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Saturday, December 25, 2010

Favorite Christmas Movies

'Tis the season for Christmas films... but usually the predictable ones. As I tell my students, a holiday like Christmas can really focus and increase the tension, urgency, and dramatic life of a narrative, giving extra-special oomph to your plot. I also simply like slightly twisted Christmas tales.

For example:

1. Die Hard. Yes, a Christmas film. The terrorists, led by Alan Rickman, take over a Christmas party and, sadly for them, Bruce Willis's John McLane is in the house. Ditto, Die Hard 2.



2. The Bishop's Wife. With David Niven as the bishop, Loretta Young as his wife, and Cary Grant as the angel.

3. The Preacher's Wife, the newer version with Whitney Houston, Courtney B. Vance, and Denzel Washington as the angel (of course!).

4. The Man Who Came to Dinner. The Kaufman-Hart classic turned into a very funny film.

5. Stalag 17. Christmas in the POW camp. Brilliant William Holden.

6. We're No Angels.

7. Home Alone, the original only. Didn't we all dream of being alone at home, without siblings, running wild and staying up all night without supervision? Dang right.

8. Holiday Inn. In my opinion superior to White Christmas, if only because of the delectable Fred Astaire.

Happy Holidays!

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