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Hey there folks. I realized its been a long time since I’ve done one of these but hey, I’ve gotta’ pay the bills around here so sometimes work gets in the way. Blah. However, since its that special time of year, I thought, “why not give something back to my good pals here on the interwebs?†With that in mind, I present to you a very special edition of Fuji’s Top Ten, featuring my favourite Christmas movies. Keep in mind this is not necessarily the films I deem the best, just the ones I most prefer to watch at Christmas. If you are all real good boys and girls I may just enlighten you as to which films I think best define the Christmas spirit as well. Now, with that out of the way, I present to you….the list!!!
Honourable Mentions
The original Miracle on 34th Street MUST get a nod here but I left it off my main list because I haven’t watched it in a long while. It’s still great though and definitely a film that embodies the Christmas spirit. Ernest Saves Christmas is a classic that I always seem to find time to watch at least once during the month of December. Jim Varney was such a great talent in that role and its sad he’s no longer with us to share more fun as that classic character. Santa’s Slay with Bill Goldberg is downright hilarious at times and certainly a fun little film to watch during the holiday season. The Bells Of St. Mary’s just narrowly missed my list but I’ve long enjoyed its timeless charm. Finally, Trading Places is a film I’ve seen upwards of 50 times that never fails to have me in hysterics. Plus its got Jamie Lee Curtis’ boobs…and they’re spectacular.
10.A Christmas Story
Starting us off is the classic tale of growing up during Christmas and wanting nothing more than a BB gun even if there’s a chance you’ll shoot your eye out. I love the simple and whimsical nature of this film and the fact that its mostly inoffensive fun. This is the first film on our list from the great director Bob Clark, but it will not be the last.
9. Gremlins
I’ve always loved this film and watch it all throughout the year, but as it takes place during Christmas, I feel that’s the best time to watch it. While the human actors (Phoebe Cates) are great, it’s the little creatures that own the picture, including the cute as hell Gizmo and the nasty as f*ck Stripe. Plus I love how dark this film gets at times, such as when Cates explains how she learned there was no Santa after her father broke his neck trying to climb down the chimney. Ouch…way to shatter our childhood fantasies Spielberg!
8. Scrooged
This interesting twist on the classic Christmas Carol tale is anchored by an incredibly strong performance from Bill Murray in the lead role. I remember watching this as a kid and being shocked that this was the same guy that played the dimwitted groundskeeper in Caddyshack. Yes indeed, Murray’s take on the Dickens tale is probably the second best version of that story, and a classic example of a satirical Christmas film done properly.
7. White Christmas
I love everything about this movie but perhaps my fondest memory of it comes from remembering watching it with my Grandmother every single Christmas while I was growing up. She’d make shortbread cookies and we’d sit and marvel at the incredible talent of the actors and actresses on display here. Michael Curtiz is one of the all time great directors and though he is mostly known for doing Casablanca, I believe this is one of his finest works and a great film for the whole family.
6. Die Hard
There’s no way I could leave this brilliant action film off my list because hey, it takes place during a Christmas party on Christmas Eve. Bruce Willis plays the smart ass cop character to perfection while the great Alan Rickman totally owns the screen as his nemesis, Hans Gruber. Easily one of the greatest action films of all time, I never fail to fire this one up at least two times during the holiday season and I believe I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
5. A Christmas Carol
Alastair Sim is the definitive Scrooge and this 1951 classic is probably the definitive Christmas film. If you were to ask me which movie I felt most embodied the true meaning of Christmas, this would probably be it, and Sim’s performance really is worth checking out. The classic Dickens tale comes to life perfectly here and its just one of those films that I truly believe everyone can get something out of, regardless of how hard-hearted or miserly they are.
4. Bad Santa
Billy Bob Thornton totally owns this film as one of the most depraved and vulgar characters of all time…and its virtually impossible to turn away from him. Featuring excellent acting from the late John Ritter (sadly this was his last film) and the late Bernie Mac (as I’m starting to get depressed here) this raunchy tale of a drunken Santa and his obnoxious elf partner attempting to rob a department store is a must see around my house at Christmas, and it never fails to have everyone around here busting a gut multiple times.
3. It's A Wonderful Life
Frank Capra’s film was not an immediate success, but it has since gained much support from the critical community. It certainly embodies everything that Christmas is supposed to be and is anchored by a strong performance from the great Jimmy Stewart. Amazingly enough, I don’t even consider this among Capra’s five best films, but its still good enough to make the number three spot on my list, which means I think all of you should check it out immediately. Hell, its on about 400 times in December so chances are good you’ll be able to catch it on local tv at some point today.
2. Black Christmas
One of the greatest slasher films ever conceived and a holiday horror film that predated Carpenter’s Halloween by a good 4 years, Bob Clark’s Black Christmas is nothing short of a masterpiece. From simple yet chilling shots such as a girl with a plastic bag over her head slowly rocking in a chair to the absolutely evil voice of the killer on the phone, this is one film that gets played in my house at midnight every year.
1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
There was no other film that could even be considered for the number one spot but this one. Considering I sometimes watch it twice on Christmas Day, there’s nothing else that could top it. We’ll have this one on in the morning while we’re opening presents and it will be on again in the evening when the family comes over. I can’t think of any film more synonymous with Christmas in my life than this hilarious one written by the great John Hughes and starring Chevy Chase as perhaps his most famous character, Clark W. Griswold. In honour of this film, I will be doing a review for it as well, so look for that shortly and by the way, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
