Movies we watch at Christmas:
Or movies that we could watch, since we own them. Favorite would have to be "Nobody's Fool," which is multipurpose, in that it has Thanksgiving and Christmas. And Paul Newman at age 70. He's excellent, excellent, excellent in this. What a great movie.
I also really enjoy the irreverent "The Ref." My No. 3 would be "I'll Be Seeing You," which is a story about two damaged people. "The House without a Christmas Tree" is another winner.
A few of these movies I bought because I was looking for Christmas movies and amazon.com reviewers praised them. Such as "A Season for Miracles," which is based on a romance novel by Marilyn Pappano. I actually read the book back in the days when I worked in a public library. I liked the book. The movie is forgettable. But maybe it improves on the second viewing. "Christmas in the Clouds" is set at a Native American resort in the Northwest. It's fair.
A few of these movies I bought because they were the titles available at Overstock.com when I was in the mood to purchase Christmas DVDs. The first time we saw "Beyond Christmas," I thought it was poor. The second time it was just weak. "Noel," which the DVD interviews assure us is an instant Christmas classic, is pretty annoying. I really couldn't stand "12 Dogs" the first time. For one thing, there are no dachshunds. The adult characters are caricatures. And the snatches of rehearsal for the school Christmas program bear absolutely no relation to the finished product. But we have young grandchildren so it will probably entertain them for a couple of Christmases.
"Mixed Nuts" is about a crisis helpline in Venice Beach, California. It has its moments. Whenever I see Liev Schreiber in something else (even if he's playing a Nazi sympathizer), I think, "It's the cross-dresser from 'Mixed Nuts.'"
I've only watched "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" once and that wasn't at Christmas. But it's set at Christmastime in Savannah, Georgia, and it makes me think that Savannah would be a beautiful place to re-visit, this time in December.
- Nobody's fool, with Paul Newman and Jessica Tandy.
- The thin man, with William Powell and Myrna Loy.
- The ref, with Dennis Leary, Kevin Spacey, Judy, and Glynis Johns.
- Mixed nuts, with Steve Martin, Mrs. Tom Hanks, and Liev Schreiber.
- Donovan's reef, with John Wayne, Lee Marvin and Jack Warden.
- Bad Santa, with Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac and some fat kid.
- A Christmas story, with Darren McGavin and Ralphie.
- Christmas in the clouds, with Timothy Vahle, Mariana Tosca, M. Emmet Walsh, Rita Coolidge.
- Die Hard, with Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman.
- House without a Christmas tree, with Jason Robards, Mildred Natwick, and a good child actress.
- I'll be seeing you, with Jo Cotten and Ginger Rogers.
- The ice harvest, with John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton.
- Noel, with Susan Sarandon.
- Since you went away, with Claudette Colbert, Jo Cotten, Shirley Temple, Craig Stevens.
- Three godfathers, with John Wayne, Ward Bond, Mildred Natwick.
- When Harry met Sally, with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
- Holiday affair, with Robert Mitchum, Wendell Corey and Janet Leigh.
- Christmas in Connecticut, with Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan.
- Midnight in the garden of good and evil, with John Cusack and Kevin Spacey.
- Lassie, with Peter O'Toole and Samantha Morton.
- Beyond Christmas, with Harry Carey, C. Aubrey Smith, Charles Winninger, Rod La Rocque.
- A season for miracles, with Carl Gugino, David Conrad and some people you've heard of (Lynn Redgrave, Patty Duke, Laura Dern).
- The 12 dogs of Christmas, with dogs, kid actors and no well-known folks.
- The shop around the corner, with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan.
Or movies that we could watch, since we own them. Favorite would have to be "Nobody's Fool," which is multipurpose, in that it has Thanksgiving and Christmas. And Paul Newman at age 70. He's excellent, excellent, excellent in this. What a great movie.
I also really enjoy the irreverent "The Ref." My No. 3 would be "I'll Be Seeing You," which is a story about two damaged people. "The House without a Christmas Tree" is another winner.
A few of these movies I bought because I was looking for Christmas movies and amazon.com reviewers praised them. Such as "A Season for Miracles," which is based on a romance novel by Marilyn Pappano. I actually read the book back in the days when I worked in a public library. I liked the book. The movie is forgettable. But maybe it improves on the second viewing. "Christmas in the Clouds" is set at a Native American resort in the Northwest. It's fair.
A few of these movies I bought because they were the titles available at Overstock.com when I was in the mood to purchase Christmas DVDs. The first time we saw "Beyond Christmas," I thought it was poor. The second time it was just weak. "Noel," which the DVD interviews assure us is an instant Christmas classic, is pretty annoying. I really couldn't stand "12 Dogs" the first time. For one thing, there are no dachshunds. The adult characters are caricatures. And the snatches of rehearsal for the school Christmas program bear absolutely no relation to the finished product. But we have young grandchildren so it will probably entertain them for a couple of Christmases.
"Mixed Nuts" is about a crisis helpline in Venice Beach, California. It has its moments. Whenever I see Liev Schreiber in something else (even if he's playing a Nazi sympathizer), I think, "It's the cross-dresser from 'Mixed Nuts.'"
I've only watched "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" once and that wasn't at Christmas. But it's set at Christmastime in Savannah, Georgia, and it makes me think that Savannah would be a beautiful place to re-visit, this time in December.