Day 9 – Movie Suggestions
Today is going to be Movie Night …
… and we want your movie suggestions!
Amongst our friends we are notorious for not having watched a lot of movies. Star Wars? Nope. The Godfather? Never seen him. James Bond? Does watching the trailers count? But what better time to catch up on some good stories on the screen than the Christmas season.
While we do enjoy a good flick every now and then the urge to dedicate 2+ hours of time to something that could potentially leave us feeling disappointed doesn’t strike all too often 🙂 So we need some good convincing, which is were you come in today!
Please let us know your favorite movie in the comments for 5 points, and if you can add some information and some reasons of why you think we should watch it without giving away too much of the story, you get an extra 5 points. We’ll pick one that sounds most intriguing to us and will watch it and let you know what we thought of it by Christmas.
We can’t wait to get out the popcorn 🙂
DAY 9 – MOVIE SUGGESTION
Task of the Day:
Share a good movie suggestion with us.
Achievable Points:
5 + 5 extra for additional and convincing info
As for our recommendation, we’ll pick a movie that fits perfectly in the holidays. When we moved to the UK we found out that it’s one of the movies that people here watch around Christmas and that it’s something that most everyone knows.
So if you’re from here, or if the movie is equally popular in the States or wherever else you are from, we might not have to tell you about this beautiful film made in 1944 called … “It’s A Wonderful Life”
Without looking up too much about the movie our family decided to book tickets to watch it at the
Philharmonic Hall, a theatre in Liverpool we have played at before and that we absolutely adore. It’s a gorgeous venue … not a cinema but they had a special viewing on for Christmas Eve and had installed a big screen and a comedic “compere” who played the organ and was intro-ing and outro-ing the movie. The whole experience was VERY British and incredibly charming.
The movie is enchanting and everything you want to get in the mood for a peaceful, meaningful Christmas about all the important things in life. There is humor, great acting, some laughs and quite possibly also some tears. You can view it as a charming feel-good movie or as something that goes a lot deeper and cuts to the core of what it means to be human, our quest for meaning and finding out what’s important in life.
The premise? It’s a about a businessman who is slowly giving up on his dream to help others. At his lowest point he gets reminded of how he has touched the lives of others and how different life would be if he hadn’t been born.
That’s all we will say, so if you haven’t watched it yet we recommend you give it a go ♥
Looking forward to your suggestions,
Mona & Lisa
My favorite Christmas movie is “The Polar Express”. It’s a wonderful movie about the Christmas spirit.
My go-to is always “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” or the George C. Scott version of “A Christmas Carol,” but for Christmas ans music together, I don’t think you can do better than “Holiday Inn,” with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. It’s full of Christmas fluff, romance, good humour, is about the music business, and contains some of the greatest seasonal music ever, by Irving Berlin
How about Cat Ballou? We’re 60s people, right? Lee Marvin is Kid Shelleen, a washed-up, drunk gunslinger in America’s old West. Jane Fonda is Cat Ballou, the daughter of a rancher, who is killed by a different gunslinger, Silvernose, also played by Lee Marvin, in a battle to save the ranch from the developers. To get revenge, Cat hires Kid Shelleen, who has a great, deadpan comeback when Cat mentions his bloodshot eyes. The movie also has a train, mountains, funeral candles that can be mistaken for birthday candles, and occasional hillside scenes where Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye appear as strolling minstrels singing parts of “The Ballad of Cat Ballou.”
It’s a hangin’ day in Wolf City, Wyomin’
Wolf City, Wyomin’, eighteen ninety-four
They’re gonna drop Cat Ballou-ou
Through the gallows floor
It’s a spoof of old Westerns. Marvin won best actor for it.
I would say that I classic film like ghostbusters, the original one, is a must watch. The music is brilliant the special effects are awesome, the cast is amazing and I will not spoiled the story, but “Ray, When Someone Asks If You’re a God, You Say YES”
Mine – and everyone’s first choice.
It’s a wonderful life.
Another movie to consider is “Amadeus”. It is a 1984 American period biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman and adapted by Peter Shaffer from his 1979 stage play Amadeus. The story is set in Vienna, Austria during the latter half of the 18th century, and is a fictionalized story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from the time he left Salzburg, described by its writer as “fantasia on the theme of Mozart and Salieri”.
Considered one of the greatest films of all time, Amadeus was nominated for 53 awards and received 40, including eight Academy Awards (as well as the Academy Award for Best Picture), four BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and a Directors Guild of America award. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked it 53rd on its 100 Years… 100 Movies list. In 2019, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
It must be remembered though that “Amadeus” is not a documentary and consequently is similar to “The Crown”, which is also a biographical drama that adds its own spice to historical facts.
Another movie I can recommend is “Amélie” by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. This used to be my favourite film for a while when I was a teenager. It’s a romantic comedy that seems a bit like a modern fairy tale. It’s about Amélie, a young woman living in Paris, who is quite dreamy and shy, but one day decides to secretly interfere with other peoples’ lives helping those around her or giving them little punishments if they are mean… I think it’s a heart-warming and funny movie, full of little details and interesting characters. The soundtrack by Yann Tiersen is great too!
Well if you enjoyed “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, you’ll probably also like Monty Python’s Life of Brian, if you haven’t already seen it. The film tells the story of Brian Cohen (played by Chapman), a young Jewish man who is born on the same day as—and next door to—Jesus Christ, and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah. It was very controversial at the time.
Following the withdrawal of funding by EMI Films just days before production was scheduled to begin, long-time Monty Python fan, George Harrison, arranged financing for Life of Brian through the formation of his company HandMade Films. And the rest, as they say, is history. I was going to recommend “Casablanca”, but that has already been nominated.
I agree, Its A Wonderful Life is a favorite of mine too. Never saw it in the theater but that would be nice to see it on the big screen. It was a flop in the theater when it first came out in 1946 and so years later when the copyright ran out, the networks could show it without paying royalty fees. they would have marathons right after Thanksgiving up until Christmas. I think Ted Turner got a hold of the copyrights after that. I did purchase it through Amazon. so I still watch it at least once a year. Great movie
Love Actually. I didn’t see it mentioned but this movie (via The Beach Boys) led me to YouTube — where I found a couple of teenage girls from Austria knocking God Only Knows out of the park using a ukulele.
