Top 10 Holiday Movie Favorites

For this list, instead of listing the holiday movies that I think are the best I thought about the Christmas movies that play in our home almost every year. Sure, I love It's A Wonderful Life and Holiday Inn and a whole slew of other classic Hollywood yuletide flicks but this here are the ones that I can watch year after year!

1) ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS (1988) I love this movie so much! I often site it as my favorite Christmas movie and then a few years ago when I realized it's just one of my all-time favorite movies. I love this movie so much I tracked down several of the filming locations in Orlando, Florida. I saw Ernest's house, guys!  This movie is the second of nine Ernest films and it certainly has the most heart, I think it's the funniest and has the best story which actually places Ernest as a secondary character to the main story of Santa Claus arriving in Florida to find his replacement. Just an absolutely delightful film from beginning to end.

2) NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) I was already a huge fan of the first two Vacation films when this classic was first released. I actually won tickets to the local premiere of Christmas Vacation on the radio so I'm actually among the first people to ever see this hilarious masterpiece. It's been amazing watching this film morph from being just a silly comedy to a bona fide Holiday classic of the first degree. I love that you can buy Christmas Vacation merchandise of every variety now and when people decorate their house with motifs from the movie - that's just the best. This is one film that the entire household watches every single year Christmas week, and it's been the first PG-13 movie for all of my kids.

3) THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992) When the Muppets take on the classic Dickens tale was first released, I was a bit disappointed that the movie wasn't wackier. As time has marched on, I've come to appreciate that the further apart the jokes occur makes each crazy Muppet moment all the more fantastic. This too has become a pretty widely loved Christmas movie as it is not only a fun time with Kermit the Frog and friends, but it is also a pretty faithful adaption of the original story.

4) A VERY BRADY CHRISTMAS (1988)  From Wikipedia: "When A Very Brady Christmas first aired, it was the highest rated television film of the season with a 25.1 rating and a 39 share but ultimately finished as the second highest rated television film of the season." I didn't even watch this when it first aired but I remember everybody talking about the film at school the next day and I eventually caught it in a rerun. It wasn't until a few years later when I had a job where there was a TV on all the time that I started to watch the Brady's Christmas movie repeatedly. It would air several times over multiple weekends each holiday season and I saw it so many times that it started to become a tradition with me. It was easy to find the film on TV for many years after I left that job, but eventually I had to resort to watching it on YouTube. Then I plunked down the $70 for the deluxe Brady Bunch box set which was the only was to get a DVD of the film. The following year Paramount released a stand alone disc for $10.

5) JINGLE BELL ROCKS! (2013) I love a good documentary and this independent film about off-beat Christmas music and Christmas music collectors just seems to scratch every itch I have for a good deep dive into Christmas music. Funny, fascinating and filled with good music...I've been able to track down most of this music on Spotify and the songs, too, have become part of my holiday traditions. 

6) GRUMPY CAT'S WORST CHRISTMAS EVER (2014) Easily the most bizarre Lifetime Christmas movie, I believe this film is also credited as being the first movie based off an internet meme. What shouldn't be any good, turns out to be a rollicking Christmas caper when a young girl befriends the sourpuss cat and the two end up trapped in a mall overnight and involved in a burglary. Grumpy Cat's inner thoughts are voiced by Aubrey Plaza a la' Garfield and there are a few mildly familiar faces among the human cast. Yes, this movie is kinda dumb but my kids and I love it and we've watched it 5 out of the last seven years. They've already asked when we are going to watch it again this year.

7) GOOD LUCK CHARLIE, IT'S CHRISTMAS! (2011) I've never seen the Disney Channel sitcom that this film is based on but I'm always a sucker for a movie version of a sitcom. The movie follows the sitcom Duncan family on a half-cross country Christmas week trip from Chicago to Palm Springs. My middle son was in kindergarten when this movie debuted and we watched it one afternoon and enjoyed it well enough. That same year it was playing late Christmas eve and I put it on while prepping the house for Santa's arrival. The following year it aired again late night on Christmas eve and I had it on while getting things ready. At this point, I decided it was to be a tradition to watch this movie on Christmas eve while doing prep work so I secured the DVD and have now literally seen this movie 11 times...and it won't be Christmas without viewing #12 this year.

8) JINGLE ALL THE WAY (1996) From the director of The Flintstones movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger battles Sinbad for 89 glorious minutes in order to obtain the hottest toy of the Christmas season. Phil Hartman is in it and there is a very brief cameo from Harvey Korman. Like a fine wine, this movie only gets better with age.

9) A CHRISTMAS STORY (1982) It took me about 30 years to finally come around on this film. I saw it the very first time it played on HBO - didn't like it. I showed it to my kids when they were little - still didn't like it. I gave it another chance somewhere in the last 10 years and something clicked - I loved it. Now, it's still fairly fresh for me and my kids because we never watched it on an endless loop on Christmas Eve. 

