Holiday Challenge 2012 (1 Viewer)

[PatW]

14 Call Me Claus (2001) (CMT on 12/13/12) :star:
As much as I liked Whoopie Goldberg, most of her movies suck big time. This one is no exception. I know I'm in the minority but I just couldn't develop any affection for it and for me was a waste of
time.
15 The Christmas Gift (2009) ( Fam on 12/15/12) :star::star::half:
A toy factory owner and his wife decide to take in three discipline challenged boys from his aunt's orphanage during the Christmas holidays. Predictable, sweet but forgettable.
16 Santa Clause (1994) (CTV HD on 12/17/12) :star::star::star::half:
One of the better Christmas movies for me. Even though the last 1/4 is unbearably corny, I still enjoy the movie a lot.
Not able to get in as many movies as I thought I would. Will probably finish up with Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas Vacation. Don't know how many more I'll be able to fit in from now to then.

 

[JohnS]

I took off an extra day last night to catch up with all my Christmas stuff.
I'm at work now, and there's reports that it's snowing outside.
Nothing major since this is Las Vegas.
But it sucks being stuck inside work when it does get the chance to snow here.
I watched LOTS!!! all of it in two days.
I still have so much more to watch and two more days off to do it in.
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas a really enjoyable Christmas special with Prancer being a nice welcome and Sid being extremely funny.
a special that I would love to watch again next year.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town more Rankin & Bass goodness. Probably my second favorite of all their specials.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer My absolute favorite Rankin & Bass special. I just LOVE the animation that's done in this. Love the facial features and personalities of Yukon Cornelius and Hermey the Elf.
Jeffersons # 708 "All I want for Christmas" My first Christmas episode for the Jeffersons. When George plays Santa at an orphange, a kid questions if he's the real Santa because of him being black.
George replies to the kid, "What makes you so sure Santa is a honky." I just love that line.
Look who's Talking Now I love watxching this movie everynow and then for Christmas. I do liek the idea that they had the dogs talk this time. And both kids can actually act really well, which makes it a joy to watch.
Tis the season to be Smurfy A much better Smurf Cristmas special then the last one I watched.
More smurfs and a great heart-warming message.
Friends #910 "The One With Christmas In Tulsa" Didn't like this episode, as a lot of it is flashing back to older epsiodes. To me, when an episode can't give you a full episode and has to rely on flashbacks of other episodes, it means lazy writing.
Bob's Burgers #309 "God Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins" Bob's Burgers holiday episodes have been extremely funny. This one ranks right up there. Hoping to add this episode as a yearly tradition. A great episode to make you laugh during a hectic time.
The Cleveland Show #406 "'Tis The Cleveland To Be Sorry" A funny episode with Cleveland pretending to be homeless to get the good food the homeless get on Christmas.
Robot Chicken #613 "Robot Chicken's ATM Christmas Special" Another top notch Robot Christmas special with Santa almost misses Christmas; Kano spends the holidays with Mrs. Cage; Justin Bieber releases a new song; G.I. Joe has a special Christmas and Santa trying to deliver a present to Jason Bourne. All funny stuff.
Community #112 "Comparative Religion" A great epsiode where we learn everyone's religion. Pierce's racist comments may be obscene but it's still very funny.
#310 "Regional Holiday Music" A fun episode with some great moments of Annie being very sexy singing "Teach me about Christmas" Betty Boop style. and Shirley resisting the urge to sing, that is until Piece brings in a Christian childrens choir.
Mickey's Christmas Carol Such a great holiday special with terrific animation and story telling. Great cameos by some great Disney characters.

 

[Radioman970]

I kind of remember that Jeffersons with George as the black Santa. I know there was a All in the Family with George's brother dressed as Santa and Archie had a problem with it. lol
No Christmas for me yesterday either. I'd planned to devour a pomegranate over Christmas Vacation or Scrooged but it got late so I went with a non-Christmas 1960s Hawaii 5-O episode instead. I didn't quite get done so I went with a non-Christmas Sanford & son. /OT

 

Watching "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July" right now. Up tonight: "A Christmas Carol" (1951.) Tomorrow night I am watching: "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" (The Waltons), "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"(Rankin/Bass), "A Garfield Christmas," "Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus" (1974), and "A Claymation Christmas Celebration." May also watch: "Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales." Friday Night is: "Mickey's Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life" (blu-ray). Saturday Night is: "Home Alone 2." I am wrapping up the season on Sunday Night with: "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus." (Rankin/Bass)

This year I did not watch: "Santa Claus The Movie", "Scrooged," "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (1988, Hal Holbrook and Eva Marie Saint), "The House Without a Christmas Tree," (wasn't in the mood for that one this year) "Raggedy Ann and Andy's Christmas Adventure" (a terrible episode from the 80s series, not the wonderful special from the 70s), and "The Littlest Angel."

