10 Movies To Watch This Holiday Season

It's December, it's getting colder outside and Christmas is fast approaching. Between battling the crowds at the mall and attending Christmas parties, you may find some time to watch a couple of movies to really get you into to the holiday spirit. So grab and glass of eggnog and plate of gingerbread cookies, because I've got 10 films to make your holiday season a little brighter.

#10 The Santa Clause -1994

Although I'm not a fan of the sequels, The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), I think this one is a solid movie. It's not perfect, but it's one of those films that the whole family can sit back and enjoy while having some hot cocoa on a chilly winter evening.

#9 Die Hard -1988

For those who want an action-packed holiday movie, nothing beats Die Hard. For anyone that hasn't seen this one, Bruce Willis plays a New York cop named John McClane who travels to Los Angeles to attend his estranged wife's Christmas party at Nakatomi Tower. But, a group of terrorists seize the tower, take hostages and it's up to McClane to save the day.

 

#8 A Charlie Brown Christmas -1965

For many people, myself included, watching this one has become something of a Christmas tradition. The Peanuts characters are iconic, and there are some funny moments, but what sets this this apart from so many other animated Christmas movies is that it directly addresses the over-commercialization of the holiday and reminds the viewer of the true meaning of Christmas.

#7 The Nightmare Before Christmas -1993

Love Christmas but sad Halloween is over? Then this is probably the go-to film for you. It's all the cheer and joy of one mixed with the spookiness of the other. The songs are great, and the movie is a ton of fun anytime of the year but particularly when watched during that 54 day span between Halloween night and Christmas morning.

#6 Elf - 2003

Elf is arguably the best Christmas movie to come out in the last 20 years. Will Ferrell plays Buddy the Elf, a wide-eyed, naive, man-child that travels to New York City to find his Dad. Buddy spreads Christmas cheer wherever he goes in this hilarious, modern Christmas classic.

#5 Christmas Eve on Sesame Street -1978

"I hate Christmas! And if you want the truth, I ain't so crazy about Thanksgiving or Labor Day either!" -Oscar the Grouch

If there was ever a stick in the mud to rival Ebenezer Scrooge or the Grinch, it's Oscar the Grouch. In fact, he's part of the reason that ever since I was a little kid this has been one of my favorite holiday movies. All of the best Christmas films need a character that is devoid of Christmas cheer, because it helps illustrate how the holiday has the power to bring out the best in all of us.
 Even though this one is aimed towards children, I surprisingly enjoy it just as much as an adult.

#4 Batman Returns -1992

Batman + Christmas, You can't go wrong. It's Christmas time in Gotham City and Batman is up against two iconic villains, the Penguin and Catwoman... Plus, Christopher Walken is in it. So, take a break from building that gingerbread Batcave, and pop in Batman Returns.

#3 Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! -

You can keep Santa, and Rudolf, and all the elves because when I think of great Christmas characters I immediately think of the Grinch. In a way it's the perfect Christmas story, because a lot of us are cynical jackasses throughout much of the year, but when the holiday season rolls around our hearts often grow a few sizes.

 #2  The Muppet Christmas Carol -1992

 Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is one of the most famous Christmas stories ever written, and there are a ton of film adaptations of that story. My favorite version just happens to be the one starring the Muppets. Michael Caine plays a great Scrooge, and that Muppet brand of humor blends surprisingly well with the story.

#1 It's a Wonderful Life -1946

 I could have possibly moved around or swapped out a few films on this list but if there is one must watch film for me, it's this one. It's a timeless classic and it's not only a great Christmas movie, but one of my favorite films in general.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone. 

Have a suggestion for a review or want to recommend a Christmas movie that didn't make it onto this list? Leave it in the comments below.

Ranking The Muppet Movies

I've been a huge Muppets fan for my entire life, so in this entry I'm going to be ranking the Muppet movies.

That being said, this will only be a ranking of Muppet films that had a theatrical release, so not included will be TV movies like “Muppets Wizard of Oz” or direct-to-video/DVD movies such as “Kermit’s Swamp Years”. Additionally, although characters from things like Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock were developed by the late Jim Henson the only films that qualify are the ones that center around the group of characters that are referred to as "The Muppets"; Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, etc. So films like Follow That Bird and Christmas Eve on Sesame Street also won't be on this particular list.

#8 Muppets from Space -1999

Keep in mind that I love all of these movies so it's not to say this one isn't enjoyable, it's just not the strongest of the bunch. There are some funny moments, but the central plot of Gonzo being an alien may have worked better as a subplot in another Muppet movie.

#7 Muppets Most Wanted -2014

The direct sequel to 2011's The Muppets was a decent follow up. However, the cast isn't as strong, the songs aren't as memorable, and the story lacks the heart of it's predecessor. A fun movie but there are better ones.


#6 The Muppet Christmas Carol -1992

The #5 and #6 picks basically came down to a coin flip honestly. They're both based on classic stories, both are a ton of fun, and I highly recommend both. For a story that's been told and retold as many time as Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, this is actually my favorite film version of that story.


#5 Muppet Treasure Island -1996

 While this one only came in at #5, it's not to say that it isn't worth watching. It's jam packed with wall-to-wall jokes, and I think it's actually one of the funniest of all the Muppet movies. Plus, Tim Curry as Long John Silver is just amazing.


#4 The Great Muppet Caper -1981

Though not quite as strong or as well remembered as the previous film The Muppet Movie or the film that would follow this one The Muppets Take Manhattan,this one is still really enjoyable. There are probably more really funny moments between Kermit and Fozzie in this one than in any of the other films.


#3 The Muppets -2011

After Muppets from Space, there was a pretty significant gap between big-screen Muppet films but when Kermit and the others finally returned to theaters it was well worth the wait. The Muppet brand of humor is as strong as ever in this one and both Jason Segel and Amy Adams are fantastic.


#2 The Muppet Movie -1979

Not only is this a solid movie, but it showed that people will go see a major motion picture starring Muppets because the movie is fun and full of lovable characters. This is the foundation for all the Muppet movies. Although Jim Henson passed away in 1990, the spirit and tone of all the films that have come since then, have always circled back to what made the original so great.


#1 The Muppets Take Manhattan -1984

Every Muppet movie needs three key ingredients good songs, humor, and heart and this one has the best balance of that. They're all really enjoyable, but if you're only going to watch one Muppet movie this is the one I'd recommend.