10) MICKEY'S TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS (2004) A follow-up to 1999's Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas, this movie isn't even as good as the first one but it made this list because we've watched it so many times it's now a personal favorite. The first movie is beautiful and in my opinion, one of the very best things Disney has ever done with their classic characters. My kids really liked this second effort and I've now seen it so many times I'm not sure if the other one is still my favorite. In a brief 68 minute running time, this film offers up 5 short stories featuring the Disney gang. This was the first time Disney used Mickey and gang in 3D animation and the result is different from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse which premiered a year later. Of the 5 segments, Donald Duck trying to get some peace and quiet to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa is our favorite, although Pluto running away a joining up with Santa's reindeer is a house favorite too!

***Movies come and go from the streaming services but for the 2021 holiday season all of these movies are available on one of the major platforms; Grumpy Cat you'd have to rent from Amazon and Jingle Bell Rocks! appears to only be found on the public library supported service Hoopla. 

 

The Ultimate Netflix Christmas Episode List

Saved By The Bell "Home For Christmas"

Christmas television programing continues to gain popularity with each passing year. What used to be a few prime time specials every December has turned into 24 hour Christmas movie channels, marathons of Christmas Specials and Christmas episodes and more and more new original Christmas content making it to our screens each year. It's a great time to be a Christmas TV fanatic. Christmas themed episodes of beloved television series have become just as much a part of some people's holiday viewing traditions as Rudolph and Charlie Brown. There are several DVD compilations of vintage Christmas episodes and of course the closer we get to Christmas, the more you see jolly episodes of reruns airing. A great place to find loads of Christmas from television's past is Netflix - which features not only the latest "binge-worthy" trending series but plenty of goodies from the last several decades.

We've scoured the merriest corners of Netflix to compile a fairly comprehensive list of Christmas Time Episodes from a variety of series. The Netflix interface varies from platform to platform, so we've included the Season and Episode Number for each episode for the easiest searching. Happy Viewing!


About A Boy S2E8 "About A Christmas Card"

Ally McBeal S1E11 "Silver Bells"; S2E10 "Making Spirits Bright"; S3E7 "Saving Santa"; S3E8 "Blue Christmas"; S4E8 "The Man With the Bag"

The Andy Griffith Show S1E11 "A Christmas Story"

The Bernie Mac Show S1E7 "A Christmas Story"

Bob's Burgers S3E9 "God Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins"; S4E8 "Christmas In The Car"

Bojack Horseman "Bojack Horseman Christmas Special" (individually listed)

The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That "The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About Christmas"

Cheers S6E12 "Christmas Cheers"

The Cleveland Show S1E9 "A Cleveland Brown Christmas"; S2E8 "Murray Christmas"; S3E7 "Die Semi-Hard"; S4E6 "`Tis the Cleveland To Be Sorry"

Crossing Jordan S1E10 "Blue Christmas"

The Dick Van Dyke Show S3E13 "The Alan Brady Show Presents"

Doctor Who S2E1 "The Christmas Invasion"; S4E1 "Voyage of the Damned"

Everybody Loves Raymond S2E12 "All I Want For Christmas"; S3E12 "The Toaster"; S4E11 "The Christmas Picture"; S5E11 "Christmas Present"; S6E12 "Season's Greetings"; S7E11 "The Thought That Counts"; S8E10 "Jazz Records"

Frasier S1E12 "Miracle of Third or Fourth Street"; S3E9 "Frasier Grinch"; S5E9 "Perspectives on Christmas"; S6E10 "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz"; S7E11 "The Fight Before Christmas"; S8E8 "Mary Christmas"; S10E10 "We Two Kings"; S11E11 "High Holidays"

Friends S7E10 "The One With the Holiday Armadillo"; S9E10 "The One With Christmas in Tulsa"

Futurama S2E8 "Xmas Story"; S4E2 "A Tale of Two Santas"

Girl Meets World S1E16 "Girl Meets Home For The Holidays"

Glee S2E10 "A Very Glee Christmas"; S3E9 "An Extraordinary Merry Christmas"; S4E10 "Glee, Actually"; S5E8 "Previously Unaired Christmas"

Handy Manny E19 "Flicker Saves Christmas"; E20 "The Ayala"s Christmas Extravaganza"

House, M.D. S3E10 "Merry Little Christmas"; S5E11 "Joy To The World"

House of Mouse "Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse" (stand alone)

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia S6E13 "A Very Sunny Christmas"

Jessie S1E10 "A Christmas Story"

Last Man Standing S1E10 "Last Christmas Standing"; S2E7 "Putting A Hit on Christmas"