 

[JohnS]

I kind of remember that Jeffersons with George as the black Santa. I know there was a All in the Family with George's brother dressed as Santa and Archie had a problem with it. lol
No Christmas for me yesterday either. I'd planned to devour a pomegranate over Christmas Vacation or Scrooged but it got late so I went with a non-Christmas 1960s Hawaii 5-O episode instead. I didn't quite get done so I went with a non-Christmas Sanford & son. /OT

I'm watching other Jeffersons Christmas episodes and I'm quite enjoying them.
I'm curious to see how the Benson ones are.
I ordered from Amazon the Are You Being Served? Christmas set.
It comes this afternoon. Can't wait to watch these again.
I'm also doing loads of movies tonight too.
I'm really enjoying all this Christmas stuff
How is everyone else enjoying their stuff and days?
I have added more to the calendar including Nickelodeon stuff on Dec 23rd and Deck the Halls movie playing on FX on Dec 23rd & 24th.

 

[Radioman970]

I think I missed Benson. Barely watched SOAP originally. I have SOAP now but I've been watching it very slowly. I like it a lot, just too much other stuff I choose instead. Once done with All in the Family (on Season 9 now) SOAP would be a good one to replace it. I think SOAP was one of those I bragged at school about watching, since it was considered kind of dirty... haha, but never actually watched it that much. I have old and newer nostalgia about it. I stayed home sick years ago and watched a bunch of episodes. Such a great time getting away from work, even though I was sick as a dog.
I have AYBS, I remember their episodes being a lot of fun. Although I'm not the biggest fan of the ones where they put on shows in the store. I like the ones that show them dealing with customers and co-workers the best.
Both my dogs (one a Landseer, google that... haha) need bathing before they can spend time with company this christmas. Lifting a big dog into the bath tub is something I dread almost as much as sitting in a waiting room. So... if I can get to anything today I'd sure be a happy person, aching back, but happy too.
the few things I've watched I really enjoyed. Home Alone was especially nice this year. The All in the Family Chirstmas episodes, ... I need to do Chrismas Vacation, A Christmas Story and a few others before it's too late. I have that Mill Creek set of stuff. I'd like to try out a few on there. Santa Conquers (non-MST3k) would be great. Although I'd probably start doing the MST3K jokes since I pretty much know the thing by heart that way. It's fun reading what others are watching... but .just to get to some things myself would be nice. We have a few things to wrap so that'll be a good excuse.

 

[BobO'Link]

I've shifted into "classics" mode in an attempt to get my absolute favorites in before Christmas Day. In the past week I've watched:
Christmas Vacation (1989)
A Christmas Carol (1938)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Holiday Inn (1942)
White Christmas (1954)
Looking at Home Alone, The Santa Clause, or It Happened on 5th Avenue for tonight.

 

[Michael Elliott]

