List of Fives Part Eighteen
Five Favorite Holiday Movie Favorites:
1. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," Rankin & Bass. Come on! Even though Mickey Rooney is doing the voice of Kris Kringle, who doesn't love this one? It's a classic! This little tale tells the "story" of how Santa Claus came to be! And, it is far better than that horrendous "Santa Claus The Movie," which had only one good thing going for it: Sheena Easton's song.
2. "Muppet Christmas Carol," the Muppets. I am not fond of Charles Dickens' oft filmed Christmas parable. I like this one, though. Probably because it is populated by the Muppets, with the delightful Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge. But, it is light-hearted enough to be fun and just dark enough to drive the point of the story home. And Kermit's song with little Robin (as Tiny Tim) is just adorable.
3. "The Santa Clause," Disney. I was skeptical about this film at first but what a brilliant re-imagining of the Santa Claus mythos. It's not one Santa, it's a series of Santas, replaced as needed. It's brilliant and manages to be heart-warming without being overly sentimental. Tim Allen is perfect as the cynical toy salesman who ends up being the new Santa. And, it doesn't lose any magic upon repeated viewing.
4. "Little Women," 1994. Yes, this is technically not a Christmas film, but this one does feature several events surrounding the Christmas holiday and it is, in my opinion, the best adaptation of the novel. And Winona Ryder, who has made a career of playing characters addicted to keeping diaries, is perfect as Jo. Christian Bale as Laurie doesn't hurt, either.
5. "The Man Who Came to Dinner," 1942. I've written about this film before. That it takes place around Christmas does not, again, make it a "holiday" film, but it is just so deliciously well-acted and deals with a very unwanted guest at Christmastime is just a cherry atop the sundae. And, Monty Woolley, as the titular character, is wicked. Wonderfully wicked. It's a nice alternative for those (like me) who don't really like "It's a Wonderful Life." (No, I don't. At all! Hate it, actually.)
1. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," Rankin & Bass. Come on! Even though Mickey Rooney is doing the voice of Kris Kringle, who doesn't love this one? It's a classic! This little tale tells the "story" of how Santa Claus came to be! And, it is far better than that horrendous "Santa Claus The Movie," which had only one good thing going for it: Sheena Easton's song.
2. "Muppet Christmas Carol," the Muppets. I am not fond of Charles Dickens' oft filmed Christmas parable. I like this one, though. Probably because it is populated by the Muppets, with the delightful Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge. But, it is light-hearted enough to be fun and just dark enough to drive the point of the story home. And Kermit's song with little Robin (as Tiny Tim) is just adorable.
3. "The Santa Clause," Disney. I was skeptical about this film at first but what a brilliant re-imagining of the Santa Claus mythos. It's not one Santa, it's a series of Santas, replaced as needed. It's brilliant and manages to be heart-warming without being overly sentimental. Tim Allen is perfect as the cynical toy salesman who ends up being the new Santa. And, it doesn't lose any magic upon repeated viewing.
4. "Little Women," 1994. Yes, this is technically not a Christmas film, but this one does feature several events surrounding the Christmas holiday and it is, in my opinion, the best adaptation of the novel. And Winona Ryder, who has made a career of playing characters addicted to keeping diaries, is perfect as Jo. Christian Bale as Laurie doesn't hurt, either.
5. "The Man Who Came to Dinner," 1942. I've written about this film before. That it takes place around Christmas does not, again, make it a "holiday" film, but it is just so deliciously well-acted and deals with a very unwanted guest at Christmastime is just a cherry atop the sundae. And, Monty Woolley, as the titular character, is wicked. Wonderfully wicked. It's a nice alternative for those (like me) who don't really like "It's a Wonderful Life." (No, I don't. At all! Hate it, actually.)
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