MacGyver S5E11 "The Madonna"

Malcom In The Middle S3E7 "Christmas"; S5E7 "Christmas Trees"; S6E6 "Hal's Christmas Gift"

30 Rock offered up several holiday episodes during its seven season run.

M*A*S*H S5E15 "Dear Sis"

Melissa & Joey S3E16 "A New Kind of Family Christmas"; S4E2 "A Melanie & Josiah Christmas"

Murder, She Wrote S9E9 "A Christmas Secret"

NCIS S6E11 "Silent Night"; S7E10 "Faith"; S9E11 "The Newborn King"; S10E10 "You Better Watch Out"; S11E11 "Home Sick"

New Girl S1E9 "The 23rd"; S2E11 "Santa"

The Office (U.S.) S2E10 "Christmas Party"; S3E10 "A Benihana Christmas"; S5E10 "Moroccan Christmas"; S6E13 "Secret Santa"; S7E11 "Classy Christmas"; S8E10 "Christmas Wishes"; S9E9 "Dwight Christmas"

The Office (U.K.) S2E7&8 "Christmas Special"

Orange Is The New Black S1E13 "Can't Fix Crazy"

Parks and Recreation S2E12 "Christmas Scandal"

Pee-Wee's Playhouse "Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special" (individually listed)

Psych S5E14 "The Polarizing Express"

Quantum Leap S3E10 "A Little Miracle - December 24, 1962"; S5E11 "Promised Land - December 22, 1971"

Rules of Engagement S5E12 "Little Bummer Boy"

Rosewell S2E10 "A Rosewell Christmas Carol"

Saved By The Bell S3E24&25 "Home For Christmas"

30 Rock S2E9 "Ludachristmas";  S3E6 "Christmas Special"; S4E8 "Secret Santa"; S5E10 "Christmas Attack Zone"

The Twilight Zone S2E11 "Night of the Meek"

The Vicar of Dibley S2E2 "The Christmas Lunch Incident"; S3E2 "Winter" (There is also a whole section of Vicar of Dibley Christmas Specials which lists four more episodes)

The Wonder Years S2E3 "Christmas"; S4E9 "A Very Cutlip Christmas"; S5E9 "Christmas Party"; S6E10 "Let Nothing You Dismay"

The X-Files S5E6 "Christmas Carol"; S6E6 "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas"


Missed any good ones? Drop us a line or leave a comment!
Netflix availability as of 11/12/15

Another Pointless List of Every Movie I Watched Last Year - 2014 Edition

Man, I watched a lot of Super Hero movies this year!

Edited 2/5/2015: Per request by a reader, I have added the date of each screening and took it one step further and also added the venue or source for each film. DVDs from Netflix are labeled Netflix DVD, while Netflix is used for films streamed through their service. Simply DVD is used for films from my own personal library.

So here we go with the complete list of every movie I watched in 2014:

