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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE?



DIE HARD?

ELF?

MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL?

I have a Christmas tradition which answers the question for me.



HOME ALONE I & II are just as dated in their way as Dickens' Christmas Carol.

Yet for me they are forever young.

Chris Columbus' movies represent both a childhood long left behind and, 

indeed, a bygone age that doesn't make sense anymore viewed from the 21st century. 

The entire premise of HOME ALONE is now an impossibility, 

 because how could a child end up accidentally abandoned 

and declared missing in this new Millennium of mass communication? 

With post-War on Terror airport security checks being what they are, 

the McCallister parents couldn't possibly get on a plane to Paris without noting that one of their group is AWOL.

 
Today, Kevin would be live-tweeting his ordeal, 

sticking giddy selfies all over cyberspace and then - if he started to feel frightened and forlorn - 

signing-in to Skype to sing Christmas carols to his folks in France.

 It's actually quite fascinating and strangely comforting to revisit 

this quaint pre-internet, pre-mobile phone era of VHS tapes and 4:3-ratio TVs. 

And with regard to its precise place in history, 

as a film it also marks the timely convergence of John Hughes in his peak

 with a star about to go nova and a cultural environment that was ideal 

for HOME ALONE's explosion as an international mega-hit.


The film deftly uses Christmas as a narrative engine on which to power a resonant comedy-action-drama.

This fun movie continues to resound in the hearts of all children, no matter the age of their bodies.

The secret to HOME ALONE's longevity

 is its delicate balancing of a sense of peril and menace 

with a sense of fun and a sense of sweet Christmas-ness: 

all elements beautifully expressed by John William's wonderful score. 


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE 
AND WHY?

8 comments:

  1. I have to admit, I never liked that film. Sorry about that.
    Favorite would be A Christmas Story. So many funny moments and lines.

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    1. You never liked DIE HARD? :-) I understand about Home Alone. I prefer HOME ALONE II myself now. Memories of me alone on the streets of Detroit I guess. Happy Christmas!!

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  2. Hi Roland - I wouldn't watch any of those ... and in fact don't do tv watching at Christmas ... I miss some films as they're shown when I'm busy not watching tv! I don't have a tradition to watch a film at Christmas ... when something comes on and I'm free, I'll watch ... I've no idea what's coming up - but I too wouldn't watch Die Hard ... or Home Alone ... Your views on being alone are bound to be affected by the experiences you've had ...

    My thoughts to all who will be alone - I hope the neighbourhood steps in to help .. Hilary

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    1. Each of us has their own Christmas tradition -- mine is working for my co-workers who have families. Merriest of Christmases! :-)

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  3. I always felt Home Alone was an impossible situation because even before technology pervaded every aspect of your life.. how could you possibly forget a child and not a one of the clan notices??

    My favorite holiday movie is Elf! So silly and sweet, I love it. I also like Frosty and Grinch. The older I get, the more and more I relate with the Grinch.

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    1. Yes, with today's over-comercialism it is easy to side with the Grinch. I put my objectivity on hold for most comedies. :-) It helps me laugh more.

      Happiest of Holidays!!

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  4. As I note above, I love The Bishop's Wife. Also It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story.

    Lots of people think a family wouldn't miss a child, but having grown up in a large family I can say it happens.

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  5. My favorite will always be The Muppet Christmas Carol. We watch it every Christmas Eve and 24 years later, I still cry when Tiny Tim dies.

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