I’m sure you’ve all seen it – but watch it (and listen to it) again if you haven’t in a while.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is always one of my recommendations, but saw you had that one already. A little late, but if you have any more movie nights, here’s a couple that might not be as well known.
I love “The Christmas Card”. It’s a Christmas movie with an added romance plot. Such a beautiful area “Nevada City”. I’ve always wanted to visit there since I first saw the movie. I’ve always like Ed Asner one of the stars and the motorcycle racer that plays one of the other roles. Kind of hard to find online, but I did find a copy on YouTube.
The other that might not have had a great deal of circulation is “Christmas Angel”. It is on Amazon and some of the other services. I love the theme behind it and the one retired gentleman’s occupation. A bit nostalgic too in that I know the area well.
While not really a movie, but is treated as a stand alone episode on Amazon, Netflix and others. “A Heartland Christmas”. It’s actually episode 10 from season 4 of the CBC show “Heartland”. It is my wife’s favorite TV show and we watch this episode as part of our Christmas movies every year. It’s a G rated feel good movie with horses set in Alberta, Canada at Christmas time.
One of my favorites isn’t a Christmas movie, it’s I AM WRATH. John Travolta stars as a former Black Ops agent seeking vengeance for his wife’s murder.
I Am Wrath Official Trailer (2016) – John Travolta, Christopher Meloni
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLSGiaLz_sg
I am Wrath, is one of my favorite movies. John Travolta stars as a former Black Ops agent seeking vengeance for his wife’s murder. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/ojtYPhKGQ58hfK6t1Na0fBpIcXALINytCvNudpmbzO0kgfdKTdKoq0lc5t_xb8ZudmLE4knHl8Y4OuqH_ur8q8FGIrHyNINY-87r30GdYO_MWbZu7jReT74tYgbprZI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLSGiaLz_sg
Scrooge , the Albert finny version, the first or second home alone movies,my fav to watch every year is the wizard of oz
Anna and the Apocalypse is a great Xmas comedy musical experience. A cross between Shaun of the Dead and La La Land. Hard to imagine I know but once seen never forgotten. Fantastic soundtrack with songs you will want to listen to again and again. (Maybe even play ????) ????????????????????????????????????????
One of my favorite Christmas movie is The Grinch (2000). It might not be the most sophisticated film but its happy, funny and full of joy! Jim Carrey is an amazing actor and makes the Grinch such a laugh to watch. 🙂
since you guys are musical i thought you might like a few musical movie suggestions. the first is “that thing you do”. it stars tom hanks. it is about a garage band from Erie pa. and how the make it up the charts to become another one hit wonder. it takes place in the 60’s and while the music is new it is just like mlt. the tunes sound just like the 60’s and the title song is a song you can’t get out of your head. you will not be disappointed spending 2 hours watching it. i think some of the songs would make a nice addition to your playlist.
the next is the commitments. a group of Dublin natives forming a band to bring soul music to Ireland.
the music is soul music from the 60’s and 70’s.the actors were armatures at the time and played and sang all the songs. a little extra is that one of jimmy’s sisters is Andrea corr from the corr’s and it also starred Maria Doyle Kennedy . she later starred in the series “orphan black” and “outlander.
and the last is a Christmas movie. “a Christmas carol”. the 1951 version starring Allister Simms. it was originally ion black and white but is the best version of that christmas story.
enjoy.
Because it was a 60’s era movie and it stars two of my close friends, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, I would strongly suggest you watch the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli film, “Romeo & Juliet”. The acting, the directing and the beauty of this movie are superb. BTW, the movie celebrated its 50th anniversary a couple of years ago and I was invited to attend the special screenings that included Q & A’s with both Olivia and Leonard. Director Franco Zeffirelli died last year.
Oh an interesting bit of trivia about “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The film was considered a commercial flop when it came out and although it got 5 Oscar nominations the only one it won was for technical achievement for developing a new way to produce fake snow while filming. Previously they used to use broken up corn flakes which made so much noise while the actors moved around while filming they had to dub the dialogue in after the scene was shot. The director insisted on recording the sound live during the film’s snow-filled scenes so a new, less disruptive snow made from water, soap and a fire-fighting chemical called Foamite was invented and pumped through a wind machine. A total of 6,000 gallons of this new faux snow solution was used in the film. So you can win an Oscar for making fake snow.
It wasn’t until the film copyright had run out and it was in the public domain that they started showing it so much on TV during the Christmas holidays mainly since they didn’t have to pay royalties to broadcast it. And the rest is movie history. Ta-dah!!
Well my favorite movie is “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray. I watch it a couple of times a year and it just keeps getting funnier every time. Besides the idea behind the movie, the other thing that I enjoy is that it was filmed in Woodstock, IL which is the town that my father was born in and we went there while on a trip to Chicago and checked out all the places we could find from the movie that was in the area. Its was great fun to go “on location” and not only because of the movie but because it was my Dad’s hometown.
Watch the movie. The music is great and the whole story is adorable. Do moral to the story also
I have a long list of Christmas movies that I watch each year, and they are out of the classic vault.
Top of the list, because it was the Christmas present my daughter bought me for Christmas a long time ago and started my love of old films is “It’s a Wonderful Life” which is depicted above.
Next is also a Frank Capra film called “Meet John Doe”. It’s main theme has to do with learning how to live with the same heart we have at Christmas everyday. The climax of the movie is on Christmas. It stars Barbara Stanwick and Gary Cooper.
There are two other Barbara Stanwick films on my list. One is “Christmas in Connecticut”, and it is a funny romantic comedy. The other one, she is paired with Fred McMurray, and it is “Remember the Night”. It’s dark. She is a shoplifter who is about to go to jail. Fred McMurray is the prosecutor, and he feels guilty for delaying the trial so that he can get a conviction and in turn, leaving her in jail over the holiday. He posts bond for her and gets “stuck” with her. He ends up taking her to his family and she, for the first time in her life, experiences what love and family are like at Christmas. A real touching film.
