Your Christmas Movies! Whatcha' Watchin' this Christmas season?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I've finally located the Classic Ghost Stories with Robert Powell dvd. I thought i'd somehow lost it.

Embarrassingly it was in a pile of films i watched last Christmas but hadn't put away yet.

This is terrible...but the pile of films mentioned above...i put them away three weeks ago...been there two friggin' years.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Don't Open Till Christmas (1984)

This sort of ties in with my new found interest in British sex films of the 70's. Well when i say sex i mean more saucy sea side smut rather than anything hardcore. Don't Open Till Christmas is sleazy and nasty and British exploitation of the highest order with blue movie actress Pat Astley featuring in a fairly dodgy razor attack that possibly wouldn't escape the BBFC even now.

In a way this is the British answer to Silent Night Deadly Night from the same year, except i think this is better. For a start there is a kill every few minutes, 13 in all i think so the pace has no time to drop or the viewer become jaded before the next bit of hack n' slash lights up the screen. The murders are graphic - a spear through the mouth, a cleaver across the face, disembowelment, castrations - that sort of thing, or If it's not a murder then it's a pretty young woman chained up in a basement, as the film with it's simple plot of a psycho randomly killing any one dressed as Santa in the run up to Christmas.

The suspense is well handled by director Edmund Purdom, who also plays a police inspector in the film, especially a stalking sequence in the London Dungeon tourist attraction and the afore mentioned attack on Astley. In fact the whole thing has a delightfully grubby atmosphere and it doesn't help that sleazy Alan Lake stars as a reporter who may be more than he seems, and adds a lot of unease to proceedings. Oddly Caroline Munro pops up as herself, performs a song in a skin tight red dress then is never seen again. It's random nonsense like this that makes the film memorable in a quirky British sense. I would say Grittish but it's too much fun for that.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

As usual i tried to watch the BBC adaptation of the Dickens ghost story The Signalman (1976) after Don't Open Till Christmas, but as usual i fell asleep. I never got past the traveler shouting 'hello' in the first two minutes this time.

[Mojo]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

As usual i tried to watch the BBC adaptation of the Dickens ghost story The Signalman (1976) after Don't Open Till Christmas, but as usual i fell asleep. I never got past the traveler shouting 'hello' in the first two minutes this time.

Have you never seen this one Dem? Definitely recommended - with one of the most chilling looking ghosts ever

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Mojo

Have you never seen this one Dem? Definitely recommended - with one of the most chilling looking ghosts ever

I think i've seen it twice in full. It totally sends me to sleep. It's ridiculous really.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

I also prefer Don't Open Till Christmas to Silent Night, Deadly Night.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Elf (2003)

There's something ever so slightly sinister about Elf. I don't know if it's the whole man elf thing where he sits on mens knees or if it's just star Will Ferrel himself who's creepy as ****.

It starts to settle down when the elf reaches New York after being kicked out of Santa's grotto in the North Pole for being a disaster at everything thanks to his large size. James Caan as the elf's estranged father is brilliant, working at a children's book publishers, he's under pressure to deliver a cracking Christmas tale, and channels his classic Las Vegas tv casino boss Ed Deline to perfection here until the inevitable melting of his heart and embracing the elf as his long lost son. Zooey Deschannel also adds a lot to the film with her reigned in performance as the elf's potential girlfriend.

As the film goes on either i warmed to Ferrel or just became used to his elf act, either way the film becomes lovely and heart warming and features some worthwhile funny escapades and might just bring a bit of Christmas cheer to even the coldest of hearts.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Elf (2003)

I don't know if I've ever watched Elf all the way through. I do remember watching it quite a few years ago and not enjoying it, but I don't know if I ever reached the point where I decided I was wasting my time and wouldn't stick it out to the end credits. It's bound to be on TV or available to watch through Amazon Instant or Netflix, so I'll try and watch it all way through in the next three weeks.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I don't know if I've ever watched Elf all the way through. I do remember watching it quite a few years ago and not enjoying it, but I don't know if I ever reached the point where I decided I was wasting my time and wouldn't stick it out to the end credits. It's bound to be on TV or available to watch through Amazon Instant or Netflix, so I'll try and watch it all way through in the next three weeks.

My problem is i find it difficult to warm to Will Ferrel. That's basically it. Full stop.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

My problem is i find it difficult to warm to Will Ferrel. That's basically it. Full stop.

I'm the same. I find his shtick works quite well in small doses, such as Saturday Night Live, but isn't as effective or endearing in a feature length film. Anchorman is one example of a series of sketches strung together as a feature film. If they did an Anchorman TV show, I think it is something that would work very well in 20 minute segments, but the joke isn't strong enough to sustain itself in two hours.

I don't know whether Elf is the same, but I put as high priority on my Lovefilm rental queue so will hopefully find out sooner rather than later.