Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis
Directed by: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Language: English
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hr 37 mins
No surprise that I missed out on posting these classics during December. Something I say often to myself about delayed posts: "Better late than never...I guess".
It's Christmas time and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration, but things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon. [Source: Rob Hartill on IMDb]
Originally, I was only planning on watching two Christmas classics, this movie and A Christmas Story, but my job recently purchased these fun little binge boxes. These binge boxes feature a different theme with sometimes funny titles such as a collection of infection movies called "I Don't Think a Flu Shot Will Cut It" and other titles are very straightforward like classic black and white horror films called "The Original Nightmares". This collection of holiday fanfare was called "Unwap the Classics". In short, what came to be a double Christmas feature turned into watching all 6 films in the box.
Anyway, this wasn't part of the collection, but that information will be relevant for the rest of the post. I honestly admit that I haven't seen any of the National Lampoon movies...at least, I don't remember seeing any of them. I am aware of the comedic talent of Chevy Chase through Three Amigos!, Saturday Night Live, and snippets of Caddyshack. So, I knew that I was in for a good time with this movie and a good time was definitely had, despite the skipping issues I had to overcome on this well loved borrowed disc. The humor still hits perfectly in this current era in film and I can see families in the future still laughing and enjoying this film.
I really enjoyed that the humor can appeal to any age group and there were plenty of relatable Christmas shenanigans that happen. From putting up outdoor lights and none of them working to dealing with 'interesting' relatives, I enjoyed every minute of the hilarious chaos that occurred for the Griswolds. Watching this movie made me curious what other craziness that the Griwolds had to deal with in the other National Lampoon entries. Perhaps it'll be a future Seriously!? Review entry.
Starring: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin
Directed by: Bob Clark
Language: English
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hr 33 mins
In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift. [Source: IMDb]
This early 80's Christmas classic is one I've seen references and clips to for many, many years. I also remember them advertising the live stage version for TV...but I don't think that ended too well. So, here I am; I have finally seen this movie and...it was okay. I guess if I change my mindset to back then I can understand why so many people love this movie and consider it a classic. While I didn't find myself loving it as much as most, I did find it entertaining to see all these childhood winter shenanigans unfold. From running away from bullies, taking on dares with friends, and being afraid of a terrifying (and perhaps unprofessional) mall Santa, I enjoyed every moment with Ralphie. I thought most of the situations Ralphie was faced with were still very relatable and perhaps proves why this movie withstands the test of time. Getting unwanted/embarassing gifts from a relative or dealing with your parents' odd hobbies are things I can see people, and perhaps kids, relating to.
Despite this movie being made in the 80s and set in the 1940s, I'm surprised how much the humor still holds up in present day. Sure, there might be a few things here and there that might be lost to time, but for the most part, the parts that were supposed to be funny were indeed funny...at least to me. Much like the previous Christmas film, I'm glad I watched this, although I don't know if I would purposely watch this again for the holidays. At the same time, I wouldn't be upset if it happened to be playing on TV either.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Language: English
Rating: G
Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins
This is the story of a young hero boy on Christmas Eve who boards on a powerful magical train that's headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus's home. What unfolds is an adventure which follows a doubting boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. [Source: Anthony Pereyra on IMDb]
This was a movie that I wasn't completely sure if I've seen or not, but as the movie went on, I don't think I've seen it before. It's really hard to remember everything you've seen when you watch more than 200 movies a year. Nonetheless, I watched this mostly starring Tom Hanks children's book adaptation and...I wasn't super into this. I think if I watched it back in 2004, I might've liked it a little more, but it definitely is made for children and families with children. The whole story revolves around believing in magic and be impressed with all the holiday whimsy, which is fine. I mean it is to be expected for a Christmas movie, but it has been done before...and better, in my opinion.
The acting is pretty good from all the actors and I thought the story was pretty decent. My biggest complaint for watching it in 2020 is the animation. CGI movies, especially for children's movies, seem to not age very well and this movie is no exception. The children's faces seem a little off and the worst sight to see is when they make it to their destination with the hundreds (or thousands) of elves. Those elves still kinda haunt me to this day. If you can look past that, this is a decent Christmas film full of wonder for the kiddos, but for me, I don't think I'll be returning to this animated feature from the early oughts.
Starring: Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'HAra, John Payne
Directed by: George Seaton
Language: English
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 1 hr 36 mins
When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing. [Source: IMDb]
This is another Christmas classic that I'm not sure I've seen. I know I have seen the 1994 remake starring a young Mara Wilson, Elizabeth Perkins, and Dylan McDermott quite a few times as a kid and pre-teen. I believe there are 2-3 other versions of this story, but I think I've only seen these two (and possibly the 1973 remake?). Honestly, my memory is very hazy on the specifics. I can say for sure that I have seen this one and the 1994 remake, which seem to be the most popular versions of this story. Whether I've seen the original or not, I wasn't upset in reliving this familiar story I haven't seen in decades.
The brief details I remember in the story from the 1994 film seemed to be played out similarly in the original. Although, Wikipedia says that the 1994 version has a more serious tone. Perhaps I'll go back and revisit that version at some point. Nonetheless, I knew what I was getting myself into. It's another story about a child who doesn't quite believe in Santa, because her mom has a very matter of fact serious disposition about life. Unlike The Polar Express, I enjoyed this execution of Christmas magic and tapping into your inner child a lot more. Despite it being in black and white, the characters are very vibrant, colorful, and extremely likable! As cheesy as the relationships in this movie can be at times, it's hard not to feel that beautiful warmth in your heart when things come together so nicely. I honestly can say that this does live up to the Christmas classic title as it does withstand the test of time.
Before I conclude this belated Christmas post, I wanted to mention that I watched one of Maja's favorite Christmas movies, It's a Wonderful Life. I remember hearing the backstory about this movie not being very popular, but gained favor through repeated TV airings. I can understand why people enjoy this movie, but I honestly didn't have a lot to say about it to give it its own entry here. I also didn't want to completely leave it out either. It's nice to fully understand that one episode of Rugrats where Chuckie didn't want to exist anymore and I thought it was an okay movie. I don't think it's one that I would rewatch to get into the holiday spirit, but I don't regret taking the time out to watch it (twice kinda).
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