BobO'Link

I'm about to really get started. I've only watched a couple of things so far but am off 2 weeks beginning this weekend (when I get off Friday I'll not go back to work until Jan. 4th) and my son and his family arrive sometime Sunday for a weeks' stay. That means 5 grandkids, ages 2-12, at the house all day, every day, next week (we babysit my daughter's 3 and she still has to work). I figure the kids'll watch a bunch of the Rankin-Bass animations as well as A Charlie Brown Christmas and we adults can watch the good stuff after the kids've left/gone to bed. I told 'em today at the LCS not to look for me next Wednesday *unless* the kids start to drive me crazy. Should that occur I'll bail for a hour or so under the excuse of "It's new comic day!"

ntnon

TCM again: A Carol for Another Christmas is not subtle. It's angry, worried and prophetic - taking Scrooge and reconfiguring him as a heartless modern man who cares nothing for the world ratyer than merely his neighbours. It's anti-war, worried about the bomb and pro-talk. But whatvs arguably more interesting is the relatively quiet ending - no big Scrooge epiphany, just the merest suggestion that he might be thinking and rethinking a bit more. Indeed, while he apologizes to his nephew, he stops short of reversing his decisions or showering money on the poor. And at the end, he sits down with the hired help, but... read one way, this is the small step that will set him on the path of caring and charity; seen another way, while he reaches out and makes a small step, it's the smallest possible. And he finishes the film still as a man apart. He may be in the same room as his (black) manservant, but he is still alone with his thoughts. Given how heavy-handed the rest of the film is - race, hunger, war, arms race, splendid isolation - the ending is ambiguous.

Also.... the dangerous and nonsense hate-speak spouted by Peter Sellers has a very clear resonance these days. Literally two-thirds of it could be word-for-word part of D***** T****'s campaign. Replete with a baying crwd quelling dissent with force...

ntnon

What the-.. Buster Keaton is in The Good Ol' Summertime..? How have I missed that previously (or, forgotten during the year)..? How strange..!

Doc Moonlight

Watched the Hammer Christmas Classic CASH ON DEMAND. This was supposedly a favorite of star Peter Cushing. I had watched the Hammer version of HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES a few months ago, and it was interesting to see Cushing and Andre Morell (who played Holmes and Watson) switch roles here: in HOTB Cushing was the dominant force over Morell, in COD Morell is a con man who blackmails and dominates Cushing.

LJG765

Watched a few of the cartoon/animated classics in the last couple nights. Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, Frosty, Frosty Returns and The Little Drummer Boy. Santa Claus is Coming to Town was never a huge favorite of mine, but as I watch it as I get older, it gets more and more endearing to me. I love Mickey Rooney's voice as Kris Kringle.

Still going in this challenge-I hope to continue up until New Year's Eve.

Dimension X

Thank you for mentioning this movie. I have several unwatched Hammer suspense films, and it's always good to have an excuse to watch one (and this one was a special treat since it was a Peter Cushing movie I hadn't seen before).

The Monkees

I passed 100 today, I'm a full 5 days ahead of when I hit the same last year, which just proves that this new job has completely changed my mentality this year I will easily beat my results from last year. It seems like there is much more discussion this year and that's awesome, glad you guys are having a good time.

And now that Star Wars is out and I no longer have to use up my nights trying to watch the movies anymore I can solely focus on my Christmas viewing. This is going to be a great weekend, I think.

Doc Moonlight

My pleasure. One of the things I love about the Challenges is when people point out films that are less than obvious choices.

Doc Moonlight

Today's viewings included:

A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES (1987). This was a Canadian TV special. It was a bit disconcerting to me in that they seemed to want to make it like A CHRISTMAS STORY rather than a filming of Dylan Thomas' short story. Really odd.

THE VISITOR: A TALE OF TWO CHRISTMASES is an episode from an early 50's TV show that was directed by Robert Aldrich who is a favorite of mine. It's the type of thing that woud really only be of interest to an Aldrich completeist, which I am. It's a downbeat tale of a couple going through a divorce and the effect it has on their daughter. Kind of interesting in that there is no real villain and all parties believe they are acting in the best interests of the other. It was also unusual to see divorce portrayed in an early 50's TV show.

