Holiday Challenge 2012 (1 Viewer)

[JohnS]

Today I watched
Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas this was a TCM original documentary that was made in 2011.
Stars from classic Christmas movies from yesterday and today reflected back on memories on and off the set.
They showed footage from Bishop's wife, Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation.
Zack Ward ( Scut Farkus, Christmas Story), Chevy Chase (Christmas Vacation) Joe Dante, Chazz Palminteri, Deborah Raffin, Brian Henson (Muppet Christmas Carol)
Are just some of the stars that shared their favorite Christmas memories while making their Christmas movies.
They also talked about some movies that weren't Christmas movies, but were centered around the holiday.
I enjoyed watching this, as it was a nice way to start out the holiday season.
It's also a great thing to watch if your about to watch a lot of holiday movies.
Christmas Comes to Pac-Land
Pac-Man and family help Santa Claus after crash-landing on Pac-Land (after the reindeer were startled by the floating eyes of the Ghost Monsters after Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Baby munched them). Even though I like the Pac-Man cartoon, I didn't really enjoy this like I do with the other episodes. Mezmaron was abscent from this episode.
Jetsons #241 "Jetson Christmas Carol"
A retelling of a Christmas Carol with Mr. Spacely learning the true meaning of Christmas.
Judy, Elroy and Jane go Christmas shopping at the mall. Rosie makes eggnog, George is working overtime on Christmas Eve and Astro enjoys his Christmas present a little early and ends up sick.
This is another episode I didn't enjoy like I do with the other ones. It also felt a little rushed since it was a standard 30min episode.
MY CHRISTMAS WATCH LIST

 

I also watched "Jim Henson's The Christmas Toy." Tomorrow night I am starting my "Ultimate Christmas Specials Week." Here is the line-up:

Monday: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, "Frosty the Snowman," and "Frosty's Winter Wonderland."
Tuesday: "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus"
Wednesday: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (both on blu-ray)
Thursday: "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" (blu-ray)

 

[BobO'Link]

With Chanukah starting tonight, don't for get there is Chanukah stuff to watch like...
Rugrats: “A Rugrats Chanukah”
Friends: “The One With the Holiday Armadillo”
An American Tail (It begins on Chanukah)
The O.C.: “The Best Chrismukkah Ever”

And be sure to listen to "Jesus was a Dreidel Spinner" from Jill Sobule's Holiday EP "It's the Thought that Counts".
Description from her site:

Jill’s original tune, quite possibly the only punk Hanukkah song ever written. Or the only one you can dance the Hora to, anyway.

 

[JohnS]

And be sure to listen to "Jesus was a Dreidel Spinner" from Jill Sobule's Holiday EP "It's the Thought that Counts".
Description from her site:

Sarah Silverman has one called "Give the Jew girl toys"

 

[Michael Elliott]