Other films that are a must for me are “The Bishop’s Wife” with David Niven and Cary Grant; “The Man Who Came to Dinner” with Monty Wooley and Bette Davis; “Meet me in St Louis” just to hear Judy Garland sing “Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas”; “The Shop Around the Corner” which the previous movie was based on with Jimmy Stewart; “Holiday Inn” just to see Fred Astaire dance and Bing Crosby to sing “White Christmas”; “It Happened on Fifth Ave.” which is another great movie dealing with a rich Scrooge like character who finds someone squatting in his house, and his daughter slowly warms the curmudgeon’s heart. “Miracle on 34th Street” with a very young and cute Natalie Wood; and I still have to watch “The Charlie Brown Christmas Special” when it’s on. I don’t have all these movies, but I do have most, and usually I can find them either on cable of streaming somewhere.
I have a large collection of holiday movies but my all time favorite is Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. It does cover a few holidays but the great moment is when they White Christmas which by the way this is where the song came from which picked up an Academy Award. It is such a fun movie and one I watch every year.
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.xCIne1agW0Thg4Dj0zEvOwHaK2?w=115&h=180&c=7&o=5&dpr=1.25&pid=1.7 A great story about how J.M. Barrie came up with the inspiration/idea to create Peter Pan.
Shawshank Redemption (Top of many people’s lists). 1st 2 Godfather Movies. 3rd one is c**p. The Game, Dave and Caddyshack are some favorites.
Christmas Vacation is Holiday Movie time but if you want THE Holiday Movie besides Wonderful Life. The Quintessential American Christmas. Choose “A Christmas Story”.
One of my very favroties is “Defending Your Life” with Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks. I love it because it encourages people to not let fear stand in the way of their dreams…
“It’s A Wonderful Life” is one of my favorites, too. Another heartwarming classic I love is “Miracle on 34th Street.” The version I normally watch is the 1994 version, but my wife likes the original best. If you are not familiar with the story, I don’t want to give too much away. However, it basically involves a Macy’s Department Store Santa who thinks he is the real Kris Kringle and a six year old girl who doesn’t believe him. It is a warm, thought provoking movie that will put you in the Christmas spirit!
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3281387801?playlistId=tt0039628
On the first day, when we discussed traditions, I mentioned old movies all the Russians watch together with families during the winter holidays. There are perhaps three most prominent of them, which I’m going to share with you here. Happily, they are all available to watch for free on YouTube and supplied with English subtitles (don’t forget to switch on!), so you will understand everything. And of course, all of them have a good sense of humour, love stories, great music and New Year’s background. Plus a bit of dissident anti-regime satire, brilliantly encoded to pass through the censorship. Each Russian knows these screenplays by heart since childhood but will watch again and again anyway. You need to make a salad Olivier from the receipts day for the full ambience of the Soviet New Year 🙂
1) “Carnival Night”, made in 1950s“A team of young employees of the club is preparing for the New Year. They plan to hold an interesting and cheerful holiday, but, to the misfortune of the guys, they are taken by the director of the club Ogurtsov – the bureaucrat, the letterhead and the cronus. Having gathered everyone in his office, he tells in detail about his “vision” of how it is right and useful to spend a New Year’s Eve. Organizers understand that Ogurtsov is going to present a cocktail from the amateur performance and party meeting to the guests of the club instead of the holiday. And then the youth decides to circumvent the near-by boss by cunning to organize a real New Year’s ball…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jg21SZJ8g8
2) “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath”, made in 1976″The key subplot is the drab uniformity of Brezhnev-era public architecture. This setting is explained in a humorous animated prologue, in which architects are overruled by politicians and red tape. As a result, the identical, functional but unimaginative multistory apartment buildings found their way into every city, town, and suburb across the former Soviet Union. These buildings are completely uniform in every detail including the door key of each apartment.
Following their annual tradition, a group of friends meet at a banya (a traditional public “sauna” bath) in Moscow to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The friends all get very drunk toasting the upcoming marriage of the central male character, Zhenya Lukashin. After the bath, one of the friends, Pavlik, has to catch a plane to Leningrad. Zhenya, on the other hand, is supposed to go home to celebrate New Year’s Eve with his fiancée. Both Zhenya and Pavlik pass out. The remaining friends cannot remember which person from their group is supposed to catch the plane – thus they mistakenly send Zhenya on the plane instead of Pavlik…”
Part1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVpmZnRIMKs
Part2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVpmZnRIMKs
3) “Charodei” (possible translations – Enchanters, Sorcerers, Magicians) is a 1982 Soviet romantic fantasy musical film
“Ivan Puhov is in love with a very kind and friendly girl, Alyona. Alyona works as a witch in a research institution that researches magic called NUINU (Scientific Universal Institute of Extraordinary Services). The couple were about to get married when the Alyona’s jealous and scheming co-worker Sataneev, tricks Alyona’s boss, Kira Shemahanskaya, the institute director, into putting a spell on Alyona. The spell makes Alyona undergo a severe personality change, become unable to control her actions, and forget about Ivan. Ivan and Alyona’s friends must figure out a way to break the curse while simultaneously protecting the institution’s latest research development, a magic wand…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JZkMKubq4o
No Star Wars/Godfather/James Bond? I bet you don’t watch much TV either. And I say . . . good for you! You obviously used your time to become outstanding musicians and develop other talents instead. Oh, that we all could have used our time that wisely!
I don’t think any suggestions could match your experience with seeing such a great movie as It’s A Wonderful Life in a venue you describe. Sounds very memorable.
If you are looking for a straight up Xmas movie, you can’t go wrong with classics like A Christmas Story or new innovative ones like Nightmare Before Christmas or fun ones like Elf. I really like a sweet animated film called “Klaus”. It pushes all the right Xmas movie buttons like beautiful Disney-style animation, great voice performances, good story with a little bite, and plays on the Santa/Christmas mythos. A problem is that it is only on Netflix (which I doubt you subscribe to if you don’t watch movies often). You’d have to get with friends that have subscription to watch it; but that’s what watching Xmas movies is about anyway.
My favorite movies tend to be film noir like Chinatown (superb), but not everyone’s thing, and not uplifting for Xmas. So my overall recommendation for a movie you might like, find enjoyable and quite meaningful is a second of the recommendation of La La Land. It is a movie about 2 young people pursuing their dreams in the entertainment (music and movies) business. The cinematography, use of colors and framing is beautiful, and the opening single take segment is amazing. The movie is visually stunning. Choreography and music are great. It is a musical, so people break out in song like music videos come to life. (As musicians and visual artists I think you would have an appreciation.) Sounds artificial, but done so seamlessly it seems natural. Even in our daily lives, don’t our hearts want us to sometimes sing out in pain and joy? It is fundamentally a love story – how do two separate, strong willed souls mesh their dreams together without one or the other getting lost. On a deeper level, it is about choice and destiny – what paths do we choose in life, who do we take with us and who do we leave behind, how much control do we really have, especially with others, and most importantly do we have the grace to accept where/how we end up no matter where/who that is. The final sequence is one of the most moving, heart-wrenching, but ultimately redeeming segments I have seen on film. Highly, highly recommended.
