one christmas ( film )
katharine hepburn' s last film is a weak adaptation of truman capote' s one christmas .
corrupt corporate executive: henry potter, one of the most notable examples in film .
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there’s a christmas carol (71 / 72) which jumped from television to film and actually won an oscar .
clooney and crosby, one of the film' s two romantic pairings, had a 25 - year gap between them .
for number 6, it' s back to the true classics, and this oft - forgotten one is the finest of all the older traditional christmas films. the bishop' s wife is everything great, fun, and magical that a holiday movie should be. and the christmas decorating scene remains one of the single best moments of any christmas film .
it’s not a silly thread to make. silly thread to make was the meryl streep one. like we haven’t had one hundred of those already? lol
more comedy in the number 4 position, and a second entry by steven spielberg to boot. 1941 is not just one of the best christmas films, but one of the best comedies ever made. this is for laughs for the grownups, and not quite a
family film .
like the 1983 original, christmas vacation is based on a short story, “christmas ’59, ” written by john hughes for national lampoon in december 1980. its literary predecessor is paid tribute to when clark is trapped in the attic and pulls out a box of old home movies, including one labeled “christmas ’59. ” (eagle - eyed viewers might notice that when clark is watching the film, it actually says “christmas 1955. ” )
in pottersville, george convinces himself that a stiff one will clear him right up .
take it to the bridge: george almost takes a high dive leap from one .
in this family film short, a nearly all marionette cast perform a dramatization of
the night before christmas
and a performance of the nativity .
in addition to footage from the frank capra classic actually appearing in the film, christmas vacation has another fun tie to it’s a wonderful life: frank capra’s grandson, frank capra iii, is christmas vacation ’s assistant director .
crosby was 51 at the film' s release, and clooney, 26 .
old maid: mary becomes one in the georgeless universe because of how she never married .
the penultimate pic pick at number 2 is one of those films set during the christmas season, with repeated references to the holiday backdrop as a counterweight contrasting the thematic and tonal qualities of the rest of the story. brazil is a work of genius on every level, magnificent as a sort of
un - christmas
christmas film about the power of imagination as it battles the power of oppression and hopelessness .
: well, uh, i' m an angel. a christmas angel .
8. in a way, stanley kubrick is to thank for christmas vacation .
of course, i must mention black christmas. canadians honoured it anyways…. .
what the hell, hero? : george gets a comic one from mary when he refuses to give her back her robe, but a graver one later when he takes out his frustrations on the children. then mr. welch delivers one to him in the shape of a fist .
before being “triple dog dared” into licking a frozen flagpole as one of ralphie’s friends, schwartz had made his film debut in the richard pryor and jackie gleason comedy ‘the toy. ’
the film' s co - lead rosemary clooney is george clooney' s aunt .
though the holiday season is usually packed with christmas - themed movies, christmas vacation was one of only two that were released in 1989. the other was john hancock’s prancer. johnny galecki, a. k. a. rusty griswold, starred in both .
you are forgetting about the bishop’s wife, which also lost to gentleman’s agreement with miracle on 34th street. it definitely feels like a christmas movie to me. the problem is, most christmas movies are comedies. i love a christmas story and muppet christmas carol, but i can’t imagine either movie winning a bunch of awards .
from disney comes the rather unusual holiday film, one magic christmas. the story follows an angel who' s assigned to help a working mother find the christmas spirit, and to do so he enlists the help of her daughter. mary steenburgen and harry dean stanton lead a somewhat eclectic cast. and the plot too has its share of quirks, with the angel teaming up with santa claus, and the use of a christmas wish to bring back the dead. the tone shifts so wildly that it' s hard to tell what kind of film you' re in half the time; fantasy, comedy, tragedy. still, one magic christmas manages to come through with some heartwarming moments .
in addition, chief eventually becomes fully communicative in the novel while muttering only one phrase —
juicy fruit
— in the film. this explains how mcmurphy is able to bring chief along on the fishing excursion in the novel, a detail not explained in the film .
