Baumer's 50 Best Christmas movies of all time

[baumer]

Well I'm glad that you like the threat enough to use up your likes, 75 LOL

[75Live]

3 minutes ago, Christmas Baumer said:

Well I'm glad that you like the threat enough to use up your likes, 75 LOL

 

It's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year...ummm....thread long  

[Ezen Baklattan]

My favorite Christmas movies and specials are probably... (in alphabetical order)

 

ARTHUR CHRISTMAS

A CHRISTMAS STORY

CHRISTMAS VACATION

ELF

MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

OLIVE THE OTHER REINDEER

SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN

SCROOGED

WHITE CHRISTMAS

[filmlover]

I'm watching The Nightmare Before Christmas right now.

[FantasticBeasts]

It seems I am the only person on earth who didn't like The nightmare before christmas...

[Porthos]

Love the recent additions, @Christmas Baumer.  Fantastically varied list.

 

One minor point about the animated Grinch.  The person who sings the Grinch song isn't Boris Karloff like a lot of people think, but none other than Mr. Tony the Tiger himself, Thurl Ravenscroft.

 

I didn't even find this out myself until a few years ago when I read it on a stray piece of news.  Apparently the confusion arose because he was accidentally uncredited in the original airing, and it's caused the misconception ever since.

 

Gotta admit, I got a bit of a kick out of hearing that it was Tony the Tiger singing that song when I first heard about it.

[baumer]

Will start back up again soon. Should finish it tonight 

[baumer]

#7

Die Hard (1988)

Directed by John McTiernan

Starring:  Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman

Box office:  80.7 million

 

Joel Silver loves to juxtapose his action films to the backdrop of Christmas.  He's done it several times with films like Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and of course with Die Hard.  We all know the story.  John McClane meets up with his estranged wife at the Nakatomi Building in Los Angeles over the holidays to try and patch things up with her.  The building is then taken over by terrorists and it's up to McClane to save the day.  Die Hard is one of the very best action films ever made.  But the reason it makes this list is because there is so much Christmas mythology in this and that's one of the reasons it works so well. Take for example when McClane kills the first terrorist and he puts a Santa Clause hat on his, steals his gun and sends him down the elevator to Gruber.  "Now I have a machine gun. HO HO HO."  It's a moment that gets a lot of laughs and it works beautifully.  Die Hard is not as Christmas-centric the way Lethal Weapon is but it's such a great flick that it absolutely deserves to be in the top ten of this list.

 

[baumer]

#6

All I Want for Christmas (1991)

Directed by:  Robert Lieberman

Starring: Ethan Embry, Thora Birch, Lauren Bacall

Box office:  14.8 million

 

Ok, I admit that I get a lot of raised eyebrows when I mention this one as one of my favourite Christmas movies.  I don't just like this movie.  I love it.  I first saw this with my high school sweetheart at the theaters during the Christmas of 1991.  She loved it and identified with it because its about wanting your parents to get back together.  She had recently gone through her parents getting a divorce and the film really resonated with her.  For me, everything about it was really beautiful.  There were snow covered streets of New York, giant Christmas trees, Lauren Bacall and a young Thora Birch singing a duet of Baby it's Cold Outside and there was humour, sappy romances and so many other Christmas  beats that I just fell in love with it.  Imo, young love is beautiful.  It's beautiful to watch it bloom and to witness it grow as well.  It's another reason the film resonated with me.  I was also in a very young love kind of relationship and I could relate to what Embry's character was going through.  Then there's an appearance by Leslie Nielsen as Santa Clause.  The film is pretty much perfect imo.  If you haven't seen this one, I highly recommend it.

