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Every December, it seems like there's nowhere to hide from the endless onslaught of holiday movies. With the holidays already in full swing, holiday movies are playing on TV and home entertainment centers everywhere. Even if one is trying to avoid holiday movies, the cast of Christmas Vacation is popping up in Old Navy ads during commercial breaks. Clearly, the time for a Holiday Character Cage Match has come.
There are plenty of characters that could have been used, of course, but, since the holidays seem to mostly belong to children, we thought it best to throw two of cinema's most beloved holiday movie kids into our cybernetic cage for an all-out, Mano-y-mano, take-no-prisoners, holiday brawl. While we all have our favorite holiday movies, it's time to put aside your sentimentality and vote for a champion: A Christmas Story's Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) vs. Home Alone's Kevin (Macaulay Culkin).
check out the characters' strengths and weaknesses before voting >> Posted 12.25.12 by Ryan -
"There's no place like home for the holidays..."
There's something about the winter holidays that makes us yearn to return home, whether physically, to visit friends and loved ones, or to metaphorically revisit a place and time in our lives that holds special meaning to us, a place of comfort and warmth, where everyone is just a little bit happier, a little bit more giving. Many of the best movies about the holidays help us recapture those warm feelings of home, and they are especially important to us when we're faced with the harsh realities of modern life, when jobs are scarce and the nightly news is filled with stories of tragedy and heartache. Pour yourself a mug of thick, rich eggnog or a nice Manischewitz wine, snuggle up on the couch and help us select the best "Home for the Holidays" movies.
Rate the Top 10 Best Winter Holidays Movies >>
merry movies and moreFriday 12:00p ET / 9:00a PT
Posted 12.19.12 by BrentJS -
The leg lamp is back!
If you like Christmas, than chances are you've seen A Christmas Story at least a half-dozen times and often catch yourself pronouncing "fragile" with a bad Italian accent the way Darren McGavin does in the movie. Well, this year, you can watch the holiday exploits of Ralphie, Randy, Flick and Schwartz in two, count them, two Christmas Story movies. That's right, A Christmas Story 2, the "official sequel" to the original movie, will be available for purchase for your home viewing pleasure just in time for Christmas Halloween.
all trailers, all the time Saturdays 10:00a ET / 7:00a PT
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The Little Drummer Boy (O Holy Night)
ABC Family, 8 AM ET
An orphan drummer boy, who hates humanity, finds his life changed when he meets three wise men traveling to Bethlehem.
Eloise at Christmastime (Sugarplum Romance)
Hallmark, 10 AM ET
Eloise can't resist and interferes as the Plaza Hotel prepares for a romantic Christmas Eve wedding.
Twas the Night Before Christmas (Comfort & Joy)
ABC Family, 1 PM ET
After Junctionville's newspaper declares Santa a charlatan, the town works to regain his favor.
A Christmas Story (Marathon) (Laughing All the Way)
TBS, 8 PM ET through 8 PM ET 12/25
In the 1940s, little Ralphie tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder range-model BB gun for Christmas.
It's a Wonderful Life (Classic Cheer)
NBC, 8 PM ET
Ruined by a miser (Lionel Barrymore) on Christmas Eve, a suicidal family man (James Stewart) sees life anew thanks to his guardian angel.
What else is showing this season? See our The 12 Flavors of Christmas - 2010 Holiday TV Movie Guide.
Posted 12.24.10 by reelz -
One of the things many holiday revelers look forward to each year is catching another viewing or three of A Christmas Story, a modern movie classic based on the short stories of the late Jean Shepherd. If you're one of those aforementioned revelers who can't get enough of watching Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) nearly shoot his eye out with his Red Ryder BB Gun on the small screen, you now have another option—A Christmas Story: The Musical! The production, which began previews last night and will run from December 9th through the 30th at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre, is being executive produced by Billingsley himself, who said that the movie is a natural for a stage adaptation.
A Christmas Story has always meant a lot to me personally. I’m excited to bring this film to the stage because the story and the characters lend themselves so well to the world of musicals.
The musical is said to be true to the movie and includes an original score from the Broadway composing team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Posted 12.02.10 by BrentJS -
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Marathon) (Comfort & Joy)
Starz Kids & Family, 6 PM ET through 6 PM ET 12/25
A curmudgeon (Jim Carrey) sets out to quash the yuletide preparations of the Christmas-loving Whos of Whoville.
Home Alone (Marathon) (Family Dramedy)
Fox Movie Channel, 6 PM ET through 6 AM ET 12/26
A young boy (Macaulay Culkin), accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, defends his home against idiotic burglars.
A Christmas Story (Marathon) (Laughing All the Way)
TBS, 8 PM ET through 8 PM ET 12/25
In the 1940s, little Ralphie tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder range-model BB gun for Christmas.
What else is showing this season? See the complete Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.
And if you're wondering what to buy the movie lovers on your shopping list, check out our Holiday Gifts store.
Posted 12.24.09 by reelz -
Why is it that some curmudgeonly, cold-hearted scoundrel always has a leading role in the best Christmas movies — even the ones crafted for children? Do we really require some naughty with our nice?
Considering the popular rapscallions that made our list of 10 Christmas Villains We Love — each with his own noted brand of evil and heartless quote — it would seem that it's just not Christmas without a villain.
And if you want to see these villains in action, check out our Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.
Posted 12.09.09 by reelz -
It's the happiest time of the year ... once again. Rather than dole out the standard list of the best holiday classics to warm your heart, we prefer to shake things up a bit with our look at everyone's favorite bearded fat man, Santa Claus.
Now we all know that Edmund Gwenn was a wonderful Santa in Miracle on 34th Street, the only actor to take home an Oscar as St. Nick. And actors such as Ed Asner in Elf and David Huddleston in Santa Claus: The Movie have certainly done the red suit justice on the silver screen.
But what about those other Santas? The ones that took the legend of Santa in a different direction: Boozing, scaring, kicking, and even killing? Those are the ones we take a look at in Ho, Ho, Whoa!: The 5 Worst Movie Santas.
If you want to see these bad Santas in action, check out our Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.And for those interested in Santa's Slay, you can catch it on FEARnet VOD and streamed on FEARnet.com starting December 23.
Posted 12.07.09 by reelz -
Couples Retreat, a new comedy written by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, has its first trailer online. The movie stars Favreau and Vaughn, along with Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Faizon Love, Kristin Davis, and Kali Hawk, who, as the title suggests, are four couples that go to a exotic retreat to work on their marriages.
Peter Billingsley, the little boy from A Christmas Story and a longtime friend of Vaughn and Favreau, directs. Watch the trailer below:
Posted 07.01.09 by Ryan -
Tune in on December 25 for a special half-hour holiday edition of Dailies. Co-hosted by Gerrad Hall and Jill Simonian, the show takes a look back at the classic movie A Christmas Story, and includes a present-day interview with "Ralphie." These days Peter Billingsley is best known as the producer of the blockbuster Iron Man.
Gerrad and Jill also recap other movies that feature Christmas, although not in the traditional fashion -- Cast Away and Love Actually. Plus, they suggest three great Santa movies in Gerrad's signature segment ("Reel 2 Rental") and take a humorous look at two Holiday-movie phenomena ("the bad gift" and "the Christmas villain").
Posted 12.24.08 by reelz