While You Were Sleeping (1995) starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman.
I’m not sure if it is a Christmas movie but you sure will hear the angels sing.
It’s great and still one of my favorite movies
Not exactly a Christmas movie and it came out back in 2000, but it is our favorite New Years Eve and couples movie: “High Fidelity” with, John Cusack, Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Iben Hjejle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, and a bunch more. Basically, a music nerd and former DJ, who now owns a used record store in Chicago, works relives his past breakups while working his way through current breakup. Great sound track (mostly 80’s and 90’s but some earlier), full of “Top Five” lists and music trivia. Based on a book by Nick Hornby.
That Thing You Do is a sweet and likeable music story(not unlike yourselves) directed by Tom Hanks. The best part is that the main song sounds very much like a Beatles tune.
Favorite movie of all time is “A Clockwork Orange” but that’s not really a holiday kind of movie. With that being said I really enjoyed the movie “Somewhere in Time” with Christopher Reeves & Jane Seymour. It’s about a guy who is obsessed with a beautiful actress from the early 1900’s & he figures how to travel back in time to try & meet her. I know that anyone who’s watches it will be really moved.
A Clockwork Orange (based on the excellent Burgess novel) is not a holiday movie by any conceivable stretch. It is, however, a fantastic movie. Had to comment because it is also one of my favorite films, but I am rarely comfortable recommending it due to the content. It is currently rated 80th best film of all time on the They Shoot Pictures Don’t They website. TSPDT is the largest meta-critic site for movies. They have 2000 movies rated so being number 80 should tell you something. I also read somewhere on the MLT website that the name of their album Orange is a related story – they wanted more “orange” in the world and less “clockwork” (boy did they accomplish that!) – hope I am characterizing them correctly. MLT – impressing me with their musical and literary chops.
I’ll make a pitch for my favorite Christmas movie, which is also my favorite Halloween movie. Of course it’s The Nightmare Before Christmas from 1993. Many of you won’t need me to tell you about it, it’s far from obscure, but if you haven’t seen it, give it a try. Tim Burton’s done a lot of good movies but this is up there with the best. It’s stop action animation but that doesn’t make it a kids’ movie — though kids who can handle a little scary stuff will like it too.
The main character is Jack Skellington, who’s in charge of Halloween: He leads the various scary characters of Halloween Town in making Halloween happen around the world. And he’s very good at it, but he’s also getting bored with it. Then he finds out about Christmas. Wow, he thinks, this is great! And next thing you know, he’s usurped Santa Claus to take over running Christmas. But Christmas isn’t Halloween, and things don’t go as well as he’d hoped…
Despite the various monsters and grotesques it’s really a very light hearted movie, very funny in places and moving in others. What really sets it apart is the music — of which there is a lot because, really, what this is is an opera! Nearly all the dialog is sung. The wonderful composer Danny Elfman did the music (and the singing voice of Jack). There are numerous great songs in there; in some ways my favorite is Oogie Boogie’s Song — he’s not a nice character, but he has a wonderful tune!
Hi Ladies!
It’s a Wonderful Life is a great movie indeed. I watch it often around the holiday times, or if I need something to put life back into perspective. LOL, you haven’t seen Star Wars yet!? Well if you do get a chance one day, the first one is the best! I haven’t seen Harry Potter yet, but one day I will. 🙂
I believe I mentioned this movie a while back in the forum, but if you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend Coco from 2017. I normally don’t get into animations, but I didn’t have much choice on the cruise I was on a few years ago where I saw it. Wow, I sure miss those these days, although going on a cruise in the near term would be a voyage of horrors right now. It was on a 7 day round trip cruise from Long Beach CA to Mexico along the Pacific westcoast Baja California down to Puerto Vallarta stopping at a number of port cities along the way. On one of those warm evenings at night under the bright moon and stars cruising along the coast, they had a “Dive In” night, where they show movies on the big screen on the very top deck where the main pool is. It’s like an outdoor Drive In movie, if you’ve ever experienced that, but instead in your bathing suit in the pool or one of the recliners on deck poolside with an endless supply of popcorn and drinks of choice. Coco was the featured movie on the big screen that evening, so there was not much choice. But I’m glad I watched it as it was one of the most memorable movies I’ve seen, and I think would make a perfect movie to watch around the Christmas holidays.
The premise is around a little boy, Miguel, growing up in a small town in Mexico. He was born into a big family of many generations right up to the head of the family who is Great Grandma Coco, who is very elderly at this point and confined to a wheel chair and unable to speak or remember much. Coco’s mother, the great, great grandmother was married to a musician who abandoned the family to go off to seek fame and fortune as a musician. Great great grandmother was devastated and would go on to remarry and have more children, but Coco was the only offspring from the famous musician great, great grandfather who’s name and pictures are stricken from the family records. The great great grandmother forbid music in the family, and especially forbid any of her children or grandchildren from ever becoming a musician. Well of course, guess what, the little boy Miguel comes across a mariachi friend in the town and develops a love for music and playing the guitar, and wants to be a musician. He has a fallout with the family and goes on an adventure to learn more about the legacy of his famous great great grandfather the musician. Well I won’t reveal any more, but it is a heart string pulling movie by the end, and really highlights how moving music is, and how powerful it is impacting people across generations. You may need some Kleenex at the end, but it is not a sad depressing movie at all, but one that leaves you in tears of joy at the end, and it has a lot of humour throughout. It will leave you with a feeling of revelation and inspiration.
I think it is a movie musicians especially will enjoy and relate to as it touches upon aspects of love for music, ambition, family, loyalty, and passion. That is why I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet. 🙂
“A Fish Called Wanda”: nowhere will you find a more hilarious string of lies, deceptions, betrayals, double-crosses and thievery. Portrayed in a genius cartoonish fashion, even the violence is funny.