The 12 Disasters of Christmas (2012) :star::half: (SyFyHD)
Really stupid movie has a girl (Magda Apanowicz) learning that she's the "chosen one" and must collect five rings to prevent the Mayan prediction of the world coming to an end from happening. Along with her father (Ed Quinn) the two try and capture the rings while avoiding earthquakes, tornadoes, ice spears and other disasters. THE 12 DISASTERS OF Christmas should have been so much fun but instead it's just one long, boring mess of a film that takes itself way too serious. Add in the totally unbelievable special effects and you've got another worthless movie that people turn into SyFy for each Saturday. I actually thought this one here had a pretty interesting story but it soon struck me that the "end of the world" wasn't really the "end of the world" because all of the events were just taking place in this one small hick town. It's also pretty hard to be scared of anything you're watching when the special effects are so poor that you can't help but roll your eyes. This is especially true during the scenes where people are freezing and the ice spears really aren't any better. The performances are about average for this type of picture but you really can't blame them too much considering the screenplay. THE LORD OF THE RINGS is another obvious "inspiration" but director Steven R. Monroe (I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE) just can't bring any life to the material.
Caillou's Holiday Movie (2003) :star::star: (Sprout)
Disappointing feature-length version of the Canadian show about the 4-year-old Caillou who learns about the true meaning of Christmas. I'm not going to sit here and play some sort of moral police, which seems to happen whenever Caillou is brought up. Some parents hate the television show yet they still sat and watched this movie. Either way, my son really loved Caillou so I'm pretty sure I've seen all of the television episodes. For the most part they were cute for what they were but all of that is missing from this film. There are many problems here but one is that it just wasn't a good idea trying to take a 10-minute TV show and expand it to 70-minutes. The film seems extremely long and there are just so many scenes that seem to be here for no other reason than the producers needed a longer movie. Most of the charm is gone and even the lessons learned aren't all that special. There are some interesting things here including Caillou learning how Christmas is celebrated in other places but this here takes up a very small portion of the running time. It also didn't help that the musical numbers are incredibly forgetful.
Christmas Comes to PacLand (1982) :star::star::star: (Boom)
Surprisenly good animated film has Santa Claus landing in PacLand where PacMan and his family are confused by who he is and what he does. Santa explains that he delivers presents to people on Christmas but his sack of toys have gone missing. PacMan must then go out to the Ghost Brothers to try and get them back. Christmas COMES TO PACLAND is a pretty entertaining little short that clocks in at 24-minutes and actually manages to be entertaining throughout. I never watched the television show so this here was the first time I had actually seen anything with the characters (outside the game of course) and I was surprised at how entertaining and likable they were. As you'd expect, the Christmas message is full of bright and the ending is also incredibly cute. The animation itself was also very impressive and I really liked the colors used for the scenery.
Deadfall (2012) :star::star: (HDMovieNet)
On the eve of Thanksgiving, brother and sister Addison (Eric Bana) and Liza (Olivia Wilde) head off into different directions in blizzard conditions after a failed robbery. While he's running around causing more mayhem, Liza meets a boxer (Charlie Hunnam) recently released from prison. The two strike up a friendship and head off to his parent's (Sissy Spacek, Kris Kristofferson) house where the brother has also found his way to. DEADFALL is a thriller from director Stefan Ruzowitzky but one really has to wonder what went so wrong with this thing. There aren't any thrills, the story itself is downright boring and the so-called character development is rather laughable. I'm really not certain what they were trying to do with this thing but in the end it's just a complete waste of talent and the viewer's time. The biggest problem is without question the screenplay that just never comes to life as we're introduced to characters that we've seen way too many times before and this film doesn't do anything new with them. Every twist and turn in this picture is something you'll see coming from a mile a way and it all leads to a rather embarrassing and laughable ending. Several subplots are introduced to the film but these here just seem to happen for no reason and they're never explained or revisited later in the film. The interesting cast is the only thing that keeps this from being a complete disaster. Bana is actually very good as the cold-blooded killer but it's too bad they didn't write a better role for him. Wilde is also very good in her supporting role as the sister. Kate Mara is also good as a deputy being abused by her sheriff father, although this here is another subplot that makes no sense. Both Spacek and Kristofferson are pretty much wasted but it's nice seeing them. DEADFALL lacks any tension, lacks any development and in the end it's just a complete mess that's really not worth sitting through.
Such Is Life (1924) :star::star::half: (TCM)
Mildly amusing take on "The Little Match Girl" theme has Baby Peggy playing an orphan out in the snow who decides to sell matches in order to buy food. While out on the street she gets picked on by a rich woman and her snob daughter but soon the two are going to be thankful for Peggy. As many other reviewers have pointed out, Baby Peggy was so popular in 1924 that it seems the studio was willing to put her in anything and it didn't depend on the quality. I've seen a couple films from this period and I really haven't been won over mainly because the films themselves are just cheap imitations of much better movies and stories. The "Little Match Girl" story is one of the greatest of all time but it's pretty much watered down here and the majority of the film rests on the shoulders of Baby Peggy. She's quite charming here as she stumbles in and out of the cold but even she can only do so much. The highlight of the film is a showdown she has with a snowman that comes to life. I must admit that I thought the look of this "snowman" was quite unique and I'm sure it creeped out quite a few back in 1924.