Finally I revisited a personal favorite Bill Forsyth's COMFORT AND JOY. It has a very wry sense of humor, not "laugh out loud" funny, but you do really get to like the characters. Here too, there are no real villains. I have had the R2 DVD for years, but never listened ot the commentary, so I did this time. Very enjoyable and they point out that the Glasgow depicted in the film doesn't exist anymore-many of the building show have been replaced by newer developments. So this is a film that captures a city at a moment in time - a true Zeitgeist film (for all my friends who participate in the History Challenge).

TheBigDave

The Watch ABC app (Roku, AppleTV etc) has added a few more Holiday specials:

Disney's Prep & Landing
Disney's Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs Nice
Pandora Holiday Celebrations on Ice
A Charlie Brown Christmas
I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown
It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown

shadokitty

Lake effect snow today is really getting me into the Christmas spirit. Started today's challenge viewing with a Christmas episode of Power Rangers Dino Charge.

LJG765

Thanks! I was hoping to watch Prep and Landing this year.

We got a squall yesterday which left us with some snow, but it's already melted. I'm ok with that. However, I did watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas again with my nieces today. They're watching Home Alone right now, but I can only handle that one once a year.

ntnon

A Christmas Carol was published 100-and-something-something years ago today...

The Monkees

I'm just finishing up It Happened One Christmas, my first viewing, and it's awful! I used to hear about this movie from my mom all the time when I was younger and how much she loved it. So I finally sat down this year to watch it and I can't believe how bad it is. Terrible acting, might as well have been a shot-for-shot remake of It's a Wonderful Life with all the dialogue they lifted from that movie. Without a doubt the worst movie I've watched for this challenge.

shadokitty

Well, it's now the 20th, and we're having our first Christmas party today, with my sister and her family. In keeping with my mood, I just watched a Christmas episode of The Thundermans.

shadokitty

I started today's challenge viewing as soon as I woke up with a Christmas episode of Beat Bobby Flay. It was nice to see Bobby lose.

Bluelitespecial

A couple of random thoughts on my viewing. I am now up to 83, and should be able to clear over 100, thats a miracle on my current schedule. Watched my first episode of Girl meets World, then the christmas episodes of Boy Meets World. It seems like a fun series with a lot of throwbacks to Boy Meets World, even if it seems a little cheesy. I used one of my Wild Cards for the new Star Wars, I wish I had time for LOTR this year. I hope to get to some of my personal favorites this week before saying I am finished. I will agree Monkees their seems to be more discussion here and that's awesome. After its done can you just post the results in this thread a week later. It seems weird to see the results thread a year later before the next challenge.

LJG765

I watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer tonight. Every time I watch it I think how awful Santa and Dasher (I think that's Rudy's dad) and the elves are towards Rudolph and Hermy. And at the end, it's more like, oh, I need Dasher to drive my sleigh, so I hope he finds his kid that I've basically called a freak. So yeah, not a favorite of mine!

I do enjoy Cricket on the Hearth even though it's a bit psychedelic towards the end.

I also watched the Hallmark movie "A Cookie Cutter Christmas." If anyone has this in their DVR or were planning on watching it sometime this week-skip it. It's awful. Very predictable, a very over the top mean co-lead and the other one is very over the top sweet. I'm not even sure why I finished it other than I had started it and hate giving up on movies. Not an instant classic, that's for sure!

davidh777

Glad I watched that episode before you spoiled it.

LJG765

Well, I braved another Hallmark movie tonight. Was in the mood, so decided to watch "Fir Crazy" about a business woman who's family sells Christmas trees. She loses her job, helps out at the tree lot, meets a guy, there's Colin Mocherie as a mean store owner and is really what a good, cheesy Christmas movie should be!

The Monkees

I'm currently watching Die Hard which is my #130 entry. I'm trying really hard to beat my all time best which was 149. I usually stop after Christmas because I lose any interest but I think I can do it if I just set my mind to it.

shadokitty

I've already went way past my personal best, but will keep going till after Christmas too.

TheBigDave

If you're looking for something to watch, Hulu added a page of favorite Christmas TV show episodes. There's around 60 holiday episodes from current and classic series.

http://www.hulu.com/holidays

Wezzo

If anyone needs yet more suggestions, I wrote a countdown of my 100 favourite Christmas episodes for Den of Geek last week: http://www.denofgeek.com/authors/wesley-mead

(Number 1 is Frasier's "Miracle on 3rd or 4th Street", in case anyone would prefer not to bother clicking!)

shadokitty

I woke up early and turned TV on. I happened to stumble upon a show that counted that I didn't even expect to. I watched a hunting show on Sportsman Channel that featured a Thanksgiving hunt.