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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 10:12:50 GMT -6
Ho ho ho, bitches!
I have frankly become exhausted sifting through PM after PM from literally hundreds of users lamenting the end of the Horror Movie Club. "When will we do another group project?!" they whine; I assure them the end-of-year lists are just around the corner, but their clamoring can no longer be ignored.
The Holiday Movie Marathon is much less-intense than October's Horror Movie Club. But, my girlfriend and I started watching holiday-ish movies last week and decided to turn it into a fun 'project' of sorts - one that asks the question, "Are these really Christmas movies?" Each review will touch on this question.
The challenge I pose to you is to watch as many holiday movies as you care to between now and the end of the year. But I implore you to ask yourself, as you write about them - Is this a Christmas movie? What makes it a Christmas movie? What make a Christmas movie a Christmas movie?!?! Existential crises endured as a result of this thought process are free to unwrap in the "I Don't Care" thread.
Our soft target is 25 movies for no other reason than the date of Christmas. We have pre-determined a list, and have committed to watching through these in order. If you'd like to play along feel free, and of course as always, make your own list and share! Some of these are quite obviously Christmas movies, some are probably not Christmas movies at all - but plenty of them seem to be up for debate.
1. Gremlins
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
4. Mean Girls
5. Jingle All the Way
6. Bridget Jones' Diary
7. Reindeer Games
8. A Muppet Christmas Carol
9. Die Hard
10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
11. Beavis and Butthead Do Christmas
12. Edward Scissorhands
13. The Shop Around the Corner
14. The Holiday
15. Batman Returns
16. The Ultimate Christmas Present
17. The Night Before
18. Four Christmases
19. Elf
20. Scrooged
21. The Santa Clause
22. Bad Santa
23. Christmas With the Kranks
24. It's a Wonderful Life
25. A Christmas Story
Merry Christmas - let's start arguing!
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Post by Tweet on Nov 24, 2023 10:23:29 GMT -6
Is Elf the last Christmas movie worth a shit to be released
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Post by Tweet on Nov 24, 2023 10:24:37 GMT -6
Is that Harry Potter movie only in here cause they says happy Christmas like small British children in there
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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 10:25:15 GMT -6
1. Gremlins (1984; Joe Dante) The plot of this movie seems to just be "gremlins" but it somehow works. I really liked how chaotic this felt when I was young, but the older I get the less I enjoy 'Gremlins' (the film; I enjoy gremlins the gremlins) Is this a Christmas movie?: Kingston Falls is ripped straight from the front of an illustrated Christmas card. Gizmo is a Christmas gift, wears a Santa hat, gets into some Christmas shit, etc. Certainly set at the right time of year, even though the movie doesn't force Christmas down your throat. Rating: 3/5 Santas2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001; Chris Columbus) Seeing this again for the first time since essentially childhood, I have to take a second to just appreciate what an insanely well-made movie this is. Pure fantasy magic that I have nothing but massive respect for, from both the filmmaking and adaptation perspectives. However, much to my girlfriend's dismay, this is not a Christmas movie. Is this a Christmas movie?: No. But it does beg the question, "does one small part of the movie being set at Christmas make it a Christmas movie?" The easy answer would be no, but that's gonna get a little complicated toward the end of the month... Rating: 1/5 Santas3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992; Chris Columbus) Repeating my letterboxd review here in that its a testament to the strength of the source material that this movie can ape it beat-for-beat and still be laugh out loud funny. It's impossible to imagine this movie being even close to as funny as it is without exactly Pesci and Stern in those roles. I've always been a fan of the warm-feeling, marvelously-decorated house in the original - but you can't say a gigantic toy store doesn't compensate for its loss, in terms of holiday cheer. Is this a Christmas movie?: Absolutely. Could it be a little more Christmas-y? Sure. It's mostly traps and hijinks like its predecessor, but the spirit of Christmas is undeniably strong in Home Alone 2, thanks largely to Pidgeon Lady, this movie's iteration of Scary Neighbor. Rating: 4/5 Santas
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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 10:26:23 GMT -6
Is that Harry Potter movie only in here cause they says happy Christmas like small British children in there Harry Potter is included because my girlfriend and I made this list and she likes those movies (basically, yes) |
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Post by munkivelli on Nov 24, 2023 10:27:34 GMT -6
List needs Metropolitan
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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 10:28:35 GMT -6
I will let my girlfriend know the board has decided we did a bad job on the list
We are off to the start I truly hoped for
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Post by thebosma on Nov 24, 2023 10:35:30 GMT -6
I will let my girlfriend know the board has decided we did a bad job on the list No need I already DM’d her |
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Post by Tweet on Nov 24, 2023 10:43:40 GMT -6
I also would like to know why we’re celebrating movies by this Chris Columbus person since he killed a bunch of natives in the early 1500s. Helluva career rebrand. Bet he gave up his Italian roots too
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Post by alady on Nov 24, 2023 10:49:27 GMT -6
Q: how many of these are on Pluto
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Post by Tweet on Nov 24, 2023 10:53:24 GMT -6
A: probably none of them there is no life on Pluto as far as we know
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Post by krentist on Nov 24, 2023 10:54:38 GMT -6
the only Christmas flick I've watched thus far is Christmas Vacation while someone was nursing their post Wheeler Hangover.