So you know, I’m a bit “elderly” 65….but, if you want to watch a really good movie, in my opinion, watch, “The Thin Man” William Powell, Myrna Loy, with Maureen O’ Sullivan (Jane of the original “Tarzan”) A murder/mystery movie, it is great fun, the first of several “Thin Man” movies, William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles with their dog Asta. It will have you guessing who the murderer is. One of my favorites, I hope you will watch and enjoy. Peace, Love and Happiness
Mona and Lisa, you hit it out of the park, It’s a Wonderful Life is perfect for Christmas, so touching and beautiful. So I am going to say , try The Polar Express with Tom Hanks. It is a lovely written movie and so moving on the belief of Believing. As Kids we believe in Santa and all the magic that comes with Christmas but as we get older it gets lost somehow. So In my eyes there is still magic at Christmas but seeing this movie made me believe that maybe there is something I forgot and it brings it back to me in a flash. So if you see this movie grab a box of tissues , but then again I am a softie anyway…LOL…For good movies with happy endings. Has anyone else seen this movie??
It’s interesting that as I saw the post, “It’s a Wonderful Life” came into my mind, only to scroll down and see that you had suggested it. I only saw it recently in full, and enjoyed it very much.
I’ve been finding it hard to find new movies that don’t seem vapid, contrite or with gratuitous violence. So lately I’ve gone hunting for older movies.
One excellent movie is “Casablanca”. The great Humphrey Bogart and the fabulous Ingrid Bergman are amazing in it. The film has everything, and surprisingly has remained current almost 80 years later, with restrictions on gatherings, needing papers to travel and crooked authorities.
There are many famous quotes that come from this movie:
I’ve seen it many times, but I’ll be playing it again soon.
Tomás
Last night I watched “The Princess Bride” again and I love the movie, it’s light, funny, and heart warming.
With the famous lines: “As You Wish“, “My name is Indigo Montoya…”
But most importantly, it has a line said by Miracle Max: “True Love is the best thing in the world except for the nice MLT”
I enjoyed watching it again.
Tomás
Yes, a great movie Tomas, and one I was going to suggest too. However, it also has probably the most misquoted line in movie history – “Play it Again, Sam.” The actual words spoken by Bogart’s character are simply, “Play it, Sam.”
I partly blame Woody Allen with his 1972 movie “Play it Again, Sam.”
A Christmas Story
How can you go wrong when the main character’s name is Ralphie Parker? I was working at the local cinema when this movie came out. We immediately knew it was destined to be a Christmas traditional movie. You can watch it on TV 24 hours a day around the holidays. It seems like every channel broadcasts it.
If you want to add a far out movie to your list for rainy days, I recommend Safety Not Guaranteed. It’s a low budget film and revolving around a guy that claims he has built a time machine and runs a classified ad to find someone to test it with him. Just watch it sometime and let me know what you think.
JP
If you know who the Little Rascals are, look for a grown up Alfalfa in It’s A Wonderful Life. ????
Have on VHS tape…lol…love it, ????
Greetings! I am going to offer up something quite different from a “Christmas” movie. “Queen to Play” is a French film from 2011 (English subtitles) that combines my favorite game, chess, with my interest in the complex relationship dynamics and emotions of human beings. Sandrine Bonnaire was a new name to me when I first saw the film, but her performance is memorable indeed. I’d already posted my favorite Christmas movie, “Scrooge”, so I thought I’d share this movie as a “never heard of this one, let’s check it out” possibility. 🙂
Greg, have you seen the Netflix mini series “Queen’s Gambit”?
I concur, loved Queens Gambit.
I’ve heard of it and read reviews at chess websites but I do not have Netflix. Maybe I need to find someone who does and “borrow” it when that show is on!
I’ll bypass the obvious and not suggest any of the Beatles movies, or “Yesterday” for that matter, but I do have a few other favorites.
Among them: “The Princess Bride”, “My Cousin Vinnie”, “Caddy shack”, and “The Three Musketeers” with Kieffer Sutherland (Disney’s version from a few decades ago).
I’ll strongly suggest two, though. First: “The Blues Brothers” Belushi and Aykroyd share a comedic chemistry beyond belief. Great list of costars and an incredible soundtrack, to boot!
Second: “Baby Driver” Fast-paced action right from the start and all throughout the movie. Another awesome soundtrack, and expertly acted and directed. Touching romantic element that eventually culminates in a happy ending. Easily my favorite movie in recent years. And did I mention the awesome soundtrack?
Happy viewing, ladies!
My goodness its difficult keeping up with you two. Do you ever sleep? Like you I rarely take the time to invest in a full length movie unless it has been strongly recommended to me by friends and family. There are so many great ones listed here and you could not go wrong with any of them.
Being a lover of music, I have a soft spot for musicals when they are done well, e.g.; “The Sound of Music”. So, my heartfelt recommendation in completing this Advent Calendar task is: “Fiddler On The Roof” filmed in 1971 and staring the actor Topol. Set in Russia just before the Russian revolution it includes themes of cultural traditions, family, the role of women and daughters in society, and the meaning of life amidst its trials and tribulations. It is at the same time funny, heartwarming, sad, bewildering and joyous. And the music is absolutely wonderful!
On the lighter side (if you are so inclined) is one of my all time favorites: “Trains, Planes and Automobiles” filmed in 1987 starring Steve Martin and John Candy. Dealing with the challenges of modern life during the holidays, Martin and Candy, who are strangers, become unlikely companions on the quest to return home for Thanksgiving after traveling on business. It is absolutely hilarious while reminding us what the true meaning of celebrating the Holidays is all about. I think you will love it!
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles was hilarious, Stephen. Fiddler on the Roof is a classic I gotta see one day.
I’d have to say my all-around favorite movie is My Fair Lady, the 1964 film adaptation of a 1956 Broadway musical based on a 1913 play.
The plot addresses the eternal question of whether a pompous professor of phonetics can teach a poor young Cockney woman to speak the King’s English so convincingly that she can mingle with the high society crowd without betraying her origins.
What makes the movie so endearing is the captivating characters, the luscious sets and costumes, and of course the wonderfully crafted songs.
https://media.movieassets.com/static/images/items/movies/posters/8b8a528f05194310125bc4d475fdfb38.jpg
Hi Mona and Lisa.. Hi everyone
You guys are really busy, but have a vacation for a few hours, get the popcorn and watch the movies that we’re going to suggest. My suggestion is ” NOWHERE BOY “; a film about the beginning of Jhon Lennon’s career, how he meet the other Beatles, the beginning of the band, the performances in Germany., but the main focus of the film is the life of Jhon, his relationship with friends, girlfriends, your aunt Mimi… Is a very interesting ” biography/drama”, I liked a lot.
