 |
Do You See What I See? Holiday Movies and TV You May Have Missed |
woofmutt
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 26, 2002
Posts: 2584
From: Seattilite Telstar
|  Posted: 2008-12-01 7:07 pm Permalink
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol is a friend's favorite Xmas special. When my other friend (I have two) got it for her for Christmas last year it eclipsed all of the jewelry and clothes he also heaped upon her.
And speaking of A Christmas Carol
A few years back there was a made for cable TV version of A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart which was really excellent. A Christmas Carol is well known and many versions exist (See above!) so new takes on it are often ignored. But this one is extremely faithful to Dickens' story and the attention to period detail (bad teeth, no Christmas trees) is admirable. On top of that the performances are top notch. Stewart presents a Scrooge that you actually understand. He's not just some scenery chewing bastard, you can see how he became the man he is. Richard E. Grant seems to have been born to play Bob Cratchit and Joel Grey as the Ghost of Christmas Past is wistfully pleasant yet completely creepy.
_________________
Attribution is the sincerest form of flattery.
|
Bora Boris
Mr. Unreasonable
Joined: Mar 25, 2005
Posts: 2402
From: Boogie Wonderland
| Posted: 2008-12-01 7:27 pm Permalink
What?  No mention of Die Hard, Lethal Weapon or
L.A. Confidential?
I hope Bud White doesn't show up and tear your Xmas lights down.
|
DJ Terence Gunn
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 20, 2005
Posts: 250 | Posted: 2008-12-01 8:39 pm Permalink
Anyone remember the 1979/'80 film 'The Man In The Santa Claus Suit' starring Fred Astaire? Haven't seen it since my teens but recall enjoying it. Family friendly, made for TV, but not Made for Children (specifically). No puppets, no clay, no animation whatsoever. And no tap dancing, either. Possibly not even one song, neither. Perhaps it was soppy, I don't remember. I do recall it being somewhat sad but fairly emotive and morally lifting.
|
DJ Terence Gunn
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 20, 2005
Posts: 250 | Posted: 2008-12-11 2:16 pm Permalink
For those who enjoy strange, kitschy, eerie Christmas-oriented films just as much as the serious classics, like I do, you may wish to check out The Flaming Lips film 'Christmas On Mars' (2008).
No doubt they, too, are fans of B grade Sci-Fi films, and films like 'Santa Claus' and 'Santa Claus Conquers The Martians'.
http://christmasonmars.cinemapurgatorio.com/
The only problem I have with this film, is the problem I have with any other modern day attempt at an homage to past kitsch: it's conscientiously kitschy. Real kitsch -- or more accurately defined, what is later to be termed 'kitsch' by critics, purveyors, and other self-appointed connoisseurs of what is good taste -- is not self-conscious of itself; not conscientious that it is going to be termed kitsch, nor does it set out to be.
And speaking of which, here's a great site for fans of K. Gordon Murray's 'Santa Claus' and his follow up film shorts 'Santa's Little Helpers', 'Santa's Fantasy Fair', 'Santa's Enchanted Village', 'Santa's Magic Kingdom':
http://www.kgordonmurray.com/index.html
One will note that many of the latter film shorts were filmed in various Santa's Villages in California in the 1960s. These films trigger something within me; something from my childhood. I also remember going to a Santa's Village somewhere in the early 1970s -- though I don't recall it being in California.
Above: Santa's Village, Skyforest, California, circa 1960s
|
DJ Terence Gunn
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 20, 2005
Posts: 250 | Posted: 2008-12-14 2:14 pm Permalink
Okay, TC'ers, I've another one; and this film I HIGHLY recommend. It's a family film but not a kiddie film; it's lightly dramatic and at times very comical; features some song and dance but is not a musical. The film is 'The Great Rupert'(aka 'A Christmas Wish' in its recent colourised version)from 1950 and stars Jimmy Durante, who is absolutely larger than life in this picture and steals every scene he's in.
'The Great Rupert' is about a down-and-out New York show business family trio that is penniless and homeless just before Christmas. They learn about a tiny, dingy groundfloor apartment and finagle their way in, promising (the landlord's son, who is instantly smitten with the daughter) to pay the required advance rent in a couple days, which doesn't sit at all well with the miserly upstairs landlord. Unbeknownst to the family (above and below) a show-business squirrel (yes, you heard correctly) named Rupert lives in the rafters of the apartment. (The squirrel was created via stop-animation, and was quite a feat at the time; even winning an award or two.) Things look pretty dismal for the family until the mother makes a wish and, thanks to Rupert, the wish brings (literally DOWN) the means with which to fulfill itself (and more).
Anyway, from there the picture develops into a joyful roller coaster ride, taking many turns and a few deviations. Things become good, then crazy, then disaster, but in the end a happy ending for all.
This is a wonderful, hidden Holiday gem.
