Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #17 - Gremlins (1984)

 

Gremlins (1984)

What I find interesting about Gremlins is that I always seem to think it’s a Steven Spielberg film, but it’s a Steven Spielberg produced film. It’s directed by Joe Dante (Innerspace, The Burbs, Small Soldiers), who has a history in horror film, but typically ties in comedy so that it’s not so intense. Gremlins definitely has that mark on it, as well as the mark of Spielberg, who Dante admired as a filmmaker, having made his own homage to Jaws with his film Piranhas. 

As far as Christmas films go, I find it difficult to say that Gremlins is not a Christmas film. The setting and time of year are intricately tied to the events that occur. It starts out with giving an unusual and exceptional Christmas gift and then how careless the recipient is with the gift. There are secondary characters who have their own feelings about the holiday season and the references to It’s a Wonderful Life are numerous. This monumental event, or invasion, happens during Christmas, which is a time that is meant for family, not gremlins taking over the town and harassing people. I don’t know. It just feels appropriate to watch at Christmas.

I wonder how much of that has to do with Chris Columbus being the writer of the film (or the credited writer). I mentioned earlier that he’s done quite a few films all set during the “winter” season as either writer, director, and/or producer: Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Adventures in Babysitting, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (and additional Harry Potter films), Mrs. Doubtfire, Christmas with the Kranks, and more.

I could probably go on and on about Easter Eggs and fun trivia about Gremlins, but I'll just stick to saying that I do think it's a Christmas movie, despite the gore, and is one that shows up on my TV every holiday season.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #16 - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

   

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

For some reason this movie finds its way onto my TV every year. I think it’s because the actual television stations play the goodness gracious out of it. So I always watch it, but I never really enjoy watching it. I’m just not a Griswold fan and some of the absurdities that he “gets away with” are just too baffling to me. I struggle with the amount of belief in reality that I'm being asked to suspend. And yet, I leave it on every time. I don’t actively seek out watching it. 

I will say, it is at least the most meaningful of the NL-Griswold movies. Christmas Vacation is a staple on many Christmas Movie Lists and I think some of it is just that obvious holiday connection and the comedy that ensues over a tragic holiday season, but I think some of it is nostalgia at this point. Suffice to say, I like it better than A Christmas Story (which I avoid at all costs). 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #15 - Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)

  

 

Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)

Still want to get some Star Wars holiday goodness in without subjecting yourself to the insanity that is the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)? I went into the Lego movie with little hope of something interesting, but boy was it a good bit of fun. Sure, it throws all caution and destruction of established timelines to the wind, but it was entertaining and silly and still had some meaningful things that happened. And if you’ve seen the original Holiday Special, you’ll notice that Chewbacca’s family is properly represented in Lego form and name! 

Rey wants to do her best to help train Finn into a Jedi, but starts to doubt herself. So she locates an old Jedi temple and uses a special set of stones to time jump and learn what is stopping Finn from being a Jedi. The secondary story is about Poe trying to get ready for Chewbacca’s family and Life Day! Let the hilarity ensue. And there are cameos from all sorts of your favorite Star Wars characters… err… Lego Star Wars characters. It was honestly worth the watch and was great in the wake of the original special.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #14 - Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

  

Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

When your husband tells you not to watch the Star Wars Holiday Special, my advice is to listen to him. This was an excessive amount of time lost on nonsense! It got better after the halfway mark, but by then we were already disengaged and befuddled. It was also heartbreaking, because the budget was clearly very low. 

Essentially it’s a low budget variety show couched in a thin threaded plot of the Empire to stop Chewbacca from getting home for Life Day. I can at least appreciate that you can follow the Wookie storyline with no verbal communication. There was, though, some inappropriateness that left us questioning whether our daughter should be watching this variety show, though. 

