Well, the day is nearly here. It's almost time for TNT to start their 24 hours of A Christmas Story. It's almost time to see a holiday parade. It's almost time tear into some gifts from your loved ones. It's almost time to become engorged on turkey and pie and cookies. It's almost time to spend time with your families. It's almost time to be completely sick of the season. Such is life. But one thing we can thank this season for, are some wonderfully themed films. I know that there is currently a poll running for favorite Christmas film, but I want to just have a few words about a few of my favorites, this post will be updated in January when the poll changes.
Elf. A new classic. I saw this on the big screen last year and fell in love it. The high energy, the fun performances, and the sweet nature of the film just won me over. The only stumble it had were the Central Park Rangers, which were a bit much. Will Ferrell just owned this role of a child raised by elves who goes searching for his father. This will definitely get repeated play come Christmas time.
A Christmas Story. Critically panned upon it's original release in the early 80's, this has developed a huge following spawning a lot of merchandise, including a replica of the "major ward." Peter Billingsley, who also appears in Elf, gives a charming performance of a child anticipating Christmas. This movie is absolutely hilarious and stands the test of time as a classic holiday movie.
The Nightmare Before Christmas. The holiday film that lasts two months. Tim Burton created this holiday universe inhabited by stop motion animated ghouls, whose leader seeks to discover the secrets of Christmas. A dark fable with wonderful music and a fun story. Only a mind like Burton's could have come up with this cheerfully dark tale of Halloween invading Christmas. How I would love to see another tale of this world.
Bad Santa. Strictly for the adults in the room. This incredibly vulgar tale has a surprisingly sweet core. Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox play a Santa and elf duo who pose as the jolly guy in department stores and then rob them on Christmas Eve. I cannot begin to count how many F bombs litter the surface, but believe me, it is one of the funniest Christmas related movies you will ever see.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The Chevy Chase classic, and possibly Lampoon's best film is a real trip. Annoying relatives, tree problems, the cooking, the cleaning, the death of the holiday spirit, all wrapped up in a neat little bow. This is probably the first Christmas film that rears it's head each year.
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