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MTV News Doles Out Our Christmas Movie Awards

25 December 2009 11:09 AM, PST | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

Merry Christmas, gentle readers! Today is a day for spending time with loved ones, yelling at those loved ones, giving them gifts, refilling their drinks. It's also a day for popping in a DVD in the living room while working through a food coma. What will it be? The list of movies that have explored this eggnog-drenched holiday is nearly as long as Santa's own. Now action, now rom-com, now satire and thriller!

With some strong 'nog in hand, we took a look back at some of the very best and very worst a big screen Noel has to offer and plucked out our favorite elements from each. Gather the family round the computer screen and take in MTV News' Christmas Movie Awards.

Best Santa – Dan Aykroyd in "Trading Places"

When Louis Winthorpe III hits rock bottom, he soars to the highest ranks of cinematic Santas. Booted from his cushy »

- Eric Ditzian

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What's On Christmas Day

25 December 2009 | AOL - TVSquad | See recent AOL - TVSquad news »

TBS is running A Christmas Story all day. FX has Night at the Museum all day. AMC is showing National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation all day. Hallmark has Christmas TV movies all day. Nickelodeon has Christmas episodes all day, including iCarly, Fairly OddParents, True Jackson, VP, and Drake & Josh. BBC America has Christmas episodes all day, including Gavin & Stacey and Absolutely Fabulous. At 6Am, Cartoon Network and Boomerang start an all-day marathon of Christmas cartoons and specials. At 8, MTV2 has a Real World: Cancun marathon. At 8:30, Comedy Central has A Colbert Christmas. At 9, Discovery has a Mythbusters marathon. Spike has a Bad Santa marathon at 9. At 9:30, Lifetime has Christmas episodes of various shows, including Frasier, Reba, and Will & Grace, as well as Christmas movies.

Continue reading What's On Christmas Day

 

Filed under: Programming, Festivus, Reality-Free

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- Bob Sassone

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Shelf Life: It's A Wonderful Life

24 December 2009 2:03 PM, PST | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »

A few weeks ago, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was the subject of a "Shelf Life" column, and I was not convinced that it held up when I watched it again for the first time in probably 15 years. Suffice it to say that many readers disagreed - I'm still getting negative comments - but it made me both excited and reluctant to dive into It's a Wonderful Life, which is probably the holiday-movie genre's all-time most-beloved and venerated entry. (Personally, A Christmas Story is my favorite holiday film, but Frank Capra's black and white classic has the advantage of almost 40 years to develop a generation-spanning army of fans.)

Interestingly, I watched the film just a few years ago for the first time, and I didn't like it. For a guy who so often forewent his own plans and ambitions to help others, Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey was whiny and »

- Todd Gilchrist

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Unwrap Jim Henson's 'The Christmas Toy' In Today's Christmas Eve (Sick Day) Stash!

24 December 2009 10:04 AM, PST | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

Call them "cult classics." "Guilty pleasures." "Comfort movies." We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. Here are some of ours.

One of the great things about the holiday season is the plethora of fantastic holiday movies that come with it. Everybody has their favorites: some go for the classics like "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story," while others are interested in twists on the genre such as in "Die Hard," and still others are more inclined for modern holiday fare like "Four Christmases" and "Elf."

But for me, it's always about Jim Henson's "The Christmas Toy. »

- Josh Wigler

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The Five: Essential Movies to Watch on Christmas

24 December 2009 9:34 AM, PST | Fandango | See recent Fandango news »

Congrats! You’ve survived the crowded shopping malls and ridiculous holiday traffic long enough to wake up on Christmas morning with an appetite for one helluva dinner alongside one or two (or three!) essential Christmas movies. But which ones do you watch? Here are five films I whole-heartedly recommend … ‘A Christmas Story’   My favorite Christmas movie of all time, you don’t need to go too far to watch A Christmas Story on Christmas because TBS airs the movie for 24 hours straight. The film is simple in its concept: it revolves around one boy and his quest to receive an air rifle from Santa for Christmas. However, between his neurotic family, loony friends, freaky schoolyard bullies and aggravated mall Santa, this is one movie everyone can...

