sandykaypax Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 I watched DESK SET on dvd last night. Not strictly a holiday movie, but it does take place at Christmastime. The office Christmas party in that movie looks like a lot of fun! The holiday party at my job just doesn't measure up. OH, and it was nice to see it in widescreen and a beautiful print! I think Spencer Tracy is one of the most likeable actors ever. Sandy K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bggalaxy Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Thanks for bringing up the Desk Set, Sandy. I pull out all the xmas movies to play each year and I never think to pull this one out. It does take place duing the holidays - you'd think I would have remembered being it's one of my favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loliteblue Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Sandy i agree with you Spencer Tracy is super!!!!!! Both Kate & Spence excell in the movie "Desk top" can't wait to view the dvd !....lolite thanks for the review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
designerchic17 Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 you can get desktop on dvd from target for 10 dollars...although its certainly worth more:) i got it and i love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmsenzig Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 My Favorites for the Holidays: Christmas Carol (1938 MGM version) A Christmas Story White Christmas The Secret Garden - the 1949 original and 1993 remake are both excellent. Actually the 1993 version is probably better filmed, but it drags the story out longer than the older film, which moves along pretty quickly actually. Why isn't the '49 version on DVD yet? Holiday Inn It's A Wonderful Life Good Old Summertime Meet Me In St. Louis The Bells of St. Mary's Going My Way Miracle on 34th Street - both versions good, but the '47 film is the best Haven't seen the '51 version of A Christmas Carol (with Alastair Sim), but I do have it on my Christmas list. The DVD version you see in most retail stores has both the B&W and color versions... how good is the B&W print? Please advise. Happy Holidays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmsenzig Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Forgot one... not really a "Christmas" movie, but I do love "Miracle of the Bells" with Frank Sinatra playing the priest. Picked it up a month ago or so (when Shopko put out all their holiday movies) and I just love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
path40a Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Miracle on 34th Street is a favorite of mine: http://www.classicfilmguide.com/index.php?s=essays&item=2 Plus, White Christmas (1954) & It's A Wonderful Life (1946) ... even Prancer (1989). I also like all the regular Christmastime shorts you used to only see on TV, but can now buy on video and/or DVD, like: The Year Without a Santa Claus - Dick Shawn's Snow Miser A Charlie Brown Christmas Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - "Eat, Poppa, eat!" Frosty the Snowman - "Happy Birthday" How The Grinch Stole Christmas - Boris Karloff version And a relatively new one that's REALLY funny: Veggie Tales - The Toy That Saved Christmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brackenhe Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 I always love to watch Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol with Mr. Magoo as Scrooge. Great Rankin Bass cartoon with great songs. Very Touching. Check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveoldmovies04 Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Path this week is exam week for me at school so every night while studying I've been putting in my Vhs of Miracle on 34th street and watching it ever single night I Never get sick of it -phoebe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bggalaxy Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Some of the films we watch each year during the holidays: Remember the Night The Ref White Christmas Holiday Inn Come to the Stable The Bishops Wife Miracle on 34th St. Family Man A Christmas Carol (51) Scooged Mr Magoos Christmas Carol Bells of St. Mary's Meet Me in St. Louis The Man Who Came to Dinner Rudolph The Grinch who Stole Christmas (both) The Little Drummer Boy The Santa Clause Home Alone There are more but I can't think of them right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmsenzig Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 I had never even thought of the Home Alone movies (I've only seen the first two and I plan to keep it that way). TMS (who is actually listening to the soundtrack of the first film right now) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgm80s Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 tmsenzig, I have the 51 version of A CHristmas Carol on DVD. I only watched about five minutes of the colorized version, I just didn;t like it. But the B/W version is pretty good, I actually thought that the print should be a little more crisp for having been made in 1951 but perhaps it was made on a low budget or just wasn't stored properly. Either way its a good buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Come to the Stable Okay, my choice for an enjoyable is totally cornball, but then, so are all Christmas movies, bless the celluloid and tinsel hearts of all the sentiment mongers who make them. I think that there are a couple of reasons why this one gets me, each and every time I see it: 1.) During my 13 years of Catholic education, it was a big thrill each Xmastime in grammar school, when, just prior to the Holiday vacation, the nuns ran this movie for us in the gym, prefaced by the principal nun telling us that we were very lucky to be here, and better appreciate this flick, even though we'd seen it each year. We didn't care if we'd seen it before, just being there, in that atmosphere redolent of well-used sneakers and chalk dust--out of the classroom--was a thrill. We knew that we had to be good to be able to watch this--if we were bad, one of meaner nuns, like Sister Lawrence or Basil, would give the mischief maker a whack, or even remove that entire class from the proceedings. So the showing was fraught with excitement and tension, plus I'd never encountered such friendly nuns as the ones depicted on the silver screen. I loved the movie nuns ideal intensely once I'd seen it--to heck with reality. 