I’ve decided to start logging my holiday viewing, with very brief reviews, both as a way to keep track for myself, and as a source of content for the blog...
Much as I tend to wait until after Halloween to begin easing into Christmas viewing I like to wait until after July 4th to being Christmas in July. The whole Christmas in July thing has never really grabbed me - partially because I’m not usually a fan of re-watching things and at Christmas it’s pretty much unavoidable. Watching my holiday favorites in July only lessens my enjoyment of them in December. So, I’ll be launching this new feature by watching holiday shows I wouldn’t normally view during the actual festive season. Expect these July entries to be somewhat more obscure than what I’ll end up covering later in the year.
The Littlest Angel (2011)
First time viewing | Streaming - Vidmark
Unnecessary, but surprisingly not entirely awful, CGI animated version of the classic Christmas children’s book. Little kids might enjoy it but I’ll be sticking to the 1969 Hallmark Hall of Fame version starring Johnny Whitaker, Fred Gwynne and Cab Calloway.
The Nice: Ron Perlman provides the voice of God
The Naughty: Overlong, budget CGI
Shelby: The Dog Who Saved Christmas (2014)
First time viewing | Streaming - Roku Channel
Just Watch | IMDB
Obviously aimed at kids. I’m not a kid.
Rob Schneider, Tom Arnold and Chevy Chase all have mortgages / taxes / alimony to pay so I’m not going to hold this against them. I’m also not going to finish watching it.
The Nice: It’s in focus. Reminds you of its’ stars earlier, funnier work.
The Naughty: Generic and boring and unfunny.
Medic: Red Christmas (1954)
Repeat Viewing DVD
Dour fifties medical drama. Minimal Christmas content. I’d forgotten how depressing this slice of vintage TV was from my first viewing years ago.
The Nice: A perfectly competent fifties TV show.Anti drunk driving message is admirable.
The Naughty: Christmas angle revolves around a drunk driver’s post holiday party car accident and its’ tragic fallout. Merry Christmas!
The Night Before Christmas
Repeat Viewing DVD
IMDB
Animated retelling of Nikolai Gogol’s story, so no visions of sugar plums or right jolly old elves.Though taking place on Christmas Eve there’s little here, beyond the winter setting and a couple of brief scenes, that feels Christmassy. As an animated film it has much to recommend it, as Christmas viewing not so much (in my opinion at least).I’ll likely revisit this in the dark days of the post-Christmas winter.
The Nice: A landmark of Soviet animation adapted from a classic story.
The Naughty: The devil comes down the chimney, not Santa.
