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Posts Tagged ‘christmas’
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Posted on December 28, 2011 - by writerman
Top 10 Christmas Movies
The mall is a madhouse, the house smells like pine needles, the fridge is packed with leftovers and I’m full of turkey and pie, so it must be time to count down the Top 10 Christmas Movies of All Time…
10. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1993)
I’ll admit this isn’t the strongest outing from the Henson Company (for my money, that’s got to be the one with Richard Prior), but it’s The Muppets, so I had to put it on the list, right?1
9. We’re No Angels (1955)
No, not the shitty remake with De Niro, Sean Penn and that girl from Blame it on Rio. Number nine on my list goes to the original, featuring Bogie and Peter Ustinov as a couple of escaped cons from Devil’s Island who may or may not be angelic.
8. A Christmas Story (1983)
Because you gotta respect a kid who knows exactly what he wants for Christmas:
“A Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and a thing which tells time.”
7. Die Hard (1988)
You probably forgot that this 80’s gem takes place on Christmas Eve, what with all the gun fights and explosions and Alan Rickman’s groovy accent. But if John McClane’s dirty undershirt is good enough for the Smithsonian, then this movie is good enough for the Top 10 Project.
6. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Certainly not Spielberg’s finest work, but definitely one of his most fun. Though only marginally related to Christmas, this based-on-a-true story caper has loads of style and charm to burn, making it a perfect holiday treat.
Plus, Tom Hanks tells the greatest knock-knock joke in history:
5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
The first time I saw this classic was the first year I brought a girl home to spend the holidays with my family. In honor of her family’s tradition, we sat down and watched It’s a Wonderful Life (her very favorite movie) all together. By the time George Bailey stood on the bridge, my mom was banging around in the kitchen, my dad was snoring, two of my brothers had left to do something “less boring” and I had perfected my Jimmy Stewart impersonation. She didn’t speak to me for two days.
In that girl’s defense, since our awkward holiday screening, I’ve become a real fan of the movie. Sure, it gets a little syrupy now and then, but Jimmy Stewart is fantastic, Mr. Potter exudes pure evil as a classic movie villain, and between you and me, Donna Reed is a fox.
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
This one beats you over the head with the Bible a little harder than I usually enjoy, but the righteous dance party, the little tree that could, and Vince Guaraldi’s Second Greatest Christmas Soundtrack of All Time2 more than make up for the Sunday School flashbacks.
3. Elf (2003)
Fifty years from now, when everyone has forgotten about Ricky Bobby and Ron Burgundy, this is the role Will Ferrell will be remembered for. And I don’t mean that as a dig – he is magically naive and innocent and hilarious in this movie. Also, high fives to Jon Favreau for casting James Caan as his dad and writing a scene where my girlfriend gets to sing in the shower.
2. Bad Santa (2003)
This movie is full of a hundred fucking genius moments, but this one has a special place in my heart:
WILLIE (mumble)
What the fuck is it?
KID A wooden pickle.
Willie stares at it.
WILLIE Why'd you paint it brown?
KID Not paint. It's blood from when I
cut my hand when I was making it for
you.
1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)3
Technically a TV special, for my money this is the best Christmas movie ever made.
Thanks Dr. Seuss!
- The woman in my life may never forgive me for excluding Emmet Otter from this list, but I had to go with Gonzo and Fozzy. [↩]
- Listen to Mr. Presley sing Number One right here. [↩]
- We don’t talk about the Jim Carrey remake. [↩]
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