1944: have yourself a merry little christmas - - meet me in st. louis
maybe they are not good enough? ? but some christmas movies are really good .
peter and david met nick park at the national film and television school when he was working on his student film a grand day out. he joined aardman full time in 1985 .
tony award - winner idina menzel’s career traverses music, stage, film, and television .
to mass critical acclaim and outstanding box office results, wallace and gromit' s first feature film the curse of the were - rabbit was released by dreamworks in october 2005. the film topped the box office charts in both the us and uk and garnered many prestigious international awards including the academy award for best animated feature film and a bafta for best british film .
the first episode of the bbc one christmas promos starring rob brydon, sarah alexander, mrs brown, the cast of call the midwife, strictly, outnumbered, lee mack…and pudsey the dog .
copyright © 2016 a christmas story house | all rights reserved. a christmas story and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © turner entertainment co. (s16 )
reality is unrealistic: see the aluminum christmas trees entry. the scene was called
movie fakery at its worst
despite there being a real one, since the real one was in beverly hills, calif. swimming pools under the floorboards were rare then. a small town in new york state which is being kept respectable by creative refinancing is not likely to have one back in the late 1920s .
anne heche stars as a recently - divorced mom who wants her two kids’ first christmas “without dad” to be perfect. an entertaining but unfortunate series of christmas eve mishaps ensures that won’t happen – unless “perfect” means the family has its most memorable and heartwarming christmas ever .
the costumer designer responsible for white christmas' many excellent outfits is the famous edith head .
i stand by “elf” as the christmas movie that should have been nominated for multiple oscars .
with the countdown to christmas well under way and the cold weather making its presence felt, presenters of s4c’s stwnsh have got into the festive spirit to record a special christmas song .
home alone © 1990 twentieth century fox film corporation. all rights reserved. © 2015 fox .
wallace and gromit’s a matter of loaf and death was broadcast on bbc one on christmas day 2008 and enthralled a record audience of 16. 15 million. it was nominated for an oscar in the best short animated film category and went on to win the bafta for best animated short film. every wallace and gromit adventure has now won a bafta and they have all been nominated for an oscar .
christmas vacation marked the final film of mae questel, who began her career as the voice of betty boop in 1931. she passed away at the age of 89 in january of 1998 .
at 18 years old, vera - ellen became one of the youngest ever rockettes at radio city music hall .
minor major character: marty hatch makes very few appearances in the last two thirds of the film, despite the fact that he is both mary' s older brother and one of george' s best friends .
national lampoon’s christmas vacation collectibles is a website dedicated to all things christmas vacation (obviously). among the many fun items are cousin eddie wardrobe staples, moose mugs, and punch bowls .
, acquired republic in the late' 90s) currently holds exclusive home video rights for the film .
then: leslie carlson popped up in ‘a christmas story’ as the guy who sold christmas trees. since trying to sell the parkers a bum tree, he’s been a big movie and tv actor .
so let’s have a discussion – why do you think christmas movies are off oscar’s radar? also, list some christmas / holiday movies and performances that you believe were worthy of the voters’ attention .
while retaining many of the novel' s themes and motifs, the filmed version of one flew over the cuckoo' s nest differs in several significant ways. the film, released in 1975, won academy awards for best picture, best actor (jack nicholson), best actress (louise fletcher), best screenplay adapted from other material (lawrence hauben and bo goldman), and best director (milos forman). since its release, the film has been certified as one of the top 100 american films by the american film institute .
one magic christmas
is the complete opposite of what it' s ridiculous title calls it out to be. as a little girl and her family are unsure of whether or not to believe in santa, a man comes, full of magic to bring christmas spirit. events happen throughout the film that are random, tragic, and very cold hearted, but honestly, once that point came in the film, i truly did not care what happened to the characters. this film starts off simple and sweet, but completely falls apart in a random mess of bad acting and stupid plot points. never have i been turned off from a christmas movie this much. the only thing it has going for it is christmas spirit, otherwise, it is one of the worst holiday films i' ve ever seen. many shots are used over and over again, and the kids seem to have the same emotions and dialogue in ever scene, always asking a question. this film becomes very annoying, and particularly dark. i do not like this movie at all. it is a family film that no family should waste their time watching !
in the coming weeks, i' ll also be posting additional lists for more action - oriented christmas movies, off - beat comedies for the holidays, pure family films for all ages, and even a list of alternative
un - christmas
christmas movies for the more cynical among you .
christmas vacation is the only movie in the series that doesn’t feature lindsey buckingham’s song, “holiday road. ” instead, a new song—the aptly titled “christmas vacation”—was written for the film by married songwriting duo barry mann and cynthia weil. a cover of the song appears on the 2007 disney channel holiday album .
a shop owner who is being evicted at christmas rescues her scrooge - like landlord from an accident .
ironman 3 was set during christmas. oscar gave that a nod for vx at least. typically .
a magical film like this only happens once in a lifetime. now everyone will believe in santa claus .
at the time of the film' s release, clooney was 26 and vera - ellen, 33 .