 

[JohnS]

I got one thing watched today.
Dexter #711 "Do You See What I See?" was surprisingly a Christmas episode. Not going into any details as I might expose some secrets since it's near the end of the season.
It's not something you want to watch every Christmas. This episode has been pretty much like this whole season, just average.
Just as a reminder.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) Fox is airing holiday episodes for all their shows like Mindy Project, New Girl and Raising Hope.
Thursday Big Bang Theory has a Christmas episode.
Dec 16th is Robot Chicken's Christmas Special.
This coming Sunday is Fox's Animation Domination's Christmas Episodes. Family Guy, American Dad, Bob's Burgers and Cleveland Show.
Also be on the lookout for a second Old Navy Griswold Christmas commercial starring
Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall (Vacation), Dana Barron (Vacation), Juliette Lewis (Christmas Vacation) and Jason Livey (European Vacation)
The house they film in also looks a klot like the one from Christmas Vacation, but I'm pretty sure it's not.
Griswolds absent are Johnny Galecki (Christmas Vacation) Dana Hill (European Vacation) who passed away. Ethan Embry and Marisol Nichols (both from Vegas Vacation)

 

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol is returning to NBC for its 50th Anniversary, on Saturday December 22nd.

 

[Richard V]

Here are more that fit the theme either directly or by benefit of taking place during the holidays:
Batman Returns - Takes place during Christmas
Home for the Holidays - Thanksgiving
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles - Thanksgiving
Holiday Inn - *all* the major holidays plus introduces Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (White Christmas [1954] is an unofficial remake of this film - IMHO Holiday Inn is the superior version)
Christmas in Connecticut (watch the 1945 original with Barbara Stanwyck - not the 1992 TV remake)
It Happened on 5th Avenue
The Lemon Drop Kid (Bob Hope - introduces the classic Christmas song "Silver Bells")
The Bishop's Wife
March of the Wooden Soldiers
Pocketful of Miracles
The Apartment - Christmas
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - takes place during Christmas
1941 - Takes place following the Dec. 9th attack on Pearl Harbor and leads up to Christmas
Surviving Christmas
Die Hard - takes place during Christmas
Joyeux Noel - WWI tale of Christmas in the trenches
On Her Majesty's Secret Service - takes place during the Christmas Holiday

Meet Me in St. Louis - Judy Garland introduces a Christmas classic - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

 

[PatW]

10 The Christmas Box (1995) ( Lifetime on 12/9/12) :star::star::star::star:
Heart-warming tale about a shop owner who moves his family in with a wealthy elderly lady, who needs someone to help her and lend a hand around her estate. This was surprisingly good and it was
a pleasure to see Maureen O'Hara again.
11 Snow (2004) ( ABC Family on 12/10/12) :star::star::star::half:
Corny but enjoyable movie about a young man named Nick who follows his kidnapped reindeer from the North Pole to a zoo in California. Fun movie but forgettable.

 

[JohnS]

Google celebrates Festivus
Type “Festivus” into google and Seinfeld fans receive an unexpected treat: The undecorated aluminum Festivus pole.
TBS will air the Festivus episode, "The Strike" on Dec 21st.
You can also type in "Hanukkah" to get a star of david garland across the top.
I have updated the calendar with lots of TV episodes that will be holiday/Christmas themed
starting later this week Nickelodeon and Fox will be playing Friends Christmas episodes.
New Years Eve debuts on HBO this Saturday night at 7:30pm
I watched three specials today.
Smurfs Christmas Smurfs get ready for Christmas. Gargamel hunts for the Smurfs village. Two lost children search for their grandfather and end up in Gargamels hands.
Even though I haven't seen a lot of Smurfs episodes, I enjoyed this Christmas episode. They only negative thing is that you don't get a lot of your favorite Smurfs showing up.
Cabbage Patch Kids First Christmas The cabbage patch kids venture out on their own into the city and try to find the Christmas Spirit (who they think is a real person) They meet a little girl who looks to be adopted during the holidays.
I didn't even know there was a cabbage patch kids cartoon until I saw this on the DVR. It wasn't a bad cartoon. But it wasn't great either. The normal bad guys that are after the kids are just a little too creepy. But it does have a nice message that comes across.
Twas the Night Before Christmas a Rankin & Bass special I really like.
These are specials you're just not going to see made again.
These special knew how to have a Christmas special with good messages and morals.
The other thing you're not king o find is Santa smoking in front of kids and a father singing to his kid about being happy and using the word 'gay' to define it.
I like Albert mouse. Also a memorable song that I still remember from the first time I seen this.
I wish I had winter/Christmas weather to fully enjoy this stuff I'm watching to get me in the full mood.
It's just not the same.

 

I too wish it were snowy and cold here so I could get into the spirit more.

 

[JohnS]

I too wish it were snowy and cold here so I could get into the spirit more.

The other thing that makes it hard to get in the spirit and enjoy watching what I'm watching is working(with the public)
The last few weeks has been putting me in crabby moods. It was much of a simpler time when you were a kid and you were watching all of these holiday specials with excitement.
At least the next two days are my days off.
I have loads of stuff on my DVR to watch hopefully with better excitement.
MY CHRISTMAS WATCH LIST

 

[Michael Elliott]

i think the "Christmas Spirit" shown in these films/tv shows is more science-fiction than any bit of truths. I too work with the public and this here is the worst time of the year because 95% of the time I'm getting cussed out. I'm thankfully done with the Christmas shopping (finished last month) but even when I stop into stores it seems to be more anger than anything else. I know my blood goes boiling when I walk into a packed store and have to wait in line for 30-minutes because only one register is open and the person running it just doesn't care to hurry. I went to the post office the other day, stood in like 40-minutes and had to leave without mailing my package because of the line. One worker, everyone throwing a fit, several requesting manager. I found a different post office the next day to have the worker tell me I couldn't mail something first class even though I knew I could. After a brief fight I just gave up and mailed it Priority so that the person who bought the items (those stupid WITCHCRAFT movies for the horror challenge) could get them. I sold them for $13 total and Priority cost me $15.
Stress, anger, anxiety. Thank goodness there's no Santa Claus because I can't imagine how psychotic people would drive him.

 

[JohnS]

I'm using my break time at work to update the calendar again.
I've added Unwrapped "Holiday Helpings".(on the Food Network)
If you like food and want to see how it's made, this is a fun show to watch.
Double Dare Marc Summer hosts it.
Michael Elliott,
I too was cussed out yesterday and talked to her back for doing so.
I know where you're coming from.

 

[Radioman970]

Grinch (animated version). Great, as usual. My dog Honey Bun enjoyed the songs. She's quite a singer...
The Elf & Mr. Little (from the Mill Creek holiday set), Funky marionettes. Oh, save us Gerry Anderson and Jim Henson!!
The Year Without a Santa Claus. My big sis's fav. It's ridiculous at times. So darn nostalgic! I'm laughing and weeping at the same time like a real looney. Just plain weird time every time. The Miser Brothers bits are an absolutely delight! You WILL sing along. You WILL! I dare you NOT to...

 

[JohnS]

New Girl #211 "Santa" Jess and her friends attend all of their Christmas parties all in one night.
Not a lot of funny moments. Olivia Munn guest stars as Nicks girlfriend and is probably the sexiest I've seen her.
Even though there wasn't a lot of Memorable Christmas moments, this is still something I could add to my next Christmas challenge.
Frosty's Winter Wonderland Frosty returns to see his friends and with the help of the kids decides he needs a wife to keep him busy when the kids go inside for the night.
I like the Jack Frost character in the beginning but quickly bored me when he went on Frosty's good side.
The Frosty song is also dumbed down with new lyrics when Frosty gets his wife.
This is by far the weakest of the holiday specials.
I have added to the calendar yet again.
Look Who's Talking Now will be playing on Encore.
TV Guide on Demand has some holiday specials
Where are they now? A Christmas Story (until Dec 27th)
25 heartwarming Holiday TV Moments (until Jan 5th)
25 Most Hilarious Holiday TV Moments (Until Dec 30th)
Disney on demand has
Muppet Christmas Carol
Donald's Snow Fight short

 

I watched the Elf and Mr. Little the other night! The version I have is tinted blue. Mrs. Little was a little scary looking! I enjoy it, though. Today I watched "Little Rascals Christmas" (animated), and "Family Circus Christmas." Tonight I am watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," (animated), and "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol," all on blu-ray.

 

[Radioman970]

I couldn't keep up with what was going on. I swear some of this old stuff is way too complicated for adults.

 

[JohnS]

I couldn't keep up with what was going on. I swear some of this old stuff is way too complicated for adults.

What Christmas thing are you referring to?
I have added lots more to the calendar including a Beverly Hills 90210 Christmas episode marathon on Dec 20th.

 

[Radioman970]

What Christmas thing are you referring to?
I have added lots more to the calendar including a Beverly Hills 90210 Christmas episode marathon on Dec 20th.

Elf & Mr. Little. Weird puppets...