It's fine, but Randy Quaid is absolutely cooking in it. Has less nudity than the prior Vacation flicks which is not what I want out of a Christmas movie.
1/25
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Post by Tweet on Nov 24, 2023 10:55:41 GMT -6
I will stop now I promise
My favorite Christmas movies are Die Hard and a Christmas story- I historically have wrapped gifts in my mom’s basement while watching the latters 24 hour marathon on TBS Christmas Eve
Edit: and Charlie Brown christmas but I don’t think that counts as a movie
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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 11:01:06 GMT -6
Yeah the 24 hours of A Christmas Story is one of my favorite traditions honestly, it's such a fun thing to remember is on TV when you have some down time on Christmas day and just wanna relax for however long. alady I was going to list where they're all streaming but may wait til Dec 1 since I know that's a rollover day and will probably impact the list! Gremlins was not streaming; Harry Potter was on HBO; Home Alone 2 was on Disney+! |
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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 11:08:45 GMT -6
the only Christmas flick I've watched thus far is Christmas Vacation while someone was nursing their post Wheeler Hangover. It's fine, but Randy Quaid is absolutely cooking in it. Has less nudity than the prior Vacation flicks which is not what I want out of a Christmas movie. 1/25 at first glance i thought maybe you added a little nudity to the movie in your own way |
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Post by neader on Nov 24, 2023 11:23:53 GMT -6
Regarding Gremlins I just randomly think how crazy it is that they wrote Phoebe Cate's dad died from dressing up as Santa Clause, going down the chimney to surprise his kids, gets stuck and breaks his neck. Wasn't he also like stuck there for days and no one knew and they only figured it out from the smell?
Insanely dark.
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Post by Pale Hose on Nov 24, 2023 11:39:26 GMT -6
I feel like Love Actually should be included on that list but I will admit I'm not the expert on Christmas on account of being Jewish.
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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 12:33:33 GMT -6
**It is just a list of movies and not every single Christmas movie that has ever been made**
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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 12:35:08 GMT -6
Regarding Gremlins I just randomly think how crazy it is that they wrote Phoebe Cate's dad died from dressing up as Santa Clause, going down the chimney to surprise his kids, gets stuck and breaks his neck. Wasn't he also like stuck there for days and no one knew and they only figured it out from the smell? Insanely dark. yeah this is by far the most insane part of this movie and its completely glossed over in the movie even when its revealed, like it basically impacts nothing, it is outrageously funny |
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Post by thebosma on Nov 24, 2023 12:39:37 GMT -6
**It is just a list of movies and not every single Christmas movie that has ever been made** Can you improve your Christmas spirit? |
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Post by Tweet on Nov 24, 2023 12:42:12 GMT -6
**It is just a list of movies and not every single Christmas movie that has ever been made** Can you improve your Christmas spirit? I would argue this is exactly the Christmas spirit |
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Post by dij22 on Nov 24, 2023 12:46:10 GMT -6
Surviving Christmas is an elite movie. Ben Affleck did a bunch of cocaine and made a truly horrible film right before his career fell apart.
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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 12:46:44 GMT -6
re: affleck, reindeer games is one of the only movies on the the list i haven't already seen and im pumped
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Post by munkivelli on Nov 24, 2023 13:08:22 GMT -6
Mixed Nuts would be a great addition too. Amazing cast, cringe premise, bad enough that it becomes unbelievably great. I watch it every year.
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Post by Tweet on Nov 24, 2023 13:18:02 GMT -6
I haven't watched it in years but I remember Eight Crazy Nights being good
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Post by Pale Hose on Nov 24, 2023 13:31:44 GMT -6
**It is just a list of movies and not every single Christmas movie that has ever been made** Just admit that you hate the British. |
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Post by ten15 on Nov 24, 2023 15:48:31 GMT -6
Essential Christmas movies or movies I consider “Christmas” not on church’s list:
The Ref
The Man Who Came to Dinner
L.A. Confidential
Love Actually
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Post by munkivelli on Nov 24, 2023 16:02:13 GMT -6
Essential Christmas movies or movies I consider “Christmas” not on church’s list: The Ref The Man Who Came to Dinner L.A. Confidential Love Actually The Ref is hilarious, but Kevin Spacey's presence makes it less fun than it used to be. |
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Post by chvrchbarrel on Nov 24, 2023 16:27:48 GMT -6
Mixed Nuts would be a great addition too. Amazing cast, cringe premise, bad enough that it becomes unbelievably great. I watch it every year. Love this one. |
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Post by munkivelli on Nov 24, 2023 20:00:13 GMT -6
Mixed Nuts would be a great addition too. Amazing cast, cringe premise, bad enough that it becomes unbelievably great. I watch it every year. Love this one. Relieved to not be the only one. |
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