Now this is a doubt… Did you watch ” The sound of music “? .. I think so ! A classic movie that exalts the music, landscapes and the nationality of a family in Austria at the beginning of world war II .. but if you didn’t watch this classic .. Do it. and have fun
I think “The Sound of Music” is a great choice, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the original – I need to do that. We have watched the newer version with Carrie Underwood, Stephen Moyer, and Audra McDonald. The critics hated it, but I thought it was good.
This is a difficult challenge for me as I am not into films and have only seen one this century. As that was as a volunteer helping with taking a group of young people with learning difficulties to the cinema it wasn’t even a film of my choice.
As most people will quite rightly put forward many of the usual suspects for Christmas I will go for the only film that I really truly remember. ‘Ice Cold In Alex’ made in1958 in black and white. It is a film about co-operation and eventually mutual respect. There is some conflict and violence in it but that is to be expected in a film with war backdrop. As the BBC (and ITV) used to trot out all sorts of films over Christmas to fill the schedules I’m certain that such a classic would have been used a few times. No doubt where I first saw it.
The plot. I’m using a precis of the Wikipedia entry for the film here. A British Motor Ambulance Company is ordered to evacuate Tobruk for Alexandria to escape the advancing Afrika Korps. During this an ambulance becomes separated from the rest. The crew decide to continue across the desert by themselves and name their vehicle Katy.
On the journey they encounter a soldier who claims to be a South African officer who speaks german. He joins them but they become suspicious of him and discover that he is indeed not who he purports to be. As they are all in it together the British crew decide not confront him. They encounter many problems on their journey across the desert and the ‘South African’ proves his worth in getting them through in fact without him they wouldn’t have survived.
When they get to Alexandria The British crew take steps to ensure the safety of the imposter but not before a celebratory cold beer which forms the title. The ending is a mutual appreciation of each other but I won’t say anymore.
I’ll admit that one reason that I like the film is Sylvia Syms who plays the female lead (a nurse). Other stars are Sir John Mills, Anthony Quayle and Harry Andrews all famous british actors at the time.
Here is a still of the famous ending scene.
So you picked one that “fits perfectly in the holidays,” but I’m not sure if that means you’re looking for Christmas movie suggestions particularly, or just any movie. I see lots of other suggestions that aren’t just Christmas, so I’ll do both just to cover the bases.
My all-time favorite movie, and one that’s on just about everyone’s top movies list at some point, is The Princess Bride. it has “Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Revenge. Giants. Monsters. Chases. Escapes. True love. Miracles.” It has it all, and it’s wholesome and good for the whole family. It launched several prolific actor’s careers. I can’t imagine life without this film. Quote just about any line from it to any random person and you’re pretty likely to get the next line quoted back to you. Just try it…tell someone, “No more rhymes now, I mean it!” and see what happens.
The next one is a sleeper that always surprises people when I list it as number 2 on my list of favorites. It’s called “Waking Ned Devine” and it’s about the importance of community and friendship. It’s set in a small village in Ireland, although actually filmed on the Isle of Man. It’s heartwarming, hilarious, and so original (though loosely based on a true story). There’s just nothing like it. I can’t do too much “convincing” with this one without spoilers.
And for a true “Christmas” film, I’d have to go with The Polar Express. The way they made the art from the book literally come to life on the screen, Tom Hanks being brilliant as always, and the overall theme of not losing the magic of youth is just a 133-minute shot of happiness. True, the movie adds stuff that wasn’t in the book, but it would have to or it would be a 45-minute movie.
“A Christmas Story” starring Peter Billingsly, Darren McGavin, and Melinda Dillon. Set in 1950s Cleveland It’s the story of Ralphie and his attempts to get a specific Christmas gift despite the obstacles thrown in his path by parents and teachers. (you’ll put your eye out!) Wonderfully nostalgic. Narrated by author Jean Shepard. It’s the only Christmas movie I watch every year.
Agreed, Michael! No other Christmas movie comes close. And Christmas is really merely a plot device for what is primarily just an endearing presentation of daily life from a kid’s point of view.
Some of my favorite movies would have to be classified as “guy movies”, and it appears that those are not the kind that you (or my wife for that matter) enjoy. Fortunately, I have some other favorites, and if you haven’t seen it yet, I think you would like “La La Land”. It stars Ryan Gosling as a jazz pianist and Emma Stone as an aspiring actress, who meet and fall in love while pursuing their dream careers in Los Angeles. It was nicely produced with some great music, dancing, and a story line that revolves around the difficult choices that most of us have to make between our careers and our home lives. I won’t spoil the ending, but I think it’s a wonderful movie that you would enjoy.
Oh yeah, that was a good one!
One of my favorite Christmas movies is “The Spirit of Christmas”, especially if you like mysteries and ghosts. I don’t know how accessible it is in Great Britain, but I believe it’s available on Amazon Prime or Netflix. Here’s the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrwC1NdRZw8
My and my kid’s favorite Christmas movie is definitely Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s an animated phantasmagoria with surreal twists. It works like an antidote for the traditional sugary Xmas fare. However, the film does have a heart of gold. There is the happy snowy finale – and the lovers meet in the end.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies! Love Danny Elfman’s music!
Hi Mona and Lisa
It’s hard to beat “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart. Our family watches it every Christmas Eve.
The Muppets have a very cute adaptation of this movie called “It’s aVery Merry Muppet Christmas Movie”. Very entertaining with lots of celebrity drop ins. The Muppets Christmas Carol is my favorite version of the Dickens classic. Michael Caine is an amazing Scrooge who plays every emotion perfectly. Little talked about fact in this movie is the soundtrack – there are multiple wonderfully melodic and meaningful songs throughout by Paul Williams.
Our family also never misses “Elf” with Will Ferrell. It’s just the right amount of joy and suspense and silliness. Enjoy them all at some point this Advent season to get the right preparation for Christmas.
How about “A Christmas Story”. This is a hilarious film about a young boy at Christmas time in 1940s America. His only dream is getting a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. The film follows the many adventures that kids go thru this time of year. If you want to just get away from it all and have a good laugh then I suggest this holiday movie!