 

 

[DAR]

Well McClaine does go to LA to visit his family because it is Christmas 

[RandomCat]

23 minutes ago, Christmas Baumer said:

#7

Die Hard (1988)

Directed by John McTiernan

Starring:  Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman

Box office:  80.7 million

 

Joel Silver loves to juxtapose his action films to the backdrop of Christmas.  He's done it several times with films like Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and of course with Die Hard.  We all know the story.  John McClane meets up with his estranged wife at the Nakatomi Building in Los Angeles over the holidays to try and patch things up with her.  The building is then taken over by terrorists and it's up to McClane to save the day.  Die Hard is one of the very best action films ever made.  But the reason it makes this list is because there is so much Christmas mythology in this and that's one of the reasons it works so well. Take for example when McClane kills the first terrorist and he puts a Santa Clause hat on his, steals his gun and sends him down the elevator to Gruber.  "Now I have a machine gun. HO HO HO."  It's a moment that gets a lot of laughs and it works beautifully.  Die Hard is not as Christmas-centric the way Lethal Weapon is but it's such a great flick that it absolutely deserves to be in the top ten of this list.

 

 

This is just a reminder that the year started with Rickman's Death...

[baumer]

#5

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Directed by Frank Capra

Starring:  James Steward, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

Box office:  7.2 million

 

The film is set in a fictional North American village, and tells the story of an ordinary guy, George Bailey (James Stewart in the role of his life) from his childhood to his adult age.

The first hour of the film is like a summary where we witness some events of George's life: his first love (the astonishing Donna Reed playing the role of the woman everybody would like to marry), the death of his father, his wedding... But the real aim of this introduction is making us feel utterly identified with Stewart's character: a good man who has been constantly sacrificing his dreams to help his family (renouncing to go to University to stay in charge of the family business), his friends (lending them money through his company whenever they need it) and many other members of his community.

Capra then focuses on an unfortunate incident of George's current life that leaves him totally broken and makes him believe his whole existence so far has no sense, what finally will lead him to attempt suicide.

Then, an angel from heaven appears to help George by letting him see how different (and worse) the life of all the people he knows would have been if he hadn't been born. In other words: in the middle of an incredibly intense family drama, Capra did something that nobody had done before (and nobody would dare to do again) in movie history: he changed completely the gender of the story... after almost 2 hours of movie!!! Therefore, a drama film suddenly became a fantasy film... but, surprisingly, it worked perfectly well because those last 30 minutes still remain as one of the most touching endings in movie history.
 

I must admit I didn't see this movie until about a month ago.  I'd always heard about how brilliant and touching it was.  I, for some reason, just never got around to seeing it.  When I finally did, something incredible happened to me.  This is one of the few films that came out before 1960 that I absolutely love.  I think this is one of the finest films ever made and Stewart's performance is one of the finest performances I've ever witnessed.  Donna Reed stole my heart as well.  So beautiful and such a rich performance.  

 

The strange thing about this film is that it was a minor flop upon its release. Fortunately, as years went by, this masterpiece eventually reached the critical recognition it always deserved and nowadays it's constantly included in the lists of greatest motion pictures ever made... including mine. It became even more legendary when TV channels all over the world started to show it every Christmas since the 1970s.

But "It's A Wonderful Life" is much more than a Christmas movie: it's a gripping and moving work of art, a masterpiece that never grows old, but mostly, a film you never get tired of watching over and over again I've now seen it three times in the last month). I think that's the best compliment for any movie.

 

[baumer]

#4

A Christmas Story (1983)

Directed by Bob Clark

Starring Melinda Dillon, Peter Bilingsley

Box office:  16.7 million

 

 Who knew that the man who gave us Black Christmas and Porky's could make something as sweet and heartwarming as this film?

 

"A Christmas Story" is a rare film about children yet for adults. While kids will definitely enjoy this Christmas-themed saga, adults will find a deeper level of depth than they may remember from seeing the film at a younger age. 

