I'm continuing the Christmas vibes with another movie post, this time listing a few special mentions of movies from family and friends that have either been recommended to me, movies I used to watch as a kid or have seen that are fine but don't quite make my yearly watch.
Jingle All The Way (1996)
I remember seeing this movie as a kid and while I could relate to the kid upset feeling like his dad isn't as present as he would like, I didn't like how chaotic the movie felt a lot of the time, but the parade scene with Arnold and Sinbad is the right kind of crazy fun so there's that. I get why people like this one, but just not in my rotation.
2. Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
This is one of my boyfriends favorite Christmas movies to watch, so we've begun adding this movie to the rotation. There are some parts of this movie that I like. For example, the daughter surprises her family for Christmas and the neighborhood comes together to help because her parents want the house to be perfect for her after basically boycotting their traditional Christmas. However, some parts feel a little too hectic for me, like the neighbors getting upset that they aren't decorating or participating even though they know why and act super unhinged about it, just weird behavior IMO. So to me it's a mix of good and sweet, and a little too crazy.
3. The Family Stone (2005)
So this movie was introduced to me in 2024 by my mother in law as one of her favorite holiday movies. This movie is a mix of emotions across the board, sometimes the family feels too mean and other times the girlfriend being introduced feels too mean, but that can also be the awkward first time meeting your partners family/ your family members new partner. The end of the movie does have a sweet resolution though, and I do get why so many people love it. I also know that the movie is a bittersweet watch since Diane Keaton passed away last year too, so I say give it a watch for those heartfelt moments.
So I grew up on the first two movies, but wanted to give this one a try because the animation looked good and I heard the ending was different and pulled off well. Not to mention I don't want to fall into nostalgia bias or whatever. So last year I rented it, and it was pretty good, but obviously geared towards very young children. So not a bad movie, but I'll stick to the original special. I will say I do like Cindy Lou in this movie and how much she cares about her mom and that being her plot focus, and the ending did surprise me in a good way, so even though it's not my favorite rendition, there is a lot of good in it.
5. Black Christmas (2019)
Had to post an image cause I can't find a gif on here surprisingly enough. So I've posted about the original movie before and while I still feel that movie holds up, I did want to give this one a try because again, I don't want to slip into nostalgia bias. I think the themes are good and I appreciate what they were intending to do with tackling important messages like assault and how common and extremely damaging it is on college campuses, and the patriarchal systems that protect abusers while letting victims suffer in silence. As well as the sorority girls sticking together and defending each other against violence, but I don't want to spoil too much. However, I think the execution could've been pulled off better in some areas of the film involving the fraternities, but again, don't want to spoil too much. I will say too this movie is SO MUCH BETTER than the 2006 version, so already a huge improvement. I say give it a try, if you like the original, I think this one does its job to pay homage while doing something creative and new.