Wow! There are people in this world besides me who haven’t seen the Star Wars movies!! I do love movies but, like you, don’t invest much time in them – there always seem to be other, more active or creative things to do! At this time of the year, however, I do enjoy getting cozy with an old-fashioned Christmas movie. It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol are two I watch every year. Some real oldies that are gently humorous and fun to watch are The Shop Around the Corner and It Happened on 5th Avenue. The first listed stars Jimmy Stewart (from It’s a Wonderful Life) and tells the story of antagonistic coworkers who have no idea they are each other’s romantic pen pal. It Happened on 5th Avenue would be my #1 recommendation. Made in 1947, it is a heartwarming story of a hobo who takes up residence in the mansion of a wealthy man while the owner is away. Out of kindness but against his better judgement, he welcomes in others in need with all kinds of complications. It is funny and touching at the same time and leaves viewers rethinking their priorities in life. Of course, White Christmas is fun and very pretty. One that I like better, although the story is a bit silly and the music a bit dated, is Holiday Inn, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. It is the story of someone who decides to buy an Inn to use to celebrate all the holidays of the year. Of course there are romantic entanglements. Warning: Because it was made in nearly 80 years ago, it contains scenes with blackface performances which is obviously offensive today. The reason I LOVE this movie is for one particular tap dance (I tap myself!). Fred Astaire does the most astonishing dance with fire crackers! “The firecracker dance sequence was added to the movie as a patriotic number, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, which took place during filming. The dance number required three days of rehearsal and took two days to film. Fred Astaire did 38 takes of the number before he was satisfied with it. The crew members had to wear goggles during filming, because the sand from the firecrackers flew into their faces. Also, animation was added to make the firecracker “blasts” more dramatic. Later, Astaire’s shoes for the dance were auctioned off for $116,000 worth of war bonds.” If only to see this dance, I recommend watching the movie. Or, you could just google the dance.
How about Holiday Inn from 1942
I know it’s going back a ways, but hey, it’s a musical!
AND, Bing Crosby singing White Christmas.
Besides being a musician, my dad was a movie operator during this time, and it was one of his favorites!
Who am I to argue with my dad?
🙂
The Wizard of Oz because its all round family entertainment
my recommendation is Edward scissorhands
It is a good movie to see at this time
That movie, is one of my fave Christmas movies to watch… another one I will watch but in the daytime, as a child I watched at night and had nightmares so after that, it’s daytime viewing for.. ” A Christmas Carol” with Allistair Simms, an oldie done in black and white classic, and on the comedic side, ” Miracle on 34th Street with Maureen O’Hara….I love Maureen O’Hara movies, I always watch “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation ” with Chevy have ( “Saturday Night Live ” fame), perhaps it may be kind of cheesy but it makes me laugh everytime, both ” Home Alone” and it’s sequel ” Home Alone 2″ in my opinion rank up there in comedic Christmasy style , as with ” Santa Clause ” & ” Santa Clause 2″…. and for cartoonist/animated classics, even 51 years later, I still enjoy, ” A Charlie Brown Christmas”, ” The Grinch Who Stole Christmas ” ( movie version with Jim Carrey is good too ) and the animate 3D ish of ” Rudolph The Red Nosedd Reindeer”– with the Snow Monster and Land of Misfit Toys.. Mr Bean’s Christmas epuisode is hilarious. Perhaps it’s my sense of humour but all of these even the ” A Christmas Carol” old classic, offers the gift of laughter that still does it for me no matter how many times I’ve seen on tv on my VCR and DVD player now on Netflix, etc… ” It’s A Wonderful Life” offers up many emotions.
As for made forTV Christmas movies so many I’ve seen/ not seen but ” Ernest Saves Christmas” and ” The Christmas Box” stands out for me .
Now movies that are not Christmas ones, I could go on forever but again I love comedy and the clay animated ” Chicken Run”, “Shaun the Sheep”rank high with me as enjoyable, anything Mr Bean, “Back To The Future “trilogy The Star Wars originals and newer ones with Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill in them, I’m not a fan of the prequels that don’t have these 3 in them., ” Johnny Belinda”, “all SHREK movies, and many more.
I love movies that are comedic first and foremost, whether it’s cheesy, classic, weird, etc. bladder bursting , if I can laugh almost immediately going into watching, it’s a winner with me. Other movies, if it’s well made and has riveting effects on me emotionally, they’re winners in my book, ” The Colour Purple “, ” Field of Dreams”, “Charlotte’s Web” ( animated version), etc. Good casting and a well written storyline that compliments each other makes up the ingredients to a movie that’s worthy, timeless, etc. Yes, even the movies people may not find amusing, etc , for me those matter too, because if it struck a chord, then it’s done it’s job .
We all have different movie tastes, appeals, and that’s good, variety is good for the spirit and soul… I have so many VHS tapes/DVDs in my amassed collection from over the years…. but comedy rules my world most of the time….????
As it’s hard to chose one, I chose three out of different reasons:
(1) “The Nativity” (2010)
This British-Canadian co-production / BBC miniseries in 4 parts basically depicts the reason why there is Christmas at all. It seems to be lesser known than the movie “The Nativiy Story” with Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary, but as it comes with a stronger female role played by Tatiana Maslany I may prefer the series – one additional bonus is Peter Capaldi playing one of the Three Wise Men. It’s an emotional, heart-warming and sometimes even funny rememberence of why Christmas came to be.
(2) “The Muppets Christmas Carol” (1992)
“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens is quite a traditional story in at least the English speaking world to be watched, listened to, played etc. during the Christmas season. For me it presents the core values of the Christmas season (looking after each other, love, harmony, coming together, celebrating, forgiveness, solidarity and joy) through an ensemble of well-known and lesser known Muppet characters and real-life actors and actresses, it’s colourful, with historical and wintery flavour – and even more a musical than just a movie, as there many songs presented by puppets and actors / actresses alike.
(3) “Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel” (1973)
Based on a classic fairytale by the Brothers Grimm (“Cinderella”), this Czechoslovakian production is full of wintery scenery, wonderful music and has a very fairytale-like and charming vibe that is missed in many modern productions. In my opinion, Aschebrödel / Cinderella is presented here as strong female character within the boundaries of the traditional story. In Germany fairytale movies belong to the Christmas season, and they are shown on several public broadcasing television programmes throughout the whole month, but especially during the holidays – with “Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel” being the most broadcasted.