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) :star::star::star::half: (Netflix instant)
Classic stop-motion animation from producer Tim Burton and director Henry Selick about Jack Skellington, the leader of a town devoted to Halloween, who grows tired of everything being the same so he decides to wonder out to a small town where he discovers then celebrating Christmas. Wanting to crash the party, Jack takes over the role of Santa Claus with his added bit of darkness. The stop-motion sub-genre has always been something that fascinated me just from a technical level. It's just amazing to me how much work has to be done in order to get any movie made but the stop-motion process just blows my mind because of everything that has to be done. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE Christmas is without question one of the greatest looking films the genre has ever seen and no matter how many times I see it there's always something I see for the first time. The amount of details in every shot is just amazing to see and especially when you really look and notice how much is going on during every scene. I think the most impressive stuff is in Halloweentown because of all the detail and the terrific imagination going on. All of the characters, especially Jack and the mad doctor, are perfect but even the smaller ones just contain so much imagination that you can't help but get involved with what's going on. The music numbers are also extremely entertaining and quite clever in their lyrics. I think what really works so well is that most people feel Christmas or Halloween are the best holidays out there and this film really captures the spirit of both so well.
A Flintstone Family Christmas (1993) :star::star::half: (Boom)
Decent short has Fred and Barney being held up by a young orphan who has always been in trouble with the law. Wilma feels sorry for the kid and invites him back to their house for Christmas but Fred doesn't like the kid at all but overtime they become buds. A FLINTSTONE FAMILY Christmas isn't nearly as good as some of the early episodes and specials that dealt with the holiday. Overall I think fans of the show are going to be somewhat disappointed because this special is just missing a certain quality that made the earlier stuff so special. With that said, this here isn't too bad but I think the biggest problem is that the kid is just so annoying. Not once did I like this kid and I really didn't care for his transformation as the picture went along. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on a cartoon but this was a big part of the story and it just didn't work for me. I also thought some of the jokes were a little flat, especially for a Christmas special as there's even a joke about Charlie Mansonstone. Try explaining that to the kids if they ask.
A Christmas Carol (1994) :star::star::half: (Netflix instant)
Toshiyuki Hiruma and Takashi directed this animated version of the Charles Dickens' story about the mean Scrooge who is visited by three ghosts to see if he can change his ways. One thing I like to do is see as many versions of a classic story that I can get my hands on. Stuff like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and A Christmas Carol have been done so many times that it's not hard to keep finding new versions to check out. I've always felt that the Dickens' story is so strong that it would be hard to mess it up and that continues with this version. I will say that this here is probably one of the weakest versions I've seen but it's still very much worth watching. I think the biggest problem with this here is that the Scrooge character just isn't all that interesting. I never really enjoyed him as the mean old man at the start of the film and the joyous turn at the end didn't really work either. It just really seems that the directors watered the character down and it just never came to life. The story itself certainly does as we're given a pretty good version of the ending and there are several good moments throughout including the Ghost of Christmas Future. I also really enjoyed the look of the film and especially that of the three ghosts as they're given a quite creepy look. If you've never seen a version of the Dickens' story then you won't want to start here but if you're like me and enjoy seeing various versions, this here has enough going for it.
Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977) :star::star::star: (ABCFamily)
Another winning Christmas short from the Bass-Rankin team. This one here centers on a donkey named Nestor who is constantly being picked on due to his large ears. All of this changes when Joseph and Mary come upon him and ask for his help. NESTOR, THE LONG-EARED Christmas DONKEY is certainly a cute little film that features the wonderful stop-motion animation that really brings all the characters to life. When one watches this movie they can't help but think of DUMBO and BAMBI as this film features stuff that is very similar to them. As with BAMBI, there's a death scene here that's done in a pretty dark and sad way and I'm sure this here might upset several kids who were to watch it. Still, I think the heart of the film is still here and on full display. The story itself is quite touching and the rise of Nestor, while predictable, is still fun to watch. There are some terrific songs here sung by Roger Miller who also does a fabulous job with the narration.
Cabbage Patch Kids' First Christmas (1984) :star::star::half: (Forgot)
Decent Christmas special has the Cabbage Patch Kids learning about the holiday for the first time. Fearing they won't find the Christmas spirit in their yard, the kids travel to the city to locate it when they happen upon an orphan trying to be adopted as well as three thieves trying to harm them. CABBAGE PATCH KIDS' FIRST Christmas is mainly going to appeal to fans of the dolls because most others probably won't find too much charm here. I think at 23-minutes the movie remains entertaining from start to finish but there's really nothing overly special here to make someone, other than fans, watch it a second time. For the most part the animation was quite good and especially the look of the children. I can vaguely remember the dolls from when I was a child and I thought the filmmakers captured the looks quite well. The biggest problem is that the adventure itself just doesn't have enough going for it to really carry the entire film. Everything's pretty predictable as you'd expect and without any major laughs or heartwarming scenes, this here just remains watchable without coming close to being a classic.
The Smurfs Christmas Special (1982) :star::star::star: (Cartoon or Boom or something)
It's Christmas time at Smurf land but Gargamel and his dirty cat have kidnapped two children who he is going to give to a mysterious stranger who has also kidnapped their uncle. The Smurfs find out what's going on and decide to use the Christmas spirit to rescue them. THE SMURFS Christmas SPECIAL isn't the greatest short you're ever going to watch but if you're a fan of the television show then you should find enough humor here to make it worth watching. I was a little surprised but for a Christmas special there's really not too much Christmas stuff going on. The main story actually has very little to do with the holiday and when you learn what the stranger is up to it really doesn't make too much sense and especially for a Christmas special. The film offers up some good animation and I thought there were some very funny moments. This is especially true with Grumpy Smurf and his constant complaints.

