The Christmas Movie - The Bear and Badger

RedDave2

The last 2 years my wife and I have started the tradition of watching a bunch of movies over Christmas, usually with some form of theme linking them. The first year it was Christmas themed action movies (basically shane black filmography and die hard) , the second year was more traditional stuff but mostly kids movies (failed attempt to get our daughter into movies). This year we are going Xmas 80s but it got me thinking what is peoples definitive Christmas movie.

Want to keep this easy going so no major rules. If enough answers are given i might do a list or even ranking at the end. It doesn't need to be a Xmas movie as such, and it can be a movie series but something that either is basically a tradition in your house at Christmas or a film that makes you think of Christmas. But as said, nobstrict rules. Id you want to put gorilla movies as your choice have at it. Just maybe explain why.

We might have done this before but I can't remember and couldn't find a thread.

Diluted Dante

Arthur Christmas probably.

Kernowgaz

We saw Gremilns yesterday and my kids are 6 and 9, we ignored the 12 rating as it was ok and nothing to worry about - how wrong we were. We both forgot about the blending, microwaving and numerous deaths the Gremlins had so we had to skip bits. Bad parents!!

tigersgogrrr

Jingle All the Way for me.

Roujin

Rouj's Good Time Xmas Watch List:

Scrooged
Muppets Xmas Carol
Home Alone 1 & 2
Elf

davyK

The Alistair Sim version of Scrooge is still definitive for me though the George C Scott version is splendid, as is Albert Finney's turn in the musical version. The story is one of my favourites...a redemption tale..my favourite genre set at Christmas which is my favourite time of year.

Fanny & Alexander is by far the most accessible of Ingmar Bergman's work. He directed this late in life. The first hour of the lengthy piece is a lavish Christmas party in the European tradition but it's well worth staying around for the rest. Its story is Dickensian and is part melodrama, part ghost story. It's a masterpiece.

Eye's Wide Shut probably doesn't feature on folks' radar as a Christmas film but it's set at that time and is used to make for some sumptuous sets.

Elf is probably my favourite modern themed film. Equally funny and heart warming. James Cann and the supporting cast are great right down to the smallest part.

Syph79

Diluted Dante wrote:

Arthur Christmas probably.

An excellent film.

Unlikely

Arthur Christmas is scheduled for next Saturday's Christmas Movie Night. Last night was the not actually dreadful Christmas Chronicle, although that's largely down to Kurt Russel going full Kurt Russell.

GooberTheHat

Avoid Christmas Chronicle 2.

MattyJ

We watched Elf on Saturday after getting the Tree. Will be Home Alone soon, then maybe Christmas Cronicles

Raiziel

Scrooged and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation are absolute musts in our house. They don’t make ‘em like they used to.

LivDiv

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Stone cold classic and the only one that has ever become a deliberate tradition in my family.

Home Alone, Elf and Muppets will end up being watched as well but less of a big deal is made of them.

Unlikely

GooberTheHat wrote:

Avoid Christmas Chronicle 2.

That's not going to be an option, unfortunately.

tigersgogrrr

Unlikely wrote:

GooberTheHat wrote:

Avoid Christmas Chronicle 2.

That's not going to be an option, unfortunately.

Aye, it's not as good.

Christmas Chronicle starts out like a proper Christmas classic in the making and then loses it. Worthy all the same.

Aaroncupboard

We have Family Friday Film Nights which have been focused on working through the Marvel Universe in order. However we have stopped that to have Christmas films over the next month.

It began with Christmas Chronicles 2 which was such a disappointment. I really, really liked the first and whilst Kurt Russell is still an excellent Santa, the film was just awful. It’s a shame as there were moments where you saw what it could have been (the almost kid friendly gremlins style elves).

For me the top Christmas films are Muppets Christmas Carol (our traditional Christmas Eve film) and The Nightmare Before Christmas, although that raises many questions about whether it is a Christmas or Halloween film (Christmas for me...).

Diluted Dante

Why not both?