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as far as beloved family christmas movies go, angels with filthy souls is an unlikely one: a gritty, noirish gangster flick in which a crow - voiced curmudgeon abruptly unleashes a blaze of gunfire on his unsuspecting victim .
uncle billy is one and then some. in the georgeless universe, he' s put in a sanitarium for it .
fanny and alexander was sort of a christmas film, or at least the first hour and a half was (if you’re watching the full 5 - hour version). it won 4 oscars including best foreign film and was also nominated for ingmar bergman’s direction and script, but shamefully received no acting noms for what is arguably the finest ensemble cast ever on film (esp. ewa fröling, jan malmsjö and gunn wållgren) .
an interview with writer / director boots riley about his incendiary new film ,
sorry to bother you .
though williams’s career had its commercial ups and downs, his signing on to the film made it immediately viable .
young, welsh and ...
- boys and girls challenged to become film - makers for s4c
santa' s stockman has to find a replacement for an injured reindeer. when he locates one, complications and love ensue .
capitalism is bad: the portrayal of mr. potter as an evil banker, both in the year of its release, and later years has lent this film much credibility as an anti - capitalist film, and even a left - wing one. it gets lost that george bailey and his family business are also bankers and capitalists, and the film glorifies george as the main pillar that helps other people achieve their dreams. as noted by capra' s friends, the film shows that capitalism can work and be humane, and even quasi - messianic through the figure of george bailey .
and finally, the number 1 christmas film of all time. could it be anything else? of course not, because die hard is everything every christmas movie should always be forever. it' s a mix of the baddie from the grinch who stole christmas; the unbeatable hero who shows up to teach everyone a lesson from miracle on 34th street; the ghosts of past, present, and future who bring insight and change from a christmas carol; plus every redemptive struggle about family and personal evolution and good versus evil, all wrapped up in a big shiny box with a bow made of explosions and bullets. there' s christmas, and then there' s christmas with punching terrorists in the face and winning back your entire family - - which do you prefer ?
macat agrees. “the vignette turned out to be the fun set piece in the film. the actors’ energy was contagious to the crew, who bonded with laughter. after that, we were ready to go shoot our film. ”
ms. bergen said she was not necessarily in a hurry to make an independent film — “i don’t make many films, period, ” she said with a laugh — but the opportunity to work with williams was one she had never been offered .
as the film begins on christmas eve 1946, angels are listening to myriad prayers from various residents of the small town of bedford falls, new york, requesting help for a certain george bailey. one of the angels, called clarence oddbody, is told he must answer the prayers, but only after he' s been told who george is. cue flashback .
mr. mchale spent several years involved with the film, which, under the title “a friggin’ christmas miracle, ” had once been planned by universal pictures as a bigger - budget movie to be directed by joe and anthony russo .
a heartbreaking holiday ballad so ubiquitous that many have forgotten it originated with judy garland in this great vincente minnelli movie musical. another christmas classic oscar oversight: silver bells, which debuted in the 1950 film, the lemon drop kid .
the remake: the 1977 made - for - tv movie it happened one christmas, featuring a gender flipped version of the story with mary (played by marlo thomas) as the central character... and orson welles as mr. potter !
it was macat who persuaded columbus to shoot the sequence using the techniques and black - and - white negative film stock of movies from the 40s. the high - key lighting, high - contrast aesthetic would evoke “a cross between film noir and the really crazy stuff you see in early television, like playhouse 90 or one step beyond, ” said production designer john muto .
how did the academy miss the boat on this one? oscar winner liza minnelli belting her dramatic best in this showstopping kander & ebb theme to a martin scorsese film. with this pedigree, it really is surprising that oscar stopped
spreading the news .
clark duke, left, with robin williams in “a merry friggin’ christmas, ” which is being released next week .
also trading places. love that movie. think i’ll watch it sometime today. it is, afterall, christmas .
but what was once a humorous and deliberately unsentimental project now comes with a manifest sense of heartbreak and loss. the film features one of the last screen roles by williams, the academy award - winning actor and comedian, who committed suicide in august at 63 .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
source of the it' s a wonderful plot trope, and an annual staple of christmastime viewing, this much - loved 1946 frank capra film tells of one man' s life of self - sacrifice and quiet despair, from which he is rescued by a miracle .
then: ralphie goes into fantasy land, dreaming about his red ryder bb gun. dwayne mclean was one of the bandits that he was shooting at. while it was a bit part in ‘a christmas story, ’ by no means is mclean a small actor .
