Christmastime Viewings: 2012

First Viewing


"W-who are you? You look like some sort of ice cream man from 'Hello, Dolly!'"

Thoughts: It's decent enough. Certainly, the film is colourful and has some good laughs. But it's not on the same level as the best Muppet productions.

Full review here

Umpteenth Viewing


"Can we take a direct flight back to reality, or do we have to change planes in Denver?'"

Thoughts: I warmed up to this movie a lot more this time. It's good, wholesome family entertainment which is respectful towards adults.

Full review here

First Viewing


"A man that is born of woman hath but a short time to live and is full of misery. He cometh up and is cut down like a flower.'"

Thoughts: I'm not convinced that this version needed to exist. It's a workmanlike effort, watchable but unremarkable, though Patrick Stewart is a surprisingly good Scrooge.

Full review here

First Viewing


"We'd love to help you take those letters to Santa."

Thoughts: Erm, this wasn't very good at all. I wanted to like it since it's the freaking Muppets, but the end result is pretty tragic. It's incredibly corny and too geared towards children. Plus there's a 10-minute end credit reel. WTF?

Full review here

First Viewing


"My mama used to always say, 'Christmas ain't Christmas till somebody cries!' Usually that someone's me."

Thoughts: I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this was pretty bad. It's a short, corny, hopelessly predictable Christmas special, plagued with a strong stench of commercialism. It's clear no-one put much heart or effort into this one.

Full review here

First Viewing


"It was for your welfare that I made this visit, Ebenezer Scrooge..."

Thoughts: This is a pretty good adaptation, one of the better ones. It seems the screenwriter was unafraid to deviate from the source material, which is great, and Reginald Owen is a fine Scrooge.

Full review here

First Viewing


"Ah, Christmas. Time for Santa Claus and his eight prancing rein-bear."

Thoughts: Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! After watching the tragic Letters to Santa, I was overjoyed to watch this and enjoy a proper Muppet Christmas special. Loved this.

Full review here

Second Viewing


"We are standing on the biggest burial mountain in the world..."

Thoughts: It was great to revisit this for the first time since February, this is a really weird, alternative and brilliantly original Christmas movie.

Full review here

Umpteenth Viewing (Revisit)


"Everybody thinks I'm suicidal, in which case, I'm fucked and nobody wants to work with me; or they think I'm faking to draw a psycho pension, in which case, I'm fucked and nobody wants to work with me. Basically, I'm fucked."

Thoughts: Holy Christ, this movie is underrated. It's a goddamn masterpiece!

Full review here

First Viewing



Thoughts: This isn't strictly a Christmas movie, but Christmas is tied to the movie's central story. This is one remarkable movie, an achingly poignant docudrama that deserves more attention.

Full review here

Umpteenth Viewing (Revisit)


"It's hard to believe it was just last Christmas that Harmony and I changed the world. And we didn't mean to and it didn't last long. You know a thing like that can't."

Thoughts: Just had to watch this again, it's a brilliant flick. Insanely funny and quotable.

Full review here

Umpteenth Viewing (Revisit)


"Keep him out of the light, he hates bright light, especially sunlight, it'll kill him. Second, don't give him any water, not even to drink. But the most important rule, the rule you can never forget, no matter how much he cries, no matter how much he begs, never feed him after midnight."

Thoughts: I liked this more than I did last year. Good fun B-movie, though it's tonally uneven.

Full review here