With Christmas being this Thursday and since you responded so well to last year's post which you can find here, I thought it would be fitting to give you another list of my top 10 favorite christmas films of all-time. These movies are ranked 11-20 so when you see number 5 it is actually number 15. I just want to say that this has been an unbelievable year for the blog and without you all I wouldn't have made it a year and a half so thank you all so much for your support and Merry Christmas. So without further ado...
10. (20) White Christmas
This is a flat out entertaining film with some great music and a talented cast. A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general. White Christmas has a rating of 76% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. (19) Polar Express
I really enjoyed the book as a small child and the film pretty much did the book justice with a few more added things. Billy (voiced by Hayden McFarland), who longs to believe in Santa Claus but finds it quite difficult to do so, what with his family's dogged insistence that all of it, from the North Pole, to the elves, to the man himself, is all just a myth. This all changes, however, on Christmas Eve, when a mysterious train visits Billy in the middle of the night, promising to take him and a group of other lucky children to the North Pole for a visit with Santa. The train's conductor (voiced by Tom Hanks) along with the other passengers help turn Billy's crisis in faith into a journey of self-discovery. The Polar Express was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Song and Best Sound Editing and it has a rating of 55% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. (18) Lethal Weapon
While the film isn't entirely about Christmas it is still set during Christmas so I'll allow it. L.A. cop Martin Riggs (played by Mel Gibson), whose wife has recently died, is a loose cannon with a seeming death wish. This makes him indispensable in collaring dangerous criminals, but a liability to any potential partners. Roger Murtaugh (played by Danny Glover), a conservative family man who wants to stay alive for his upcoming 50th birthday, is partnered with Riggs. As Riggs gets to know Murtaugh and his family, he begins to mellow, though his insistence on using guerilla tactics to catch criminals is still (put mildly) above and beyond the call of duty. The main villain is The General (played by Mitchell Ryan), a drug dealer responsible for the death of the daughter of one of Murtaugh's oldest friends. The General is also in charge of a deadly, militia-like gang of smugglers. Adding fuel to the fire is The General's chief henchman (played by Gary Busey). Lethal Weapon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing and it has a rating of 84% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. (17) Elf
This film is flat out hilarious, very quotable and one of Will Ferrell's most underrated films. Buddy (played by Will Ferrell), a regular-sized man who was raised as an elf by Santa Claus (played by Edward Asner). When the news is finally broken to Buddy that he's not a real elf, he decides to head back to his place of birth, New York City, in search of his biological family. Elf has a rating of 84% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. (16) Gremlins
This is one of those movies where you either absolutely love it or you absolutely hate it and if you've never seen the film then shame on you. "Don't expose him to bright light. Don't ever get him wet. And don't ever, ever feed him after midnight." This sage advice is ignored midway through Gremlins, with devastating results. Seeking a unique gift for his son an erstwhile inventor (played by Hoyt Axton) purchases a cute, fuzzy little "Mogwai" from a Chinatown shopkeeper's (played by Keye Luke) grandson (played by John Louie), who dispenses the above-mentioned warning before closing the deal. Meanwhile, young bank clerk Billy Peltzer (played by Zach Galligan) must suffer such antagonists as rich-bitch Mrs. Deagle (played by Polly Holliday) and priggish Gerald (played by Judge Reinhold) while pursuing his romance with Kate (played by Phoebe Cates). These and a variety of other plot strands are tied together when the lovable mogwai (named Gizmo) is exposed to bright light and gotten wet. In short order, the town is invaded by nasty, predatory Gremlins, who lay waste to everything in sight as Billy and Kate try to contain the destruction. Gremlins has a rating of 85% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. (15) Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas
I'm a huge fan of the book and the animated short film and this film is spectacular because it pretty much stays true to the original story (with a few add-ons and tweaks) and it has Jim Carrey in his prime. The curmudgeonly recluse Grinch (played by Jim Carrey), who hates Christmas, becomes annoyed with the out-of-control Christmas festivities in Whoville, the town lying below his cave dwelling on Mt. Crumpit. But after the Grinch conspires to deprive the Who's of their favorite holiday by sneaking into town on Christmas eve to steal everything associated with the holiday, he learns that the spirit of Christmas goes much deeper than tinsel and toys. Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Best Art Direction and it won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and it has a rating of 53% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. (14) Rocky IV
