liked, though. The rest of them were not good.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@NotMax: I think Desk Set is my favorite Tracy-Hepburn collaboration, in part because Tracy’s character reminds me of my father. “I bet you write a great letter”
@James E Powell: you make me curious about Carrey’s performance. Driving over to my sister’s today I caught a bit of Jonathan Winters’s one-man reading of ACC on NPR. I’d never heard of it, but I downloaded it from Audible for later this week. In the bit I heard, he manages probably the most frightening of Marley’s screams. It surprises me that it’s so weak in the Scott and Stewart versions, when they could have done so much (I would think) with sound. IMHO it should sound like the gates of hell creaking open.
Wyatt Salamanca
@zhena gogolia:
Great name for a band though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGpyPWuTkmA
Suzanne
I just found this list of the 101 Best Action Movies….. Die Hard is #1.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
The gang at Cheers watches It’s a Wonderful Life.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
The only Tracy-Hepburn film I like better than Desk Set is State of the Union
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z00CUH_B31w&t=83s
Old Dan and Little Ann
We watch Scrooged with Bill Murray every few years. Bill Murray may be an asshole but he makes me laugh.
Jeffro
@mrmoshpotato: Twitter Dick Nixon’s annual ‘the Nakatomi people have a hard go of it when this time of year comes around’ tweets are so sweet
Another Scott
@Wyatt Salamanca: Yes, I saw that, too. Maybe he said that (though I’m often suspicious of family recollections). YMMV. If he did say that back then, he apparently didn’t feel that way later.
Made me look some more…
WillMcKinley.wordpress.com:
True? No idea. But it sounds much more likely to me than somehow blaming Reed – and especially Stewart blaming Reed. RKO had great talents but seems to have been unable to make money with them (for whatever reasons).
YMMV!
:-)
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
frosty
@Suzanne: Here’s one more pitch for Geena Davis in Long Kiss Goodnight as a Christmas movie, then I’ll shut up. Just found out I have to pay for old movies! Grrr.
ETA Also Samuel L. Jackson as her sidekick in what he said was his favorite role ever.
Jeffro
@Suzanne: hell YEAH it is – the plot is just so incredibly well-done, and there are so many excellent small moments (most courtesy of Alan Rickman)
It’s not just an action movie, it’s a master class!
Suzanne
@Jeffro: I’m embarrassed by how many of these I haven’t seen. Must catch up!
hervevillechaizelounge
@Percysowner:
I recently rewatched Meet Me in St. Louis; little Tootie with her murdered dolls and false abuse allegations is a lot darker than I recalled.
In a present day remake she’d be stabbing her playmates for Slenderman:(
Tehanu
Hubby Dearest refuses to watch White Christmas, but I love about half of it and I fast-forward through the dumber bits. It does have Mary Wickes.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Brachiator:
Given that the wheels of justice grind slowly, I look forward to a Balloon Juice Zoom session within the next 3 to 4 years where all the frontpagers and a bunch of jackals can sing a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne to celebrate Trump, Giuliani, Meadows, or Eastman being taken to a federal prison after getting convicted for their role in instigating the January 6th insurrection.
hervevillechaizelounge
@geg6:
I know this sounds petty, but after learning Frank Capra was a conservative republican I can’t watch his films anymore.
He hated Roosevelt and the New Deal; motherfucker was Mr. Potter in real life.
Laura
I love the musical “Scrooge” with Albert Finney as Scrooge. Also “White Christmas “. And definitely Die Hard. Welcome to the party pal.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Another Scott:
You do a great job of retrieving gems from the Internet. Do you earn your living as a professional researcher or is it just a personal hobby of yours?
Glidwrith
@prostratedragon: I found it rather interesting that Dudley almost assumed the Bishop’s role in what he should have been to his wife, and at the end it’s implied that none of the mortals really remember Dudley, that it’s the Bishop who they remember instead.
Another Scott
@Wyatt Salamanca: Ha! :-)
I like looking for things, if they’re not too difficult to find. I wouldn’t be a very good research librarian – too easily distracted!
I do research for a living, but I’m an experimentalist.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
You surprised me because I remembered from reading his memoir (30ish years ago) and other sources that he was an FDR Democrat who turned right in the 60s. Seems like you got it right. I was just a bit misled…
ETA: Jimmy Stewart was pretty rightwing, too, and yet his best friend was lefty Henry Fonda
David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch
Frosty the Snowman
Lethal Weapon
Funny Farm
Wyatt Salamanca
@Another Scott:
You also have a knack for savvy marketing. I wish I could incorporate that line into an elevator pitch.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
After discovering that they were on opposite sides of the fence, they agreed to stop discussing politics in order to preserve their friendship.
hervevillechaizelounge
@Wyatt Salamanca:
I feel like this attitude got us where we are today. “Oh, you’re a secret racist who wants forced birth for 12-year-olds and reeducation camps for gays—let’s overlook these pesky differences and be friends!”
