Round 26 of Opinion Battles is featuring favorite Christmas Movies! While not exactly a full on Christmas movie, my favorite is The Holiday. However, there are some other fantastic choice. I have to say that I’m a little shocked one title isn’t there.
Remember to head over and check out the other choices and drop a vote! And if you want to join in also for 2017, drop an email at Movie Reviews 101. All the details are there.
It is Christmas and Merry Christmas to you all, we have seen plenty of Christmas movies over the year and it is fair to say we have had good and bad ones, but which is your favourite.
We will be back for Opinion Battles next year with the new rounds which have been announced with our first round be Favourite Nicolas Cage Role, email you choices to moviereviews101@yahoo.co.ukby 7th January 2017.
Darren – Movie Reviews 101
Gremlins
Gremlins is one of my favourite Christmas movies because we have a perfect mix of horror, comedy and Christmas spirit. Just remember the rules and you will have a good simple Christmas but if you break them you will be paying for them for the rest of the holiday. Gizmo could easily have been the biggest selling present at the time too because he…
A few weeks ago, Ryan over at Invaluable sent me a little email inviting me to join in to share my favorite movie memorabilia. I took a quick look over at Invaluable.com and they are an auction website with many items spanning from movie memorabilia and props to fine art and even Asian antiquities. Classy stuff, my friends. I love movies but while this is very much probably the highlight being Star Wars items being requested the most, I decided to take a different angle. After all, we are in December and Christmas is right around the corner so how about talking about some Christmas movie memorabilia? I do love me some Christmas/holiday movies!
At first thought, it took me a little while to get together something because I LOVE animated Christmas movies so props are hard to think of for that, as is memorabilia. So lets say, the movie is in real life and these were models of what created the item they had, then it’d be easier but this is a “dream” Christmas movie memorabilia so anything could work, right? If I had the money and the space, these items are what I’d want based on Christmas movies. They might exist and I just didn’t know about them before…
Arthur Christmas — Reindeer Slippers with Glowing Eyes
I love cutesy things like this. Arthur running around to deliver a kid their gift in his goofy slippers which causes a ton of crazy that goes down is awesome fun. Those slippers are legit adorable with the googly eyes that are lit up and the furry texture. It feels cozy and cute.
Polar Express — Bell and Believe Golden Ticket
I love Polar Express. The animation and the message is just brilliant. There’s never enough Christmas spirit to spread around. That ticket punched with the word “Believe” and the bell which only rings for those who believe is one of the most magical moment I’ve experienced in Christmas movies.
A Charlie Brown Christmas – Droopy Christmas Tree
If you venture on this site when I first started, I talk about Charlie Brown a lot. I love it to bits. My favorite part of A Charlie Brown Christmas is the sad-looking Christmas Tree. Its symbolizes so much about Christmas spirit and the holiday being more than the appearance of everything. While I might not want a real tree that looked like that, I would love to have an actual decoration of it. It would be so adorable.
The Holiday – Magical Tent
Let’s take a break from animation for a second and hit a holiday movie. One of my favorites is The Holiday. I watch it ALL THE TIME. One of the best moments was when they open the door to look at their little magical tent. I’m sure it can be recreated with some cloth and decorations with some effort and all that but how great would it be to have one of these? This tent is so beautiful and its like having a fort where you can dream and kind of escape reality a little. But then, if I had one of these, I’d just sit in there and read all day long and then nap when my eyes get tired.
Mickey’s Christmas Carol – Concept Art
I’m going a little different with the last choice. I’m kind of an artsy sort of person. I can’t draw to save my life unless you want a lovely picture of stick people but Mickey’s Christmas Carol (and How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Garfield Christmas) hold a special place in my heart and its a must-see every single year for the Christmas holidays. All that to say, Disney concept art or production sketches or whatnot would be absolutely cool to have. Like just recreating even the beginning credits scene on top, something simple like that would be awesome or like a memorable heartwarming family scene like the second one up there. Imagine hanging that up on the wall, it would be so pretty! 🙂
What do you think about these Dream Christmas/Holiday movie memorabilia? What would be your choices?
Check out this month’s Genre Grandeur for Holiday movies. My pick went to The Holiday. The movie title pretty much says it all but its my go-to feel good movie set during the holidays making it perfect for the holidays.
Remember to check out the other Genre Grandeur entries for holiday movies! 🙂
For the next entry in this month’s Genre Grandeur – Holiday movies, here’s a review by Kim of Tranquil Dreams of The Holiday (2006)
Next month’s genre has been chosen by my good friend Emma of emmakwall (explains it all) and she has chosen the genre of British Thrillers, so send me your reviews of your favorite British Thriller(s) by Jan 25th and I’ll post it. It’s real simple, just send me an email to britthrills@movierob.net and I’ll post it.
Take it away Kim!
Holiday movies don’t get anymore holiday than The Holiday – also one of my favorite movies. I watch it during the Christmas holidays every year AND I watch it anytime during the year. Its kind of my go-to feel good movie.
