The Festive Countdown of Films Pt 1*
I have written quite a lot of entries so there is an increased danger of repetition. I also can’t be arsed going through all my December entries to see if I have written about what Christmas films I like. I suppose I am quite lucky, therefore, that no-one would realise if I just copied and pasted an old blog in – let alone wrote something vaguely similar to something I’d written before.
Hands up: I loved Santa Claus: The Movie when I was little. Fucking loved it. Loved Dudley Moore. They basically tried to combine a film about the myth of Father Christmas with a Dickensian story and added a twist of modern capitalist greed into the mix. And had Rocky’s trainer as an ancient elf. It’s also the site of my archetypal can of Coke. When the rich girl gives the homeless urchin a feed, the big red can of Coke he slurps is burned into my psyche.
I don’t really remember how I came to see A Christmas Story. It’s not really a thing over here in jolly old England. But it’s fucking brilliant. If you’ve not seen the original Night Stalker film/TV shows then you won’t know who Darren McGavin is. If you have seen the original Night Stalker film/TV shows then the dad is Kolchak from the original Night Stalker film/TV shows. It’s a bit weird because it’s a film about a normal working class family who argue and aren’t perfect or wise-cracking like Woody Allen. Essentially it’s not really like a film that would get made nowadays. But it’s bloody brilliant.
Best christmas film ever: Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Watch this brilliant documentary to see how the Disney corporation had the jaw-droppingly obvious idea to make an animated version of Charles Dickens’ classic christmas yarn.
There is a great bit about 10 minutes in when the guy who does Mickey Mouse’s voice says something along the lines of “you need to do it in Mickey Mouse’s voice because if you don’t it doesn’t sound like Mickey Mouse.”
*I might not carry this on..but there are more christmas films I like so don’t assume this is it.