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- affiliates@fandango.com

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What's On Tonight: Raising The Bar, Football, Christmas Specials

24 December 2009 9:14 AM, PST | AOL - TVSquad | See recent AOL - TVSquad news »

TNT has a marathon of new Raising The Bar episodes all night. TBS is running A Christmas Story all night. At 8, NBC has It's A Wonderful Life. PBS has L.A. Holiday Celebration at 8, followed by Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Christmas at Belmont. ABC Family has A Miser Brothers Christmas at 8. Espn has the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at 8, Nevada vs. Southern Methodist. Travel Channel has Samantha Brown's Holidays in New York, then The Most Christmasy Places in America and Christmas to the Extreme. Also at 8: TCM has Remember The Night, followed by Christmas in July. At 8:30, TV Land has a Christmas Andy Griffith Show. At 8:40, BBC America has a Christmas Catherine Tate Show. At 10:30, Food Network has a Christmas Ace of Cakes. At 11:35, CBS has Christmas at the Cathedral: Beacon of Hope.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, »

- Bob Sassone

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question of the day: What’s your favorite Christmas movie?

24 December 2009 7:18 AM, PST | www.flickfilosopher.com | See recent FlickFilosopher news »

The Online Film Critics Society, in our weekly survey, this week picked our favorite Christmas movies. It’s a Wonderful Life came out on top -- as some of you may know, I am not a fan of It's a Wonderful Life. My top five Christmas favorites, as I voted the Ofcs survey: A Christmas Story Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Scrooged Meet John Doe It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie »

- MaryAnn Johanson

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Editor's Desk: Your All Time Favorite Christmas Movies

24 December 2009 6:54 AM, PST | AMC - Script to Screen | See recent AMC - Script to Screen news »

It's Christmas Eve, and if you're like me at all you still have a few gifts you need to pick up, a few holiday phone calls to family and friends to make... and if you're Really like me, a couple of great Christmas movies to sit down and watch over the next couple of days.

Christmas has been the subject or context for many truly great films, and this time of the year I like to watch a whole bunch of them.

Scrooged

A Christmas Story

A Miracle on 34th Street

It's a Wonderful Life

A Christmas Carol (My personal favorite is the 1951 Alastair Sim version)

Die Hard (come on... that counts)

Gremlins

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

A Charlie Brow Christmas (TV movies count this time of year)

Christmas Vacation

The potential list is almost endless.  So I wanted to ask you, my fellow AMCers, what some of Your »

- John Campea

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Christmas cable marathons: Which one will you use to avoid interacting with your family?

24 December 2009 5:45 AM, PST | EW.com - PopWatch | See recent EW.com - PopWatch news »

Thank goodness that despite all the suckage 2009 has wrought, one thing remains dependable in this godforsaken world: Cable marathons on Christmas. Yes, the holidays once again bring us the greatest gift of all, hit after hit of addictive movies to watch instead of actually sharing the spirit of the season with other human beings. The beauty of the movie marathon is that you don't even have to look at a schedule to know when you have to turn on the TV to catch the likes of A Christmas Story and Night at the Museum -- because they'll be playing on »

- Jennifer Armstrong

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The Best Christmas Movies of All Time

24 December 2009 4:54 AM, PST | Extra | See recent Extra news »

"Extra's" counting down the best Christmas movies to watch while you anxiously await Santa and his sleigh!

The Best Christmas Movies of All TimeThe Polar Express, 2004

On Christmas Eve, a boy who is hoping to believe in the magic of Christmas boards a train that’s headed to the North Pole. The film, starring Tom Hanks, is an adaptation of the beloved book by Chris Van Allsburg.

The Santa Clause, 1994

Tim Allen stars as Scott Calvin, »

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Screen Rant’s Favorite Christmas Movies

23 December 2009 6:34 PM, PST | ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news »

Christmas is upon us again, faster than we expected (as usual). Over the years, thousands of hours of feature film and television time have heralded the arrival of this annual holiday – while some titles may have changed, and even been remade or rebooted, the jingle of holiday bells and giggles of cinematic heavenly ghosts and their audiences continues to echo on in theaters and homes… And we thought we’d share some of our favorites with you.

Whether they’re traditional treats that continue to give, or outside-the-box laughter landslides that help to make the spirit ring even louder, the month of December is truly full of special holiday films that touch the heart. So have a seat in your preferred chair, warm up a cup of your favorite holiday beverage and enjoy the Screen Rant staff’s Christmas List of Favorite Holiday Movies!

