My top 10 favourite festive films (Pt. 1)
Welcome Dear Reader! I’m so happy you’ve found my column. If you’re returning then you already know, but for those of you just joining us let me catch you up ~ I love movies, I love music and I am over the moon for music from movies. Super stoked to have a spot here on the yourkenora.ca site to celebrate cinema and soundtracks. And while my first two articles featured my affinity for fall, get ready to read about my absolute favourite time of year for film ~ the Holiday Season!!!
Now I’ll grant you, the time allotted for the Christmas seems to get a little longer each year. Back in my day you never saw a hint of the holidays in the mall before the first of December, let alone around the house. These days, however, I’m counting down the minutes til midnight for November 12th to arrive. With Remembrance Day in the the rear view mirror that’s when I officially shift into Merry Everything mode, which absolutely includes Christmas Movies!!! And for the record the amount festive films available to view has never been greater. Do I do my best to watch all of them? Yes! Are they all great? Well… let me just say “to each their own.” And with that in mind ~ I humbly submit my TOP 10 FAVOURITE FESTIVE FILMS OF ALL TIME list complete with everything from Hollywood holiday classics to festive family fantasies to the Christmassiest kind of romantic comedies. And for sure I’ll share a sweet selection from each of their respective soundtracks which will include everything from seasonal staples placed in the picture to original tunes written specifically for the film, plus sweeping scores and merry Motown music. Heck, there’ll even be songs that have nothing to do with Christmas at all, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
What’s say we kick off this countdown with the movie that holds the #10 spot on my TOP 10 FAVOURITE FESTIVE FILMS OF ALL TIME list. Now there are a lot of people, myself included, who’ll say “don’t mess with a classic,” but when it came to the 1994 retelling of the 1947 movie MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET – I was more than fine with it. Mara Wilson of MRS. DOUBTFIRE and MATILDA fame was amazing as usual in the roll of Susan Walker – originally played by Natalie Wood. Elizabeth Perkins played her mother and the dreamy Dylan McDermott played the neighbour and lawyer who defends Kris Kringle played by Sir Richard Attenborough. So clearly the cast is stacked – and when you combine that roster with an updated but ‘not-too-far-off-the-original’ screenplay along with absolutely lovely direction, sweet cinematography, scrumptious production design and beautiful costumes the result it’s simply magical. Music plays a major role in this new telling of MIRACLE ON 34th STREET too, with tons seasonal standards – sung by everyone from Natalie Cole and Dionne Warwick to the King of Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis Presley. All so good, but the song that stands out the most is one performed by the Queen of Soul herself and marks the only Christmas hymn in our merry mix. The song plays just as the movie turns to it’s third act, when the CEO of Coles department store goes on TV to declare they will stand behind Kris Kringle and then proceeds to asks the audience “Do you believe in Santa Clause?” What follows is an emphatic “YES” by way of the merriest kind of montage, packed with messages of “I BELIEVE” written all over New York City, all while a jubilant “Joy to the World” is sung as only Miss Aretha Franklin can sing it (backed by Members of the F.A.M.E. Freedom Choir.)
This seems like the perfect time to tell you – I am a big BELIEVER in Santa Claus, and the Christmas Spirit and all the magic that surrounds the holiday season. And I don’t think I’d be wrong to say Clark Griswald is a big believer too. In fact from the very first frame of NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION you can tell Clark, played by Chevy Chase,is on a mission to make sure this year is a “good old fashioned family Christmas.” But around every turn he’s met with opposition – from judgmental in-laws to crazy cousins to nose-in-the-air neighbours to a beyond stingy boss. All we can do is watch and pity as things go from bad to way way worse for Clark in the 1989 John Hughes comedy classic. Who can forget when that rotten RV pulled up and Cousin Eddie (played by Randy Quaid) rolled out? Or when the squirrel sprung out of that way too big tree? Or when the over-cooked turkey collapsed?! All hilariously horrible to be sure of it, but I hope you gleaned the glimmers of happiness in there too. Like when Clark finally gets his Christmas lights to work… all 25,000 of them. Certainly the sweetest moment amidst the madness comes when Clark gets locked in the attic after his family leaves to go shopping. Remember that time when he’s rummaging through a trunk for things to keep himself warm only to discover some long forgotten family films captured at Christmastime when he was just a boy. It’s a great break in the action and one that first time feature director Jerimiah Chechik said was his absolute favourite moment in the film. On the movie’s DVD commentary he recalls it being a day where it was just Chevy and a small crew, which made it all the more moving. When it came time to add the music, there was only one song Chechik and Warner Bros. Studios could think to use for that special scene so they worked like crazy to get secure it. The song was “That Spirit of Christmas” by Ray Charles from the film that holds the 9th spot on my TOP 10 FAVOURITE FESTIVE FILMS OF ALL TIME list.
