Your Favourite Christmas movie

[Argent]

I did a thread like this last year along with one where I found out that there are many heathen with fake trees around. But a new forum and a partly new audience means it is time for a new Christmas movie thread too.

My top three are National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Night They Saved Christmas, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas(the classic 1966 version) with an honorable mention to A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is funny and brings the zany antics of family vacation to the Christmas season. I am also a bit of a sucker for parent tries for perfect Christmas and everything goes horribly but hilariously wrong trope.

How the Grinch stole Christmas is what other versions tried to copy. The one with Jim Carrey was well done and makes a good transition from cartoon to live action but at the same time I always felt that the cartoon was better. I am sure growing up watching the carton has colored my view some but at one point I knew the entire movie by heart.

The last of my favorites is the Night They Saved Christmas. It is about a family that must save the North Pole from a mining company before they blow up Santa's Workshop. Overall it is a cheesy movie that has fairly bad acting which would normally disqualify it. The movie makes my favorite list more out of nostalgia and the fact that like Sharknado it crosses the line from so bad to funny to watch.

There are also dozens of Christmas Carol plays and movies that come out every year. This one is my favorite because of the acting. The plot and effect are about the same as most live action version. The thing that pushes forward is Patrick Stewart showing he can be more then a cool starship captain and Richard Grant pulling off great performances that make a known story seem new again.

I am somewhat looking forward to the new version of the Christmas Carol that FX is doing. I will also be seeing some of Hallmarks 24 new movies since my girlfriend loves Halmark Christmas movies. But I doubt that they will be my favorite.


So the question is what is your favorite Christmas movie?

Side note the frist person to say Die Hard will be ignored along with the second, third, and fourth poster. The joke got old a long time ago at least say something new like Ghostbusters is the best Christmas movie.

 

[Vargas Fan]

None really. Often over here it is, or at least used to be traditional for certain movies to be shown at Christmas even if the subject wasn't Christmas. Great Escape was one, Gremlins could be another.

 

[Harlock]

Bill Murray's Scrooged. That fairy who keeps smacking him just makes me laugh every time

And more traditionally the Albert Finney Scrooge too.

Though I'm forgetting dozens of animated Christmas specials they used to make in the 80s, the He-man one jumps to mind

 

[Battlegrinder]

I think It's a Wonderful Life is probably my all-time favorite.

Jingle all the Way is probably number 2.

And then Die Hard. Screw your OP, it's actually a christmas movie and I treat it as such, and watch it with the family every year.

Also Home Alone, we usually watch at least the 1st one, though I think 3 is my favorite.

 

[Argent]

None really. Often over here it is, or at least used to be traditional for certain movies to be shown at Christmas even if the something.

Gremlins happens at Christmas so it makes since but Great Escape is a war movie that has little to with Christmas. So playing it at Christmas seems werid.

Bill Murray's Scrooged. That fairy who keeps smacking him just makes me laugh every time

And more traditionally the Albert Finney Scrooge too.

Though I'm forgetting dozens of animated Christmas specials they used to make in the 80s, the He-man one jumps to mind

I do like the Billy Murray one and the change to an Evil Corporate CEO is just so 1980's.

 

[prinCZess]

Side note the frist person to say Die Hard will be ignored along with the second, third, and fourth poster. The joke got old a long time ago

The...Joke? You think it's a joke? There are people who say it like a joke? Screw those people. It's the incontrovertibly best Christmas film. Family togetherness message, redemption, and everything. Because literally every other 'Christmas Special' I've watched (with one notable exception) ineviteably descend into schmaltzy heart-string tugging pitter-pattery cliche-dom that, yeah, I still cry at of course, but they don't earn it or deserve it. Hallmark movies are especially guilty of this. There are only so many Christmas-cookie companies at threat of being taken over by a corporate merger that will toss out grandma's recipe in favor of mass-produced dreck where the buying agent is convinced of the power of lurv by a studly, rural man with 5 o'clock shadow, ruggedly handsome good looks, wonderful confectionary and cooking skills and probably a very large...heart...that one can watch before they have seen. them. all.
And with minor adjustments this is the basic formula the 'good' movies like It's A Wonderful Life and Scrooged (or the Night Before Christmas variants in general) and most everything else fit into. It's not done well even when it's 'done well'. At the same time, it takes a lot more than screwing with that formula alone to make a good Christmas movie.

But fine, if you're going to ignore my first go-to answer of Die Hard--which manages to monkey with that pattern and do it well--then the secondary is Lethal Weapon.
That one I am joking about. But you asked for it in your denial of true Christmastime greatness.

A Christmas Story is up there as well. Me and the sister have watched it every year since we were young 'uns (God Bless you Ted Turner for your fine taste in Christmas films and running 24-hour marathons) to the point where we can recite the entirety from memory by this point. It's a treat to see the old vehicles running about, the whole thing has a Little Rascals Christmas feel to it that I can't help but be enamored by (the same thing that helps Home Alone be a decent Christmas movie--along with it also breaking with the above described pattern), and the concluding scenes at the Chinese restaurant and with little Ralphie going to bed with his Red Ryder BB gun (with a compass in the stock) are some of the most amusing and then immediately heartwarming scenes you could ever watch.

Qualifying in the 'so bad it's good' category, I have to mention Eight Crazy Nights. Though it's been a while since I watched it and I know it's terrible...I had and continue to have a slight weakness for that late-90s style, terrible Adam Sandler humor. And it's probably the last of anything he did that was even worth watching as a bad-movie lark.

 

[Argent]

skills and probably a very large...heart...that one can watch before they have seen. them. all

Halmark seems to disagree because they are making and releasing 40 new movies this year alone. Yes you heard that right between Hallmark Channel and Halmark movies and Mysteries will have 40 new movies for their 10 anniversary of Count Down to Christmas.

So between the new one and the past library Halmark has around 150 Christmas movies to show ever year.

A Christmas Story

That is a classic movie that I like too. My mom always turns on the marathon every year while making food. It also is the reason that I wanted a BB gun when I was younger
Everyone should be able to defend the homestead from evil burglars.


As to the Die Hard thing. If it is truly your favorite Christmas movie then fine. It is just that the past couple of years the meme of Die Hard being the best Christmas movie every has gotten old.

 

[LordSunhawk]

There is one true best Christmas movie. White Christmas with Bing Crosby.

/Mic drop

 

[FriedCFour]

Side note the frist person to say Die Hard will be ignored along with the second, third, and fourth poster

It's not a joke. It is legitimately a Christmas movie. But if you truly say so, then Gremlins. Gremlins is my favorite Christmas movie.

 

[Argent]

There is one true best Christmas movie. White Christmas with Bing Crosby.

/Mic drop

Nope, while a great movie with an ending scene that can make a grown man cry it has one great flaw that drops it from the best Christmas movie ever.



Go ahead and change my mind.

It's not a joke. It is legitimately a Christmas movie. But if you truly say so, then Gremlins. Gremlins is my favorite Christmas movie.

Like I said if it is really your favorite one go ahead but the meme got old two years ago at least.

 

[Tyzuris]

Home Alone probably. And Die Hard.

Also mention worthy; Gremlins.

 

[Husky_Khan]

I would've answered Die Hard II as a troll but honestly the first Die Hard was better then the sequel in my humble opinion.

As for favorite Christmas movie... Not sure if it counts but Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe if that counts. It did have a wintry setting for most of it. And Santa in fact dispersing weapons and aid to our young heroes.

But for a more pure Christmas movie... Elf. I'd probably find that the most flat out entertaining movie in general. Not Will Ferrells best but still very funny and sweet.