We are in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day,
when the days get jumbled and we want to maintain the holiday spirit as much as
we can until the real world comes roaring back at us. One of the holiday
traditions I look forward to every year is watching holiday movies—both
rewatching the classics and discovering new ones. Here are my top 10 holiday
movies:
#10 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
This Christmas version of the National Lampoon’s Vacation
series that never got as good as the original National Lampoon’s Vacation, follows
the Griswold family trying to navigate the holidays. Like the original, Randy
Quaid’s performance as Cousin Eddy makes the movie complete and his arrival in
the film (“Shitter’s full!)” is its most memorable moment.
#9 The Naught Nine
A group of kids who don’t get Christmas gifts because of
their varying misdeeds take it upon themselves to steal gifts directly from
Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. The motley crew of miscreants is likeable
from the start. Danny Glover pulls it off as a beleaguered but compassionate
Santa Claus and the story left me wanting a sequel, which the film’s ending
seems to indicate is coming (so far it hasn’t; get on that, Disney).
#8 Red One
This Christmas action-adventure features Dwayne “The Rock”
Johnson as the head of security for the North Pole when Santa Claus, played
with sharp-witted and jovial panache by J.K. Simmons, is kidnapped. Chris
Evans, best known for playing Captain America, is the ne’er-do-well computer
hacker who unwittingly helps locate Santa for the kidnappers and is drawn into
a battle between two differing views of the supernatural world’s view of
Christmas. It’s a bit heavy on the CGI but it works and it’s kid friendly with
some nice material for adults also.
#7 It's a Wonderful Life
This is the movie I watched because everyone I knew had seen
it because it’s a classic Christmas movie. Although time and technology have chipped away at its dominance
among Christmas films, it continues to occupy a place in the American consciousness.
The classic Frank Capra American drama of good vs. evil and community
vs. craven greed holds up as every bit as relevant today. Enjoy a classic
American film and believe.
#6 Home Alone
This story of an isolated young man waging a campaign of
mechanized violence against two bumbling thieves never gets old. It has
slapstick comedic appeal for adults, self-recognition for parents, and good
goofy fun for kids. It also has the same appeal that Death Wish has in
that we get to see lowly criminals dealt harsh street justice at the hands of a
would-be victim.
#5 Elf
This brings holiday cheer for children with some nice crumbs
thrown to adults. Will Farrell’s over-the-top performance as Buddy the Elf
helps sell the film, as does the casting choice of Ed Asner as Santa Claus.
Santa’s advice to Buddy as he prepares to leave the North Pole for New York
City is memorable: “First off, you see gum on the street, leave it there. It
isn't free candy.” It has a great scene with Peter Dinklage as an enraged
executive and James Caan is Buddy’s long-lost father. Good holiday cheer and
kid friendly.
#4 Santa’s Slay
Hilarious purposely B-movie gory comedy horror starring
pro-wrestler (and Georgia Bulldog) Bill Goldberg as a murderous St. Nick who
delivers over-the-top carnage while driving a bison-drawn sleigh across the
land. Robert Culp, who I loved as a kid when he played a rugged FBI agent on “The
Greatest American Hero,” plays a loving grandfather with a secret past who must
confront the evil Santa to save Christmas. Not kid-friendly but perfect for
holiday gatherings with adults.
#3 A Christmas Story
This is many people’s number one for good reason and it
never gets old no matter how many times you see it. I feel Ralphie Parker’s
pain as he longs for a Official Red Ryder
Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. The scene with Santa
Claus in the department store is a must-see Christmas scene, and there are many
iconic scenes in the film that represent the experience of growing up in
America at Christmastime. This has stood the test of time and will continue.
#2 Fatman
This movie takes you by surprise in its subtlety. You almost
don’t think Mel Gibson is playing Santa Claus but someone who just looks like
Santa. Make no mistake though, “Chris” is Chris Cringle himself, and struggles
with finances and sleigh repairs in a down-to-earth way that makes the holiday
spirit impact that much more effective. The scene where Santa gets letters from
kids who are living their dreams will give you the holiday feels. Also, there’s
a ruthless, Santa-hating assassin hired to kill Santa and a bloody gun battle
ensues. Put this on your holiday movie watch list.
#1 Bad Santa
Still the creepy granddaddy of all holiday movies. Bad Santa
will have you spitting up your eggnog with its absolute depravity but also
brighten your day with redemptive holiday cheer. Billy Bob Thorton as a
drunken, safe-cracking thief is the jaded antihero we need to balance the
relentlessness of the holiday season, which creeps in earlier every year. The
ensemble cast includes “Gilmore Girls” star Lauren Graham, John Ritter in one
of his last roles as the department store manager, and Bernie Mac as the head
of mall security. The sequel that followed a few years later has its moments,
but can’t replicate the power of the original. Watch this with your adult
friends who have a good sense of humor and after the kids are asleep (not just
in bed, asleep).
Honorable mentions: Violent Night, Gremlins, Home Alone 2,
Die Hard, Scrooged.
No comments:
Post a Comment