Now while John Hughes CHRISTMAS VACATION starred an already famous Chevy Chase, Hughes next holiday hit would serve to launch it’s unknown lead into the superstar stratosphere at the ripe old age of ten, blow the doors off the box office and go on to become a holiday classic. Coming in at #8 on my TOP 10 FAVOURITE FESTIVE FILMS OF ALL TIME list it’s HOME ALONE and HOME ALONE 2 LOST IN NEW YORK. YES – it’s a tie because I love them both so much I simply couldn’t chose between them. Now on the off off off chance you haven’t seen these two gems here’s the deal in the 1990 seasonal smash HOME ALONE Kevin McAllister (aka Macaulay Culkin) is, as the title suggests, left home alone after his family departs for a Christmas vacation in France. That’s when he comes face to face with two knucklehead burglars Harry and Marv who hatch a plan to rob the neighbourhood. Never one for spoilers, let me just skip to the happy ending and move on to the 1992 sequel in which , true to the title once again, Kevin is separated from his clan at the airport and while they board a plane to Florida and he jets off to New York. Only to arrive there alone just as Harry and Marv have broken out of jail to rob a toy store. Again no spoilers, but I can confirm Christmas high-jinks abound in both festive flicks. So yes, there a plenty of laughs and if you’re a fan of slapstick humour then these two are for you! But I gotta say it’s the sweet part of the story in the message that runs through the heart of these films that won me over. The one that let’s you know, after everything the holidays can throw at you – it’s family and friends that matter most. That’s what we must hold onto and cherish. Both films come complete with great laughs, touching moments and amazing music too. The legendary John Williams composed the score and soundtrack reads like a righteous roster of original classics and contemporary covers, featuring everyone from Brenda Lee and Bette Midler to Darlene Love and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. There’s so much to love about HOME ALONE 1 and 2, not the least of which is the incredible cast. A young Macaulay Culkin – yes, but also Catherine Ohara and John Heard as his parents, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as bad guys Harry and Marv, John Candy as the polka player in the first film, and Brenda Fricker as the bird lady in the second. Come on! Plus Chris Columbus’s direction of Hughes stellar script. Loved those movies when they premiered and have loved them every year since.
Onto the movie that takes the 7th position on my TOP 10 FAVOURITE FESTIVE FILMS OF ALL TIME list – no more ties promise. But this single film does includes ten different storylines of love – all lovingly intertwined courtesy of award-winning writer/director Richard Curtis. Yes, he’s the guy behind FOUR WEDDINGS AND FUNERAL and NOTTING HILL, so you had to know going in LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) was a slam dunk to take a spot on my “Best List.” I mean the ensemble cast alone is remarkable and while they had me at Hugh Grant, it also includes Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, oh and have mercy – Emma Thompson in that Joni Mitchell scene… please! And since we’re shifting to soundtrack, I will tell you a couple of things. Firstly, Curtis is a huge fan of music in movies and is meticulous with his choices. That includes the song he chose for Hugh Grant’s character –the Prime Minister of Britain to dance to, “Jump (For My Love)” by The Pointer Sisters. As Richard Curtis explained during the DVD commentary – the scene was one Grant absolutely refused to rehearse. Truth be told, he didn’t want to do the scene at all and to this day refers to it as “excruciating.” Curtis however found it mostly frustrating, given the fact that Grant could be scene lip syncing the lyrics throughout each take – which meant they were forced to cut the scene around the song as opposed to the other way around, so as to match up Hugh’s mouth with the lyrics. Ah, cinema secrets.
Which reminds me, I saw all but one of the movies in my TOP 10 FAVOURITE FESTIVE FILMS OF ALL TIME list in a cinema. While movie poster notes the ways in which you can streamed/download each of them these days, I can honestly declare there’s nothing like seeing them on the big screen. I will also confirm I have never laughed harder in a movie theatre than I did the day I saw the film that takes the 6th spot on my list – ELF (2003) In fact the entire theatre was in stitches. And while I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I’ve watched it since I tell you honestly – I laugh out loud every single time. It’s a beloved Christmas classic for me and so many others – crazy to imagine it almost never got made. You’ve really have to hear the wild story beind how the screenplay made it onto the desk of director Jon Favereau and the ‘gamble’ everyone thought they were making when they cast Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf. (Listen to the “Rejecting Elf” podcast here.) But the $33million they paid to make the movie paid off to the tune of $220million in initial world-wide ticket sales and that bank has continued to grow ever since. Still, it’s hard to fault New Line Cinema for being hesitant with a logline that read “Raised as an oversized elf, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs, who doesn’t know he exists and is in desperate need of some Christmas spirit.” Fortunately for us, the team behind the film believed in it 100%, and stopped at nothing to bring it to life together with the incredible supporting cast of James Caan, Bob Newhart, Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel, Amy Sedaris and Ed Asner as Santa. Amidst all the hilarity and the fantastical premise, you’re sure to find a whole lotta heart and a ton of tremendous tunes. Yes, there are plenty of holiday hits woven throughout the movie along with a song that truly encapsulates the joy of spirit Buddy brings to New York, despite all the negativity he encounters. It’s that infectious spirit that guides him throughout the entire movie. A spirit that eventually spreads into the hearts of most everyone he meets. That same kind of unbridled enthusiasm was employed by the production team too, especially when it came time to shoot all those street scenes. With no budget for permits, all those shots when Buddy takes a bite out of the big apple for the first time – those were just Farrell and Favareau and a camera capturing the honest reaction of real New Yorkers when faced with a 6ft 3in Elf. And the amazing music playing during that montage is the Louis Prima classic “Pennies from Heaven.” Talk about your perfect placement.
And I guess this is a pretty perfect place to end the first part of my TOP 10 FAVOURITE FESTIVE FILMS OF ALL TIME. I look forward to sharing my top five faves in the next instalment. In the meantime, I sure hope you’ll watch those ones I’ve listed above – for the first time or maybe the hundredth like me! Merry watching everyone!
PS – If by chance you’re looking for something new to view here are a few I highly recommend A MERRY LITTLE EX-MAS, SINGLE ALL THE WAY, ‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE IRISH
