All Time Favorite Film

U

Uplander

Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
265
One of the top contenders for my all time favorite movie, "A Christmas Story" will be on TNT tonight. I'm wondering tho, how much has been cut out to fit in the commercials? One evening a while ago I did some timing of the TV, the average was 18 minutes of commercials per hour of show. Most movies made for the theatre are about 2 hours, this means that when they're shown on the boob tube they're missing about a fourth of the story. Another favorite, "The Big Red One" was double butchered. Originally it was 3+ hrs. The studio cut it down to 2, then the network cut 36 min to fit it to their slot. Think I'll make a list & head to the video store.
Uplander
 
I can't stand that movie, to be honest with you. It might have to do with my striking resemblance as a kid to Ralphie.

I do agree that network presentations of feature-length films do generally suck. The upside is that if it's on TNT, it'll be on four more times during the day.
 
They probably chop out sections of movies to not only fit in all the commercials and video garbage, but another crafty way to get people to spend more money on movie rentals, and purchases.
 
A modern Christmas classic (well as modern as a 26 year old movie can be):thumbup: I catch it at least twice a year on TNT. The flick has some real staying power. I mean, after all these years, it is on "sale" at Target this week for $17.88. $17.88 for a DVD that you'll watch maybe 2 times a year...the demand is there;)
 
This movie was one of my father's favorites, and for that reason, one of mine, too. I think it was significant to my dad in large part because of the era in which it was set. The year is 1940 and Ralphie is nine years old, the same age my dad was in 1940. The movie triggered a real sense of nostalgia for him.

Eric
 
I liked "A Christmas Story" the first 567 times I watched it. If I never see it again, I'm good with that.
 
I probably don't have a favorite movie, but I have to say I really enjoyed the Swedish film "As it is in Heaven". It has subtitles...but some great music, and some thought-provoking ideas.

For a laugh I might watch the Aussie movie "The Man Who Sued God", or the British "Love Actually".

The American (?) movie "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" made me smile. It is quite an old one now I think.

I enjoy most movies that tell a good story or through which the writer has something interesting to say. I'm definitely don't watch them for the explosions, gunfights and breasts (although I don't exactly turn away at this point).
 
"A Christmas Story" is our all-time favorite in our family. You ask anyone today where "you'll shoot your eye out, kid . . . " came from, and I bet they can tell you.

After that, it's the old "Frosty The Snowman", "Santa Came To Town", Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer", etc.

When I was a kid, we had a crazy uncle who would watch them with us, and give us new (crude) lyrics to those sappy songs. Made the holidays much more fun!

thx - cpr
 
"Christmas Story", "Rudolph the Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" are my favorite holiday films. Besides those, "The Wizard Of Oz" (yeah I know it hardly follows the book) and "Aliens".

Bob
 
It will be out in December on HBO.
528180689_l.jpg
 
I don't have an all time favorite film, but we watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which has become a classic, (not the modern movie- the 40 year old animation) and I never tire of Frank Kapra and Jimmy Stewart....though for a time there, the yups overexposed the work.


munk
 
I also like pretty much all of the stop motion animation Christmas Specials from the 1960's. Even the weird ones that have nothing to do with Christmas, really. Sure, there are your staples like Rudolph, Frosty, etc. I even like Jack Frost. The one that I find the weirdest is the very secular one where Santa is old and dying, and all the immortal spirits get together to decide if Santa should receive the mantel of immortality. What the heck is that all about?:confused: Fascinating, but weird.
 
What would the holidays be without all of the Rankin/Bass productions? (I still can't watch The Little Drummer Boy, though - I always get choked up at the end. ;))

The Grinch, Rudolph, and Charlie Brown Christmas are the shows most strongly associated with the holidays of my childhood. Watching them made for special occasions. In the days before VCRs and DVDs, those shows came on only once a year, and if you missed it, you missed it.

Eric
 
One of the best Christmas episodes of a TV serial I've ever seen is "A Pinky and The Brain Christmas." The "Garfield Christmas" is pretty good too. We hold onto other Christmas episodes as camp or kitsch or just because we're too lazy to throw away the tapes, but in the end, the one that ranks highly as both a laffer and a sobber is P&tB.

In terms of other Christmas specials, I can think of few that really jump out as having genuine staying power. "Claymation Christmas" is still a family favorite and for good reason, but even it occasionally has me wondering why I'm watching it.

For feature length films, the list of movies that always get watched around here is long and storied. Muppet Christmas Carol usually leads off the rotation shortly after Halloween. It's a goofy tradition my younger brother insists upon. That's not to say it's a bad film, in fact, I'd say it's one of the better adaptations of A Christmas Carol. Did I mention my brother is 20 years old? White Christmas, Holiday Inn, or Miracle on 34th Street (1947 version, thank you) usually come after Thanksgiving. My folks usually watch It's a Wonderful Life and Christmas in Connecticut some time near the big day itself. I prefer to sneak Scrooged in whenever I can.
 
I haven't watched a Christmas Story in 20 years, and have no desire to, but some parts of it are classics that I throw out there all of the time.

"But I didn't say 'fudge'"

"you'll shoot your eye out"


As well as putting his tongue on the pole. (sounds pretty bad out of context)
 
My three favorite movies of all time are: Last of the Dogmen, A Man Called Horse, and Smoke Signals in no particular order. Smoke Signals portrays ndn life pretty much as it is today as does Powwow Highway. Dances with Wolves in itself isn't a bad ndn movie either as it shows quite a bit of how ndn life once was.
Actually there are quite a few good ndn movies put out the last few years.
I also really like the series by Tony Hillerman that created the Lt. Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee characters for the TV PBS movies starring Wes Studi and Adam Beach.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
The one that I find the weirdest is the very secular one where Santa is old and dying, and all the immortal spirits get together to decide if Santa should receive the mantel of immortality. What the heck is that all about?:confused: Fascinating, but weird.
Click to expand...

YES! I think it was called something like The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. There were all these fairy ladies and that weird wind demon guy, and some of them duked it out with these ugly monsters... sadly, they don't play this one so much. :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top