1.  Saving Mr. Banks (2013) 1/2 Frank Gettysburg 10
2. High Noon (1952) 1/6 Netflix
3. We're The Millers (2013) 1/9 Netflix DVD
4. Fantastic Four (2005) 1/10 DVD
5. The Way Way Back (2013) 1/12 Netflix DVD
6. Lovelace (2013) 1/13 Netflix
7. Mel (1998) 1/14 DVD
8. Critters 2 (1988) 1/16 DVD
9. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 1/16 DVD
10. The Lone Ranger (2013) 1/18 Netflix DVD
11. Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) 1/19 DVD
12. Turbo (2013) 1/19 Netflix DVD
13. The Great Muppet Caper (1981) 1/21 DVD
14. Loving Annabelle (2006) 1/21 Netflix
15. Meet The Spartans (2008) 1/22 DVD
16. Blue Jasmine (2013) 1/23 Netflix DVD
17. Daredevil (2003) 1/24 DVD
18. The Starving Games (2013) 1/26 Redbox DVD
19. Secretary (2002) 1/27 Netflix DVD
20. Don Jon (2013) 1/30 Netflix DVD
21. Doctor Strange (2007) 1/31 Netflix
22. In A World... (2013) 2/3 Netflix DVD
23. A.C.O.D. (2013) 2/3 Netflix DVD
24. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) 2/6 Netflix DVD
25. The Lego Movie (2014) 2/11 R/C Hanover Movies
26. Flowers in the Attic (2014) 2/11 Lifetime
27. The Rescuers (1977) 2/13 DVD
28. The Rescuers Down Under (1990) 2/14 DVD
29. Enough Said (2013) 2/18 Netflix DVD
30. The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014: Animation (2014) 1/20 The Majestic Theater, Gettysburg
31. Iron Man &  Hulk: Heroes United (2013) 2/21 Netflix
32. Austenland (2013) 2/23 Netflix DVD
33. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013) 2/24 Netflix DVD
34. Caddyshack (1980) 2/27 DVD
35. Ass Backwards (2013) 3/3 Netflix DVD
36. Dallas Buyers Club (2013) 3/4 Netflix DVD
37. Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (2011) 3/6 M-Go
38. Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) 3/10 R/C Hanover Movies
39. Sleeping Beauty (1959) 3/14 DVD
40. Frozen (2013) 3/18 DVD
41. Muppets Most Wanted (2014) 3/26 R/C Hanover Movies
42. Escapade in Florence (1962) 4/10 DVD
43. Condorman (1981) 4/11 DVD
44. The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) 4/15 DVD
45. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) 4/17 R/C Hanover Movies
46. A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) 4/18 DVD
47. Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953) 4/21 VHS
48. Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery (2014) 4/25 Netflix DVD
49. Honey, I Blew Up The Kid (1992) 5/3 DVD
50. Rescue From Gilliagan's Island (1978) 5/5 Netflix DVD
51. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) 5/7 R/C Hanover Movies
52. Josie and the Pussycats (2001) 5/9 DVD
53. Iron Man 2 (2010) 5/10 DVD
54. She's All That (1999) 5/12 Netflix
55. Godzilla (2014) 5/15 R/C Hanover Movies
56. Captain America (1979) 5/20 DVD
57. Iron Man 3 (2013) 5/30 DVD
58. C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979) 5/31 DVD
59. The Flintstones (1994) 5/31 DVD
60. Bananas (1971) 6/2 DVD
61. Escape From Tomorrow (2013) 6/5 Netflix
62. X-Men (2000) 6/12 DVD
63. Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014) 6/12 Netflix DVD
64. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) 6/20 Netflix DVD
65. Dear Mr. Watterson (2013) 6/21 Netflix
66. Ernest Goes To Camp (1987) 6/26 DVD
67. All's Faire in Love (2009) 6/27 Netflix
68. Planes (2013) 6/30 DVD
69. Good Burger (1997) 7/3 Netflix
70. I Know That Voice (2013) 7/3 Amazon Prime
71. The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000) 7/5 DVD
72. RoboCop (2014) 7/9 Netflix DVD
73. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) 7/14 DVD
74. Ernest & Celestine (2012) 7/17 Netflix DVD
75. Smokey and the Bandit (1977) 7/19 DVD
76. Summer Rental (1985) 7/26 DVD
77. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) 7/30 DVD
78. Yogi Bear (2010) 7/31 DVD
79. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) 7/31 R/C Hanover Movies
80. Captain Ron (1992) 8/1 DVD
81. Pack Up Your Troubles (1932) 8/10 YouTube
82. It Felt Like Love (2013) 8/11 Netflix
83. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) 8/13 R/C Hanover Movies
84. Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) 8/14 Frank Gettysburg 10
85. Fierce Creatures (1997) 8/15 DVD
86. Cross My Heart (1987) 8/18 DVD
87. Heaven Is For Real (2014) 8/24 Netflix DVD
88. Angel (1984) 8/25 DVD
89. Ping Pong Summer (2014) 8/27 Netflix DVD
90. Back to School (1986) 8/29 DVD
91. Every Other Day Is Halloween (2009) 8/30 Amazon Prime
92. They Came Together (2014) 9/1 Netflix DVD
93. The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story (2014) 9/3 Lifetime
94. Trust Me (2013) 9/4 Netflix DVD
95. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) 9/5 DVD
96. UHF (1989) 9/6 DVD
97. Up The Creek (1984) 9/7 MGM HD
98. Divergent (2014) 9/10 Netflix DVD
99. Waiting For Guffman (1996) 9/11 HD Net Movies
100. Bears (2014) 9/12 Netflix DVD
101. The Other Woman (2014) 9/17 Netflix DVD
102. Dumbo (1941) 9/21 DVD (outdoor screening)
103. Non-Stop (2014) 9/25 Netflix DVD
104. Stay Tuned (1992) 9/28 Netflix DVD
105. Quick Change (1990) 9/29 HBO
106. Fed Up (2014) 10/1 Netflix DVD
107. Space Station 76 (2014) 10/5 Redbox
108. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014) 10/26 R/C Hanover Movies
109. Hocus Pocus (1993) 10/27 Lifetime
110. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) 10/29 DVD
111. Sex Tape (2014) 11/5 Netflix DVD
112. Her (2013) 11/6 Netflix DVD
113. Jitterbugs (1943) 11/8 Netflix DVD
114. A Cookie Cutter Christmas (2014) 11/10 Hallmark Channel
115. Big Hero 6 (2014) 11/14 R/C Hanover Movies
116. Snow Bride (2013) 11/24 Hallmark Channel
117. Video Games: The Movie (2014) 11/25 Netflix
118. Ducktales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990) 11/28 DVD
119. Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever (2014) 11/30 Lifetime
120. Farewell Mr. Kringle (2010) 12/2 Hallmark Channel
121. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014) 12/3 R/C Hanover Movies
122. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) 12/4 DVD
123. Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas (2013) 12/7 Netflix DVD
124. Jingle Bell Rocks! (2013) 12/16 Amazon Instant
125. A Very Brady Christmas (1988) 12/18 ABC Family On Demand
126. Jingle All The Way 2 (2014) 12/21 USA
127. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) 12/23 DVD
128. Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas (2011) 12/24 DVD
129. Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas (2004) 12/28 DVD
130. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) 12/28 DVD
131. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) 12/28 DVD
132. The Road to Christmas (2006) 12/31 Lifetime

