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What's your go-to movie every holiday season?

3K views 50 replies 28 participants last post by  screature 
#1 ·
What's the one movie that you have to watch every holiday season? If you have a bunch, what would you pick if you could only pick one?
 
#2 ·
A toss up between "A Christmas Story" and "It's a Wonderful Life".
 
#19 ·
I have never seen either and I don't know why.

I think I'm one of the few people on the planet... but I don't find Christmas Vacation funny. I think Chevy Chase is one of my least favourite comedians. I realize I'm in the minority on this view. :eek:
I am with you. Every vacation movie he made should have never been made.

For many years, my go-to film was Sound of Music. Don't know why, but I watched it every year since I was a kid. A year or two ago, I got it on BluRay.

I think that's been succeeded by doing a Lord of the Rings marathon every Christmas. :)

Although, I know one of my kids is getting a new BluRay set that may succeed that.
Would it be the Star Wars set?

I have never seen Sound of Music either. What is wrong with me, am I weird?

If I could just get me girlfriend to sit through one Lord of the Rings I would be happy. I mean I sat through the many "chick" flicks, she should reciprocate right? We will see how she feels when the Hobbit comes out.

Miracle On 34th Street
Nope. Never watched it.

? Who has time to watch movies?

Going out to Butchart Gardens with the extended family to see the lights, hosting dinner on the 24th and breakfast on the 25th for friends and family - more meaningful entertainment for me at least.
What about in the evening on the 25th? For me I am taking time off during the week between xmas and new years so lots of time to do anything.
 
#4 ·
I guess your Bassett Hound loves the scene with the Bumpus hounds stealing the turkey, mrj? Paix, mon ami.
 
#7 ·
Bernard and the Genie

" With Lenny Henry, John Gabriel, Alan Cumming, Rowan Atkinson. Bernard Bottle, a mild mannered art buyer, is fired by his greedy boss, abandoned by his girlfriend and discovers a genie in an old bottle. The genie immediately embraces the modern world and helps Bernard on the side."
 
#8 ·
As Christmas approaches, my favourite film of the season is a reminder of how we reached this point in our socio-cultural development. A film that explores the origins of our faiths and obsessions. A film that, indeed, was banned for telling the (cheeky) truth. That film is:



+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.


The Roman Catholic Church denounced the film and gave it their own rating – “C” for “Condemned”. Brian was banned in several countries, including Norway. This famously led to the film being marketed in Sweden as, “The film so funny it’s been banned in Norway.” When the UK premiere was held at the Plaza, Regent Street, on November 8, 1979, protestors stood outside and sang hymns. And, when the film finally went on general release, some cinema-goers found they had to cross intimidating picket lines to see it.
(Telegraph UK)
 
#11 ·
For many years, my go-to film was Sound of Music. Don't know why, but I watched it every year since I was a kid. A year or two ago, I got it on BluRay.

I think that's been succeeded by doing a Lord of the Rings marathon every Christmas. :)

Although, I know one of my kids is getting a new BluRay set that may succeed that.
 
#16 ·
My #4 choice, so long as it is the original version.
 
#22 ·
White Christmas, and thanks to the Cineplex in Oakville this year, I actually got to see it for the first time on the big screen.

Close runners-up would be:

- It's a Wonderful Life
- A Christmas Carol (Allastir Sim version)
- The Santa Clause (being an Oakville guy there is a certain fondness for it - much was filmed in Oakville)

On my bucket list is to see It's a Wonderful Life at the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto. They have had a Christmas Eve showing of the movie every year since at least the mid-90's. They usually show The Shop Around the Corner during the week before Christmas. I've seen a couple of shows there but they were during the summer months.
 
#23 ·
I have plenty of traditions, but not a traditional movie to watch.

Our family tradition to do with movies was, back when we were children, watching my father haul out the old 35mm camera with the four 150 watt lights 'light bar' that lit the room up to 'on the sun' brightness, and blind us while recording us opening our presents. My parents compiled and transcribed the old 35mm onto VHS a few years ago, so every year we get to watch my sister get all excited about getting 'The Monkees' record, watch my brother play with his new train set, and watch as my other sister twirls around in her new crinoline. (I was cute, but not particularly excited, as every year I got new pajamas, so there was no recorded leaping or dancing on my part.)
 