A footnote to “The Nativity”: Peter Capaldi also played George Harrison in the 1985 TV movie “John and Yoko: a Love Story”.
A film that I can recommend is “Tomorrow” by Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent. This isn’t my favourite movie but one that touched me a lot when I first saw it. It is a documentary on the environmental issues our planet is facing. It tries to go beyond the scenarios of a horrible future that are often portrayed in movies and instead tries to answer the question: “What would our world be like if we all worked together and it all went well?”. Dion and Laurent travel around the globe and show you all kinds of things people are doing already to make our world a better place.
This is not a feel-good movie, there are some depressing moments but also some I find highly moving and inspiring.
This the movie poster.
Hello Ladies,
I recognize that tv from one of your original Videos.????
I was going to suggest It’s A Wonderful Life, but you beat me to the punch..
A wonderful film..
Miracle On 34th Street with a very young Natalie Wood, is about a little girl and her mother, who don’t believe in make believe, nor the identity Santa exists. (Perhaps they need a visit from Krampus ????????) (I hear you both were very good this year and he reluctantly passed by your house) A handsome man and a little old man with Wiskers (white of course) set out to change their minds. Filled with perpetual hope, and the warmth of human kindness, will have you wanting to watch it many times. Its a big must see in the States during the Holiday season. (another note, it is in part about Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, an annual event in New York, that kicks off the holiday season. The Parade ends on 34th Street.
Another favorite of mine is The Santa Clause with Tim Allen. A bit of a comedy, is about a man that doesn’t believe in Christmas, but a set of events perhaps will change that. His son wholeheartedly is all in on all things Christmas, right down to his new friend Cupid. Yes, the reindeer.
A wonderful movie thats sure to please even the most cynical critic.
Enjoy your movie ladies.
If you go for Comedy, Home Alone takes the Cake.
And the irony to this is the movie ” Banger Sisters” for which both Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon stars in , Goldie’s daughter Kate is in ” Almost Famous” where it’s about rock n roll then her mom Goldie in ” Banger Sisters”, again has a rock n roll vibe to it… just funny to me, how both mother and daughter starred as music groupies sort of, in the movies about a rock n roll journey..I have both movies????
Sorry posted under Rick’s posting instead of for James’ post..
Has to be Almost Famous – for my money the best music movie there is. It follows a fictional (if based on a number of real bands) group in the early 1970s. Funny, heartbreaking and gorgeous to look at. And the soundtrack is superb.
And the irony to this is the movie ” Banger Sisters” for which both Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon stars in , Goldie’s daughter Kate is in ” Almost Famous” where it’s about rock n roll then her mom Goldie in ” Banger Sisters”, again has a rock n roll vibe to it… just funny to me, how both mother and daughter starred as music groupies sort of, in the movies about a rock n roll journey..I have both movies????
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I suggest the movie that isn´t a Christmas movie per se but it´s definitely suitable for every Beatles fan. It´s called “Yesterday” and it´s about starting musician whose career just doesn´t seem to rise on its wings. Then one day the worldwide electric break causes the traffic accident and he wakes up in the world where no one knows The Bealles and their music (and few other things too) except him. It´s easy to guess what happens next. It´s a funny movie with lot of Beatles songs. There´s a sweet love story too and Ed Sheeran can be seen playing himself. Must see for every Beatles fan.
I suspect they’ve already seen it, but I agree it would be a good movie to watch again about now.
Loved this movie.
Me too !
It’s a great movie
If was originally released as a summer movie, but I agree with you all: it may make even more sense to watch now in mid-winter. The soundtrack couldn’t be better.
My suggestion is a film which stars the late great Robin Williams who plays a brilliant part of a husband who loses his wife Annie in a tragic car accident which leads to a sad suicide. In his quest through signs from her abstract art work, he finds the self-imposed place her spirit has moved on to (the journey towards heaven with his own creative imagination), but he must battle with what is his own reality with a journey through hell and all other possibilities of truth, life after death and love, in order to reach out to her once again and save her from her own demise. A magical movie, an endless love story with a very deep meaning too.
Trailer here: https://youtu.be/RmZ-FuBThuQ
I’ve seen this, thiugh it’s quite a departure seeing Robin in a more dramatical role, it’s indeed amongst the best of his works, worthy watching indeed.
Robin Williams was one of the finest dramatic actors I have ever seen. I worked with him and John Travolta on “On Dogs” in New York many years ago. His work on “Good Will Hunting” was incredible. The line between a good comedic actor and a great dramatic actor is very, very thin…
This one is on my all time top ten list. Fabulous work by Robin Williams in a dramatic role. Definitely worth the watch, but it is intense. I have a personal connection to the movie too since I worked for some of the people who made it.
Movie sounds intriguing. Always enjoyed Robin Williams movies.
Before I scrolled down and saw I was already going to suggest my favourite Xmas movie of Its a Wonderful Life. As another great James Stewart one try Harvey. X
I would recommend Mr Holland’s Opus.
Glenn Holland (played by Richard Dreyfuss) is a musician who reluctantly takes a “temporary” teaching post in a 1960s Californian high school for some financial security, so he can compose important music in his spare time. Life being what it is, however, fatherhood and mortgage commitments defer his dreams and Holland is still teaching 30 years later.
In those decades he progresses ebulliently from frankly being a bit of a bore, and a frustrated one at that, to becoming Mr Most Popular Teacher in School after finding better and better ways to communicate to pupils his passion for music from Bach to The Beatles and beyond. Whether it’s struggling to integrate harmoniously a cacophonic school orchestra, or it’s inspiring an awkward squad into becoming a functioning, marching band, Mr. Holland inspires generations of kids to find their own levels and abilities. It’s his students who become Mr. Holland’s unfinished opus, though the penny doesn’t finally drop for him until it’s getting up close to his retirement. In the interim, the film shows glimpses of numerous crises, end-of-year concerts in the school gym, both interspersed with newsreel clips of the changing times.
I finally saw this one a few weeks ago, based on Jung Roe’s recommendation. I’m a teacher so it really meant something to me, but it’s a great lemonade-from-lemons story that anyone can appreciate.
Mr Holland’s Opus is a great choice.