RamSteelwood

Home alone 1 and 2
Elf
Arthur Christmas
Die hard

That would be my chrimbo play list covered

tin_robot

Weirdly the film that makes me feel the most Christmassy is Yellow Submarine - purely because my parents would sit me down to watch it every Christmas Eve. (They would deliberately time it such that it would coincide with Santa coming down our street with sweets - so round about Northern Song we'd all rush out, grab sweets, then rush back to watch the rest.) So whilst it has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, it always give me that warm rush of nostalgia, in a way no actual Christmas film has ever done.

With respect to proper Christmas movies... Every Christmas Eve my wife takes the kids to watch It's A Wonderful Life at the cinema round the corner (I'm usually at work). So I guess that's their entirely more Christmassy Yellow Submarine. (I think I've said previously that before this tradition started I had persuaded them it was a musical by repeatedly singing the entirely made up "It's a Wonderful Life song" at them. The song still gets a reprise whenever the film is mentioned.)

Otherwise, having re-watched it a few times in the last couple of years, it's Gremlins. I love Gremlins.

RedDave2

Diluted Dante wrote:

Why not both?

Seconded - works well at either time.

Haven't seen Arthur Christmas yet but have heard so much good stuff about it.

For me, its a wonderful life was a definite each year until the child came along. Now we are just trying to find films which she enjoys (for a child of 2 parents who both love movies, she is not following the plan)

Muppets has been the winner so far. Frozen (while not a Christmas movie) also gets a nod, especially the Christmas short.

Kinda surprised no-one has mentioned something like a Bond or Star Wars movie - they used to be such a christmas thing back in the day but I guess the streaming services mean thats not such an issue.

yourfavouriteuncle

Home Alone is watched every year in my house on Christmas Eve.

Bernard and the Genie is my personal fave but only being available on a ropey YouTube feed means my kids complain about the ‘bad graphics’.

Muppets Christmas Carol.

Scrooged.

The Office Christmas double header watched as a feature length is just about the most perfectly judged show I’ve ever seen.

The kids introduced me to Nativity which has gone from turgid to delightful just through sheer brute force of times played.

Planes, Trains, Automobiles. Whether its Christmas or not doesn’t matter to me as I don't celebrate thanksgiving so i associate it with this time of year which is good enough.

yourfavouriteuncle

Elf, Polar Express and Bad Santa can all go in the bin.

Aaroncupboard

Diluted Dante wrote:

Why not both?

Exceptional point and 100% accurate.

I think I lean slightly towards Christmas as I teach it as a Christmas Literacy Unit every year. I feel I am introducing new generations to the genius of the film.

The Daddy

My view has always been that it was both by design, a cynical ploy to rinse both markets.

Time_on_my_hands

Watch list has expanded and is now:

The nightmare before Christmas
The Grinch (both versions)
Arthur Christmas
Scrooged
Scrooge (1950s version)
Muppets Christmas Carol
It's a wonderful life
Elf
Home Alone
Planes Trains and Automobiles
Santa Claus the movie
Klaus
Christmas Chronicles (1 and 2)
Angela's Christmas
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Charlie Brown's Christmas
Possibly Gremlins, but the missus is still scared of them.

I also haven't been able to locate Bernard and the Genie which is a shame because it's ace.

The best thing is that the wee one's now old enough to enjoy more of them.

Unlikely

If we're talking Christmas stuff that makes us burst with nostalgia we used to tune in to The Snowman every Christmas without fail. No other film or programme has the same effect on me, especially the version with the Bowie intro. where he still has the scarf.

Raiziel

Unlikely wrote:

If we're talking Christmas stuff that makes us burst with nostalgia we used to tune in to The Snowman every Christmas without fail. No other film or programme has the same effect on me, especially the version with the Bowie intro. where he still has the scarf.

I have watched that every single Christmas for as long as I can remember. It’s a lovely thing.

Unlikely

I'm hoping to continue the tradition now that E is old enough for the ending to fuck her right up.

Raiziel

It gets me every time.

LivDiv

It was on this afternoon.
The full Briggs trilogy of Father Christmas, Snowman and Snowman & The Snowdog.

Father Christmas remains bloomin marvelous.

yourfavouriteuncle

I despise The Snowman and I can’t quite put my finger on why.

GooberTheHat

Is ground hog day a Christmas movie?

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