Well, obviously we'll start off with a big holiday wish for all of my lovely readers.
Here's a wish that Santa brought you everything you wanted.
Santa was good for me this year, unless you count the debacle on the t.v. yesterday where the Vikings managed (YET AGAIN) to choke away a game they should've won. Let's just say that I'm slightly ashamed to say that I did a little cursing on Christmas Eve when I saw the score. I mean, ya go to church for the Christmas service. You sing the holiday songs...and my team still loses! I'm totally bumfuzzled
by this turn of events.
It being the holiday and all, I thought I'd give the movie fans in my readership a list
of the top 5 Christmas movies of alltime:
5) Scrooged--Bill Murray is in rare form in this takeoff on "A Christmas Carol".
Lots of good inside jabs at commercialization, television & the real meaning of Christmas. Its no Groundhog Day, but its certainly good.
4) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation---its hard to believe that Chevy Chase, seemingly so long ago, used to make pretty good movies. The always delicious Beveryly D'Angelo returns as his long suffering wife and there's a good supporting cast including Randy Quaid & an almost unrecognizeable Julia Louis-Dreyfus (pre-Seinfeld).
3) Miracle on 34th Street--the original, with Natalie Wood as the little girl, Edmund Gwynn as the kindly old man who may or may not really be Santa and stellar support from John Payne & Maureen O'Hara (looking way better than an Irish broad has any right too). Its the familar story about a man who thinks he's Santa Claus, and the way that society (and particularly the good folks at Macy's department store) react to him. A great story for the whole family.
2) Its a Wonderful Life--James Stewart's career defining role as the man who is given the chance, through a little "angelic assistance" to see what life would've been like if he had never lived. Donna Reed is his wife & a stellar cast includes Thomas Mitchell & Lionel Barrymore as the rich old miser--the role model for Mr. Burns on the Simpson's perhaps? Good stuff and a guaranteed sniffle-fest.
1) A Christmas Story--much like the film at # 2, this film was completely unappreciated when it was first released in 1982. The film's director's previous work was Porky's for God's sake--who knew that he had it in him to make such a great movie? Peter Billingsly was forever typecast as Ralphie, the little boy in Indiana circa 1947 who only wanted a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, and is willing to scheme, plan and conive until he gets one. A really funny look back at growing up, complete with a great set of parents, played by Melinda Dillon and a never better Darren McGavin, one of the most underrated actors ever.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Jeff
No comments:
Post a Comment