JANUARY 8TH, 2023
BY LANA CARBON & JOHN LILIES
[Lana] That festive time of year returned once again and with it, so too did our 12 Movies for the 12 Days of Christmas event. We thought long and hard about what our theme should be for the 2022 edition and finally agreed on watching remakes of classic Christmas movies (classic may be a stretch in some of the films).
With a lot of these stories seemingly so similar, we thought we would have a plethora to choose from; this was not the case, however. We wanted to use actual remakes, not sequels, and for the most part we think we accomplished this but it was more difficult than we originally expected.
In addition, we thought we would use a rating system similar to the one we used in this year’s 31 Movies for the 31 Days of Hallowe’en where we judged how Hallowe’eny the movies really were. Of course, in this instance, it would be rating the level of Christmassyness as opposed to its scarier holiday sibling.
THE RATING SYSTEM
Sac o’ Coal: This is the lowest level of festivity. Perhaps Christmas is mentioned or alluded to in some way or a sparse decoration is visible. The key here is that the story does not revolve around the holiday itself.
Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows in a Christmas Mug: This type of movie takes place during the holiday, includes decorations, carolling, gift-giving, or other holiday-related themes but the story itself may not revolve directly around the holiday (or could just as easily take place at any other time of year).
Santa Magics: Christmas, Christmas everywhere! This kind of story takes place at Christmas, the decorations are plentiful, Christmas activities are abundant, and without the holiday itself there would be no story.
So, without further ado, here is this year’s 12 Movies for the 12 Days of Christmas. We hope you enjoy the list as much as we did piecing it together.
1. Black Christmas (2019) – a remake of Black Christmas (1974)
"A group of female students is stalked by a stranger during their Christmas break. That is until the young sorority pledges discover that the killer is part of an underground college conspiracy." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Hot Chocolate with Extra, Extra Marshmallows... this one is high on the Hot Chocolate scale.
Thoughts: It's better than I remember it being but it's still a far cry from the original, and doesn't hold as true to the original as the 2006 remake.
[John] Rating: Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows in a Christmas Mug... Christmas is in the title, it takes place over the Christmas break, and Christmas decorations are central to many things that occur.
Thoughts: I will always prefer the original but I do enjoy this one.
2. Babes in Toyland (1997) – a remake of Babes in Toyland (1934)
"Everyone's favorite nursery rhyme characters come magically and musically to life in this animated adventure based on the classic holiday tale." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Santa Magics.
Thoughts: Santa Magics gone wrong. It would have been much more enjoyable had I been about six years old. But, even then, I question if I would have liked it.
[John] Rating: Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows in a Christmas Mug. Yes, it technically revolves around Christmas but it really doesn't feel like an actual Christmas movie. Honestly, the story didn't even seem Christmassy.
Thoughts: I had never watched any version of this story and I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad that my first exposure was this wretched children's cartoon using nursery rhyme characters. I'm not sure I would have even enjoyed it as a child. My question now is, "Do I watch another rendition and give this story another chance, or do I die with my opinion based on this catastrophe?" This one did have goblins though, so I guess there's that.
3. The Preacher's Wife (1996) – a remake of The Bishop's Wife (1947)
"An angel comes to Earth to help a preacher save his church and his family." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows in a Christmas Mug. This is another one that almost hit Santa Magics; you've got your shopping, your skating, your nativity play, but most of it could have taken place without Christmas.
Thoughts: It is a very enjoyable movie. I think I actually like it better than the original. It's nice to see Denzel Washington look like he's actually having fun in a role, instead of the serious characters that he usually plays so amazingly well.
[John] Rating: Hot Chocolate for me, too. This is Christmassy, but not to the highest degree.
Thoughts: I, too, prefer this version over the original. Between Whitney's voice, Courtney B. Vance's presence, and Denzel's goofiness, I suspect I'll be watching this one every year.
4. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (1998) – a remake of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (1948)
"It's up to Santa's most famous reindeer to save the day when an evil queen conjures up a storm on Christmas." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Santa Magics.
Thoughts: Some things should just not be remade. It wasn't horrible but it was far from good.
[John] Rating: Santa Magics. I need to keep reminding myself that the rating has nothing to do with my love or despise for the movie.
Thoughts: I did not have high hopes for this one... good thing.
5. Christmas in Connecticut (1992) – a remake of Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
"Elizabeth, the star of a successful cooking show, is set to do a live show on Christmas, where she'll cook a Christmas dinner. But what no one knows is that she can't cook." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Hot Chocolate.
Thoughts: This movie could have been a little bit better if they'd hired some actual actors. I have seen nutcrackers less wooden than the people in this movie.
[John] Rating: Santa Magics but Santa is carrying a Sac o' Coal. And, maybe Krampus is lurking nearby. Thoughts: This movie was hard to watch. Why are we doing this, again?
6. Dr. Seuss' the Grinch (2018) – a remake of How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
"A grumpy Grinch plots to ruin Christmas for the village of Whoville." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Santa Magics!
Thoughts: I liked it! It's the next best thing to the original. To quote one of the stars of the movie, "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
[John] Rating: Santa Magics of the furry green kind.
Thoughts: I thought I would hate this version but I didn't. I also didn't love it.
7. Miracle on 34th Street (1994) – a remake of Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
"A lawyer and a little girl must prove that a man claiming to be Santa Claus is the real thing." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: The Santa Magickest of Magics.