This film is heart-breaking and inspirational at the same time and it really represents America. When a Soviet superman (played by Dolph Lundgren) kills his friend Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers) in the boxing ring, the all-American fighter Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) challenges the Russian to a final bout. Rocky IV has a rating of 43% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. (13) Batman Returns
This has my favorite superhero and it's dark and gritty with an amazing cast. What more could I ask for. Batman (played by Michael Keaton)returns, this time protecting Gotham City from the Penguin (played by Danny DeVito) who is running for mayor and Catwoman (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) who is just having fun in her psychotic way. The two villains team up to frame the caped crusader. Batman Returns was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and it has a rating of 80% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. (12) Die Hard
This film is just amazing and it has one of the greatest quotes in cinema history. It's Christmas time in L.A., and there's an employee party in progress on the 30th floor of the Nakatomi Corporation building. The revelry comes to a violent end when the partygoers are taken hostage by a group of terrorists headed by Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman), who plan to steal the 600 million dollars locked in Nakatomi's high-tech safe. In truth, Gruber and his henchmen are only pretending to be politically motivated to throw the authorities off track; also in truth, Gruber has no intention of allowing anyone to get out of the building alive. Meanwhile, New York cop John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) has come to L.A. to visit his estranged wife, Holly (played by Bonnie Bedelia), who happens to be one of the hostages. Disregarding the orders of the authorities surrounding the building, McClane, who fears nothing (except heights), takes on the villains, armed with one handgun and plenty of chutzpah. Die Hard was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects and it has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. (11) The Muppet Christmas Carol
This a great and brand new take on the classic story and who better to do it than the Muppets who I absolutely enjoy and love. Ebenezer Scrooge (played by Michael Caine), an old miser who could care less about Christmas and the joy the season brings. Working for the skinflint is his faithful employee Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog)(voiced by Steve Whitmire), who begs Scrooge for a day off for Christmas. Scrooge reluctantly agrees and goes home on Christmas Eve filled with bile at the holiday merrymakers. But then he is visited by the sprits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, and Scrooge, after revisiting his sorrowful past, hate-filled present, and doomed future, turns over a new leaf and becomes the most generous and celebratory person in town. The Muppet Christmas Carol has a rating of 69% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of my list and what are some of your favorite Christmas movies of all-time? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Merry Christmas,
Jonah Sparks
10. (20) White Christmas
This is a flat out entertaining film with some great music and a talented cast. A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general. White Christmas has a rating of 76% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. (19) Polar Express
I really enjoyed the book as a small child and the film pretty much did the book justice with a few more added things. Billy (voiced by Hayden McFarland), who longs to believe in Santa Claus but finds it quite difficult to do so, what with his family's dogged insistence that all of it, from the North Pole, to the elves, to the man himself, is all just a myth. This all changes, however, on Christmas Eve, when a mysterious train visits Billy in the middle of the night, promising to take him and a group of other lucky children to the North Pole for a visit with Santa. The train's conductor (voiced by Tom Hanks) along with the other passengers help turn Billy's crisis in faith into a journey of self-discovery. The Polar Express was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Song and Best Sound Editing and it has a rating of 55% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. (18) Lethal Weapon
While the film isn't entirely about Christmas it is still set during Christmas so I'll allow it. L.A. cop Martin Riggs (played by Mel Gibson), whose wife has recently died, is a loose cannon with a seeming death wish. This makes him indispensable in collaring dangerous criminals, but a liability to any potential partners. Roger Murtaugh (played by Danny Glover), a conservative family man who wants to stay alive for his upcoming 50th birthday, is partnered with Riggs. As Riggs gets to know Murtaugh and his family, he begins to mellow, though his insistence on using guerilla tactics to catch criminals is still (put mildly) above and beyond the call of duty. The main villain is The General (played by Mitchell Ryan), a drug dealer responsible for the death of the daughter of one of Murtaugh's oldest friends. The General is also in charge of a deadly, militia-like gang of smugglers. Adding fuel to the fire is The General's chief henchman (played by Gary Busey). Lethal Weapon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing and it has a rating of 84% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. (17) Elf
This film is flat out hilarious, very quotable and one of Will Ferrell's most underrated films. Buddy (played by Will Ferrell), a regular-sized man who was raised as an elf by Santa Claus (played by Edward Asner). When the news is finally broken to Buddy that he's not a real elf, he decides to head back to his place of birth, New York City, in search of his biological family. Elf has a rating of 84% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. (16) Gremlins