[ This Message was edited by: DJ Terence Gunn 2008-12-15 13:58 ]
|
joefla70
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 17, 2005
Posts: 354
From: Fort Lauderdale
| Posted: 2008-12-18 12:37 pm Permalink
Quote:
|
On 2008-12-01 19:07, woofmutt wrote:
And speaking of A Christmas Carol
A few years back there was a made for cable TV version of A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart which was really excellent. A Christmas Carol is well known and many versions exist (See above!) so new takes on it are often ignored. But this one is extremely faithful to Dickens' story and the attention to period detail (bad teeth, no Christmas trees) is admirable. On top of that the performances are top notch. Stewart presents a Scrooge that you actually understand. He's not just some scenery chewing bastard, you can see how he became the man he is. Richard E. Grant seems to have been born to play Bob Cratchit and Joel Grey as the Ghost of Christmas Past is wistfully pleasant yet completely creepy.
|
|
I'm a big fan of Patrick Stewart. In addition to the TV version of A Christmas Carol, he also performed a one-man rendition of "A Christmas Carol" on stage in London and New York City. There is an audio book available: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Carol-Reissue-Charles-Dickens/dp/0671793829. I've listened to it and its wonderful.
|
Shipwreckjoey
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 29, 2002
Posts: 1794
From: San Diego, CA
| Posted: 2008-12-24 6:37 pm Permalink
Quote:
|
On 2008-11-29 15:37, DJ Terence Gunn wrote:
*A Black Adder's Christmas Carol
|
|
Caught this on the BBC (America) channel today and laughed my ass off. I love British comedy.
|
Bogielocks
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 11, 2007
Posts: 352
From: New Bedford, MA
| Posted: 2008-12-24 9:53 pm Permalink
Not sure if anyone posted this one...
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Mickey Rooney plays Mike Halligan, a retired cop from Manhattan living in California with his family who decides to show his grandson, who has never seen snow before, what a real white Christmas in New York is like. But he dies from a sudden heart attack in which Halligan makes a deal with the Archangel of Heaven to return to Earth for a week until Christmas and show his grandson the seasonal glories of New York City.
Hasn't been on in years and there's no DVD of it.
_________________
|
procinema29
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 31, 2003
Posts: 465
From: los angeles
| Posted: 2008-12-27 09:06 am Permalink
I just saw the colorized version of "The Great Rupert" ("A Christmas Wish" on DVD) and I thought it was great, great fun! I loved it! I never even heard of the movie, and was surprised to find that it was a George Pal production, directed by Irving Pichel!
Definitely a very sweet and amusing film that works pretty well today, some fifty-odd years since it was made.
|
woofmutt
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 26, 2002
Posts: 2584
From: Seattilite Telstar
| Posted: 2009-12-01 07:50 am Permalink
Ho-ho-hooray! It's bump time.
Here's the general intent of this thread:
Overlooked and possibly unknown holiday movies which are worth watching.
Worth watching means:
Movies and cartoons and TV specials which are well made and they make you feel all warm and tingly inside like you drank a big mug of magic cocoa.
OR
Movies and cartoons and TV specials which are so terrible you can't pull your eyes away and your dreams are filled with visions of wooden angels and creepy paper mache Santas.
If you make a recommendation please add some reason as to why it's worth seeing. Just dropping a movie name is sort of useless. We're all capable of using Google to find obscure stuff we don't know anything about. What will make this thread most useful is if you add personal comments.
Again, the focus is on the overlooked and obscure and worth watching. I'll update the list at the top of the thread as movies are suggested.
But right now I want to get a mug of this magic cocoa I heard about.
_________________
Attribution is the sincerest form of flattery.
|
little lost tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 12, 2006
Posts: 7460
From: Orange,CA-right near the Circle!
| Posted: 2009-12-09 09:33 am Permalink
A Pink Panther Christmas...
Not for the poor tale of our mute hero trying to get something to eat
(he's starving the whole show..)
but for the JOLLY HOLIDAY song
which, in my opinion
is pretty catchy......
|
naugatiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 02, 2004
Posts: 806
From: Port Angeles, Wa
| Posted: 2009-12-09 09:41 am Permalink
A bit of a stretch but has anyone seen the sequel-
Halloween is Grinch Night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPcxnJQnzhE
|
bamalamalu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 20, 2006
Posts: 384 | Posted: 2009-12-11 11:09 am Permalink
I'm often reminded of that one when heading to the euphemism!
|
King Bushwich the 33rd
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 10, 2005
Posts: 936
From: Ling Cod Beach, CA 90803
| Posted: 2009-12-18 11:49 pm Permalink
An animated Christmas special the did NOT become a classic like the ones staring Charlie Brown, Rudolph and the Grinch. And only available on VHS...
B.C. A Special Christmas
If you think about it, Christmas did not exist in the time period designated as B.C. so Christmas specials with cavemen (and the Flintstones) would be a parodox or something like that.
There was a Winter holiday special episode of Xena Warrior Princess. Since she was suppose to have existed in B.C. time period, she celebrated Winter Solstice.
Xena: A Solstice Carol
|
woofmutt
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 26, 2002
Posts: 2584
From: Seattilite Telstar
| Posted: 2010-12-04 8:58 pm Permalink
Once again...It's the most wonderful time of the year to watch TV!!!
Since the holidays are so much about traditions and since severe cost saving cuts won't allow me to produce a completely new Holiday Bump Post I'll return to a favorite old chestnut of mine, "The True Meaning of This Thread," with a rehash of last years clarification...
"The True Meaning of This Thread"
The true meaning of this thread is Overlooked and possibly unknown holiday movies which are worth watching.
Worth watching means:
Movies and cartoons and TV specials which are well made and they make you feel all warm and tingly inside like you drank a big mug of magic cocoa.
OR
Movies and cartoons and TV specials which are so terrible you can't pull your eyes away and your dreams are filled with visions of wooden angels and creepy paper mache Santas.
If you make a recommendation please add some reason as to why it's worth seeing. Just dropping a movie name is sort of useless. We're all capable of using Google to find obscure stuff we don't know anything about. What will make this thread most useful is if you add personal comments.
Again, the focus is on the overlooked and obscure and worth watching. I'll update the list at the top of the thread as movies are suggested.
But right now I want to get a mug of this magic cocoa I heard about.
And that's the true meaning of this thread! Happy Holidays everybody!!!
|