and that' s how it' s done. ho ho ho, yippie ki - yay, and merry christmas !
that acknowledged, he is wrong. two best picture winners are set at christmas – going my way and the apartment .
as part of the studio' s feature film deal with sony pictures animation (spe), arthur christmas – an action - adventure comedy set on christmas eve was released in november 2011 and the pirates! - in an adventure with scientists — a delicious confection of piracy on the high seas, was released in march 2012 and received an academy award nomination the following year .
select a category actor in a leading role actor in a supporting role actress in a leading role actress in a supporting role art direction cinematography costume design directing documentary (feature) documentary (short subject) film editing foreign language film irving g. thalberg memorial award makeup music (original score) music (original song) best picture short film (animated) short film (live action) sound sound editing visual effects writing (screenplay based on material previously produced or published) writing (screenplay written directly for the screen )
when he finished shooting “a merry friggin’ christmas” in spring 2013, joel mchale was proud to have played a lead role in this holiday satire about a man who comes to terms with his estranged father, and to have acted alongside robin williams, one of his heroes .
other than that, i don’t care much about christmas movies, and i don’t think very many are oscar deserving. i don’t think studios want to spend a lot of money or effort campaigning for christmas movies when they have other more viable contenders .
alfalfa, of course, is the most memorable character from the short film series our gang, also known as the little rascals .
kind of a dark one (though ymmv in regards to how dark). george at one point asks mary what she' d be if they weren' t together. she jokingly replies
an old maid
and it' s quickly forgotten. come the alternate timeline, though ...
feeling alone during the holidays, a college student places an ad to find a family to spend time with her on christmas .
in 1993 aardman passed another milestone with the completion of nick park' s oscar winning the wrong trousers, aardman' s first 30 minute film. acclaimed world - wide and winner of over thirty awards, the wrong trousers has become one of the most successful animated films ever made .
eight - year - old buddy has been living an idyllic existence in rural alabama with his young - hearted cousin, sook. but all that is about to change when he’s sent to new orleans to spend christmas with the father he barely knows. through realizing his dad has some terrible problems to overcome, buddy and his father take the first steps towards becoming a real family during this one christmas they’ll never forget .
ah, movie lists! how we love' em, right? well, i' ve got several for you this holiday season (but it' s strictly feature films, so some great ones like a charlie brown christmas won' t be on this list). this one is the biggie, a list of the greatest christmas films ever made, including action pics, comedy flicks, and family fare .
set in san ernesto, california with only three days before christmas, nick snowden needs to rescue a young reindeer from a zoo .
you are not alone: the final scenes of the movie is this in spades when every one of george' s companions comes to his aid for once .
in 1960, the apartment is for the time a cutting edge dark comedy about sexual politics. over the christmas holidays, employees of an insurance firm in a new york high rise understand they are merely pawns of thoughtless men at the top. in their despair, these two abused coworkers discover one another and find a new beginning to match the new year. the film won five oscars and received additional nominations for three of its actors .
representing one of robin williams' last films, a merry friggin' christmas lives up to its bah, humbug title. not only because it' s terrible, although it is, but rather because one desperately hoped that the beloved actor would go out on a high note. unfortunately, that' s not the case with this dysfunctional family holiday comedy that squanders the talents of its impressive cast who presumably signed on merely to work with the comedy legend .
a series of mishaps threaten a recently divorced mom' s attempts to make her two kids' first christmas
without dad
perfect .
an article on wednesday about the movie “a merry friggin’ christmas, ” which features one of the last screen roles of robin williams, misidentified the studio that will release another of his films, the third entry in the “night at the museum” franchise. it is 20th century fox, not warner bros .
one of my favorite christmas movies is the family stone. say what you will about it, but it is incredible in my opinion. the ensemble really was a family and diane keaton deserved a nomination or even a win because she was so damn good. also michael giacchino’s score was nice too !
there was one more specific element of angels with filthy souls that resonated back in 1990—and has, along with the rest of it, stood the test of time .
award - winning actress mary steenburgen (tv' s joan of arcadia, hope springs) gives a solid performance as ginny grainger, a young mother who rediscovers the joy and beauty of christmas, thanks to the unshakable faith of her six - year - old daughter abbie (elizabeth harnois) and gideon (harry dean stanton), ginny' s very own guardian angel. ginny' s wondrous experience will touch your heart and warm your soul in the timeless tradition of past disney favorites. one magic christmas fulfills all your most treasured christmas fantasies. share it with those you love .
