It's the holiday season and I just read a scathing review of "It's a Wonderful Life." Said it was depressing and George Bailey was not a good man in that he yelled at his wife and kids and hired incompetent people like Uncle Billy, blah blah.

I always thought that was a good Xmas movie. When the city has his back and fixes the problem with the bank bankruptcy that's pretty touching I feel.

Anyhow ... I wondered if any of you agreed with the reviewer that that movie blows and/or is overrated?

List your top 3 Xmas movies. Mine are. ...

1.) It's a Wondy Life.

2.) Scrooge with Alastair Sim.

3.) Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. I think there are some other good ones. But for my money Jimmy Stewart gives a knockout performance in that old old movie and I think the reviewer was harsh. I feel there was good acting in It's a Wonderful Life.

Edited December 6, 20169 yr by greg775

1. Die Hard

2. Nightmare Before Christmas

3. The entire Shane Black filmography

1) Christmas Story

2) Elf

3) Christmas Vacation

Scrooged

Home Alone

 

Just adding to list.

1) The Santa Clause

1. Home Alone

2. Home Alone 2

3. Bad Santa

 

...

 

100. Whatever else

1. Die Hard

2. Reindeer Games

3. A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas

 

 

Seriously though, in no particular order:

 

A Christmas Story

Die Hard

The Ref

It's a Wonderful Life

Scrooged

Trading Places

Holiday Inn

Jingle All the Way

1. Die Hard

2. Reindeer Games

3. A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas

 

 

Seriously though, in no particular order:

 

A Christmas Story

Die Hard

The Ref

It's a Wonderful Life

Scrooged

Trading Places

Holiday Inn

 

Bless you for Trading Places. God I love that movie.

Bless you for Trading Places. God I love that movie.

 

Right? My wife and I quote it ALL. THE. TIME.

 

 

Does In Bruges count as a Christmas movie?

Friday After Next was a favorite of mine early in college.

 

 

Gets me every single time.

Batman Returns

In Bruges

Bad Santa

Edward Scissorhands

Die Hard

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Miracle on 34th Street (Original)

I used to love Santa Claus: The MOvie as a kid. As I got older, I realized how bad it is. I still watch it every year if I can find it

Ernest Saves Christmas

Outside of the already mentioned movies, there's a couple my wife watches every year and I usually see some if not all of these:

 

 

The Family Stone

Love Actually

Meet Me in St. Louis

The Holiday

My Top 5:

 

1. Home Alone

2. Rocky 4

3. Elf

4. Jingle All The Way

5. Home Alone 2

 

Does Deadpool count? I forgot if it's around Christmas. I remember they had some Christmas references but I'll leave it off the list.

I challenge you to watch Alastair Sim as Scrooge and not be impressed with his acting. Scrooge may be an old movie but Sim's acting defines greatness.

Ditto Jimmy Stewart in Wonderful Life. Supurb acting.

 

And Chevy Chase during his Vacation Days was a comic genius. Too bad he turned into a grumpy codger in real life.

1- A Christmas Horror Story

 

2- Silent Night, Deadly Night (1974)

 

3- Silent Night (2012)

 

 

Watched Home Alone II last night and was amazed at the violence little Caulkin threw the way of the bad guys. All in good fun of course, but I was thinking hitting the one robber with brick after brick in the head might bother some folks.

Man the little kid beat the s*** out of the robbers.

I must confess I laughed at the scene where Joe Pesci had his hair on fire. I think it happened in Home Alone the original as well.

 

People that hated the Stooges' violence better be consistent and hate the Home Alone movies. Stooges forever!

Gremlins is a good one too

I'm already having this same discussion elsewhere but just because a movie is set on or around Christmas doesn't make it a Christmas movie. As much as people think it's clever to include them every year, movies like Die Hard, Gremlins and Rocky 4 do not count.

 

They aren't movies about the holiday itself. They are about events that just happen to take place around the holiday. It's a small albeit distinct difference IMO.

Edited December 20, 20169 yr by Iwritecode

I'm already having this same discussion elsewhere but just because a movie is set on or around Christmas doesn't make it a Christmas movie. As much as people think it's clever to include them every year, movies like Die Hard, Gremlins and Rocky 4 do not count.

 

They aren't movies about the holiday itself. They are about events that just happen to take place around the holiday. It's a small albeit distinct difference IMO.

 

To each their own. Gremlins, outside of being set at christmas time, has a storyline about how everything bad happens to Kate on christmas, and the Gizmo is given to the main character as a christmas present from his dad who is never home.

 

Im not gonna argue your list and what does and does not count, and i will keep gremlins on mine lol

I would definitely include Die Hard and Gremlins as Christmas movies. Rocky IV, not so much.

 

The best Christmas movies aren't even about Christmas. They're stories told during Christmas time.

 

Edited December 20, 20169 yr by Brian

I would definitely include Die Hard and Gremlins as Christmas movies. Rocky IV, not so much.

 

The best Christmas movies aren't even about Christmas. They're stories told during Christmas time.

 

Iron Man 3!