The movie strikes a sharp contrast between the exaggerated, polysyllabic narration of Ralphie, filled with nostalgia and lucid memories, and the soft, high-pitched childlike wonder of Ralphie's spoken word. The narrator is clearly not the same character as the one portrayed on film, but a character wholly outside the story, reliving his childhood emotions and anecdotes. Yet he is the heart of the film, the true center of gravity. This is because the movie is not about a scary Santa Clause and a BB gun - it's about childhood memories and the feelings they evoke. To that end, "A Christmas Story" is flawless.

"A Christmas Story" tells of the epically materialistic journey of Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) as he searches for the golden, upheld idol of all red-blooded American boys: A Red Rider Air Rifle. Ralphie spins an intricate web of cunning and deceit as he plots to get his hands on it - including an essay, a trip to Santa Claus and more. The movie also shows us a glimpse of his family - his irritable, foul-mouthed father with a good heart, his whiny brother Randy, and his sweet, all-American mother. It is not so much a continuous story as a series of vignettes, but it ultimately serves the movie's purpose.

This is a funny film. The narration by Jean Shepherd is filled with love for this story. He absolutely captures the emotions and logic of childhood. In a subtle but amusing moment, Shepherd intones the incomparably eloquent pouring forth of thought into writing - only to have Billingsley note in his awe-filled, high-pitched voice that "I think everyone should have a Red Rider BB gun. It's very good for Christmas." (paraphrased). Most of the humor is similar - the natural exaggeration of a child as expressed by Shepherd's consistent string of hyperbole.

Also, there's a reason why it's played constantly on cable TV throughout the Christmas season - it's a movie everyone can relate to. There are moments of such pure truth here that few can deny their power. I'm sure that there is a scientific law left unwritten that determines that every kid must at some point fantasize about his parents feeling absolutely terrible and forever regretting some unutterable punishment they inflicted on their child - in this case, the immortal washing of a mouth out with soap.

 

And of course there are two absolutely iconic and classic moments in this film, that will never be forgotten and will be spoken about with reverence perhaps forever.

 

"Shoot your eye out kid."

"Triple dog dare you."

 

This is a classic in every sense of the word.

 

[baumer]

#3

Home Alone (1990)

Directed by Chris Columbus

Starring:  Macauly Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern John Candy

Box office:  281 million

 

Perhaps on par with It's a Wonderful Life, the message in this film is beautiful.  This is what you want from your Christmas movies.  A film with heart and a message to remind you that you are fortunate to have what you have.  In IAWL, the angel told Jimmy Stewart that if you have friends, you have a wonderful life.  Home Alone tells you that even if you think is about as dysfunctional as an asylum, love them and cherish them.  There are mended relationships and mended hearts in here.  There's beautiful relationships, lots of snow, myriad of decorations and lots of carols and everything else that I love about Christmas.  Now, having said all of that, this is undoubtedly one of the funniest films I've ever seen.  I don't know why we like to see comic violence, but we do.  Seeing Pesci get his head lit up by a blow torch is hilarious.  Seeing Daniel Sterne get a nail through his foot is hysterical.  Does that make us bad people?  No, I think if this were a film directed by Wes Craven, then it becomes a whole different thing.  But this is all clearly played for laughs and it works.

 

Home Alone does everything right.  It's got a great script by John Hughes, wonderful actors and terrific direction and it hits all the Christmas things you want to see in a Christmas film.  And it's truly a classic.

 

[baumer]

#2

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964 tv movie)

Directed by Larry Roemer

Starring Burl Ives, Billy Richards

 

This is the first Christmas movie I remember watching as a kid and it has stuck with me all these years later.  Christmas just simply wouldn't be Christmas without this movie.  As an adult it's easy to watch this and pick apart many of the now darker aspects of the film.  Rudolph is ostracized because he is different.  Women are treated like inferiors.  The abominable snowman is treated cruelly as all of his teeth are removed while he is not sedated.  I notice these things as an adult but I also look past them because this film makes up for all of it with so much heart.  The message to this is that even though people are different, they should not be centered out or ignored or ostracized.  Santa even admits he is wrong to Rudolph.  So now that we have the politics out of the way, the reason this film ranks number 2 is because is does everything else right.  Burl Ives is my favourite Christmas singer.  He has classics like White Christmas, Snow for Johnny, Holly Jolly Christmas and of course Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Here he narrates the story.  We meet Herbie the dentist, Cornellius the gold prospector and then we get to the island of misfit toys.  

