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

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by trebor8273

God it's sounds very depressing!

It's not as bad as it sounds, I was playing it up for effect. It's fun, and funny, and sweet and exciting, and a little bit sad at points!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Deck the Halls (2006)

A fun but OTT family comedy in which Danny DeVito decides to make his house visible from space with Christmas decorations and the odd light much to the chagrin of neighbour Matthew Broderick.

Devito and Broderick perform well opposite each other as the fueding neighbours and Kristin's Chenoweth and Davis are just lovely full stop.

Some good set pieces and amusing lines make the daftness seem, well, not just as daft, until the whole movie is saved by a rather sweet and quietly touching last act.

[swampconcept]

I watched Hook last night. Have not seen it in years. Does that count as Christmas movie? lol

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Doctor Who: The End of Time (2009-10)

A two part Christmas and New Year special which brought about the end of David Tennant's time as the Doctor featuring the return of John Simm as the Master and also the return of the Doctor's planet Gallifrey and it's all powerful rulers, the Time Lords.

I thought this was a little underwhelming when i first watched it on transmission and also the only time i watched it on dvd a few months later but now some ten years on it's terrific energy driven stuff with a cast to die for including Timothy Dalton, David Harewood, Claire Bloom and Brian Cox.

It's interesting that when Russell T Davies writes a lengthy cafe scene between the Doctor and Wilf (Bernard Cribbens) it practically brings me to tears but when Chris Chibnall wrote a similar scene for a Christmas special (2019's Resolution) between Ryan and his father it bored me to tears.

[MrBarlow]

Scrooge. 1970.

A musical version of A Christmas Carol.

Albert Finney steps in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in this musical tale, growing up this seemed to be on T.V. every Christmas and almost on every channel, no matter how many times I see it I still sing along to it. Alec Guiness plays Jacob Marley who seems more angry when we are first introduced, Edith Evans plays the ghost of Christmas past and Kenneth More as the ghost of Christmas Present. There is a lot of authentic put into it with the designs of the old building, this does seems to have a few laughs but never goes OTT with them and are blended in with the story.

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[nicholasrope]

Home Alone

Macaulay Culkin is left home alone and as to defend his house against bungling burglars, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern with a bunch of traps. One of the quint essential Christmas movies around, it's a lot of fun with Pesci and Stern stealing the film. With this being the 1st film, I saw Joe Pesci, it was certainly jolting seeing him in his Mob roles.

Wasn't this film released around the same time as the Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie at the Cinemas and Home Alone destroyed the Turtles movie (Which was supposed to be the big film at that time)

Christmas Evil

The story of a Santa obsessed man who's descent into madness which results him killing people. It's a slow burner that you think is going to end into a mad killing spree but doesn't end up that way. They did a good job in demonstrating the man's descent by having naughty and nice lists amongst other things but I found it to be a tad disappointing.

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

Macaulay Culkin this time ends up in New York instead of Florida with his family and ends up saving a Toy Store from being robbed by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, who escaped from Jail. Pesci and Stern were great as last time and there is a scene stealing Tim Curry as well.

Fatman

Mel Gibson is Santa who is targeted for assassination by a petulant and vindictive teenager. Not bad but not great. The Teen was a nasty piece of work.

[MrBarlow]

A Christmas Horror Story. 2015.

It's Christmas eve and four stories are shown, A student documentary investigates a homicide at a abandoned school. North Pole, Santa is getting ready to be busy but the elves become sick. A couple go to the woods to chop down a tree but notice their son isn't himself. A family visit a elderly relative and end up releasing Krampus, while a DJ is releasing news of a riot going on in a mall.

The film nicely interweaves 4 stories and a semi-story of William Shatner as a DJ and those around him seem to hate Christmas. All are nicely told and varied in tone. The film is really slick and well directed, shot, and edited together - especially since there were 3 directors. The dialogue is not always the greatest but heck its a horror film so its way above average for the genre, with some little twists thrown in.

The segments do start off well then become a more darker tone so have the lights dimmed down a bit, even though it is a 15 cert film there is a nice dash of blood and gore, It is well acted out abd certainly worth a view for this time of year.

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[MrBarlow]

Silent Night Deadly Night. 1984.

Billy Sees his parents killed by a man dressed in Santa, traumatised by the experience he dreads Christmas. When Billy becomes 18 and leaves the orphanage and gets a job, Christmas is looming and Billy becomes something that has scared him a Killer Santa.

A simple story, young boy sees mum and dad being killed by Santa after old Grandpa says he Santa punishes naughty boys and girls, grows up in a orphanage run by nuns who's mother superior torments him, leaves and flips out. The 80s movies are coming back slowly, Decent plot line, cheesy acting, good amount of killing and karma for a nun, what is there to hate about this film? Some may hate it, yet first time for me seeing it and certainly won't be the last.

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[MrBarlow]

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. 1992.

Kevin McCallister has got over his being left behind, now a year later the family are heading to Florida trouble is Kevin has got on the wrong plane and is in New York. Harry and Marv The Wet Bandits have escaped prison and are in New York planning a big heist.

The original cast return with Culkin in the lead, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the hilariously dumb, yet slightly endearing criminals, This time Kevin doesn't have the help of a creepy old guy but a pigeon lady in Central Park, it does seem to have the same plot except the bandits aren't ripping off houses but a Toy Shop. The traps used are different and look more painful which makes it even funny for us the audience to watch. Tim Curry, Dana Ivey and Rob Schneider play the Plaza Hotel Concierge who can't tell the difference between a real person and a inflatable clown as well as the T.V. The traps and the bricks to the head were a bit far fetched as nothing seems to draw blood but still comical to watch.

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[Justin101]

Silent Night Deadly Night part 2 (1987)

Wow, erm... so 40 mins of poorly edited flashbacks, 10 mins of Ricky growing up with his foster parents, Garbage Day, is it the end yet??? No still 20 mins on the clock... kill me