With the Holidays, what are your favorite films for the season?.........
My, and my families, favorite is "Holiday Inn". It is the film that introduced so many songs and has Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby. The "made for money" remake of "White Christmas" was simply to capitalize on the popularity of the song to make more money....not a bad film, but "Holiday Inn" has the class that the remake does not.
What are some of your families favorite holiday movies? My children loved the two original Home Alone films. Fun, but not the musical history and "class" that Holiday Inn is.
You may know of a motel chain that picked up on the name, "Holiday Inn".
Holiday Inn is indeed a fine film. As is Miracle on 34th Street. One with even more to teach today's audience is A Christmas Story, from whence comes the immortal, "You'll shoot somebody's eye out!" The uplifting moral of which is, no you won't you'll learn responsibility instead!
But my favorite, which anyone who knows me is probably already thinking I'm gonna say Fat Man! But no. Serious question, serious answer. My favorite is none other than the best Christmas movie of the last 50 years, the instant classic, Elf.
...to kind of keep with the "audio" intent of this site, the original music is available on CD and is also a family favorite. Of course being an old rocker from my early days, there is "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms and "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree", by Brenda Lee. And there are many great classical and Jazz Christmas/Holiday records/CDs/SACDs...etc. ...I once had a Canadian Brass holiday LP that was good. Seems I am putting myself "in the mood", which is a song of a different "tune". (being from Iowa, we are quite proud of Glenn Miller).
Actually, I do suffer from holiday music withdraw after the season.
Dang it whatjd now you went and made me remember how much I miss Roger Ebert. Thought at first that review was gonna be one of the many lame ones written by one of these wanna-bees writing under his name. But no, that's a genuine Roger Ebert and it shows. Boy does it show.
Elf really does have fine casting. Peter Dinklage was at the time virtually unknown, save for his role in the art film The Ticket Agent which I had seen, so in Elf he had the talent, but it was before he got the star power. Ebert is spot-on with the story and the review. They even manage to pull off a real tear-jerker ending that wins over even James Caan. I totally forgot about Faizon Love, but that's why Ebert is Ebert, he catches these beautiful little details.
Will Farrell movies are uneven at best, but the best of them show moments of pure genius, and Elf is pure genius beginning to end.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, with Burl Ives, as the narrator and singer. Reminds me of my WONDERFUL mother, she is in heaven now. I carry her singing along with Mr Burl Ives for almost 25 years now..
Everytime I hear the song "Rudolph", I hear them singing together, I get a BIG smile... I'm one blessed man, no doubt.. I can still hear it in MY HEAD.
Yup Yup...Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night..
Boy, thanks to all.....you must be in the holiday spirit. My best man at my wedding, and great friend, is Jewish....he married a Catholic woman......and their kids get presents from both grandparents ...and, to use a phrase, rake it in.
I will keep up with this thread as I feel I will have some new favorites to watch. As for Christmas music, I have many great ones. Most of them you would know, an unusual one is from Tuck Andress:
The Holiday Inn on Washington Island had the name first. Grandfathered in. I go with Black Christmas, both versions. Probably informed Nicole's heavy breathing in The Undoing.
musicpod Thanks for reminding me of "good old Charlie Brown". The soundtrack alone is worth the time. I have the soundtrack on SACD.....I don't think that is available any longer.
I had mentioned in another threat, the Tuck Andress "Holiday" CD is worth a listen..
Assuming Thanksgiving is included, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles hands down. Millercarbon: the dynamic between Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel will never be repeated, I'm afraid. It was something to behold when they went at eachother. The irony is that they had deep respect for eachother and were the greatest of friends.
Yes, P.T.&A. is such fun. That is the wonderful thing about "Holiday Inn" it is in celebration of many holidays....including Thanksgiving, the 4th and more. Every person on this site that has not seen the original B&W film "Holiday Inn" is denying themselves the pleasure and knowledge that film offers and teaches.
If I could only have 5 DVDs to watch on that "desert island", Holiday Inn would be one of them....and no "Debbie does Peoria" would not be one of them. (sorry, I should not do that, I have found that humor either does not work for some, or more painfully it is not recognized as such,...damn)
1951 “Scrooge” with Alastair Sim in the lead role. And let’s not forget “Its a Wonderful Life.” Two film classics with a universal message for all. Merry Christmas to all....
The Exorcist! This film is so important in so many very
different ways. You may be wondering why
I picked one of the scariest movies ever made as top of the list. Yes, it is a truly terrifying film. Nevertheless, it comes down to good vs. evil. And good wins! The priests sacrificed their lives to save a helpless
child. That, my friends, “Is What
Christmas Is All About” – Linus van Pelt.
Them and The Exorcist....ah yes. In my youth I would watch a local station that had "Creature Features" every Saturday night late. I would sit up with my Father, eating bowls of cereal and watching all of the classics...the original Dracula and such.
I exposed my sons to great films in their childhood...yes Disney, but also Citizen Kane, Casablanca, To Have and Have Not,...and so very much more. Since both of my sons work in the movie industry and related public TV...seeing those films seems to have been good for my children.
I know this is "AudiogoN", but if anyone would like to suggest very good sci-fi films, I would enjoy seeing what you like. Yes, Citizen Kane, Casablanca and all the "high-brow" films I enjoy and have seen, with my sons, many times....but sometimes something scary or, as John Denver used to say...."far out" can be fun.
What was the early one with James Arness ...was that "The Thing"?
I am not sure about the storyline behind the Kurt Russell film, but in the early fifties there was a film named "The Thing" with James Arness in the "lead" role.
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