 

Rudolph is viewed every year in my house.  It brings back warm feelings and memories of years gone by.  As I've mentioned too many times, my mother is instrumental in my love for Christmas, this was one of her favourites.  Rudolph is as classic as they come.

 

[RandomCat]

1 hour ago, Christmas Baumer said:

#5

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Directed by Frank Capra

Starring:  James Steward, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

Box office:  7.2 million

 

The film is set in a fictional North American village, and tells the story of an ordinary guy, George Bailey (James Stewart in the role of his life) from his childhood to his adult age.

The first hour of the film is like a summary where we witness some events of George's life: his first love (the astonishing Donna Reed playing the role of the woman everybody would like to marry), the death of his father, his wedding... But the real aim of this introduction is making us feel utterly identified with Stewart's character: a good man who has been constantly sacrificing his dreams to help his family (renouncing to go to University to stay in charge of the family business), his friends (lending them money through his company whenever they need it) and many other members of his community.

Capra then focuses on an unfortunate incident of George's current life that leaves him totally broken and makes him believe his whole existence so far has no sense, what finally will lead him to attempt suicide.

Then, an angel from heaven appears to help George by letting him see how different (and worse) the life of all the people he knows would have been if he hadn't been born. In other words: in the middle of an incredibly intense family drama, Capra did something that nobody had done before (and nobody would dare to do again) in movie history: he changed completely the gender of the story... after almost 2 hours of movie!!! Therefore, a drama film suddenly became a fantasy film... but, surprisingly, it worked perfectly well because those last 30 minutes still remain as one of the most touching endings in movie history.
 

I must admit I didn't see this movie until about a month ago.  I'd always heard about how brilliant and touching it was.  I, for some reason, just never got around to seeing it.  When I finally did, something incredible happened to me.  This is one of the few films that came out before 1960 that I absolutely love.  I think this is one of the finest films ever made and Stewart's performance is one of the finest performances I've ever witnessed.  Donna Reed stole my heart as well.  So beautiful and such a rich performance.  

 

The strange thing about this film is that it was a minor flop upon its release. Fortunately, as years went by, this masterpiece eventually reached the critical recognition it always deserved and nowadays it's constantly included in the lists of greatest motion pictures ever made... including mine. It became even more legendary when TV channels all over the world started to show it every Christmas since the 1970s.

But "It's A Wonderful Life" is much more than a Christmas movie: it's a gripping and moving work of art, a masterpiece that never grows old, but mostly, a film you never get tired of watching over and over again I've now seen it three times in the last month). I think that's the best compliment for any movie.

 

 

Jimmy Stewart is one of the best actors ever. And this movie pretty much puts into focus why, he is absolutely believable as an aw shucks good guy who just reaches a breaking point. His break down is utterly destroying to watch, especially seeing him snap at his kids.

 

Now I gotta go watch this.

[baumer]

It's a Wonderful Life shocked me.  I had no idea it would affect me as much as it did.

[baumer]

I'll wait a bit to do the number one position.  Let some people try to catch up a bit.

[RandomCat]

One of a few movies that I know I will break down during that I willingly watch every time.

[baumer]

1 minute ago, RandomJC said:

One of a few movies that I know I will break down during that I willingly watch every time.

 

I cry in a lot of movies now.  I think as you get older, you have more things that you can relate to.  It's a Wonderful Life has all kinds of things worth shedding a few tears over.  It really does have one of the best last few minutes of any film ever made.  IMO.

 

I know @Grand Moff Tele doesn't agree.