 

Vic Holtreman: (Owner, Editor-in-Chief)

“I’d »

- Mike Wilkerson

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Holiday Movies: What's on Tonight? (12/24/09)

23 December 2009 6:05 PM, PST | Reelzchannel.com | See recent ReelzChannel news »

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Marathon) (Comfort & Joy)

Starz Kids & Family, 6 Pm Et through 6 Pm Et 12/25

A curmudgeon (Jim Carrey) sets out to quash the yuletide preparations of the Christmas-loving Whos of Whoville.

Home Alone (Marathon) (Family Dramedy)

Fox Movie Channel, 6 Pm Et through 6 Am Et 12/26

A young boy (Macaulay Culkin), accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, defends his home against idiotic burglars.

A Christmas Story (Marathon) (Laughing All the Way)

TBS, 8 Pm Et through 8 Pm Et 12/25

In the 1940s, little Ralphie tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder range-model Bb gun for Christmas.

What else is showing this season? See the complete Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.

And if you're wondering what to buy the movie lovers on your shopping list, check out our Holiday Gifts store.

Next Showing:

Link | Posted 12/24/2009 by reelz

Macaulay Culkin | Jim Carrey »

- reelz reelz

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TV for Christmas: Parades, movies and marathons

23 December 2009 3:11 PM, PST | Zap2It - From Inside the Box | See recent Zap2It - From Inside the Box news »

Christmas isn't quite as fruitful as Thanksgiving for TV offerings but we've found the best options if you happen to flip on the television Dec. 24 or 25.

Apparently, Thanksgiving is the time for marathons. Christmas is almost all Christmas-themed fare. What's up with that? Here's what you can look forward to over the holiday.

Dec. 24

Bravo: Starting at 2 am Christmas Eve day, Bravo is showing all the "West Wing" Christmas episodes. These five episodes are truly among the show's best. Following the "West Wing" mini-marathon, catch a marathon of last season's "Millionaire Matchmaker."

Syfy: A marathon of "Ghost Hunters." Nothing says Christmas like ghosts. Just ask Ebeneezer Scrooge.

Dsc: "Deadliest Catch" marathon. Our dad has the DVR set.

AMC: "White Christmas" marathon. This is our all-time favorite Christmas movie, so please tune in if you've never seen it.

VH1 Classic: "Pop-up Video" marathon

ABC Family: A full day of Christmas »

- editorial@zap2it.com

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Christmas Movies Take Over Cable

23 December 2009 6:54 AM, PST | AMC - Script to Screen | See recent AMC - Script to Screen news »

Like many families, you're probably considering heading out to an AMC Theatre on Christmas day (I know I'll be going to see "Avatar" again), but even if you don't leave the house -- there's lots of movie action happening on the small screen.

Variety has an article up profiling some of the Christmas Day marathon trends that different cable networks are embracing this year. For 13 years, Ted Turner's networks (first TNT, now TBS) have offered 24 hours of the movie "A Christmas Story," back to back. I'm an Atlanta native and even before the 24-hour marathon became a tradition, TNT and TBS both aired the 1983 classic at least once during the holiday season. Now, having the movie on in the background is an expected part of my family's Christmas tradition. While eating or talking (and generally before heading off to the movie theater), the story of Ralphie and his Red Ryder Bb Gun. »

- Christina Warren

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Add These Glorious Cinematic Gifts To Your Christmas Wish List

22 December 2009 1:00 PM, PST | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

Christmas is almost upon us, and if you haven't checked everything and everyone off your holiday shopping list, you're a terrible person. We kid! But seriously: nothing says "You're important to me" like a last-minute trip to the mall for scented candles or your third consecutive pair of Christmas mittens.

We've all gotten those crappy goodies during less-than-memorable family get-togethers, just as we've all been given those prezzies that are so superlative they make our hearts sing. And you know who gets the best gifts of all? People in the movies. Before you check under the tree this year to see if your loved ones think you've been naughty or nice, check out our picks for the best presents in movie history.

