New Feature: Top 5

In true Rob Gordon fashion, I have always been a devout creator and sharer of lists. I love organizing anything, so it's nice to just pick a topic and assign it an organizational structure. So I thought maybe it'd be fun to do a top 5 movie-themed list each week? You know, top 5 musicals, Hitchcock films, non-superhero comic adaptations, etc. It won't be a big thing, probably just a side bar that'll rotate whenever I feel like updating and a post with a short comment about each film and its inclusion on the list. I think I will have a good time with it, which is all that is important (me!).

First up: Christmas/December Holiday movies, to be seasonally appropriate. Now normally I am not a Christmas movie person. And I am aware there are other holidays at this time, but I'm not very familiar with them as I was raised Catholic in a religiously unvaried town. These are ones I identify with the holiday, or often watch around that time, not necessarily about it. In chronological order:

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
I actually hadn't seen this one until I was a junior in high school, so it holds neither the nostalgic family memories nor the seen-it-too-many-times blues that affect many people. I enjoy it for the sentimental but sincere story and of course for Jimmy Stewart's excellent performance. Then again I'd probably say that about most films he's in.

White Christmas (1954)
Oh geez what's not to like? The exceptional Danny Kaye and the marvelous Vera-Ellen (in one of her final roles) are in top form, and Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney bring some subtlety and singing. The story is simple and sweet, the musical numbers are interesting and well-staged, and Irving Berlin's score is just swell. You don't have to think too much, and it's perfect to watch with your mom while sipping hot tea. We're seeing the play next month, actually!


Elf (2003)
eah, so I'm a sucker for this one. Will Ferrell is adorable and hilarious as clueless, joyful Buddy the Elf. We all learned that Zooey Deschanel is an amazing singer and, as usual, capable of charming the pants off everyone watching. It's a good premise that somehow manages to crack (just a little) even my fairly bah-humbug Christmas spirit.


Love Actually(2003)
Hilarious and incredibly affecting are the main points of this movie. The cast is amazing (if we ignore Keira Knightley) and the blending of multiple, interconnected love stories is done very well, so that nothing gets lost. The only bad thing is I always want more from each story! Highlights: Any conversation between Colin Firth and Lúcia Moniz, Martin Freeman as a fill-in porn actor, Andrew Lincoln romancing the hell out of Keira Knightley, any word out of Bill Nighy's mouth, and of course, Hugh Grant Dancing.


Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
It's totally a Christmas movie! This will probably be on a lot of these lists, since I think it is one of the best movies ever made. It's absolutely hilarious, quotable, action-packed, unpredictable, and a solid mystery with an eye for the satirical and a dash of holiday cheer. There's even romance in there. Robert Downey, Jr. is perfect and so is pretty much everything else. I never get tired of watching it!


Honorable Mentions
Holiday Inn (1942)
Jack Frost (1979)
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
The Hebrew Hammer (2003)

Probably I'm forgetting some? What are your favourites?