Wyatt Salamanca
@hervevillechaizelounge:
I agree with you. You can’t paper over differences with MAGA lunatics.
SFBayAreaGal
Whte Christmas and Charlie Brown Christmas Special
The dialog between Bing Crosby and Danny Kayne is pretty funny in White Christmas
Mai Naem mobile
This far in and I haven’t seen a mention of Home Alone. Not something I can watch multiple times but it is a good movie.
I enjoy Christmas in Connecticut, It’s a Wonderful Life and The Ref. Christine Baranski’s always good in whatever she’s in.
Brachiator
@Suzanne:
I love this list of 101 top action films. It is great to see some of my favorites, especially Supercop and Wages of Fear, included.
I would throw out a few, eg Kill Bill, and probably include more Hong Kong and Japanese films. For example, I think that Peking Opera Blues and the Musashi Myamoto trilogy belong on the list.
Mai Naem mobile
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’ve seen several old movie stars who were Republicans but the Republicans of that time were quite moderate if not liberal. I can’t see Jimmy Stewart ever whining about libraries not allowing him to read his book to some kids during story time hour.
hervevillechaizelounge
@Mai Naem mobile:
According to his biographer James Stewart was “uncomfortable around black people.”
LINK
Stewart also covertly aided HUAC and thought McCarthy was doing a fabulous job.
LINK
Republicans have always been the party of fear and hate. We befriend them at our peril.
VFX Lurker
@Spanish Moss:
I’d like to second the Sky One adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s The Hogfather. It’s a two-part TV adaptation, so folks can watch it over two nights if they wish.
(I watched the whole thing in one sitting last week).
kalakal
@FelonyGovt: That’s a favourite of mine, I love Bill Forsyth’s films from around then That Sinking Feeling, Gregory’s Girl, Comfort and Joy and one of my all time favourites Local Hero which also has a fantastic theme song
https://youtu.be/DfXUyQsmXRk
kalakal
They’re not Christmassy but I always watch Nick Park’s Wallace & Gromit stop motion animations this time of year
A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch
“Jingle All the Way”
Schwarzenegger and Sinbad teach us the true meaning of Xmas
Sandia Blanca
The new film “Spirited” is one I’ll want to watch again. It’s now only available on Apple plus, I think, but we managed to catch it during its short run in theaters. Ryan Reynolds, Will Farrell, and Octavia Spencer have so much fun with the new twist on A Christmas Carol..
tokyokie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I read once that Stewart and Fonda had an argument over politics that led to fisticuffs. After that, they agreed to never discuss politics again so that they could remain friends. They enjoyed each other’s company so much that they would paint and build model airplanes together, not saying a lot, just finding comfort in each other’s presence. I’ve always found that image of them endearing.
And my favorite Christmas movie is Rare Exports, in which Santa Claus in an ancient Nordic demon and the good guys are in the business of processing reindeer meat. It’s a Finnish movie that was filmed in Norway, I presume because that country offered an even grimmer snowbound winter hellscape than Finland.
zeecube
For a while, we had Bad Santa and The Ref on rotation.
bjacques
Too late, probably, but AD/BC (2004) by the estimable Matt Berry should become a new Christmas favorite. It’s the Nativity performed as a rock opera in the style of Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell, and it’s hilarious and brilliant. Stars Matt Berry, Rich Fulcher, Richard Ayoade, Julian Barratt, Julia Davis, and Noel Fielding. It’s produced by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow company.
BBC showed Farmageddon (2019), the latest (?) feature-length episode of Shaun The Sheep, a spinoff from Wallace and Grommit. A space alien lands in Mossingham Forest, near the farm. Lots of sci-fi Easter eggs, naturally.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JS1eTb6smNM&t=164s
NotMax
Kind of surprised, with this crowd, no one has mentioned Blackadder’s Christmas Carol.
:)
Geminid
@NotMax: I wonder how many audio versions of A Christmas Carol there are. I listened to some of one Christman Eve. Dickens’ book makes a good radio play.
Miss Bianca
@CliosFanBoy: that one scared the CRAP out of me when I was a kid! I couldn’t even finish my TV dinner! And if you know my customary relationship with dinner, you know that that’s quite a rare thing!
Shana
@Suzanne: Or when a nickel bag was actually $5 and 1/4 of an ounce.