2.) I've always been a total pushover for anything with Loretta Young in it. Since I was really young, she's struck me as having one of the all-time most beautiful faces on screen. It's also nice to know, thanks to TCM showings, that her early silent and precode work was so spicy and moving. 3.) The character of the woman who was the artist who takes the nuns in, played by Elsa Lanchester, was most likely based on one of my favorite illustrators of children's books, Tasha Tudor. P.S. Don't take my comments about the nuns too seriously, friends. I've known some great individuals in religious orders since those days & I wouldn't trade my education for the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Ilove almost all the Christmas movies that you've named already, especially director Mitchell Leisen's Remember the Night(1940), which used to run on AMC in ancient times, but being a Paramount production, it is less likely to show up on TCM--though it never hurts to request it for the future. Two recent movies that capture alot of the tender, funny and slightly melancholy feelings of Christmas are Prancer(1989) and Love, Actually(2003). Prancer tells a simple, slightly dark story of a little girl who finds an injured reindeer on her widowed father's farm. I believe it's being shown on the ABC Family channel several times this month. Love, Actually is one of those movies that people find endearing or maddening. It also includes a good collection of pop tunes. There's also some nudity, so you may not want to until the kids are in bed before enjoying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emwriterdude Posted December 17, 2004 Author Share Posted December 17, 2004 Well, I didn't think this would be THIS popular, but I see so much that I feel I have to see all of these. Eric. I did like Love Actually, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bggalaxy Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I just pulled out another film we enjoy watching this time of year: Funny Farm. In this film Chevy Chase and Madolyn Smith convince (bribe) the whole town to portray the perfect Christmas town for potential buyers of their farm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 Has anyone else seen the brief (26 min.) little movie Mr. Krueger's Christmas(1980) with Jimmy Stewart? According to IMDb it was produced by the Mormon Church and is available through them. I recall seeing it once on tv and Stewart's moving acting as a lonely man made it a thing of simple beauty. If you see it listed somewhere in your area, I hope that you'll catch it. Also, for those of you who grew up in the NYC area, do you recall the Yule Log that burned for hours on WPIX Channel 11 each Christmas with a soft background of Christmas carols? It probably sounds funny, but it was rather pleasant, especially if you didn't have a fireplace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 Hey, I just discovered that the Yule Log is coming back! Too bad I don't live near NYC anymore. It is also being carried partially on WGN, the Chicago superstation on Christmas Eve. If you'd like to read more about this endearingly odd little piece of nostalgia you can visit the WPIX website at http://wb11.trb.com/community/news/wpix-yuleog2004.htmlstory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc512 Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Wow, the Yule Log! Does that bring back memories - WPIX and the log were right there in our living room every Christmas for much of my childhood! And now it's going national - I always knew that my favorite burning ember had the right stuff to hit the big time! > Hey, I just discovered that the Yule Log is coming > back! Too bad I don't live near NYC anymore. It is > also being carried partially on WGN, the Chicago > superstation on Christmas Eve. If you'd like to read > more about this endearingly odd little piece of > nostalgia you can visit the WPIX website at > http://wb11.trb.com/community/news/wpix-yuleog2004.htm > story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimbo3200 Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I love movies like IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET. The film CHRISTMAS VACATION, a more recent one, has to be the funniest movie I've ever seen. Yesterday, however, I saw CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT for the first time, and I must say, that is my new favorite holiday movie. It is simply charming, and the entire cast, especially Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan, are wonderful. If you've never seen, I highly recommend it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie71664 Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 the one movie that I watch every year is "The Greatest Story Ever Told" Regardless of your beliefs, Jesus was truly a fascinating person and set an example we should all follow. Eddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susuhigh Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Kimbo, if you loved Christmas in Connecticut, be sure to watch The Shop Around the Corner with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. It's the BEST. None of the remakes holds a candle to this one at all. The romance is sexy, the snowy scenes are cozy. The acting from the entire cast is awesome. Susu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealfuster Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 the Lubitsch version is wonderful! But that is not to disregard the Garland version, which stands on its own. Plus there is that extremely funny scene, where Keaton takes the supposed Stradivarius violin up to the dais, and trips on the step, falls back and lands perfectly on the imposter violin and flattens it. It makes me laugh every time I see it. Perfect stunt comedy execution by Buster. For that reason, see both of the films, but you can pass on the Meg Ryan one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandykaypax Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Yep, I agree, fuster--skip the Meg Ryan-Tom Hanks version, but watch THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER and IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME. I never understood why the latter film has that title, when almost the whole movie takes place at Christmastime... I watched my dvd of THE BISHOP'S WIFE the other day...so sweet and touching, I always shed a few tears... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bggalaxy Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I prefer Shop Around the Corner and You've Got Mail. Not a fan of In the Good Old Summertime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts