Ringside Report Looks Back at Great Christmas Movies
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By Geoffrey Huchel
Whether we are prepared or not, the holiday season always seems to sneak up on us, and with the hustle and bustle sometimes we forget to take time to enjoy it. One way to do that would be to put on your favorite Christmas movie to get into the holiday spirit. Between television and film, there are so many that will give you all the feels. Christmas movies, unfortunately, are often perceived as corny and trite, and yes, some of them are, but there are many others that tell a good story. Mostly, they are supposed to spread holiday cheer and prepare us for the most wonderful time of the year. I’d like to think everyone has at least one favorite.
I recently took a survey asking people what their favorite Christmas movies are? The list was quite extensive, but it was the following titles that were most talked about.
THE POLAR EXPRESS (2004)
Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks
HOME ALONE (1990)
Running Time: 1 hour 43 minutes
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Starring: Macauley Culkin
Joe Pesci
Daniel Stern
Catherine O’Hara
NATIONAL LAMPOONS CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)
Running Time: 1 hour 37 minutes
Directed by: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Starring: Chevy Chase
Beverly D’Angelo
Juliette Lewis
Johnny Galecki
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993)
Running Time: 1 hour 16 minutes
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Chris Sarandon
Catherine O’Hara
ELF (2003)
Running Time: 1 hour 37 minutes
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Will Ferrell
James Caan
Zooey Deschanel
Mary Steenburgen
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (1965)
Running Time: 25 minutes
Directed by: Bill Melendez
Starring: Peter Robbins
Tracy Stratford
Christopher Shea
A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)
Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Directed by: Bob Clark
Starring: Peter Billingsley
Melinda Dillon
Darren McGavin
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Directed by: Frank Capra
Starring: James Stewart
Donna Reed
Lionel Barrymore
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1938)
Running Time: 1 hour 9 minutes
Directed by: Edwin L. Martin
Starring: Reginald Owen
Gene Lockhart
HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (1966)
Running Time: 26 minutes
Directed by: Chuck Jones and Ben Washam
Starring: Boris Karloff
Other popular choices were RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER (1964), FROSTY THE SNOWMAN (1969), THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS (1974), SANTA CLAUS IS COMINGTO TOWN (1970), HOME ALONE 2 :LOST IN NEW YORK (1992), THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994) and THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992).
With the amount of positive reviews and publicity it’s received, it’s no surprise that Netflix’s current release, THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES (2018) has become an instant classic. And Kurt Russell as Santa Claus is savage! Only he can portray the big guy in the red suit with such badassery! CHRONICLES will become a great addition to the many other holiday favorites
There is one Christmas movie that always gets overlooked and it is one of my personal favorites- ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS (1985). The film focuses on an angel, Gideon, who was sent to show Ginny, a mother of two who has fallen on hard times, the true meaning of Christmas. With help from Gideon, Ginny’s daughter, Abby, visits Santa Claus in an attempt to help her mother believe in Christmas again. ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS is a heartwarming story about what really matters most at Christmas- family. The movie stars Mary Steenburgen, Harry Dean Stanton and Elisabeth Harnois.
This article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the movies that are often up for debate. Are they or aren’t they Christmas movies? Sure, the plots of these movies don’t necessarily have anything to do with mistletoe, caroling or holiday cheer, but they do take place during Christmas time. I am one of the many that believe the following are considered Christmas movies, and they deserve our attention!
DIE HARD (1988)
Running Time: 2 hours 12 minutes
Directed by: John McTiernan
Starring: Bruce Willis
Alan Rickman
GREMLINS (1984)
Running Time: 1 hour 46 minutes
Directed by: Joe Dante
Starring: Zach Galligan
Phoebe Cates
BATMAN RETURNS (1992)
Running Time: 2 hours 6 minutes
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton
Michelle Pfeiffer
Danny DeVito
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990)
Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp
Winona Ryder
Dianne Wiest
THE REF (1994)
Running Time: 1 hour 36 minutes
Directed by: Ted Demme
Starring: Denis Leary
Judy Davis
Kevin Spacey
THE HOLIDAY (2006)
Running Time: 2 hours 18 minutes
Directed by:
Starring: Cameron Diaz
Kate Winslet
Jude Law
Jack Black
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)
Running Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
Directed By: Vincente Minnelli
Starring: Judy Garland
Margaret O’Brien
Mary Astor
BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974)
Running Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
Directed by: Bob Clark
Starring: Olivia Hussey
Margot Kidder
KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005)
Running Time: 1 hour 43 minutes
Directed by: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey, JR.
Val Kilmer
Michelle Monaghan
*I’d like to thank all those who participated in the survey. It was greatly appreciated.*
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