Bottom line… hold onto your childhood memory of it being worthwhile and let this one go.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #13 - The Grinch (2018)

 

 

The Grinch (2018)

I just wasn’t feeling this version. Too much exposition with too many “modern” references and jokes. We don’t need Sue’s elaborate Santa plan. The original told the story simply and directly, but here’s there’s just so much added Hollywood fluff to squeeze another movie out of this beloved tale. It’s not a bad version of the story, but just too much and it has a huge Despicable Me vibe to the whole thing. Good enough.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #12 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

 

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

I really like this live action version of the Grinch. Jim Carrey is a perfect choice. The movie itself has some overly silly moments and it adds in quite a bit of information, but it really builds on the backstory of the Grinch and why he feels the way he does or is the way that he is. The soundtrack is also awesome and some of the songs have even become part of my holiday music rotation.  It doesn't top the original and it has its moments where it tries too hard to be like the original (montage of robbing the town), but it's definitely a holiday must for us.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #11 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

The classic. The original. Boris Karloff and Thurl Ravenscroft lend their amazing vocal talents to this heartwarming rendition. I actually have a record version of the story being read aloud and it has the songs and everything. 

This epic story holds up over the years and I love watching the original. I don’t need a bunch of filler or added information for this story to make sense. The less you give the view, is sometimes the best, because it allows them to connect more with the characters. A must watch at every Christmas.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #10 - The Nightmare Before Christmas

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Is it a Christmas movie or is it a Halloween movie? That is the debate I overheard in my daughter’s 5th grade online class at Halloween. But it’s Burton who is combining the two holidays he loves the most into one movie. After watching it with this question very much in mind, it was agreed that the movie applies to both holidays. It was a bit more dominated by Halloween than Christmas, but it celebrates the Christmas spirit. If you’re stumped for something to watch with the kids that is a little less traditional, this music stop-motion animation film might just do the trick. 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #9 - Batman Returns

 

Batman Returns (1992)

Like Chris Columbus, Burton seems to dabble in the realm of Christmas and Batman Returns is one of those films. I know that Batman is tied into Christmas, because of his backstory, but I don’t know. I watched this film and it didn’t really ring Christmas or any Christmasy things, besides a tree-lighting and a wishing of Merry Christmas. But it does deal with the dark side of people, again. Burton always likes to look at the darker side of things. So setting his film during what is supposed to be an exceptionally festive time of year and then having all these dark things happen creates the juxtaposition that is much better brought out in Edward Scissorhands.

My friend had this on his list of movies to watch, so I decided to include it, but I don’t think I normally would add it to my movie roll.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #8 - Edward Scissorhands

 

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Tim Burton, as is known to do in his gothic fantasies, shows us the darker side of humanity, couched in good intentions. Edward Scissorhands has become a much more depressing film as I’ve gotten older, because of what it represents. Is it really a Christmas movie? I think I l let that ship sail a few movies again and it’s become more something like… movies to watch during December? I don’t know how to categorize it, but Edward Scissorhands is definitely a film I’ve come to appreciate as a reminder of the problems with the human condition and how we can strive to be more aware of how our thoughts, words, and actions affect others, as well as thinking about the backgrounds of the people we’re affecting. While it’s become a hard watch, I think I could see adding it to my rotation of winter movies.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #6 - Peter Pan

 

Peter Pan (2003)

You can watch whatever Peter Pan you want. My preference is the 2003 live action version.

Now you might asking yourself, “Why Peter Pan?” Well, it is technically a “christmas” movie. It was originally released as a play during the winter holiday and continues to be released in the UK during this time. It also focuses on childhood wonder and to believe, which is part of the beauty of Christmas for children. J.M. Barrie appreciated the connection between the fantastical and the magic of childhood. There’s more to come in the Hook movie that draws out the connection, but for now, enjoy this wonderful and beautiful adaptation.

