Yes, yes... I know it's a tragedy that I've never seen It's A Wonderful Life - and a crime against comedy that I've never experienced the genius of Chevy Chase at Christmas. Trust me, I've heard it all before. So now you've got the power -- which flick will win out this holiday season?
Sleigh bells and shrunken heads? They're great together! Or so thinks Jack Skellington, who tries to take over Christmas in this awesomely ghoulish Tim Burton movie. With a sweet fable for kids and the torture of Santa for grown-ups, it's like 'The Grinch' on acid. (Um, kid-friendly acid.)
Also known as 'Scrooge,' this take is hailed as the best for its definitive Ebenezer Scrooge, fittingly played by a man named Alastair Sim, who gives a superb performance. Though a colorized version exists, we'd recommend kicking it old school and watching it in its original black and white beauty.
Chevy Chase is at the top of his game in this sight-gag-and-one-liner-laden homage to the love/hate event that is the family Christmas. Where, besides this list, is there a place big enough for a movie with Yule laughs this huge? As Clark Griswold would say, "Bend over and I'll show you."
Only Bill Murray could so expertly walk the fine line between pathos and hilarity, as he does playing miserly TV exec Frank Cross. Complete with a taxi-driving 'Ghost of Christmas Past' and a (literally) ball-busting 'Ghost of Christmas Present,' this Dickens send-up is so offbeat and fun, Yule love it!
A tale of depression and almost-suicide doesn't exactly scream "Christmas classic" -- which is probably why Frank Capra's flick flopped at the box office. But more than 30 years later, it endures as a beloved testament to everything Christmas embodies: family, friends and the joy of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment