Home Alone
Let’s be honest, everyone likes to see criminals get what they deserve. That is exactly what happens to the “Wet Bandits”, Marv and Harry (Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci), at the hands of young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin). The setup for this first movie in the series is that Kevin’s family is going to France for Christmas. On the night before they leave Kevin causes an uproar and is sent to sleep in the attic by himself. Overnight the power goes out and as the family frantically rushes out the door they unknowingly leave Kevin home alone. Kevin, at first, is really happy about this but soon realizes that his family is what he really wants more than anything. While he hopes to be reunited though he must stop Marv and Harry from breaking into and stealing everything in this house by setting up a series of booby traps throughout his house. Happy endings are in order though as the bad guys are caught and Kevin gets his wish as his mother (Catherine O’Hara) arrives back at the house on Christmas morning, after having her own adventure to get back in time. Even though the movie can get violent with some of the traps it still makes for some good family entertainment. As a side note, I do think that Home Alone 2 is actually a funnier movie but I have to take the original over the sequel for this list.
Memorable Scene:
Kevin has an odd neighbor named Marley (Robert Blossom) who all the kids on the street are scared off because they think he killed his family. The memorable scene happens late in the movie when Kevin goes to church and he says the old man sitting there and Marley waves him over and they have a quite talk. This scene is pretty powerful because Kevin, even though he is young, has great some great advice for Marley when he tells him that he should talk to his estranged son.
A Christmas Carol (1999)
There are many versions of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens in existence and most people I don’t think would pick this made for TV version but I have two words for why I did, Patrick Stewart. That’s right, Jean-Luc Picard as Scrooge, it doesn’t get much better then this. I don’t believe I need to tell you what happens in this story because it is a pretty good adaptation from the book and I think everyone knows the story.
Memorable Scene:
This one is pretty obvious and that is the final scene where Scrooge, after he has turned, goes to see the Cratchit’s. We find out that he changes his ways and becomes one of the most beloved men in the city.
Miracle on 34th Street
Like A Christmas Carol this is another perennial Christmas favorite. In this story a jolly old man (Edmund Gwen) gets a job playing Santa but he claims to be the real Kris Kringle. This leads to trouble with his boss (Maureen O’Sullivan) because she is trying to raise her daughter (a young Natalie Wood) to not believe in Santa. The biggest problem is that everyone except for Maureen starts to believe that he is the real St. Nick. Eventually Santa gets declared insane and put on trial. The trial sends the people involved through an emotional rollercoaster as the movie ends in one of the most iconic scenes in movie history (read below)
Memorable Scene:
The scene I alluded to above is the scene in the courtroom when all the postal workers come in carrying bag upon bag of letters from children who believe in Santa Clause.
The Santa Clause
This is the first of two movies on this list featuring Tim Allen in the lead. In this movie he plays Scott Calvin, a recently divorced executive who is spending Christmas Eve with his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd). Things don’t go quite right for the two but overnight Calvin hears someone on his roof. When he goes out to investigate the man falls off the roof and when he puts on his red coat his life from that point on changes forever. It turns out that the man was Santa and by putting on the coat he has agreed to take over. In kind of a reverse of Miracle on 34th Street, the only person that believes that Scott is Santa is Charlie. As the year progresses though Scott comes around and embraces his new life as Santa Claus. This is another first in a series and in a rare feat all the cast members, that are needed, appear in the sequels.
Memorable Scene:
After Scott has put on some considerable weight he is at his son’s soccer game and this one little girl just walks up to him and tells him what she wants for Christmas. This then leads to a whole bunch of kids to line up and tell him. I don’t know why I like this scene that much but I think it’s because it shows the true innocence of childhood.
The Grinch
This is the 2000 live action version of the classic Dr. Suess book. Jim Carrey takes on the holiday favorite as title character. Unlike the 60’s cartoon version this movie delves into the possible motivations to why the Grinch is the way he is. The main story stays intact though as the Grinch still hates Christmas and after an unfortunate mishap in Whoville causes him to want to steal Christmas. Of course, after the residents wake up and discover what has happened they are saddened, but then Cindy Lou Who’s father Lou (Bill Irwin) tells everyone what Cindy has been saying all along, that Christmas isn’t about presents but about love and family. This leads to the Grinch’s heart growing, literally, and him restoring the Whovillians Christmas.
Memorable Scene:
Now I know almost no one will agree with this scene but it is my favorite. The scene takes place after the town decides to make the Grinch the Holiday Cheermeister. Cindy Lou Who goes up to invite him to the celebration but when she spots him in his mountainous hideout he is bent over as a large mechanical monkey with cymbals repeatedly bangs his head.
Bad Santa
If there was ever an anti-Christmas movie this may be it. This is also the only movie on the list that is rated R. In this movie Billy Bob Thornton plays Willie, an alcoholic safe cracker who works as Santa during Christmas. He has been slipping as of later, much the chagrin of his partner Marcus (Tony Cox). They team up again as they head out to Arizona and while he is there he meets this kid (Brett Kelly) and a nymphomaniac bartender named Sue (Lauren Graham). Through all the obscenities we find that Willie does actually have a soft side as he starts to care for the kid and falls in love with Sue.
Memorable Scene:
There is one I am thinking of involving Lauren ad Billy Bob in car but I am going to try and keep this family friendly and say the memorable scene is after Willie cracks open the safe he goes and finds the stuffed elephant that the kid wants but he can’t remember what color it was that he wanted so he grabs both.
Christmas with the Kranks
I told you there were two titles with Tim Allen and this one is number two. In this one he, along with Jamie Lee Curtis, play the Kranks. They are now empty nesters who live in a neighborhood where everyone really gets into Christmas, including the matching Frosty’s for their roofs. Tim decides though that because they really did all that stuff for the benefit of their daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) that this year they would skip all that Christmas stuff and instead go to the Caribbean. Things get tough though as the rest of the neighborhood pressures them to do their part and it gets even worse when Blair lets them know that she is coming home for Christmas. This causes them to have to beg for the help of the neighborhood to get things the way they should be for her return. The story just shows you that you can’t really skip Christmas, especially when it isn’t about the decorations or the presents.
Memorable Scene:
This one is a no brainer for me. With the help of the neighbors they get their house ready just in time for Blair to get home. During the ensuing party, Tim goes to his neighbors across the street, the Scheel’s (M. Emmett Walsh and Elizabeth Franz). Now the whole movie Tim and Emmett don’t get along and he goes over there to give them their tickets to the Caribbean. This is made even more special because earlier in the film it is revealed that Elizabeth’s character has cancer and this will probably be her last Christmas.
Scrooged
In this modern retelling of “A Christmas Carol” we meet Frank Cross (Bill Murray) who is the youngest President in TV history. Much like Scrooge he is a shrewd man who doesn’t care about anyone except himself. Like the original story, he is visited by three ghosts to remind him of the true spirit of Christmas. The biggest differential in this version though is that there are quite a few characters that are reimagined, added or split into two separate characters.
Memorable Scene:
Instead of a scene I want to showcase a specific sequence and that is the entire portion featuring the Ghost of Christmas Present, played wonderfully by Carol Kane I might add, specifically the part where she hits him with a toaster after she takes Frank to visit his brother’s home.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
I know what you are thinking “Not another version of ‘A Christmas Carol’“, well I promise this is my last one. Of all the versions this is probably my favorite version of the story. I mean how can you not feel for characters like Bob Cratchit when they are portrayed by Kermit the Frog. Like the first version I mentioned this one is a close interpretation so I don’t really need to go over the story. Like most Muppet movies the majority of the parts are played by Muppets but the main character of Ebenezer Scrooge is played by Michael Caine. The story does get slowed down a bit do to some songs but they are still pretty enjoyable, for the most part. The really interesting twist though is that Gonzo, along with Rizzo, act as narrator as Gonzo plays Charles Dickens himself.
Memorable Scene:
When the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge the Cratchit’s home and it is revealed that Tiny Tim has died. The scene becomes great when Bob, again played by Kermit, comes home and tells his wife, Miss Piggy, and children about visiting Tiny Tim’s grave. Makes my eyes water just thinking about it because he mentions this one line and I’m paraphrasing “Life is made up of comings and goings”. This line is made even more heart wrenching when you realize that this was the first movie made after Jim Henson’s untimely death.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
National Lampoon brings us back to the Vacation trough for the third time is this movie. Clack W. Griswald (Chevy Chase) is trying to give his immediate and extended family the best possible Christmas. Being that they are the Griswalds though that won’t happen as one hysterical thing happens after another. From almost dying trying to get the tree, to that tree going up in flames, to falling from the attic, things are just never easy.
Memorable Scene:
There are quite a few in this movie but my personal favorite is when Clark finally receives his bonus. He is hoping to use it to build a swimming pool for his family but he finds out that it’s to a Jelly of the Month club and goes on verbal tirade about his boss. Do yourself a favor though and watch the unedited version because it is much, much funnier.
Honorable Mention:
It’s a Wonderful Life
I really wanted to have this on my main list but do to my definition of a Christmas movie it just doesn’t fit. The main one being that the movie takes place mostly right around the time of New Years and therefore is past Christmas. That being said this is a movie that everyone should see. The story revolves around George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) who thinks his life has been a waste. He runs a building and loan in his small town which is slowly being taken over by Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore). When a lot of money comes up missing George decides to try and kill himself but is saved by an angel names Clarence (Henry Travers). Before he tries to kill himself though he wishes that he had never been born and Clarence shows him what that would be like. George of course doesn’t like what he finds out and decides he wants to live. If you haven’t seen this movie I don’t want to spoil anything about what George is shown but needless to say it is very disturbing.
Memorable Scene:
Do not read what is next if you haven’t seen the movie. After George comes back home, his home is soon flooded by the people of the town willing to give him the money so that he doesn’t lose the building and loan and so that he doesn’t go to jail. All I can say is that if this scene doesn’t make you tear up after watching the whole movie then your heart is made of stone.
No comments:
Post a Comment