Director: Nancy Meyers
Cast: Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Eli Wallach, Rufus Sewell
Simple commitments columnist Iris (Kate Winslet) and big shot…
Netflix has been rather slim pickings for a motivating holidays marathon. I will probably get a few belated reviews up if I get to watch them today.
Christmas Day is a laid back stay at home in my PJs and hang out with my family day. Cook a good meal, bake a dessert or two, turn on the fireplace and pop in our must-see movies!
AND, thats why I’m here! Most of those movies I’ve already reviewed in 2012 for my super motivated December month. Not so much these last two years.
Still, while I get my thoughts in order during my time off from work (FINALLY!) and get this blog organized and back on my game, I present to you my Christmas Day movie rundown 🙂
As I put this together, we’ve already started Elf.
1) How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2) Mickey’s Christmas Carol
3) A Charlie Brown Christmas
4) Elf
5) The Holiday
Runner ups that I tend to watch every other year: Love Actually, Polar Express, A Garfield Christmas, While You Were Sleeping, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street
I’m keeping short and sweet for this post! I’m going to work a little more on the blog and the next year and try to get a few things up everyday. I have 5 more books to read and a ton of movies about to expire on Netflix so I’ll be rather occupied. Along with family and friends and Boxing Day!
Earlier this year in July, I participated in Cinematic Katzenjammer’s Not So Secret Santa Review Swap Blogathon and my secret Santa gave me a fantastic movie, Dark Harbor. Obviously, since the first time was so much fun, I decided to join for this December edition of it as well. This time around, I didn’t get an unknown movie but one that I absolutely adore and just as I was wondering how to work it into my Christmas marathon this year since I already reviewed it last year, I received notice that my Secret Santa gave me THE HOLIDAY 🙂
Whoever you are, Secret Santa, YOU ARE AWESOME! Can I say I love you? Is that awkward? Because if not for that, I would never have thought of doing THIS to lead up to this very post.
The last movie to make it a perfect top 10 in my must-see Christmas flicks is The Holiday. I’m not going to review it again since I read through last year’s and its probably everything I was going to say and you can check it out HERE! 🙂
The Holiday is one of my absolute favorite movies EVER! I always watch it for Christmas, sometimes even more than once, and I usually sneak it in mid year once or twice. Its not only a great holiday watch but its also one of the best feel good romantic comedies I’ve ever seen. I literally have a huge smile on my face throughout the whole thing, even if I know whats going to happen and what they say and all that.
So, I figured I’d take a different path and show you my top moments that made me smile 🙂
6) IRIS IN LA
Being revealed to the unknown of a completely different lifestyle from the one you are used to is always amazing and I think Kate Winslet does a fantastic job in showing that. Its a feel good scene and it emphasizes the lovable character of Iris as the down to earth modern day simple girl. Trust me, if I saw that, I’d react pretty much the same way 😉
5) VIDEO STORE GAME
This scene is simply good fun. The charisma between Jack Black and Kate Winslet is awesome and with a cameo of Dustin Hoffman, its makes it even funnier.
4) TENT
Wouldn’t you want that tent? I’m seriously impressed. Plus, the little girls are adorable. Its like a fantasy world at home and thats pretty incredible.
3) LEADING LADY VS. BEST FRIEND
The character of Arthur Abbott is one of my faves because even though he isn’t a main character, he helps Iris to grow and also put in perspective what this movie is all about. You can’t help but agree with him, right?
2) KISSING A STRANGER
The whole scene is great but the part I’m referring to starts at 5m 10s of the video. Funny, passionate and pretty awesome in my book. This was when I fell in love with Jude Law! And goodness, aren’t you thinking that she should shut up and enjoy the moment? 😉 The romantic in me is speaking, of course.
1) IRIS/ARTHUR’S THEME
This scene is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! Its romantic and cute! I think thats where I fell in love in Jack Black, something that I did not think would ever be possible.
I didn’t intend for this to be a countdown and I love the WHOLE ENTIRE movie so this was mega difficult to put together. Plus, there were some scenes that were fantastic. I did love Jude Law in so many other scenes. Although, if given who was not so great, it would have to be Cameron Diaz. I’m just not a huge fan of hers in general but she does a decent job :).
Not only that but her and Kate Winslet are fabulous together for example with their expressions.
That scene was seriously funny! I think I’ve admitted that I have a girl crush on Kate Winslet and think she is possibly one of the best actresses with elegance and charm.
Before I start spilling the whole movie because I would love to convince a few of you to actually give it a shot. I think The Holiday is one of the most underrated movies ever!
Overall, great cast, hilarious, heartwarming and clever romantic comedy set during the holidays, The Holiday is a great watch! Thanks again to my Secret Santa because you allowed me to watch this three times in two days to be inspired as to how to approach this post. AND, I was feeling really not in the holiday mood and I think this just made it all come back. Also, HUGE THANKS to Nick for putting this together because once again, it was mega fun! 🙂
Have you seen The Holiday? What are your thoughts on the four leads here?
Remember to check out the other reviews for the blogathon either by clicking HERE or its linked to the blogathon banner on the top 🙂
Tranquil Dreams 