jholmes

I'm all in on this one. I've always watched *some* Hallmark Christmas movies, but the past few years I've taken it seriously, creating ranking lists on letterboxd and attempting to watch nearly all the new releases. I will do the same this year. I'm nearly up to 40 already in 2022. But some of those were before this challenge began.

My husband thinks I'm schizo since I love both horror and Hallmark movies. Maybe I am.

MysterioMan007

I like both as well, but Hallmark can wear really thin on me due to the similar plots of all of them. I’m a horror guy at heart, but I love the warm fuzzies as well.

jholmes

I know what you mean. Surprisingly, Hallmark scripts have been noticeably better this year (some duds not withstanding). They've had more unique storylines than the usual "city career girl goes home to save the family inn". Which is SUPER welcome. GAC is still stuck in that rut, though.

Darkgod

My wife watches every new movie. She actually has an app for a Hallmark Movie Checklist to keep track of whats coming out and what she watched already. She'll give me updates... like Im at 100% of this block of movies.

Mr Awesome

Some of those friends episodes are new to me. Got the blu set when it was on sale. Wanted to give the show a watch as I miss that late 90s era of (nbc) sitcoms: seinfeld, frasier, wings, newsradio, Caroline in the city, just shoot me, third rock from the sun. Liking it.

Planning on getting most of the TV episodes out of the way soon.

Anyone see CBS's A Christmas Proposal last night? I only caught some from the other room. It had Delgado from csi Miami and that woman from all rise. She was also gypsy on the flash. It was charming.

CBS cashing in on the hallmark market with three new films.

Trevor

Seconded.

BobO'Link

I'm a couple of days late but am finally getting in my annual viewing of Planes, Trains & Automobiles...

Mr Awesome

great, exceeded all expectations.

LJG765

I'm a bit of a late starter this year, though I did get some good watches in at my sister's. My goal the last couple years has to watch all my holiday movies at least once. There's a handful I watch every year, but I have a LOT of Hallmark type films I picked up for cheap that I've never watched or only watched once. I've been keeping track by keeping the ones watched laying down, so it'd be nice to finish up this year so they all face the same way again! It's doable, but we'll see. It doesn't look like too many on the shelf, but a lot of my cases have 4 or 6 movies in them.

The original is not my favorite movie at all. It's grown on me, but mainly because if it hadn't, Thanksgiving would not be a fun holiday with my sister who adores it. She literally watches it about 5 times a season. I think the second one is definitely watchable and relatable. I lost my father on Christmas Day 15 years ago, and it took a LONG time before any of us were able to fully enjoy the day again. We had to totally redo most of our traditions and plans. My sister's mother-in-law passed away this spring as well, so it's their first Christmas without her. So it definitely hit home for us.

I will say that we all decided the actress who plays the mom in this film (not the original actress, Julie...Haggerty? from Airplane) didn't quite live up to expectations.

This is on my list to watch. Good to know it's funny!

Friends has never been a must see for me. When it originally aired, I was not the demographic it was aimed for. I was more into Buffy, Dawson's Creek and so on. Now that I'm well past the demographic it was aimed at, I still don't feel the connection that those who watched it when it aired did. I will say that it mostly aged well and I can at least sit through a handful of episodes without feeling like my brain is dying. All the ones I saw were new to me, though I'm sure I picked up key phrases here and there. I did appreciate how close they all were and it does remind me of my close friends who are more like family.

jholmes

I use that app!

Thanks for the recs on Guardian of the Galaxy Holiday Special. So much fun. I loved the "Earthings are so weird" song at the start and the whole Kevin Bacon thing was hilarious. They're doing some truly creative things with these shorts.

BobO'Link

And I followed Planes, Trains & Automobiles with the annual viewing of A Christmas Story. It's a long time favorite - I've loved it since I first saw it during its original release. My wife can't stand it... and we would keep the TV on TBS at her mom's house every Thanksgiving - full ACS repeat... These days I just pull the disc and watch it myself - usually on Thanksgiving day - and sometimes put it on the player in the LR, on repeat, for gatherings. This year was a huge exception as everyone (and I mean *everyone*) in the family was sick with something... I had the worst cold I've had in years, my wife had a major asthma attack (still recovering), my daughter, her fiance, and her youngest 2 all got Covid, and my son's oldest and youngest got colds. Other than me, everyone just stayed home. I'd recovered just enough to go to my sister's house (a few minutes drive) to visit my 2 nieces and 2 nephews (3 of them live 6, 8, and 12 hours away and coming home all at once is pretty rare), the 2 respective spouses (one niece, one nephew), and the grand niece and grand nephew (they're cousins - ~20mo. old) - and they had a bit of a scare with the grand niece as she'd been exposed to "hand, foot, and mouth" disease so there was a bit of concern - especially since the grand nephew had just gotten over a rather bad case a few months back. It was a very good visit and we Face Timed with my wife so she at least got to visit virtually. I joked with my daughter that everyone getting sick on at least one major holiday a year seems to be a new family tradition... she was not amused...