#24 ·
I have plenty of traditions, but not a traditional movie to watch.
Our family tradition to do with movies was, back when we were children, watching my father haul out the old 35mm camera with the four 150 watt lights 'light bar' that lit the room up to 'on the sun' brightness,
Oh I remember those light bars. Yowza. I can tell my mother that THIS is the reason I need glasses (not what she told me would cause blindness).

But wasn't it an 8mm camera?

I also remember the Philips reel to reel tape recorder that we would record greetings on to mail to Europe.
 
#25 ·
CanadaRam: You're right - 8mm. I don't know what I was thinking: 35 mm would be awfully wide for the film projector! Earliest ones were in black & white, and then we graduated to colour.

We still have our reel to reel. I found a small tape the other day of me and my siblings singing when we were still children, so I'm going to play it this weekend (the whole fam damily will be here, so it should be fun, and possibly embarrassing.)
 
#30 ·
I purchased an old series to be my movie treat (12 hours). Some might remember this one: The Jewel in the Crown. Have not viewed it for 25 plus years when I watched it on PBS by the week. I have been enjoying all the British productions of period pieces on NetFlicks and recalled this series and Amazon had a good price for DVD set.

I also watch Kill Bill 1&2 - or Horatio Hornblower, an A&E series - or Lonesome Dove and the prequel to that series - or the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and of course Alistar Sim's Christmas Carol.

No - Not all of them but some over the weekend.

I listen to Alan Maitland reading "The Shepard" every Christmas Eve. Gives me a lump in the throat every time.
 
#31 ·
#39 · (Edited)
In no particular order as I love them all:

Alistair Sims "A Christmas Carol"
Miracle On 34th Street (original)
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story
White Christmas
Elf
It's A Wonderful Life

I added the link for The Homecoming: A Christmas Story because it is a lesser known movie as it was made for TV and although not intended to be so was effectively the pilot for The Waltons. The kids are all the same as is the Grandma (Ellen Corby, also in It's A Wonderful Life) but the parents and Grandpa are different actors.

It is a wonderful movie for Christmas, if anyone can find it at their local video store or on NetFlix I highly recommend it. It gets an 8.5 on IMDb only 0.2 lower than It's A Wonderful Life.

 
#40 ·
It would have to be one of the James Bond movies.
 
#47 ·
I like watching old B&W movies. Caught Holiday Inn (1942) on TV last night. This is one of my holiday faves. Corny, schmaltzy, often very funny. Oh and there's a few dance numbers. Gotta check the TV listings for other oldies...
Ya Holiday Inn is a really good one Doug, I forgot about it because it has been so long since I have seen it. The corn and schmalz is what makes it... Thanks for reminding me, gotta try and find it now.
 
#43 ·
The Ref, with Denis Leary, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis. Leary, a thief, takes a soon-to-be-divorced couple hostage, and finds himself in the middle of a rather complicated family gathering on Christmas Eve. Couldn't find it on either Netflix or iTunes, so the wife and kids and I watched it in 10 parts on YouTube. Lots of foul language for a Christmas movie, but man is it funny.
 
#44 ·
Bill and Opus: A wish for Wings that work, Die Hard, Harry Potter, Christmas Vacation, the grinch (both classic and remake), and I always try to get the whole series of Band of Brothers or Lord of the Rings extended in just because of the time off.

Whoops, totally forgot A Christmas Story!! What an oversight!
 
#45 ·
We like the Alastair Sim (1951) "Scrooge" (called "A Christmas Carol" in North America). I'm always interested in productions of "A Christmas Carol" on film or TV but I've yet to find one as good and true to the original as that one.

We also like "Black Adder's Christmas Carol" as something of a counterpoint. :)

Since 2006, the day after Christmas is reserved for viewing the Doctor Who Christmas Special that year. They are atypical from the rest of the season but are in the spirit and lovely, this year's was no exception (though I don't think it will go down as the best one).
 
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