 

[JohnS]

Michael,
Smurfs and Cabbage Patch Kids was on Boomerang
I have added to the calendar yet again with more stuff on Dec 22nd, which includes stuff on Abc and Unwrapped Holiday marathon on the Food Network.
Also Holiday cartoons on the Cartoon Network.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Ha, thanks!! I've been watching so many of these things with my son that I'm losing track. I think I've watched FROSTY THE SNOWMAN at least six times, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (original) four times and he even went through RUDOLPH (the early cartoon) a few times. I had already seen all of these so it's mainly just fun seeing his reaction to them.
I'm going to Louisville this weekend for my family get together and a local theater is playing IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE at midnight. I'm debating on going and trying to talk my girlfriend into it but she's dead set on NEVER seeing this film. We'll see how it goes.

 

[JohnS]

If you get Antenna TV they will be playing Christmas episodes of all the classic TV shows on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day all day and night long.
These are the shows they run
Adam-12
Dragnet
Hazel
Father Knows Best
Dennis the Menace
Leave it to Beaver
Partridge Family
All in the Family
Good Times
There's Company
Too Close for Comfort
Maude
Married with Children
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The Burns and Allen Show
Here Comes the Brides
S.W.A.T.
Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
McHale's Navy
Flying Nun
The Monkees
Sanford & Son
Father Knows Best
WKRP in Cincinnati
The Nanny

 

[John Stell]

020) 12/06/2012 Steve Martin: A Holiday Wish (1989)

This Saturday Night Live skit was released on the recent Shout! Factory release of Steve Martin: The TV Stuff. Steve of course starts out with a sincere-sounding wish but then has second thoughts about what his first wish would really be.

021) 12/19/2012 A Christmas Story (1983)

Warm and very funny story about little Ralphie, growing up in 1940s Indiana, and his pursuit of a bee-bee gun for Christmas. No real plot, but a nonstop series of funny situations that make us fall in love with this family. Just perfect.

022) 12/19/2012 SCTV Network Christmas Staff Party (1981)

SCTV is my favorite of the various sketch shows that have followed in the wake of SNL. This episode aired in December 1981 and most of the familiar SCTV characters (The Mackenzie Brothers, Johnny LaRue, Edith Prickley, Lola Heatherton, etc.) show up at the staff Christmas party. The funniest bit is a mini-special called Neil Simon's Nutcracker Suite with Dave Thomas doing a terrific Michael Caine.

 

[Radioman970]

^^^ awesome lineup. Wish I'd thought of that. I have all that on hand.

 

[JohnS]

I have added more to the calendar for more specials on Dec 21st.
Enjoying my two days off and getting lots of Christmas stuff watched.
I love watching all this stuff.
The Jeffersons #312 "Christmas Wedding" and #1010 "Father Christmas" both enjoyable episodes. The wedding episode plays more like a wedding episode than a Christmas one. Father Christmas episode we get to see Tom and George as kids during Christmas time. And George's flashback has a funny moment where he writes down a future wish where he makes for when he gets married to give his wife a fur coat, a luxury apartment and a taxi cab to get them there(recalls the opening of the Jeffersons)
Yogi's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper only thing I like about this social was we get a nice mix of H&B cartoon characters including cameos by Fred & Barney, Pixie, Dixie and Mr. Jinx, Wally Gator, Magilla Gorilla and Yakee. With all the characters in this special, it would have been nice to make it an hour for everyone to get equal screen time.
Merry Christmas Mr. Bean My all time favorite Christmas special. I watch this every year including when it's not Christmas. The only problem I have with this special is that now that's it's available on DVD, Mr. Atkinson made the decision to cut out the turkey scene where he wins it. it's such a funny scene and I really do miss it.
Barney Miller #512 "Toys" not a funny episode, I'm sure there are better Barney miller episodes out there. It's more centered on a toy theft and Barney Miller's marriage than it is centered on Christmas.
Home Alone A movie I love watching every year a week before Christmas. My favorite moments are when Kevin makes it look like he's having a party to scare off the thieves and his little wave he gives to Pesci when he's being taken away in the squad car.
South Park #715 "It's Christmas in Canada" Even though the episode doesn't go all out Christmas, it's still very funny as they do a Wizard of Oz like episode about getting Ike back from Canada. Love all the Canadians they run into along their journey.
A Flintstone Family Christmas I was surprised I liked this given its more of an up to date Flintstone story. I was also glad they didn't have grown up Pebbles and Bam-Bam in it that much.
Are You Being Served? #309 "Christmas Crackers" and #407 "The Father Christmas affair" Two great Christmas episodes. I love the CDU (Christmas Display Unit) that flashes every time it says "I have something special for you little boy" and Ai love the Christmas lunch they have in Christmas Crackers.
Both episodes are great things to watch every year.
The Office #511 "Moroccan Christmas" and #810 "Christmas Wishes" Moroccan Christmas is one of my favorite office episodes. I just love how Michael forces Meredith to alcohol rehab against her will telling them that "I have a deposit" also Michael trying to do an intervention during the Christmas party is pretty funny. Christmas wishes has its moments, but the absence of Michael is missed and just isn't as funny as the previous Christmas episodes.
Futurama #208 "Xmas Story" #402 "A Tale of Two Santas" #613 "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular" The Futurama Christmas episodes are great things to watch when you need a laugh during the holidays. I love their take on how people celebrate Christmas in the year 3000.
I still plan on watching lots of stuff tonight including Christmas vacation and Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D