Mr Awesome

Tonight is CBS's annual airing of Rudoplh followed by the new Reindeer over Here afterwards at 9:01 ET.

MysterioMan007

Finishing up Elf (2003) right now. It's another movie that, for years, I had no idea what anyone could possibly like about it. It's just Will Ferrell doing Will Ferrell things, but this movie has grown on me immensely. I went and saw it a couple of years ago at a theater that plays retro stuff and ended up loving it as my best friend had always loved it. When she passed away, I guess I took to viewing it in her honor. But I've grown to like it like she did. Maybe not as much, but I do find myself chuckling at certain things that I used to think were stupid, like Buddy's over-the-top enthusiasm for Santa Claus. I just hope I don't begin to like everything Will Ferrell does.

BobO'Link

OK... what have you been drinking?!?! I was right with you up until you said "...this movie had grown on me immensely..." I own a copy, mainly for the grandkids, and just can't find anything to like when Ferrell's on the screen. I didn't bother pulling it for viewing as I don't expect any of the grandkids to be watching holiday movies with me this year. Bah! Humbug!

I absolutely respect and understand viewing it as an honor to your friend - but...

jholmes

I absolutely love it. I'd in my top 5 Christmas movies. I guess you either love Will Farrell or... not.
I just watched Spirited. I was expecting to love it but it was about 3/5 stars for me. Parts of it just felt stilted and some of the songs were meh. Loved Octavia Spencer though.

MysterioMan007

I just find Will Ferrell to be absolutely annoying in these types of roles. These two, plus Daddy's Home 2, have been my three viewings for this challenge. I don't find him as insufferable in the Daddy's Home films, but stuff like Talladega Nights I just don't understand the appeal. I think you have to view Elf with someone who likes it to appreciate it. I hated it for years. Spirited, I'm like you and just found it to be an okay viewing. Love Ryan Reynolds in anything usually, but he just wasn't very convincing as a greedy miser to me. Ferrell was actually more believable in Spirited to me. I'll probably view it on holiday seasons in the future, but maybe it'll grow on me as well. We'll see...

Bladz

I don't know how I managed to go all those years without watching Elf, but I finally saw it last year. I thought it was okay and good for a one time watch, but it isn't something I see myself revisiting. I don't understand the classic Christmas movie status that it has, but I guess to each their own.

Mr Awesome

With the comedy Challenge over, the Christmas list thread should probably be stickied.

Mr Awesome

Honestly that's how I feel about A Christmas Story, I just don't get all the hype. I grew up without cable and never really heard of the movie until I saw some of it during 10th grade study hall.

Bladz

A Christmas Story is my favorite Christmas movie, but I think it might be one of those movies that you had to grow up on to fully appreciate it. I've been watching it since it first aired on cable, when I was 8, so there's a big nostalgia element to it for me. I feel the same way about a movie like Grease, which I also grew up on. I love Grease, but if I watched it for the first time now, I honestly don't think I would like it at all.

Mr Awesome

Doing a Mickey Mouse triple feature with the new stop-motion special Mickey Saves Christmas, along with perennials Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas and Mickey's Christmas Carol.

MysterioMan007

Just got back from Violent Night with David Harbour. It was advertised as Die Hard meets Home Alone. And while it's not as good as either of those movies, it's a pretty accurate description. I enjoyed it for what it was, a mindless action flick with a magical Christmas backdrop. Nice to see Beverly D'Angelo again, but even the unlikable characters were at least entertaining. John Leguizamo, who has rubbed me the wrong way with his comments on diverse casting for a cartoon, was good as the bad guy here. There were some funny moments, but it was mostly Santa Claus stuck in a Die Hard situation. All of the cast was good, really,, but I don't think this will ever be considered a Christmas classic. A lot of fun, though.

Mr Awesome

Did my holiday watch of Ernest Saves Christmas. Classic. Thank goodness for Disney+ for the movies that aren't offered in blu-ray.

BobO'Link

There are several of the Ernest movies that deserve a blu-ray release - "Saves Christmas" is in that group. You'd think it'd have had one by now...

Trevor

This will be one of those rare times we disagree Bob.

I normally don’t like Will Ferrell at all, but Elf is perhaps the greatest Christmas film of all time. I like all aspects of it, but he really shines.

Related, I also really enjoy the new Ferrell/Ryan Reynolds Scrooge flick.