on december 1, 1989, a new chapter of griswold family dysfunction was unleashed upon the world when national lampoon' s christmas vacation made its debut in movie theaters and an instant holiday classic was born. here are 27 things you might not know about everyone’s favorite christmas comedy .
she has performed on several notable television specials, including the 86 th academy awards, dick clark’s new year’s rockin’ eve, cma country christmas, christmas in rockefeller center, and sang the national anthem at super bowl xlix, the most watched television show in u. s history .
williams’s co - stars and collaborators remember him as a gentle soul brimming with talent, while wondering whether the film can do justice to his career .
flushed away, the studio' s first cg film was released worldwide by dreamworks in november 2006, it was nominated for a bafta in 2007 .
christmas miracle: however, 90% of the movie is a story about george' s life and takes place at some point other than christmas. it' s also just a coincidence that the event that would push george over the edge, uncle billy losing the $ 8000, happens on christmas eve. it could' ve happened any other day of the year and we' d have had the exact same story .
one of my personal favorites is “elf”. imo, will ferrell is oscar nomination worthy…. and on a different planet at least, could have been a worthy nominee .
from left, robin williams, clark duke, pierce gagnon, candice bergen, joel mchale and lauren graham in “a merry friggin’ christmas. ”
celebrity paradox: the bells of st marys is prominently featured on a theater marquee. that film starred henry travers, who plays clarence in this movie .
in medias res: the film starts on the night everyone is praying for george, then jumps back to in time via a flashback started by joseph .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. what a space it opens…
a $ 27 million budget, to be exact. which was particularly high considering that the film had no special effects a la ghostbusters (which was made for $ 30 million). but it had no trouble making its budget back; the film’s final domestic gross was $ 71, 319, 526 .
un - person: clarence turns george into one, allowing him to see what the world would be like if he was just erased from existence and nothing filled his void .
with the help of his two precocious kids, a widower reconnects with his high school sweetheart, who just happens to be one of the biggest pop stars on the planet .
: good person? well, i was a cow hand... out, out west. and one christmas, a long, long time ago, i was riding along the snake river, and i heard this little... kid, uh, yelling to somebody, and, uh, ...
a young man is sent to visit his estranged father for christmas in 1930 in new orleans. based on an autobiograhical short story by truman capote .
overwhelmed with joy by the chance to redeem himself and grateful that he has been returned to christmas day, scrooge rushes out onto the street hoping to share his newfound christmas spirit. he sends a giant christmas turkey to the cratchit house and attends fred' s party, to the stifled surprise of the other guests. as the years go by, he holds true to his promise and honors christmas with all his heart: he treats tiny tim as if he were his own child, provides lavish gifts for the poor, and treats his fellow human beings with kindness, generosity, and warmth .
“i so admired the trench coat that snakes wore that the costume designer gave me one, ” muto said. “i’ve still got it. it still looks and fits great. ”
an angel must show a mother the true meaning of christmas. it' s not just presents and materialistic things, but the people she cares about .
some trivia about the 1954 christmas classic (now streaming on netflix !) starring bing crosby, danny kaye, rosemary clooney, and vera - ellen .
“i’ve tried to avoid doing this ever since the picture came out. when you just say the ideas they sound foolish, whereas if they’re dramatized one feels it, but i’ll try .
one of the more prominent dancers to accompany the haynes sisters in the movie is george chakiris, who went on to win an academy award for best supporting actor in west side story .
it was the # 1 pop single for the year 1967, and one of the very best movie songs of all time yet mysteriously forgotten by oscar. lulu, we love you !
though the movie is a popular holiday film in the uk too, it was never actually shown in theaters there. instead, it went straight to home video .
dad does things like pilfer newspapers without paying for them, takes bets on a race between planes and he loves to flirt with wealthy women so he can convince them to invest in his various schemes. father and son argue a lot, mainly because dad refuses to discuss what went wrong with buddy’s mother and him. she now lives in new york and left dad to become an actress. one woman, emily (swoosie kurtz), truly loves buddy’s dad. but does he love her or her money? can a christmas miracle happen by movie’s end, with dad changing his ways and buddy returning to alabama and sook? you will have to watch to find out, but rest assured this is a warm and interesting story and is a perfect film for the holidays. we are pleased to award “one christmas” our dove seal for ages 12 + .
for further ambience, artificial mist was pumped into the set. the lighting was intense: the old - style film stock required four times the amount of light to expose than normal film. the resulting heat from the lamps was considerable. even in the chicago winter, macat said, the actors “were sweating up a storm. ”
a depressing christmas tale about a family' s loss during the season, and an angel who can help them get through it. not fun or magical !