 

I looked on the Christmas Wiki page. Of the 200 specials they have listed (many are actually series episodes and not stand alone specials), I have 190 of them. Not too shabby!!!! Add to that the dozens of movies and my collection is pretty complete. I will upgrade from time to time when better transfers are available, but I am pretty happy with what I have.

Up tonight: "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (from the Treasures tin) and "It's a Wonderful Life" (blu-ray.)

 

[JohnS]

Nightmare Before Christmas 3D The one movie you can watch both on Halloween or Christmas and still get enough holiday cheer.
The 3D didn't really add anything, and I actually prefer the 2D version.
I found myself not enjoying as much when I watched it in 3D
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Another movie I absolutely love watching a few days before Christmas. It's so strange seeing Juliette Lewis and Johnny Johnny Galecki in this now knowing what they look like today. Especially Johnny Galecki who really out grew that voice he had when he was a kid. This is a movie I can watch over and over and still be funny to me.
A Very Brady Christmas A very boring Christmas special. And even a boring Brady reunion. We get a fake Cindy (Susan Olsen was the only original cast member not to appear in the movie, because she was on her honeymoon in Jamaica when it was filming.) But Jennifer Runyon that replaced her was the only good thing, as she was so hot back then.
I thought the writting was very weak. And I HATED, HATED the way they got rid of Sam the Butcher(Leaving Alice for a younger woman with meat metaphors goodbye letter) right away in the beginning. Then they used a fake Sam (Lewis Arquette) to show up in the end. And they also give us two flashbacks in case all the die hard Brady fans(only ones watching this) forgot what happend 43 years ago.
Flintstone Christmas Not a bad Flintstone Christmas special. I hated the songs. Also a little bit older Bam-Bam and Pebbles was slightly annoying. but I did enjoy Fred and Barney playing Santa for a night.
Rifftrax Presents: Night Before Christmas Another educational type of short that the MST3K staff riffs on. Not a lot of funny jokes, but enough get get a few good laughs.
Family Guy #907 "Road to the North Pole" A great holiday episode for Family Guy fans. I love the mutated elves and Stewie going up to one("Hey, there...") of them to cut his arm off to tempt the rabid reindeer. Also some good song "Christmas time is killing us" and "What I want for Christmas this year"

 

Watching "Home Alone 2" on blu-ray right now. I only have one more Christmas special left: "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" (Rankin/Bass). I'm saving it up for Sunday night.

 

[Radioman970]

Rich Little's A Christmas Carol. The guy does most of these voices better than the real people do. Seriously, his Carson is better than CARSON'S CARSON! Been watching this since about 1980 or something. Always a joy.
Emmit Otter's Jug Band Christmas. I realized that the guy from Henson's voice troup who passed recently did the voice of Emmit. A real shame. Like Jim himself, I've enjoyed that guy's work since I was a kid. Nice little story, great songs. Pretty good dvd with funny bloopes and outstakes, etc. (looked up the voice guy, Jerry Nelson died in August. He was Gobo on Fraggle Rock and etc etc etc. RIP)
A Christmas Story. Haven't seen this in years. An absolutely BALL! This will get you through a lot of that annoying gift wrapping duty!

 

[JohnS]

Rifftrax came out with a new Christmas short called "Santa's Village of Madness" from K. Gordon Murray who brought you "Santa Claus" the MST3K epiosde #521. You can buy it at Rifftrax.com for $5.
Here a preview of it.

 

[Malcolm R]

Gremlins
The heart-warming story of a well-intentioned Christmas gift gone bad, that results in little monsters being unleashed in a picturesque small town. The Joe Dante classic still holds up well, though some of the pre-CGI FX are looking a little dated by modern standards. Hard to believe this film is nearly 30 years old. Dante's comments in the special features indicate the first rough cut of the movie was over 2 1/2 hours. I'd love to see a special extended edition on blu.