Note: The film is dedicated to Dodi Al-Fayed, who was executive producer of the 1991 film Hook. Al-Fayed planned to produce a live action version of Peter Pan, and shared his ideas with Princess Diana (who was President of Great Ormond St Hospital... The significance of Great Ormond Street is that, in 1929, author JM Barrie gave the copyright to the play of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.). Diana supposedly said she "could not wait to see the production once it was underway." Al-Fayed's father, Mohammed Al-Fayed, co-produced the 2003 adaptation of the tale after his son died in the car crash which also killed Princess Diana. He dedicated the movie to his son. This also ties into the memorial park that was constructed for Princess Diana in Kensington Garden, as well as the garden itself being the connected to Peter Pan.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #5 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Why is this a “Christmas” movie? I have no idea. Just something about it makes me think of Christmas. Maybe it’s the winter scenes or the winter break. I just can’t sum it up, other than I know it makes me feel like winter and the holidays. And, of course... Chris Columbus directed it (Home Alone, Home Alone 2). He was also a writer on films like Gremlins, Christmas with the Kranks, and Christmas Chronicles 2. So there's that kind of interesting Christmas vibe going on there. 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #4 - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe get clumped into the list of winter movies, because of its Christian history and the fact that Narnia starts out being always winter and never Christmas. Oh… and Father Christmas makes a cameo with some gifts. It’s kind of neat. For this viewing I watched the new EPIC version, instead of the classic BBC version. I forgot how much longer this version was and it was missing some of the class imagery that I’d come to remember. I liked it though, but Susan leaves a bit to be desired. I know what happens to her in the series, but it really felt like they started it in this movie. Overall, it’s a good movie and worth the watch (as well as the rest of the movies in the series, regardless of which series version you choose to watch). 

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #3 - Last Christmas

 

Last Christmas (2019)

I had been wanting to see this movie since last Christmas, so I was really psyched to finally sit down and watch it. And I wasn’t disappointed. It sucked my girly, romantic heart right in and the twist was just as sweet. It has all the hallmarks of a Christmas story, but, sadly, it doesn’t have the rewatchability of so many of these other movies. I think I’d have to be in the right mood, because the movie does drag out some things just a little too much, like… yeah… I get it… she’s a bit batty and her mom is kinda crazy to. Actually, her whole family has issues, I get it. It also embraced the multiple endings trope and I’m never really a fan of ending the film multiple times, because you feel the viewer requires an absolute beating that the story has properly wrapped. 

But as far as romances go, these two characters were written adorably and I loved it.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #2 - Let It Snow

Let It Snow (2019)

I got suckered into Let it Snow on Netflix. When I saw it based on something John Green had a hand in writing, I had to jump on it… or… my inner tween did. And that is what the movie is... meant for your tween-teen-tedult. It hits all the buttons for your a teen romance. It has its nerdy jadedness and it's missed connections and excessive crushing that goes unrequited. The overly intellectual banter that apparently teenagers do, because they are just so nerdy and entrenched in culture. You could go so far as to say this is something like a tweeny Love, Actually. Lacks substance, but gets the gush on.

Desperately Seeking Joy: Holiday Movies 2020 #1 - Love Actually & The Holiday

I'm starting with my girly movie favorites.

Love Actually (2003)

My husband argues that this isn’t a Christmas movie, because it’s only set at Christmas time. If we’re going down that road, then we need to consider Die Hard, dear sweet loved one. But anyways. I love watching this movie during the holidays, because it is full of the warm fuzzies, even the disappointing warm fuzzies of failed or dismal relationships. It’s just all about love, which is what we’re supposed to be full of during the holidays. The Andrew Lincoln/Keira Knightley scene is still the most tear-jerking scene for me. But I love the whole cast! Talk about a hit with all the right people! The Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson story is the absolute saddest. Laura Linney's is the most heartbreaking, because she is at the mercy of her heartfilled dedication. The funniest one, though, is Martin Freeman. Sigh, ok... I don't want to go through every storyline. Essentially, the whole thing just shows all the levels that love works at.

The Holiday (2006)

The grass is always greener on the other side, right? An adorable story of changing places and finding the beauty of what is right in front of you. Always makes me squeal with joy and cry tears of mixed emotions. Kate Winslet and Jack Black are my favorite couple. Everything wraps up in a neat package for everyone. Try not to think beyond their initial relationship, or it might just spoil the magic of what love found during a vacation can do for you and your self-esteem.