This is one of those movies where you either absolutely love it or you absolutely hate it and if you've never seen the film then shame on you. "Don't expose him to bright light. Don't ever get him wet. And don't ever, ever feed him after midnight." This sage advice is ignored midway through Gremlins, with devastating results. Seeking a unique gift for his son an erstwhile inventor (played by Hoyt Axton) purchases a cute, fuzzy little "Mogwai" from a Chinatown shopkeeper's (played by Keye Luke) grandson (played by John Louie), who dispenses the above-mentioned warning before closing the deal. Meanwhile, young bank clerk Billy Peltzer (played by Zach Galligan) must suffer such antagonists as rich-bitch Mrs. Deagle (played by Polly Holliday) and priggish Gerald (played by Judge Reinhold) while pursuing his romance with Kate (played by Phoebe Cates). These and a variety of other plot strands are tied together when the lovable mogwai (named Gizmo) is exposed to bright light and gotten wet. In short order, the town is invaded by nasty, predatory Gremlins, who lay waste to everything in sight as Billy and Kate try to contain the destruction. Gremlins has a rating of 85% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. (15) Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas
I'm a huge fan of the book and the animated short film and this film is spectacular because it pretty much stays true to the original story (with a few add-ons and tweaks) and it has Jim Carrey in his prime. The curmudgeonly recluse Grinch (played by Jim Carrey), who hates Christmas, becomes annoyed with the out-of-control Christmas festivities in Whoville, the town lying below his cave dwelling on Mt. Crumpit. But after the Grinch conspires to deprive the Who's of their favorite holiday by sneaking into town on Christmas eve to steal everything associated with the holiday, he learns that the spirit of Christmas goes much deeper than tinsel and toys. Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Best Art Direction and it won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and it has a rating of 53% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. (14) Rocky IV
This film is heart-breaking and inspirational at the same time and it really represents America. When a Soviet superman (played by Dolph Lundgren) kills his friend Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers) in the boxing ring, the all-American fighter Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) challenges the Russian to a final bout. Rocky IV has a rating of 43% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. (13) Batman Returns
This has my favorite superhero and it's dark and gritty with an amazing cast. What more could I ask for. Batman (played by Michael Keaton)returns, this time protecting Gotham City from the Penguin (played by Danny DeVito) who is running for mayor and Catwoman (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) who is just having fun in her psychotic way. The two villains team up to frame the caped crusader. Batman Returns was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and it has a rating of 80% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. (12) Die Hard
This film is just amazing and it has one of the greatest quotes in cinema history. It's Christmas time in L.A., and there's an employee party in progress on the 30th floor of the Nakatomi Corporation building. The revelry comes to a violent end when the partygoers are taken hostage by a group of terrorists headed by Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman), who plan to steal the 600 million dollars locked in Nakatomi's high-tech safe. In truth, Gruber and his henchmen are only pretending to be politically motivated to throw the authorities off track; also in truth, Gruber has no intention of allowing anyone to get out of the building alive. Meanwhile, New York cop John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) has come to L.A. to visit his estranged wife, Holly (played by Bonnie Bedelia), who happens to be one of the hostages. Disregarding the orders of the authorities surrounding the building, McClane, who fears nothing (except heights), takes on the villains, armed with one handgun and plenty of chutzpah. Die Hard was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects and it has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. (11) The Muppet Christmas Carol
This a great and brand new take on the classic story and who better to do it than the Muppets who I absolutely enjoy and love. Ebenezer Scrooge (played by Michael Caine), an old miser who could care less about Christmas and the joy the season brings. Working for the skinflint is his faithful employee Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog)(voiced by Steve Whitmire), who begs Scrooge for a day off for Christmas. Scrooge reluctantly agrees and goes home on Christmas Eve filled with bile at the holiday merrymakers. But then he is visited by the sprits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, and Scrooge, after revisiting his sorrowful past, hate-filled present, and doomed future, turns over a new leaf and becomes the most generous and celebratory person in town. The Muppet Christmas Carol has a rating of 69% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of my list and what are some of your favorite Christmas movies of all-time? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Merry Christmas,
Jonah Sparks
No comments:
Post a Comment