Perhapablog

Sunday, December 23, 2007

the (christmas) spirit of film


okay...

so far sharon and i have watched it's a wonderful life and santa claus is comin' to town, rudolph, and a charlie brown christmas, .we saw year without a santa claus, how the grinch stole christmas (we even had the crappy jim carrey version on the other night as we wrapped presents). and last night we watched a new favorite that we found last year, a christmas wish (aka the great rupert-1950-), the story of a poor family that believes they are being sent money from above when the squirrel that lives in their wall starts issuing out $100 bills that the scrooge-like neighbor is squirreling away under his floorboards. it's not really that great and jimmy durante's old vaudeville jokes actually hurt, but the harryhausen-esque animation on rupert, though brief, is some beautiful old-timey movie magic.



we are waiting to watch (the original) miracle on 34th street tonight or towmorrow and ya gotta save a christmas story until a day or two before...and then, thanks to tbs, a little bit here and there all day on christmas!





the one that i made my own tradition about ten years ago--well, with the help of dani--is to watch a christmas carol on christmas eve. and it has to be the one from 1951, in black and white, with alastair sim as the most perfect scrooge there ever was! oh, sure, patrick stewart and george c. scott have turned in some excellent performances as the old skinflint--and i thought magoo was brilliant in his own 1962 version. but it's not half as scary, half as meaningful, until you see sim take ebenezer through his range of emotions in this classic british version. this is christmas--and the best film to fall asleep to on christmas eve...
this should not be missed...



so that's my run-down--what do YOU hafta see for the holidays? and have you gotten to see it yet?

see ya tomorrow!
and smell ya later!
todd

15 comments:

Brian said...

We saw the Grinch - Chuck Jones version, and Rudolph this year.

I love the Sim "Christmas Carol," but you cannot top the songs in Mr. Magoo's version as "All Alone In the World" never fails to bring a tear and the song that the Undertaker, the maid and the char lady sing never fails to bring a smile and a laugh.

Matt Wieringo said...

The Grinch (Chuck Jones' version, like Brian) is a must because I identify with the title character so much. Other than that, Rudolph ("I'm cyood! I'm cyood!") and Christmas Story because I loooove Darren McGavin. But, no. I haven't seen any of them this year.

Merry Christmas, evuhbody!

Heywood Jablomie said...

So far all I got to watch were Emmit Otters Jug Band Xmas, The Charlie Brown ones and Rudolph. I still need to watch a wish for wings that work and I always save a christmas story for christmas day. I started to watch the Muppet christmas carol before, but had to stop to finish a picture I did for my nephew as a present for christmas. I posted it up in my blog on here if you wanna take a gander at my crappy skills haha! Hopefully the little guy likes it.

todd said...

brian--
my ex-wife LOVED the magoo carol and her favorite thing to say/sing all through christmas was "...and razzleberry dressing."

merry merry!
todd

todd said...

brian--
my ex-wife LOVED the magoo carol and her favorite thing to say/sing all through christmas was "...and razzleberry dressing."

merry merry!
todd

Brian said...

"We'll have the Lord's bright blessing and knowing we're together"

Colin said...

It just ain't Xmas till I hear Hans Gruber read the words "Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho." in Die Hard.

We all have our traditions.

Warren said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Warren said...

I have to see "a Charlie Brown Christmas," because, even though I'm not real religious these days, it has a message about the holiday that I sometimes lose, and I need Linus and the gang to remind me.

I never was such a bad little tree.

todd said...

yeah, linus' reading of luke 2:10 always--ALWAYS--fills my heart with wonder and makes me tear up.

THAT is what christmas is all about.

DonKelly said...

Good pick on The Carol...The Sims version is by far my favorite. 2nd fav is Michael Caine in the Muppet version.

Haven't really watched too many this year to be honest,, but It's a Wonderful Life will be on since I have the dvd.

Anonymous said...

Just watched a couple of the regular toons & a couple of movies.

Saw "The Santa Clause 3" on dvd with my niece, but thought that it's been over done.

Been looking for "It came upon a Midnight clear" with Mickey Rooney
(from 1984) but can't remember it airing for the last several years.

Guess I'll just have to get the dvd.

Anyway, have a great and merry Christmas !

Warren said...

I just remembered a Christmas made-for-tv movie that isn't shown every year, but should be. It's a beautiful story set in Appalachia during the Great Depression. It was the pilot for the series the Waltons, but the series never matched this movie. It's called "the Homecoming".

QATim said...

Richard Curtis' Love Actually has become a new X-Mas tradition for me. And It's A Wonderful Life, no doubt.

renecarol said...

I watched Unaccompanied Minors today. I watched A Christmas Story last night wrapping Lexie's gifts. I haven't watched many Christmas movies this year. The cartoons - Frosty, Rudolph, etc. I even missed seeing The Grinch this year. :( I guess it is too late by now.