Holiday Movies

I have a collection of movies that are "must sees" during the holidays. The Watching of the Holiday Movie is as much a part of our family tradition as the Thanksgiving Turkey and the Christmas Tree.

During October, when the kids were young, I would just turn on the Disney Channel which would pump out a plethora of kid-friendly Halloween fare. The films that I watch for myself (and now with my older children) include Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy; Fallen, starring Denzel Washington; The Frighteners directed by Peter Jackson, starring Michael J. Fox;

Sleepy Hollow, directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp; High Spirits, starring Peter O'Toole, Jennifer Tilly, Beverly D'Angelo and Liam Neeson; and Ghostbusters, directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murry, Dan Ackroid, and Sigorny Weaver.

For many years, Jody Foster's Home for the Holidays starring Holly Hunter was the only movie I would watch to celebrate Thanksgiving, but recently I have added the indie film Pieces of April starring Katie Holmes. I wish I could say that the outrageously dysfuctional family dynamic in these movies makes me appreciate my family more, but it actually gives me the warm-fuzzies and makes me wish my family was more like theirs. (Meaning my extended family, of course. Not my beautiful children and wonderful husband)

Christmas movies have always included A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Bell, Book and Candle, and Scrooged.

Some years we have included a new Christmas movie - some were total duds (Christmas With the Kranks, Deck the Halls, Jingle All the Way), a few we've enjoyed (The Santa Clause 1, 2 & 3, Home Alone) - but we always come back to our four standards. This year, based on recommendations from friends, I rented Love Actually, and insisted that my husband and two sons -17 and 23 - watch it with me in spite of their protests that it looked like a "chick flick". I'm happy to report that, although it won't make it into our "must see" holiday list, everyone enjoyed this all-star movie.

On New Years Day, I always watch Four Rooms , 200 Cigarettes and Ghostbusters II.

Lots of mindless fun. Back to the "thinking films" after the holidays.

Entering the Blogisphere

Suddenly I have decided to pour my thoughts into the Internet ocean. I haven't even found time to send holiday cards or even email my friends this year, but .... somehow ..... my optimistic soul believes I will find time to communicate with my friends and family through a blog.

Actually, I must admit that I am a filmphile, and I tend to bore my friends and family with my incessant babbling about movies, directors, actors, etc. So maybe this will be a venue to bore complete strangers with my film obsession.

Clarice