“Debbie Does Christmas”
“Santa Claus” (1959), a low-budget Mexican film dubbed in English, tells of a plot by Satan to sabotage Santa’s annual Christmas Eve mission to bring gifts to the world’s children. Satan warns the demon assigned to the task that if he fails, he will have to eat chocolate ice cream instead of hot coals. The film probably didn’t win much acclaim from the critics, but when I saw it as a kid, I loved it.
Worst - Bad Santa is disgusting
Best - Prancer, Christmas Story, Family Man, Polar Express, White Christmas
My wife and I watch two movies every Christmas - “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Blazing Saddles”.
Trading Places
Favorites:
A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life.
Least Favorite:
A Christmas Story. (I think it demeans the meaning of Christmas.)
“It’s A Wonderful Life”
“A Charlie Brown Christmas”
“The Little Drummer Boy” (haven’t seen it in ages, but it was my favorite as a child)
Also, “Elf” is wonderful. I don’t know how Will Ferrell pulled that out of his usual horrible choices, but Elf was really funny, clean, and although devoid of any Christian message about the reason for the season, quite sweet.
Hate: All the animated “we must save Christmas!” themed movies, there are like 100 of them, each one more banal than the last.
Holiday Inn, preceding White Christmas.
Two choices for best: “SCROOGE” starring Albert Finney, and “WHITE CHRISTMAS” with Bing, Danny, Rosemary and that girl with legs clear up to her butt.
“We’ll follow the Old Man wherever he wants to go, long as he wants to go, opposite to the foe; we’ll stay with the Old Man.......”
“Gee! I wish I was back in the Army! The Army wasn’t really bad at all. 3 squares a day, for which you didn’t pay......”
My favorites are all oldies:
The Shop Around the Corner (Jimmy Stewart)
Miracle on 34th Street - original
Christmas in Connecticut (Barbara
It Happened on Fifth Avenue (Don Defore and Gale Storm)
The last film has somehow escaped the notice of most folks, and I cannot understand why. Two years ago I purchased a Holiday movie package from Amazon with 4 old B&W movies and three of them were Shop, Connecticut and Fifth Avenue. The fourth was an old version of Christmas Carol. Everyone I have shown the Fifth Avenue picture to has marvelled at how good it is!
As for other favorites, The Christmas Story is vastly overrated, IMHO, but is still not the worst.
And, maybe I am a Scrooge, but I do not care much for A Christmas Carol. Perhaps it has been told too many times with different versions, cultures, etc.
A friend said her favorite Christmas movie was “Love Actually.” I finally sat down and watched it. It was dreadful, so that’s my nominee.
The Bishop's Wife (1947): With Cary Grant, David Niven, and Loretta Young. My favorite. I try to watch it every year.
A Christmas Story (1983): Based on Jean Shepherd's stories. The funniest Christmas movie.
A Christmas Carol (1938): The version with Reginald Owen as Scrooge.
As far as bad Christmas movies, I generally avoid movies I think will be bad, so I don't have any to mention, really.
Best: Christmas Vacation/It’s a Wonderful Life
Worst: Love Actually
I am surprised so many picked “Christmas Vacation”. It was better than “European Vacation”, but not even close to the original “Vacation”.
Also am surprised so many did not like “A Christmas Story”. I think it is a true classic with quite a bit of subtle messages.
One of my favorites not yet mentioned: Capra’s “Meet John Doe”
Christmas Story
White Christmas
Watch both every year.
It is Lifeday, a holiday that is celebrated on Chewbacca's home planet Kashyyyk. Chewie and Han Solo are trying to get to the planet where Chewie's family is waiting for him, but the empire is out searching for the rebels, giving everyone a hard time. While we are waiting we get a look at the everyday life of a Wookiee family. We meet all the familiar characters from Star Wars and we are introduced to Boba Fett during a small cartoon. We also pay a visit to the Cantina and meet all the monsters again.
The remake of “It’s a Wonderful Life” in which George Bailey is Mary Bailey. Feminist horror. I think it was called “It Happened One Christmas.