Micro Monday is a day to find new people to follow. We do occasional roll calls to gather up folks with a common interest. So let’s roll with film lovers: what are you looking forward to during holiday movie season? 🎥
@jean We watch all the Harry Potter movies at this time of year. Just starting the second one tonight
@jean we almost always watch love actually on Christmas Eve. During December we watch others like wonderful life, the santa clause, elf, and several others. We’ve also added a new favourite since last year: a boy named Christmas. So love that one. Klaus may be added to the list too.
@jean One of my favorite movies is a Thanksgiving film, Home for the Holidays (1995) with Anne Bancroft, Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr., directed by Jodie Foster.
On the fourth Thursday in November, 84 million American families will gather together… and wonder why.
Funny but also serious. And the dynamic between brother and sister reminds me a little of my own brother and me.
@jean For new movies, I am very much excited to see Avatar. When I get together with my friends in Seattle between Christmas and New Year’s, we try to go to the movies every day, though we haven’t done that the last two years. It feels very indulgent.
@jean I was going to say ... I don't know if I'm excited to see Avatar, but I'm definitely highly, highly curious about it.
@rknightuk Good tradition! I’m still delighted by them, and glad I bought the set on Apple years ago.
@jean A favorite of mine as well. One scene that sticks with me is when she goes into the kitchen to raid the fridge for leftovers. She reaches behind herself to grab a fork or knife or something like that, and does so without looking. This is the house she grew up in. They say horrible things to each other and yet it doesn't seem to bother them. I love the scene in the White Castle too--a little over the top but what the heck.
@jean I have watched the original “Miracle on 34th Street” on almost every Thanksgiving weekend since I was a kid. It’s my family’s way to officially kick off the Christmas season.
@jean I have a tradition with some friends that we watch three movies every December - Die Hard, Love Actually and The Grinch. We’re firmly in the “they’re Christmas movies” when it comes to the first two!
@jean I have a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Excited to introduce them to a couple classics this year.
@meandering Of course they are Christmas movies, all three of them. 😄
Fun fact about me: I never saw Die Hard until 2020, when I watched it with some podcaster pals and we recorded a commentary. So much fun! (while admittedly watching a lot of people die, hard)
@meandering @jean Die Hard will always be a Christmas movie. I will not be taking questions at this time. 😂
@jean “Mixed Nuts” is, IMHO, and under-appreciated holiday movie. Difficult in ways, and doesn’t fit the family movie vibe, but has a great heart and is very funny.
@jean I do a marathon of the LOTR film New Years Eve, but am very fond of the George C. Scott as Scrooge Christmas Carol, and Polar Express, uncanny valleey and all.
@jean How am I the first person to mention The Muppet Christmas Carol? Also, probably not going to watch it this year, but Gremlins is good fun for the holidays.
@KimberlyHirsh @jean Yes! The Muppet Christmas Carol. Also:
- Home Alone
- Die Hard
- Elf
- Love Actually
I also like to watch the special episodes from the first 3 seasons of Community, like a trilogy of short films.
@Medievalist I'm totally stealing the idea of marathoning LotR over the break. Maybe also Harry potter, per @rknightuk. 🤔
@jean We usually start the Christmas sesaon with either the Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit trilogy while wrapping presents. The last movie I watch on Christmas Eve is Scrooge/A Christmas Carrol (1951 with Alastair Sim), a family tradition going back as far as I can remember.
@jean We just watched the new holiday movie “Spirited” on Apple TV+. The singing wasn’t always the best, but it was very funny. Will Ferrell teams with Ryan Reynolds in a musical that puts a new spin on “A Christmas Carol”. Highly recommended.
@jean Rare Exports -- "Rare Exports is an unexpectedly delightful crossbreed of deadpan comedy and Christmas horror."
@AtomicRobotLive It really is a great film, the acting talent is over the top. I wish Jodie Foster had directed more movies.
@jean I don’t want to forget the perfect New Year’s Eve movie: The Poseidon Adventure (1972), of course. If you start the film at 11:35:36, you’ll count down to midnight in sync with the mostly-doomed passengers.
@jean Die Hard fans should check out my favorite Christmas movie: The Long Kiss Goodnight. Samuel L. Jackson and Geena Davis pair up as a low rent PI and a mother who's trying to recover her memory after an accident left her with amnesia. Along the way there are assassins, conspiracies, and a unique twist on the old "pie in the face" gag. It's also my favorite action movie. :)
Oh! i like to watch Gremlins around this time of year, too.
@UndamnedOne It’s an (almost forgotten) favorite of mine (if that makes sense - I love it, but haven’t seen it in ages). Another feel-good action for me (though it has aged) is True Lies. Die Hard too, of course… I just added the Gremlins two-movie bundle to my iTunes wishlist! 🍿🎥🎬
@UndamnedOne Yes. Long Kiss Goodnight is one of my favs as well! Great cast, all kinda playing against type at the time. A gem of comedy action.
@geofftaylor I believe the global consensus is that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. If there were a vote, this would be affirmed.
@jean we often watch The Castle during the holidays, when we tend to be at the beach. It’s a classic Australian working class family movie; it includes many ‘famous’ lines that we often reference.
@Annie I’ll even watch the third one sometimes, even though it’s nothing to do with Christmas. I figure I’ve already come this far, why not?
@jean and White Christmas and Holiday Inn and Miracle on 34th Street and the Christmas Episode of Ted Lasso which does a hilarious send up of Love Actually. Oh, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with Burl Ives, and The Grinch… and I don’t know if I can classify Nightmare Before Christmas as a Christmas movie but maybe, oh, and It’s A Wonderful Life! How could I forget that?
@odd Awesome! You know, I’ve never seen True Lies. I think it might be streaming now, I’ll have to look.