“it was announced that this was a robin williams christmas movie, ” she said. “anything he was attached to, i wanted to be involved in. ”
i find it interesting that so many films are set during christmas, but as a backdrop (lethal weapon, et al) and not as a theme .
this trope. seriously, almost every scene and every fifth line of his dialogue features a gross miscalculation of one of the baileys, or human nature in general. to elaborate ...
all there in the manual: the man whose tree george crashes his car into is never named in the film. the short story gives his name as hank biddle .
deemed ineligible for the oscar due to the samples it used - - shame because this wasn' t just a number one smash, but a big symphony of sound - - and a wonderful complement to the hit film, which was incidentally scored by wendy & lisa, who worked on the music for purple rain that collected the oscar for best score in 1984 .
distracted by the sexy: at one point, a nameless background male character turns his head to watch violet walk by while crossing the street and nearly gets hit by a car as a result .
a cynical workaholic gets suspicious of her banker father' s sudden departure from his career and city life to move to a small town with unusually strong ties to christmas .
robb made his acting debut in ‘a christmas story, ’ playing ralphie’s other friend, schwartz. (he was involved in the “tongue stuck to the flagpole” gambit. )
vera - ellen (as judy haynes) did not actually sing any of the songs in white christmas; her parts were sung by costar rosemary clooney or trudy stevens .
then there’s the satirical gremlins. but a fantasy / horror isnt exactly oscar’s cup of tea; not on a regular basis anyways and certainly not for a christmas movie .
now there have been some trashy christmas films, but there have also been some brilliant ones. perhaps christmas films don’t always have the baitiness of some oscar - calibre material, but there have been so many instances where oscar - bait is put aside for excellent performances in non - traditional oscar films (joan cusack, melissa mccarthy etc .) .
this has been one of my favorite christmas movies since i was seven. (has it really been almost twenty years ?) warm without being sappy, it takes a different spin on the
person must be taught the true meaning christmas
theme that has become something of a cliché. the magic feels organic instead of flashy, and events progress with out feeling contrived or strained. like the best stories, (it' s a wonderful life, a christmas carol) things get a little grim before the warm and happy ending, but it' s never too dark or scary for kids. i would recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for an interesting story that will leave them warm and satisfied at the end .
phil borsos' take on christmas is a somewhat odd movie, but it does have a slow charm, not unlike it' s a wonderful life by way of wim wenders .
in both the original vacation and european vacation, rusty is believed to be the older of the two griswold children. in christmas vacation, rusty somehow morphs into audrey’s younger brother .
though many tie the song
white christmas
to the movie, the song was first performed by bing crosby 13 years earlier, on the radio show the kraft music hall .
the release also presents a delicate challenge to the creators of the film, who neither want to exploit williams’s legacy nor misrepresent the tone and scale of this low - cost, independent feature .
the
magic
in one magic christmas is often (and surprisingly) of the
black
variety. like jimmy stewart before her, worn - out wife and mother mary steenburgen wishes that she' d never been born. and like stewart, steenburgen is visited by a guardian angel, in this case the western - garbed harry dean stanton. instead of granting steenburgen' s wish, stanton shows her what life would be like without christmas - - and that vision is as grim as anything you' re ever likely to see in any holiday film. throughout the horrendous tragedies heaped upon steenburgen, we are comforted in the knowledge that stanton is working in concert with steenburgen' s young daughter. steenburgen learns her lesson of course, but what a ride !
reeking of authenticity, angels with filthy souls is not just a uniquely persuasive parody. it’s the perfect movie - within - a - movie: a one - minute - and - 20 - second noir - in - a - nutshell that feels like a fleeting glimpse of a long - lost classic. its dialogue is crisp, the characters and performances credible, the rapid escalation of its drama enthralling. plus it culminates in not just the most memorable utterance in home alone but one of the great movie lines of all time: “keep the change, ya filthy animal”—the sardonic invitation since emblazoned on many a christmas sweater .
a few other movies featuring williams remain, including a third entry in the “night at the museum” franchise, in which he reprises his role as teddy roosevelt and which 20th century fox plans to release on dec. 19. (an independent thriller ,
boulevard, ” is seeking american theatrical distribution .) mr. rice said the “christmas” movie would not be promoted as one of williams’s last films .
mr. gower cabled you need cash, stop. my office instructed to advance you up to twenty - five thousand dollars, stop. hee haw and merry christmas! sam wainwright .
this is where the film began. clarence (henry travers) appears, prevents george from committing suicide, and then grants his unintentional wish, creating an alternate universe in which george never existed .
which may just sound like a random fact. but at the end of the film, when the police raid the griswold home, the version of “here comes santa claus” being used is autry’s .
the trio got together to film a series of old navy commercials for the holiday season. though johnny galecki wasn’t there, two previous rustys—anthony michael hall and jason lively—were. as was dana barron .
williams’s presence also helped bring aboard the film’s co - stars lauren graham, wendi mclendon - covey and tim heidecker, as well as candice bergen, who plays the levelheaded wife of williams’s character .
“no children, a very simple shot plan, the exaggerated style of acting, the crazy action... . given the rest of the film, it was kind of a party! ”
a department - store window decorator learns there is a vacancy for her dream job in the run - up to christmas, only to find a professional rival has his eye on it too .
for the lowly protagonist, david mann, spielberg hand - picked character actor dennis weaver because he loved his performance as the jittery and feeble hotel night manager in orson welles’s 1958 film touch of evil .
mrs hatch appears to be one for mary and sam wainwright, saying to her that sam doesn' t want to speak to george, and listening in on the extension phone until mary points this out to george and sam .
snow means love: it stops snowing after george wishes he' d never been born, and only starts up again after he decides he wants to live again. also, one of the earliest depiction of a butterfly effect .
as io9 points out, this kubrick video may be a little “too good to be true, ” especially since there’s no definitive visual evidence that he’s actually talking. still, the explanation does hold weight when taken with clarke’s writing, but after 50 years and countless essays and theories on the subject, it' s doubtful that this will put an end to the discussions on one of the most complex endings in all of film .
in 1995 aardman produced nick park' s third oscar winning film a close shave. an immediate success, it confirmed the studio’s reputation as well as establishing wallace and gromit as household names. in 1996 the studio produced peter lord' s oscar nominated 11 minute short film, wat' s pig (for channel four) as well as a children' s series based on morph, the morph files .
“it usually becomes, ‘we have to make it for everybody,' ” mr. mchale said. “‘it has to be for 2 - year - olds and 90 - year - olds. no one can be offended. ’ ”
angels with filthy souls was shot in one day, on the final “test day” before principal photography officially began on home alone. “we had nothing to lose, ” said director of photography julio macat. “we went for it. ”
but don’t be disappointed if you didn’t know that. or haven’t seen it. the 2003 film, national lampoon’s christmas vacation 2: cousin eddie’s island adventure, was made for television. it finds randy quaid and miriam flynn (as eddie and catherine) stranded on an island in the south pacific for the holidays. yes, really. it currently holds a 12 percent approval rating on rotten tomatoes .
though the film did receive an oscar nomination for best score, this touching ballad, sung memorably onscreen by oscar nominated actor gene wilder, should have been a shoo - in for the best song category .
now every year, without a doubt, there will be several christmas movies released. they are usually released in late november up until late december, which we know is prime oscar season. of course, these films can’t be released in july, because that’s just silly. but there have been some holiday classics released around this time, but yet, despite hundred of christmas movies over the last century, only two have ever been nominated for best picture – its a wonderful life and miracle on 34th street. both are excellent christmas films…but they were nominated in 1947 and 1948 respectively. that’s over six decades ago. since then, three other christmas - themed films (that i know of) have been nominated for oscars – home alone (for score), the nightmare before christmas (visual effects) and die hard (editing, sound mixing, sound editing and visual effects) – but none have ever broken into the acting categories since the previously mentioned best picture nominees .
one scene not in the film is mcmurphy' s final con against the acutes. in the novel, mcmurphy manipulates chief bromden to lift the control panel after mcmurphy takes bets from the acutes that it can' t be done. mcmurphy, of course, had already hedged his bet by having chief display his ability to lift the panel previously. when chief performs the trick for the acutes, he feels used and betrayed by mcmurphy. the film balances a scene of mcmurphy unsuccessfully trying to lift a basin with the scene of chief lifting it successfully and flinging it through the window while avoiding the scene of chief lifting it to win a bet for mcmurphy .
when a park ranger tells two bear cubs about christmas and santa claus, they want to skip hibernation to celebrate, but their mother doesn' t believe in saint nick and wants them to sleep .
a young widow' s daughter was given a tattered old christmas stocking at a holiday craft sale, but her mother is skeptical of its magic when it seems to create small trinkets on its own .