10 Favorite Films From 2014

It just wouldn't be a blog without some sort of year-end review of the best movies in 2014. Since I don't see anywhere near a sampling of all the movies to come out in a year, I always do a list of the 10 best movies that I saw for the first time in the past year. This year's list is exclusively made up of titles released in the last year or so. I only saw 132 movies this past year, in contrast to the previous years 200+ counts, and I relied on alot of old favorites throughout the year. Plus, as I've mentioned last year - having a baby in the house cuts down significantly on movie watching time!

Saving Mr.Banks (2013; dir. John Lee Hancock)

Of course a movie featuring Walt Disney as a character is going to make this list of best films of the year. Tom Hanks brings my idol to life opposite Emma Thompson as PL Travers, the author of Mary Poppins. It was neat to see a number of people who I've spent my life reading about portrayed in dramatic fashion by an all-star cast. The film is actually more about PL Travers than Walt Disney, but it's still a charming tear-jerker of film.

Non-Stop (2014; dir. Jaume Collet-Serra)

A super tight thriller with Liam Neeson as an air marshal being framed for a terrorist attack that is about to happen on the plane he is on. There's so many quick little shots in this superb movie that throw you off the trail of who's behind the crime that it becomes an exhilarating ride from most of the film's run time. They also employ quite a few neat techniques to make texting an interesting thing to watch in a movie. This is Liam Neeson's best action film since the fantastic first Taken picture.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014; dir. James Gunn)

This is a popcorn blockbuster done to absolute perfection. Everyone in the cast is fantastic, the action is top-notch, the story easy to follow, and even the somewhat familiar space opera settings seem fresh this time around. What stood out the most for me with this movie, was the relentless sense of humor running throughout the entire flick. Even straight-up comedies have trouble keeping the entire movie funny, and this Marvel blockbuster was just painfully funny all the way through. I loved it! Easily the funniest of the Marvel films, and also the most accessible to those who haven't followed the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014; dirs. Anthony & Joe Russo)
One of the coolest events of the past movie year was how much this Captain America sequel tied in with Marvel's Agents of SHIELD TV show. Although I would have liked to have seen more characters from the small screen crossover to the big screen, it was still a hoot to have this big budget action/thriller wrapped up with one of my favorite television shows. The action sequences here are top notch and the storyline relevant to today's headlines. This was a real tense, action-packed film that also had a great sense of humor throughout.

 

Don Jon (2013; dir. Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

A funny and delightfully vulgar romantic comedy with a great cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly and Brie Larson.

 

 

The Lego Movie (2014; dirs. Phil Lord & Christopher Miller)

As you've probably heard by now, there is no reason a movie based on building block toys should be so darn good. Yet, pretty much everyone agrees that The Lego Movie was one of the most fantastic movies of the past year. The movies manages to take us to a place we've never been, and give us a really good story mixed with hilarious humor from beginning to end. Unlike other toy based movies, it's only later when you are walking through the isles of Wal-Mart do you realize how much product they were selling us.

 Dallas Buyers Club (2013; dir. Jean-Marc Vallee)

Simply put, this is one of the only Oscar-contender kind of flicks I watched this past year and it was really good. Matthew McConaughey is fantastic as real life Ron Woodroof, a guy who contracts AIDS and helps other AIDS patients get the medicine they need. Jennifer Garner is also in this, she's always very good and Jared Leto is superb in this as well. I had no idea who Leto was before watching this, but he won the Oscar for best supporting actor - so you know he's good. McConaughey was also awarded an Oscar for her performance here.

