Christmas Movies Christmas movies are everywhere on the streaming services, I never realized there were so many. Some are very good, some okay, and some not very good. I guess it would depend on who is starring in the movies and the basic story. I also realize not only is everyone’s taste in movies different, but the age of the person watching the movie also means a lot. Of course, if a child is watch they prefer movies of a more childish nature, we all realize that. They might even prefer something with Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck playing Santa and I can understand that. The age difference in the person watching a Christmas movie, can also account for what they consider a good Christmas movie, because they wouldn’t know about some of the older movies to even consider them. I remember telling a younger person I like the Christmas movie, the March of the Wooden Soldiers with Laurel and Hardy. Not only had they never heard of it, but they didn’t know who Laurel and Hardy were. Boy did I feel old after that. There are old classics and newer ones, and I have to say there are plenty to choose from. Some movies are characterized as Christmas movies just because they take place at Christmas in the story, but I can’t say I agree with this. One of these movies is Die Hard. Remember that movie? That is where a gang led by the great actor Alan Rickman takes over a skyscraper and is going to blow it up and Bruce Willis, who is a policeman tries to save everyone. Apparently, his wife is one of the hostages. Great movie, but does it put one into the Christmas spirit? I don’t think so. Another great movie which is a little more like a Christmas movie, but doesn’t quite achieve that status in my mind is Home Alone. Macaulay Culkin is incredible, the movie hilarious thanks also to Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern and the family is back together for Christmas. Then there are the many different versions of Dicken’s, A Christmas Carol. There are just so many of them going way back. I think they are all pretty good, but some are better than others. The one with George C. Scott is one of the later ones and is very good and leaves you with that fuzzy feeling after you watch the entire movie. There are some great Christmas movies that some people look at, but over the years there are fewer and fewer people who know about them. Take for example one considered to be on top of the list even though it was made in 1946. The movie is It’s A Wonderful Life with James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Thomas Mitchell. These people were some of the biggest stars of their day. A business man is frustrated with his life, so an angel comes from heaven to show him what things would be like if he never existed. Even the director was one of the most famous, Frank Capra. I don’t want to leave out some of the wonderful cartoon movies about Christmas, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Grinch. We all know what Rudolph was about and even in this era of sophisticated animations, this beloved 1964 cartoon movie is shown on many stations and streaming services and is loved by many. The Grinch is newer, with the latest version being made in 2018, with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the voice of the Grinch in place of Boris Karloff in an older version. The Grinch goes from Christmas hater and spoiler to a being who is loved by all and loves Christmas and helping people. When Chevy Chase was a big comedy star, he made a lot of funny movies and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was one of them. The movie was made in 1989 and features the famous at the time, Griswold family who were always getting into trouble. Christmas Vacation highlights all the problems with the Griswold family just trying to have a nice Christmas. A Christmas movie from 1983 is still going strong and many people love it. It is A Christmas Story. It takes place in the 1940 and is about a young boy who wants a Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas. There are several memorable moments in the movie. One is where the boy is dared to put his tongue on a metal pole in the school yard during the winter and it sticks there and the other kids run back in school leaving him there. In another scene his mother tells him to be careful with the gun because he could shoot out his eye and he proceeds to break his glasses. Lastly the father gets a lamp sent to him and it is of a woman’s leg which attracts a lot of attention. The main stars are Darren McGavin, Peter Billingsley and Melinda Dillon. One of the greatest old time movies about Christmas is Miracle on 34th Street. It is a shame a lot of younger people know nothing about it. It was made in 1947 and most young people probably have never heard of the stars who were Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’hara, John Payne and Gene Lockhart. A divorced woman is in charge of hiring at Macy’s department store. They need someone to play Santa for Christmas and she hires a nice old man. It turns out he claims to really be Santa. He is taken to court for a sanity examination and a lawyer defends him by asserting he really is Santa. There was a Broadway show some years back with the same name, but I am not sure what the plot was. The Santa Clause was made in 1994. It stars Tim Allen, and Judge Reinhold. It has a great plot. Santa is delivering presents and when he gets to one house, Tim Allen does something which makes him fall off the roof and get hurt. There is now no choice, Tim Allen has to take over and deliver the rest of the presents. I would like to end this article with the animated move The Polar Express which was made in 2004. The movie is beloved by many people and Tom Hanks plays the voices of many of the characters. The Polar Express, a train, pulls up in the front of a young boy’s home and he begins his adventure being taken to the North Pole where he learns all about the spirit of Christmas.
|
