I saw "Elf" late Saturday, and it made the "list" of my top 5 holiday movies/specials. I laughed my butt off, and honestly I cannot begin to say how much I think that Will Ferrell is absolutely HI-larious. Not too much to report over the weekend. Working the 5 gillion jobs sucks, but...I'm employed. (AND lemme tell you. Said- x-tra jobs come in handy when your new house has a delightful find! We moved the dropped ceiling as we were tearing out the cabinetry in the kitchen, only to find a YUGE hole in the plaster. BALLS, shouted I! Subsequently, yesterday was a VERY frustrating day of fixer-uppering. Electric, Hand, then wet-sanding the plaster. 4 Ibuprofen later, I can finally make a fist again.
Today, to keep the festive holiday spirit alive, the spirit of giving, love, peace, and understanding. (11 shopping days 'til my birthday, kids!) I give you, my top 5 X-mas flicks and specials in no particular: Add to the list with some of your own! (btw- I think "It's a Wonderful Life" is the crappiest X-mas flick ever. I like Jimmy Stewart and all, but talk about forced contrivances, yeesh.) Needless to say, my list may seem rather...Unconventional?
1)Elf- Not the best holiday film ever made, but I really enjoy "That sense of Humor". And the funny/sweet mixture really got to me. A little light at the end, but tell me if you don't/didn't laugh when he was at the Doctor's office. (Or getting the perfume sample? So many bits. I chortled)
2) "Peanuts X-mas special"- Unfortunately, taught me how to dance. (Do I do the "Pig-Pen"? How about the "Sherman"?)
Love this for nostalgia, and the Linus monologue. Random, but oddly touching. Sing with me (To the tune of "Hark the Herald"): Loo, Loo, Looooooooo, loo-loo, Loo, Loo, Looooooooo!!!
3) "Lethal Weapon" (1987)/"Die Hard": Okay, so they're both celluloid blow-em up action movies. HOWEVER, they both have Christmas as a seasonal backdrop. That being said, both movies are effin' cool. And did you know that Franco Zefferelli cast Gibson as Hamlet after seeing his "suicidal breakdown" scene in front of the tv (Where he's watching Looney Tunes X-Mas Carol)
Bruce Willis escapes Moonlighting to become the live-action, everyday hero for the next generation of Non-Steroidal gun wielders. (Although, I think he kinda looks like a living Homer Simpson)
4) "The Nightmare Before Christmas": Um, Oogey-Boogey was also Broadway's original "Deuteronomy" in "Cats". Whatever! This movie kicks ass, and the best part of my trip to FL. 10 years ago was seeing the model mock-up of Halloweentown and Jack Skellington. Wonderful movie. (And even though the preview looks a little weird, I am looking forward to seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory done "Burton Style")
5)"A Christmas Story": My family. Right there on the big screen. My dad with his made up swear words. My Mom with her passive aggressive encouragement. My big brother with his yearly passionate plea's for firearms. My Parents LOVE this movie, and I guess I love to hear them laugh uproariously. (FYI: Dad's favorite bit is when the Bumpeses dogs ear gets caught in the door.) If you've ever heard my strange fixation with bunny suits, this movie is the root. Peter Billingsley is currently producing a flick with (Elf) Director Jon (Had waaaay too many sandwiches since he got famous) Favreau. It's called Zathura, and I'm betting it'll be cool.
2 Honorable Mentions:
A) "Emmitt Otter's Jug Band Christmas"- Ain't no Hoooooole in the washtuuuub!!!! A Jim Henson PJ from the 80's. Tremendous fun, and weird- did I mention I like weird? We're not birds, we're a JUG BAND!
B) Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Not X-mas movies per se, but all released on or around the Holidays in 2001, 2002, and 2003 respectively. "For Frodo..." get's me in the throat every time. : )
3 comments:
Hmmm...Zathura...if they fuck it up even half as much as they did Jumanji...someone is going down. I am very protective of my Van Allsburg adaptations, which is why I will probably never see The Polar Express.
But, maybe once, just once, they won't screw it up.
And the Muppet Christmas Carol would have to be on my list. As would Love Actually. Although the latter would be on my top list of good flicks, holiday theme or no.
Yeeargh and Zounds!
Love Actually was one of the reasons that I started the post. I came up w/a top ten list but got waaay too busy at the office. (This blog was kinda spawned from your blog, after all.) Qui-Gonn's tribute speech was really wonderful...
And yes, Muppet X-mas Carol was a triumph- except when Michael Caine sings. (Fave bit- The bunny singing "Good King Wenceslas", and Scrooge slams the door on him right as he starts "Bbbbbrightly as the sun went down!")
MD
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