Muppets Most Wanted (2014; dir. James Bobin)

The Muppet's 8th big screen outing was my favorite movie of the past year! It's not at the top of my list just because it's a Muppets movie, it's because 24 years after the death of Jim Henson - they finally nailed a Muppets production in the exact style of the old Muppet movies and shows. Gone are the literary adaptions or reunion attempts of the past four movies and instead is a zany, music filled crime caper that's big on laughs and little on plot development. There's at least a dozen superstar cameos, a soundtrack filled with goofy toe-tapping tunes, and the zany and irreverent sense of humor that made the Muppets a household name back in the 70's. Muppets Most Wanted is easily the best Muppets production since the passing of Jim Henson in 1990, and even though their last film, The Muppets (2011),  has it's loyal fans...as a life long Muppets aficionado I declare this film ten times better!

They Came Together (2014; dir David Wain)

True parody is dead. Over the last 10 years of so, parody has been watered down to just pointing something out or making a pop culture reference and leaving it at that. Then along comes They Came Together, which not only pokes fun of every contrivance of the modern romantic comedy, it also offers up zany puns, visual gags and hilarious set pieces to boot. Hands down the funniest movie of the year, this under-the-radar comedy is destined to find it's fans one day.

Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever (2014; dir. Tim Hill)

I saved this one for last because I know it's inclusion pretty much negates my entire list but hear me out...This was a funny movie! Now, honestly the 10th spot on my list should have gone to We're The Millers or Enough Said or even High Noon but I wanted to include Grumpy Cat because when was the last time a TV movie (on Lifetime no less) tried to be silly and zany AND actually pull it off?! The Christmas TV movie has become a genre which is here to stay. There are literally dozens of new Xmas made for TV movies each year now. Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever attempts to skewer those flicks with this silly caper about a mall robbery and a young girl who befriends Grumpy Cat and tries to save the day. I had zero interest in Grumpy Cat before this movie, but my kids and I laughed out loud several times at the feline festivities. (Also, it was directed by the same guy who did Muppets From Space!) This will definitely be required holiday viewing next Christmas time in our household!

What were some of your favorite film discoveries of 2014?

My Week In Movies - December 2012 Wrap Up

As always, December brings hours of Christmas goodness to be watched. This year I fit in some of the traditional classics like one of my newer favorites Miracle on 34th Street. And there is nothing greater than hearing a 7 year old belly laugh at the ABC Family cut of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It just wouldn't be Christmas without A Very Brady Christmas and another made-for-TV staple Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas! I caught some new-to-me classics like The Bells of St. Mary's and Holiday Affair and you can't overlook the really wonderful A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas...even in 2D! I've heard so much this year about Love Actually being a really great Holiday film, but I actually didn't care for it at all. However, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Four Christmases, another recent holiday flick that was recommended to me by a friend.

New Movies: I caught the new Step Up: Revolution which is just as goofy as the other three, if not quite a fun. Brave was much better a second time around and Monsters Inc. 3D is another example of how the new technology adds a little something extra to an already fantastic Pixar movie.

Here's my monthly rundown from best to worst:

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Monsters Inc. 3D (2001/2012)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Return of the Jedi (1984)
Brave (2012)
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)
Die Hard (1988)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)
A Very Brady Christmas (1988)
Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas! (2011)
Four Christmases (2008)
Jingle All The Way (1996)
Step Up: Revolution (2012)
Holiday Affair (1949)
One Magic Christmas (1985)
The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)
Love Actually (2003)

December Movie Count: 18

2012 Movie Count:

236 Movies!!!

up 33 movies from 2011

My Week In Movies - November Wrap Up

Love At The Christmas Table (2012) There seems to be no less than 30 new Christmas movies debuting on television this season, this is one of them. What brought me to this picture was Danica McKeller (Winnie from The Wonder Years) and one of my all-time faves Lea Thompson. I intended to turn the movie off after 5 minutes but I was intrigued by the very first opening frames of the movie. This sappy holiday romcom, which is debuting on Lifetime, was produced by independent film company The Asylum. I've seen some of The Asylum's other work which is all gory horror movies and raunchy sex comedies, so I was surprised to see them producing a movie for Lifetime Television. The Asylum's films are always low budget affairs, with actors who can't act and stories that don't make a whole lot of sense but their scripts always show a flare for creativity and I've enjoyed what I've seen from them, especially the Netflix Classic "Barely Legal". The Christmas flick follows a couple who fall in love over the course of 30 years meeting one night a year at the kids table of their father's company Christmas dinner. Sappy, corny, predictable, confusing, and boring in parts...in the end, it worked for me. It's a cute little Christmas package with some higher than usual production values for The Asylum. It's no "Barely Legal"...or "Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies", but it's fun!

Soul Surfer (2011) Second time seeing this feel good surfing movie, it holds up. Good performances from the cast and a script that knows it's treading on familiar cinematic territory - the story of Bethany Hamilton, a young surfer who lost her arm to a shark attack yet learned to surf again, is an awe inspiring journey.