Thoughts: So far, this is the second remake I like better than the original. The only issue I had, was that I kept expecting Santa to deliver some dinosaurs; I don't know why.
[John] Rating: Santa Magics or the movie doesn't exist.
Thoughts: I love this one. Can't really go wrong with Mara Wilson & Sir Richard Attenborough. I, too, like it better than the original, despite the lack of a T-Rex.
8. Pocket Full of Miracles (1961) – a remake of Lady For A Day (1933)
"A New York gangster and his girlfriend attempt to turn street beggar Apple Annie into a society lady when the peddler learns her daughter is marrying royalty." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Sac o' Coal in a very decorative stocking.
Thoughts: I enjoyed it; I liked the story a lot. It just didn't have a lot to do with Christmas.
[John] Rating: Sac o' Coal... Holidays were coincidental, really.
Thoughts: Not a bad movie but not really a Christmas movie.
9. Bundle of Joy (1956) – a remake of Bachelor Mother (1939)
"After finding a baby outside an orphanage, a salesgirl receives sympathy from those around her, including her boss' son, as they all assume the baby is hers." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Sac o' Coal, I guess.
Thoughts: If you're a fan of musicals then dive right in because it's a dandy. Plus, the kid is actually kind of cute.
[John] Rating: This movie comes with its own Sac o' Coal garnished with a candy cane.
Thoughts: An enjoyably entertaining movie, this is. A Christmas movie, this is not. I truly did like this one and I'm sad that it didn't have the North Pole kind of magics.
10. Silent Night (2012) – a remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
"The police force of a remote Midwestern town search for a killer Santa Claus who is picking off citizens on Christmas Eve." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: This is not the kind of Santa Magics I want happening to me but it's Santa Magics, nonetheless.
Thoughts: If you like cheesy violence, blood, and gore mixed in with the goodies in your stocking, this is the one for you. Hey John, should we make it a Christmas staple?
[John] Rating: I guess this one is Santa Magics? I was going to give it a Hot Chocolate but it takes place on Christmas Eve, there are multiple Santas around, a killer Santa to boot, Christmas decorations all over the place, a lot of references to the holiday, and it seemed to be central to the plot or at least to the murders that are central to the plot.
Thoughts: What's Christmas without cheap violent gore? (Could we please never watch this one again, Lana? I feel kind of sick now, and not the too much enjoyable chocolate kind of sick.)
11. Holiday Affair (1996) – a remake of Holiday Affair (1949)
"A widow and her son on a trip to a Manhattan store find their lives changed forever when they meet sales clerk, Steve." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Santa Magics. I was hesitant to go with full Santa Magics because while it took place at Christmas, I originally thought the story could take place at any time. With the gift being such a main part of the story, however, I feel that bumps it up to Santa Magics.
Thoughts: Cute movie but not as good as the original. So few remakes actually are.
[John] Rating: Santa Magics, without Mr. Claus himself.
Thoughts: This is an okay, kind of cute movie. Even in the original, I'm not a huge fan of the storyline but it serves its purpose.
12. It Happened One Christmas (1977) – a remake of It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
"In the spirit of It's A wonderful Life...A young woman has to give up her dream and remain in her small hometown as head of the family's building and Loan building." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Hot Chocolate.
Thoughts: This is the first time I watched this version and I was looking forward to it. I love It's a Wonderful Life and I usually enjoy Cloris Leachman, so I thought this would be stellar. Even though this was the same movie, other than a few lines, the order of events, and a gender swap in main characters, it was nowhere near as good. I am, however, grateful for the lack of "heehaw!" moments. I did miss "hotdog!", though.
[John] Rating: Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows in a Christmas Mug. There is a lot of Christmas but it isn't really about Christmas.
Thoughts: I love It's a Wonderful Life. This is definitely not that.
BONUS: Spirited (2022) – a remake of A Christmas Carol (pick your year & version)
"A musical version of Charles Dickens's story of a miserly misanthrope who is taken on a magical journey." (imdb.com)
[Lana] Rating: Santa Ghostly Musical Magics.
Thoughts: I was really looking forward to this. I figured I would have to talk John into it. Then, it turned into an hilarious musical and my enjoyment only went up from there.
[John] Rating: I guess this is Santa Magics?
Thoughts: I definitely did not anticipate really liking this movie but I was happily mistaken and I truly, thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely one of the more fun takes on the Dickens classic.
[Lana] That brings an end to another year’s holiday movie viewing bonanza. We hope you have found some new selections for your own future holiday film watching practices, and that our rating system and opinions have come in handy. Please let us know your thoughts regarding the movies we have watched this holiday season, and if you have your own method of rating the appropriate amount of festive feels to call a film a “Holiday Movie”.
[John] While we are late in posting this article, we hope you’ve all been well and managed to enjoy some fun and rest over the holidays. We know for some of you the holidays haven’t quite ended, so we hope you can take in a few movies as you look towards settling back into your usual routine.
[Lana] We hope you had (depending on when you are reading this) a wonderful holiday season (what you do/don’t celebrate) and we wish you the most fantastic New Year filled with all the great things you desire.
[John] On a side note, we have left behind our Twitter days but you can still find us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and of course you can always email us or comment here on the site. Thanks for spending another year on this journey with us!