though it has become a bona fide holiday classic, not everyone was a fan of christmas vacation. in his two - star review of the film, roger ebert described the movie as “curious in how close it comes to delivering on its material: sequence after sequence seems to contain all the necessary material, to be well on the way toward a payoff, and then it somehow doesn' t work. ”
no communities were harmed: bedford falls is apparently modeled after seneca falls, new york, which has a museum dedicated to the film and holds an
it' s a wonderful life festival
each december .
on july 29, 2015, the latest film in the vacation franchise—simply titled vacation —made its debut. and it couldn' t have happened soon enough for chase and d' angelo. in 2011, chase told ain’t it cool news that “i just got off the phone with beverly d’angelo. we are trying to work up a new vacation and apparently warner’s is working on one with grandchildren, but the one that bev and i want … you know, we are just trying to think of ideas, because she is very funny and very brilliant, so when you get her in a writing mood and me in writing mood, it’s good, but it’s very hard to get the time. ”
on the night of the shoot, with guido and foody steadily camping up their performances for the camera, the on - set atmosphere was jocular. “think about what a unique sequence it was within the film, ” said muto. “no children, a very simple shot plan, the exaggerated style of acting, the crazy action... . given the rest of the film, it was kind of a party! ”
a mean - spirited, miserly old man named ebenezer scrooge sits in his counting - house on a frigid christmas eve. his clerk, bob cratchit, shivers in the anteroom because scrooge refuses to spend money on heating coals for a fire. scrooge' s nephew, fred, pays his uncle a visit and invites him to his annual christmas party. two portly gentlemen also drop by and ask scrooge for a contribution to their charity. scrooge reacts to the holiday visitors with bitterness and venom, spitting out an angry
bah! humbug !
in response to his nephew' s
merry christmas !
suicide dare :
you' re worth more dead than alive !
so sayeth potter, in one of the most reprehensible, heartless, remorselessly cruel comments ever to make it to the big screen and it drives george to the brink .
ironic that oscar would ignore a song that has become an anthem for the entertainment industry much like hooray for hollywood (which was also snubbed by the academy in 1937 when it premiered in the film hollywood hotel) .
a christmas story cast reunion around the leg lamp at a christmas story convention. from left to right ian petrella (randy), zack ward (scut farkus), tedde moore (miss shields), yano anaya (grover dill), dwayne mcclean (black bart), scott schwartz (flick), patty lafontaine (elf), drew hocevar (elf) and jim moralevitz (freight man) .
dana barron, who played audrey in the original vacation, reprised her role for the christmas vacation sequel. eric idle, who appeared in european vacation, also makes an appearance, playing “english victim. ”
unusual, too, among rockettes, was vera - ellen' s small stature: she stood only 5' 4
tall. in this scene from white christmas, her highly skilled dancing is evident .
the film also differs from the novel in its depiction of the events leading to mcmurphy' s introduction to electroshock therapy. the novel carefully establishes a character not in the film, big george. george' s obsession with cleanliness is established prior to the fishing excursion, and becomes a pivotal plot element when nurse ratched orders the african - american orderly, washington, to administer an enema to george in the shower. washington' s threatening behavior toward george prompts mcmurphy to reluctantly challenge the orderly. the resulting melee is the impetus for nurse ratched to send mcmurphy and his accomplice, chief bromden, to the disturbed ward, where they receive electroshock therapy. the film employs the initial altercation between mcmurphy and washington as the impetus for nurse ratched to send mcmurphy, chief, and charlie cheswick (who doesn' t commit suicide in the film) to the disturbed ward.
one christmas is a 1994 american made-for-television drama film starring katharine hepburn ( in her final film role ) , henry winkler and swoosie kurtz . it is based on the 1983 short story " one christmas " by truman capote about a young boy who reluctantly leaves his alabama home to spend christmas with his estranged father in new orleans . the film originally premiered on nbc on december 19 , 1994 . 
one christmas is a 1994 american made-for-television drama film starring katharine hepburn (in her final film role), henry winkler and swoosie kurtz. it is based on the 1983 short story " one christmas " by truman capote about a young boy who reluctantly leaves his alabama home to spend christmas with his estranged father in new orleans. the film originally premiered on nbc on december 19, 1994.
one christmas is a 1994 american made-for-television drama film starring katharine hepburn (in her final film role), henry winkler and swoosie kurtz. it is based on the 1983 short story " one christmas " by truman capote about a young boy who reluctantly leaves his alabama home to spend christmas with his estranged father in new orleans. the film originally premiered on nbc on december 19, 1994.