Power-lacing Nikes ("Back to the Future Part II")

Fact: there are no cooler kicks in all of cinema than the auto-lacing Nike high tops Marty McFly slips on »

- Eric Ditzian

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Curio: Alt Cross-Stich

22 December 2009 12:48 PM, PST | FilmExperience | See recent FilmExperience news »

Alexa here from Pop Elegantiarum. Cross-stitch used to connote that awful, cloying gift you got from your grandma at Christmas. (My dad was forced to hang one from my grandma in his college apartment that read "Make new friends, keep the old, one is silver, the other is gold." Oy.) But the rise of feminist cross-stitch has revived the craft, and has led to a few interesting offshoots, including some film-related examples.

Here is my favorite, a John Waters-inspired piece from The Dirt Track. Perfect for those of you that are hating Christmas this year as as much as Divine did in Female Trouble.

And here is a ubiquitous Lebowski entry from spamberly. (I must admit I have this one in our bedroom.)

Finally, here is a not-so-alternative example for the holidays from you heart us. Is it just me, or is A Christmas Story now so overplayed that »

- Alexa

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Create Your Own 'Christmas Story' Bunny Costume

22 December 2009 10:40 AM, PST | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »

You know at some point this week you're gonna sit down and watch A Christmas Story, and you know you're gonna get to the part where Ralphie walks down the stairs in that silly pink bunny costume and, though you'll chuckle like you do every year, there will definitely be a part of you that desperately wants to don a pair of ridiculous pink bunny pajamas just because you like to experience new things ... and because you're really that cheesy (we won't tell anyone -- promise!).

For those who don't want to piece together Ralphie's bunny costume by hand, you can hop on over to the official Christmas Story House gift shop and pick up a pair for $100. That's a lot of money, though, and something tells me every household has at least one Aunt Clara who's capable of creating a delightful (and adorable) bunny costume for a lot less »

- Erik Davis

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question of the day: What non-hit of the 00s will be an acclaimed favorite by 2020?

22 December 2009 7:26 AM, PST | www.flickfilosopher.com | See recent FlickFilosopher news »

Today’s question comes from reader Patrick, who writes: In the 80's it was "A Christmas Story"; in the 90's it was "The Shawshank Redemption"--both films developed into monstrous hits after their initial box office failure in the next decade. So, I must ask: what do you predict will be the film of the 00's that didn't do all that well in its theatrical run but will be given its long overdue accolades as a classic in the 10's? (Basically a film that TNT will play endlessly--not that's there's anything wrong with that!) In other words: What non-hit of the 00s will be an acclaimed favorite by 2020? I’ve got a few possibles: »

- MaryAnn Johanson

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'SNL' and Gilly wish you merry 'Christmas for the Jews'

17 December 2009 7:46 PM, PST | Zap2It - From Inside the Box | See recent Zap2It - From Inside the Box news »

NBC trotted out a "Saturday Night Live" holiday special Thursday, collecting bits from past seasons and wrapping it in a new package called "A Very Gilly Christmas."

Just why "SNL" chose to put one of the more annoying recurring characters among the current cast (we love Kristen Wiig, but the troublemaking Gilly is far from her best) front and center is a little bit baffling, but the special itself was a pretty solid effort.

The classics -- Dan Aykroyd's sleazy toy salesman, Eddie Murphy's "A Gumby Christmas," Alec Baldwin's "Schweddy Balls," Steve Martin's holiday wish -- were there, and like watching "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" or "A Christmas Story" for the 105th time, those sketches don't really get old. But among the more recent holiday sketches "SNL" has done, it's hard to top Robert Smigel's animation piece "Christmas for the Jews." (Ok, "D*ck in a Box" is better, »

- editorial@zap2it.com

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Black Christmas (1974): A Retrospective

17 December 2009 2:13 AM, PST | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »

It’s the holiday season and, for most, that means it’s that very special time of year when you get see your family; That large group of people you hate and utterly despise but, do to some arbitrary blood relation, feel provoked to associate with at least once during the bleakest, darkest, and most devastatingly cold part of the year. And, as always, what makes the company of these cringe inducing kin barely tolerable is that wonderfully distracting invention known as the television. For most kids, the holidays mean more than just Santa, and gifts, and honey-glazed ham. It means you get to crowd around the tele (in much the same way that imaginary family, in those invented greeting cards, sit around a fire) and melt away your brain on usually mindless seasonal programming.

Now whilst most children grew up on flicks such as The Little Drummer Boy, Rudolph The Red-nosed Raindeer, »

- no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Compton)

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2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2003

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