Beth Sanchez of Beth's Cakes - OKIE Magazine

Reel
The holidays are upon us and
here in the Reel World that means
it’s time for my list of “Must See
Holiday Films.” Five movies that
warm your heart, tickle your funny
bone, and maybe even bring out
a tear or two. Without further ado,
let’s get to the list:
1. “The Family Stone” (2005;
PG13)
It has a
star studded
cast (Diane
Keaton, Craig
T. Nelson,
Claire Danes,
Sarah
Jessica
Parker,
Dermot
Mulroney,
Brian White,
Tyrone Giordano, Luke Wilson, and
Rachel McAdams) and pothole
laden plot dealing with issues such
as gay adoption, dealing with future
in-laws, drug use, broken promises,
cancer, all while celebrating a
Christmas which will be the last one
for the entire family to be together.
When I mentioned your heart,
your funny bone, and
your tears, this
one puts all
three into
play. Watch
this one
with your
entire family
to remind
yourselves
just how normal
you are, and to remind
you why you will always love each
other.
2. “Christmas Vacation” (1989;
PG13)
The second of the Vacation
movies brought us all back home.
Even if the only thing we had to
celebrate was the “Fruit of the
Month Club.”
Must See Holiday Films
World
The Griswolds are hosting the
entire family including Clark’s
parents, Ellen’s parents, his Uncle
Louis and (not all there) Aunt
Bethany, and the holiday wouldn’t
be the same with the ill-mannered
cousin-in-law Eddie, along with his
new trailer.
In preparation, Clark has
installed over 20,000 lights, but
who could have imagined that the
Christmas turkey would burst, Aunt
Bethany’s cat would chew on the
tree lights, and Uncle Louis would
burn down the tree? It’s a laugh a
minute with the Griswolds, so your
funny bone should get a good work
out.
3. “How the Grinch Stole
Christmas” (2000;PG)
Although
in the 1966
version, I’m
partial to the
Jim Carrey
version. The
does a great job bringing the Grinch
to life, and local-boy, Ron Howard,
does a great job directing.
We all know the story so I won’t
say, this movie will tickle your funny
bone and is sure to melt even the
smallest Grinch hearts who watch
this show.
4. “The Polar Express” (2004;
PG)
Tom Hanks,
Chris Coppola,
and Michael
Jeter lend
their voices to
this animated
feature which
dares you to
believe.
The story
is simple:
A doubting
boy takes a magical journey on
Christmas Eve aboard a train
headed to the North Pole.
be asking yourself if the producers
intended the characters to look so
much like the actors voicing them.
The answer would be a resounding,
with the actors acting then they
were “re-skinned” using a digital
animation process. All of the
children’s roles were acted by
adults with oversized props to get
the movements right.
5. “A Christmas Carol” (2009;
PG)
The
classic tale of
“A Christmas
Carol”
has been
brought to
life numerous
times. One of
my favorites
is actually
“Mickey’s
Christmas Carol” as well as the
made for TV version starring Patrick
Stewart. There’s even a musical
version that stars Kelsey Grammer,
but for the purpose of this list it has
to be Jim Carrey’s animated version
from 2009.
This is one of the most trueto-the-book
versions of Charles
Dickens’ classic novel. It’s another
cockles of your heart, even if you’ve
season.
Get the family together, pop
some microwave popcorn, and
during this Christmas season. After
all, during this time of the year, time
spent with family, friends, and those
you love is what is most important.
Until next time, I’ll see you at the
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