Top Twenty Christmas Movies Poll anyone?!

[Mr Trick]

10. Love Actually (2003)

The top ten kicks off with a modern classic which has been hired not only a Christmas great but a romcom great. Richard Crutis weaves his magic again (this was probably his peak), in a fine ensemble piece including the likes of Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney and the late great Alan Rickman. Some segments were better than others, but Love Actually has proven a winner over the festive season. The film took a whopping £248 million at the Box Office.

Coming next time a very different Festive comedy.

 

[Mr Trick]

9. Trading Places (1983)

Classic 80's comedy which has stood the test of time. You have greats like Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Don Ameche and Denholm Elliott all on top form. Jamie Lee Curtis is the most charming thing in the film making the Hooker with the heart of gold character her own. Its a great character driven romp with a smart twist on the themes of class, and family staples of the holiday season. Directed by American Werewolf in London John Landis. Its iconic. The film took $90.4Million at the box office from a budget of just 15 mill.

 

[Mr Trick]

8. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Surprisingly low for a movie often called the greatest Christmas movie of all time. A very original take on the classic Christmas Carol story, which is much darker than you would expect. One of the great James Stewart's most iconic screen roles. The family are well cast too. The payoff scene a classic of cinema. The holiday season wouldn't be the same without.

 

[Mr Trick]

- Edward Scissorhands (1991)

A Gothic, dark fairy tale classic. One of Tim Burton's career highs and classic calling cards. Same for Johnny Depp who has rarely been better. Winona Ryder is a charming romantic interest, and Diane Wiest and Alan Arkin are on top form as the parents. The film was also the last role for screen legend Vincent Price. Caroline Thompson deserves props for the script too. It took $86million at the box office.

- Scrooged (1988)

Entertaining and sharp modern twist on the classic story. Bill Murray is perfect casting as the sleazy network producer who slowly sees the error of his ways. Its a very funny film, full of heart and fine supporting roles for the likes of Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane and Robert Mitchum. It took $100million at the box office.

 

[Mr Trick]

7. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

As Ricky Gervais once said the greatest story ever told was a Christmas Carol. There's only one way to improve it and that's with Muppets 😀 Is it the highest version of the story on this list? Stay tuned to find out😉 Here's one of those show stopping numbers🙂

 

[Mr Trick]

6. White Christmas (1954)

Slotting in at number 6 with 34 points is this much beloved magical Hollywood musical with starring Bing Grosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. Directed by Michael Curtiz with songs by Irving Berln. The dreamy title song first appeared in 1944 film Holiday Inn. Well here's all dreamy of a White virus free Christmas on the beach 😉 Wait is it still summer?😛

 

[Mr Trick]

And into the top 5 we go!

5. Gremlins (1984)

The magic combination of Joe Dante's direction and Chris Columbus's surprisingly dark but touching script make for a classic festive horror-comedy which is still a favourite to this day. The scene where the Phoebe Cates character tells that story is truly disturbing for a family movie 😵 But its one hell of a ride, and importantly unlike many modern Hollywood films it has rules damn it!!😛 It took over $200 million from a budget of just 11. Despite bombing the 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch is really solid and worth checking out too.

 

[Athena]

I think I'm the only person in the world who really dislikes Love Actually....

Gremlins being No.5 I can get behind though....

It's a shame not many people have seen the animated Grinch from a few years ago. It's a sweet little film that's better than the Jim Carrey one by miles....

But anyway, had I been around I would have had some Christmassy treasures to share 😁

 

[Mr Trick]

I think I'm the only person in the world who really dislikes Love Actually....

Gremlins being No.5 I can get behind though....

It's a shame not many people have seen the animated Grinch from a few years ago. It's a sweet little film that's better than the Jim Carrey one by miles....

But anyway, had I been around I would have had some Christmassy treasures to share 😁

Well there's no reason why we can't roll another poll this year. The results may well be different 😉

@Hunga Munga I bloody will! 😀

 

[Mr Trick]

4. Die Hard (1988)

Not much to say really, except its one of the most iconic action movies ever, Willis is at his best and the late Alan Rickman makes for one of the very best villains. Oh and it is a bloody Christmas movie so stick it!! 😛

 

[Mr Trick]

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The most Tim Burton film not to actually be a Tim Burton film (its his story). Henry Selick who would later direct James and the Giant Peach and Coraline directs, with Burton regular Caroline Thompson doing the screenplay. A whole host of regular Burton actors doing the voices. At the time stop motion animation was rare in main stream cinema, this dark mix of Christmas family film, musical and horror movie was a leading light. The soundtrack by Danny Elfman (who also sings for the lead character) was a big hit too. Since its debut its become a regular Christmas Eve fixture on TV.

 

[Mr Trick]

2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

The decent 90's remake made a solid showing at number 11 on the list, but when it comes to a classic holiday movie the original 1947 movie is the king! Its played brilliant straight, with great storytelling, performances and direction. Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood make for a perfect cast. It scored 59 points BTW.

 

[Mr Trick]

1. Home Alone (1990)

"KEVIN"!!!😀 And its number one by quite a distance scoring an impressive 68 points. A 90's classic with a butch of great characters (including two of the most memorable crooks in film history), a good cast, delightful slapstick humour, great dialogue ("Kevin your such a disease"😀 and a heart warming message about the importance of family and friendships during the holidays. The score by John Williams is powerful too, I tear up at the end every time😵. The script by Breakfast Club director John Hughes is perfection too, the film wouldn't work half as well without it. The original Home Alone took a monster $476.7 million at the box office and also made a killer on Home Video. Its now a regular fixture on TV over the holidays. I promise you watch Home Alone once each year and will feel better about the world. Happy Holidays folks😉

Coming soon I will finish the TV poll results. But I another poll in the works. The choice is either 80's movies or Best TV episodes? And the choice is yours. Let me know which you want?

 

[Hunga Munga]

Howabout Top 50 TV comedy shows ? Non sketch shows though . Such a strong genre and still pretty fertile ground .

 

[Mr Trick]

Alright. Sounds good. It would be interesting to see the results of a comedies list. Such varied tastes and so many to choose from.