November Movie Count: 17
Best New Movie: Wreck-It Ralph
Worst New Movie: Vamps
Best Rewatch: Tangled
2012 Movie Count: 218

My Week In Movies - It's A New Princess

Sofia The First: Once Upon A Princess (2012) Disney's newest Princess franchise is a show directed at preschoolers, but the debut of Princess Sofia was rolled out in a family-friendly TV movie that sets up the series without being an educational lesson or the usual mind-numbing kiddie show fare. The film follows commoner Sofia, whose mother ends up marrying the King of a neighboring Kingdom. Soon Sofia finds herself in the world of castles and servants and so many other things she's not used to. Ok, I realize this show and starter film is pretty much aimed at little girls but let me tell you why it's awesome. Since it's aimed at an undiscerning preschool audience, the whole thing is just unabashedly Disney! It's like someone said, "Oh, you like Disney?" And then threw a bucket full of Disney at your head at point blank range. There's castles, and bad guys and cute little animals and singing and dancing and the coolest part of all is the Disney references and nods throughout the whole film. The kids in Sofia's new class are all inspired by other famous Disney characters. The real kicker, and the main concept for the show - is Sofia has a magic amulet (of course she does) which when Sofia needs advice, will summon another Disney Princess to help her out. In the movie, Cinderella drops by for some Princess Advice and a song! When they get to The Little Mermaid episode...I'll be watching. The three fairies from Sleeping Beauty are also series regulars as the head masters of Royal University, where Sofia attends. I'm sure the following TV series, which debuts next month, will be more directed at little kids, but this debut movie was a nice family event. And between The Disney Channel and Disney Junior channel, it's on about every two hours between now and Christmas.

Arthur Christmas (2011) Ok, we get it. Everything we know about Santa Claus and his operation is obsolete. The North Pole organization is now updated with computers and hi-tech this and iPad that...we get it. This concept has been done a handful of times already, most notably Disney's charming Prep & Landing specials. Arthur Christmas covers much the same ground, with Santa's spaceship (Sled-1) zipping across the planet, delivering gifts by zip-line all while Santa watches from above on his iPad. It's cute and will provide the necessary amounts of Holiday Cheer for a Christmas movie...but as with most non-Disney animated films, it's just "...eh?!"

Ruthless People (1986) I used to love this very grown up movie about a kidnapping going all wrong. I haven't seen it in probably 20 years, and I don't know if it's because I watched it so many times when I was younger, but I barely cracked a smile watching it this time around. It's still a good movie, with a solid story and plenty of gags...but I guess it's all etched in my mind pretty well because I was just sort of bored. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look though. It's directed by the team responsible for Airplane!, Top Secret! and The Naked Gun, but this is not like those films at all. This is a normal movie with a real story set in the real world. It's good fun, I think I just wore it out for myself.

My Week In Movies - The Rest of 2011

The Bishop's Wife (1947) I saw this holiday classic for the first time last year and really enjoyed it. I was glad that I revisited it again this year. Not only did I not get around to many other B&W Christmas goodies, this is just a really good Christmas movie. You can't go wrong with Cary Grant - and in a whimsical role as an angel sent to bring a couple back together - it's just one of the great classic films of all time. There's plenty of Holiday Cheer on hand including a terrific ice skating sequence, plenty of footage of old department stores and some nice caroling. A great holiday flick that I look forward to watching again next Christmas.

Deck The Halls (2006) It's hard to imagine there was a time as recently as 2006 that Danny DeVito and Mather Brodrick were allowed to headline a major studio film, but such was the case in this oft-aired Holiday tragedy of film making. DeVito and Brodrick play rival neighbors who argue over Christmas decorations. It starts out funny enough, but looses steam about 15 minutes in and then just meanders on forever with endless sequences of runaway sleighs, explosions and pratfalls. This is not a Christmas movie I will feel the need to revisit ever again.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) I'm gonna admit, I didn't really want to watch this because there was so many other Christmas movies that I wanted to get to, but my kids really wanted to watch it and I'm not one to deny them Muppets. And after about 2 minutes into the film, I remembered how awesome this movie is. It's not in the same league as the first three Muppet movies, but it's a darn good Muppet production nonetheless!

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) Basically the first movie, just reshuffled and with a different bad guy but in the end it worked. With a few solid laughs, some awesome action sequences and a breezy pace this silly sequel turned out to ultimately be satisfying.

Three Amigos! (1987) I always forget how much I love this movie. My kids saw it for the first time and they totally got it. It was a proud night of parenthood.

That's Entertainment (1974) Part film history lesson, part 70's time capsule; this is an ultra-entertaining look at the MGM Musical of Hollywood's Golden Age and it reminds you once again that "They just don't make `em like they used to!"

Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas (2011) Yes, again. It was on Christmas Eve night and I ended up sitting on the floor with my wife and watching the entire thing again. I wasn't as productive as I should have been, hours before Santa's arrival, but I did laugh a dozen or so times again at this well done TV movie. I think I'll buy the DVD if it ever comes out.

December Movie Count: 14
Best New Movie: That's Entertainment
Best Rewatch: Ernest Saves Christmas
Worst Movie: Deck The Halls

Final 2011 Movie Count: 203 Movies!!!

Toy Tinkers (1949)

Do you remember a few years ago I told you about Sweden's Christmas Eve tradition with Donald Duck? No!? Well, you should click here and read it! Anywho, here's a Donald Duck Christmas Cartoon to make your spirits bright...

My Week In Movies - Put It Over There, Greaseball

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) After Ernest, this is my second favorite Christmas movie! Last year, I shared the TV edit with my oldest son and he liked it. My younger son, Tanner, seems to have a better crafted sense of humor already so I was eager to show it to him too. He laughed alot and at all the right parts a 6 year old should laugh at. This is a movie that has seemed to pop up on just about every channel for the holidays. I have the DVD, but the TV-version basically cuts out the cursing and a couple of off-color jokes and then it's pretty ok for a family to sit down and watch. I taped it off CMT first, and even though it was in HD, the picture was only centered in the middle of the screen. TV Land shows a full screen version, but we don't get TV Land in HD. We finally went with ABC Family, which is showing a nice widescreen HD print with the curse words simply muted and a few minor snips around PG-13 jokes.

Friends With Benefits (2011) Justin Timberlake is such a talented fella. He's not only a good actor, he's a gifted comedic actor and he shines here in this tale of no strings attached sex with a friend. My major beef with this flick is that it pretends to mock all the contrivances and cliches of romantic comedies and then go ahead and follows the exact same path of 300 romcoms before it. Still, the cast is quite good and the film moves along at a brisk pace. The highlight of the movie in my book is a film-within-the film; a dead on parody of a romantic comedy that is seen on TV a few times staring Jason Segal and Rashida Jones. This would have made a much more interesting feature film.

March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934) Here's an ancient production of the classic Babes in Toyland story, this one most notable for featuring Laurel & Hardy. While the film is all around pretty good, when Laurel & Hardy aren't on screen the film quickly sags. There is also a depiction of the Three Little Pigs played by midgets in pig costumes and it's pretty terrifying, as is a monkey in a Mickey Mouse costume.

My Week In Movies - I Like Christmas

Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas (2011) I find the Disney Channel's Good Luck Charlie to be the most tolerable of their kiddie sitcom stable. This feature length Xmas outing is even more tolerable without an audience screaming with forced laughter after ever other line. The made-for-TV movie find the show's family split up at the start of a trip from Chicago to Palm Springs. The dad and the boys end up at Grandma's by plane while the oldest daughter and mom travel much slowly by a variety of ground methods. This ain't a holiday classic, but it's a pretty good TV movie with some holiday cheer and a few solid laughs. It's easily accessible for anyone not familiar with the show and for anyone with Disney Channel as I'm sure it's running just about every day between now and December 25.


30 Minutes of Less (2011) Solid comedy with a solid cast including the always fantastic Danny McBride, underrated Nick Swardson and Parks & Recreation's Aziz Anzari along with Jesse Eisenberg; all tied up in a crazy heist involving a bomb strapped to Eisenberg's chest and he has 10 hours to rob a bank for the bad guys or they'll blow him up. With a nice breezy run time of under 90 minutes, this comedy is action packed and pretty darn funny.

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) Seriously, I could not love this movie an ounce more! Easily my favorite Christmas movie, it's also gotta go on my list as one of my all-time favorite films. I've written about it at least twice before. Once, two years ago when I first shared it with my kids and there is also this lengthier, nerdier article I wrote back in 2006.

Scrooged (1988) This is another one of those movies - beloved by America - that I just don't get. Released to theatres less than two weeks after Ernest Saves Christmas, I've just never got this modern Bill Murray take on A Christmas Carol. I saw it way back on either VHS or HBO and didn't care for it all. The last couple of years I've been meaning to take another look at it and I gotta say I was actually pretty bored with it. There's an impressive cast but it just doesn't do anything for me. Murray's speech to the camera at the tail end was pretty impressive but other than that I found it to just be an awful bore.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) I always wonder how uptight people really were back in the black and white days or if it's just the rose-colored lens of the cinema. When an old woman sees an unmarried man and woman walk into a bedroom at 11:00 at night and then she goes totally nuts and quits her job because of it...well, it's hard to follow along with a movie like that. There's some pretty silly stuff that happens in this flick, but all in all you can't really beat classic Hollywood's depiction of post-wartime Christmas.

Trailer Tuesday - Christmas in Connecticut (1945)