Post #421670 by DJ Terence Gunn on Mon, Dec 1, 2008 2:20 PM

On 2008-12-01 11:51, Unkle John wrote:

On 2008-11-29 15:37, DJ Terence Gunn wrote:
I can't believe nobody has mentioned the 1959 Mexican film by director Rene Cardona 'Santa Claus'!

Mystery Science Theater 3000 did an awesome job on riffing that turd-burger. Creepy assed laughing reindeer.

One man's turd-burger is another man's Big Mac. (In my opinion, they're both the same.)

Haven't seen it (MST3000-slaughterised) myself but I can imagine it's full of wonderfully obvious quips and low-brow behaviour! However, I recommend to all who are interested in seeing 'Santa Claus' to first see it unadulturated with juvenile humour thrown in (how's that for a contradiction in terms?) in order to truly appreciate the bizarreness of this picture, and the campy humour it deliberates.

Another picture that often seems to be overlooked as a Christmas movie -- or at least, a movie that is set round Christmas time -- is 'Bell, Book, & Candle'. A Christmas Special it isn't; it doesn't reek of Christmas sentimentality or commercial and spiritless cynicism. But it's a good alternative to the overplayed others during Christmas.

Most everyone is familiar with the more popular Rankin-Bass Holiday specials -- Ruldolph, Frosty, Year Without A Santa Claus, etc. However, here are a few Rankin-Bass Christmas specials some may have NOT seen (or don't remember seeing):

1. The Stingiest Man In Town (cell animation)
2. The Christmas Tree (cell animation)
3. Jack Frost (stop-motion)
4. The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold (stop-motion)
5. The Life and Adventures Of Santa Claus (stop-motion)
6. The First Christmas (stop-motion)
7. A Gift For Granny (stop-motion)

Rankin-Bass also has a series of little B&W vignettes/videos in stop-motion set to some Christmas song standards.