For your viewing pleasure: M-I staff picks for holiday film favorites

Dec. 23—As the saying goes, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

It's also the ideal time to sit back, relax and enjoy a film or two with your loved ones around the Christmas and holiday season.

Some of the staff members of Messenger-Inquirer have compiled a list of their favorite holiday film adventures that can serve as a possible guide for your viewing pleasure in the week ahead.

FREDDIE BOURNEBefore I begin my random ramblings that, in turn, can become my own soliloquies in print — yes, I did in fact already have a top five list last year. Which begs the question, "Well, then how can you have another top five list if you already told us, Freddie?"

What a question with not an excellent answer.

After doing the top five list last year, I ended up watching all of these movies in my spare time; and came to the realization upon additional holiday soul-searching that only two of the five were ones that I can honestly say are in my top 10, while many of them I enjoyed because of the "so-bad-they're-good" appeal.

So, without further ado, here is my "revised" and more accurate listings:

1. "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" — I ended up watching the first film right after last year's article was published, and then again this past Thanksgiving. To be honest, I realized that the sequel, which was not a critical darling, was much more successful in my eyes and gives me the feeling of Christmas that I remember living in New Jersey — just about two hours from New York. As I've gotten older, I also appreciated Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister character development, albeit not much from the previous flick, in terms of his sly remarks in the film and slight sarcasm that I have been able to catch onto in recent years. I also like the idea of seeing how the entire city essentially became the house of traps and tricks that Joe Pesci's Harry and Daniel Stern's Marv fall victim to. Additionally, I thought the movie was also able to capture more sincere moments such as Kevin looking to prevent Harry and Merv from robbing Duncan's Toy Chest, the bond he formed with pigeon lady (who apparently is not in fact, Piers Morgan) and the scene where Catherine O'Hara's Kate meets with Kevin at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, which brings personal memories of going to New York with my father and uncle when the tree was getting set up every year.

2. "The Santa Clause 2" — Yes, another sequel; but hear me out on this one. Not only does this film make me remember my youth around Christmastime, but it was the first experience I knew of what a bootleg DVD was, while the laughter in the background and the low quality was not supposed to be part of the cinematic adventure. Despite this, I really loved Tim Allen at the time and was willing to watch any movie that he was in; and yes — I still watch the negatively-received "Christmas with the Kranks," but not enough to make it to this list. While it was quite some time since I saw the original film, I remembered the storyline enough to be able to follow along. It's definitely a silly, almost throw-away film; but I personally enjoyed seeing much of the original cast actually come back as themselves. The fact that we got a chance to see Eric Lloyd's Charlie Calvin be on the naughty list and how much having Santa as your father can be both a blessing and a curse. And for a children's movie, there was many touching moments that I wince at including the carriage ride and gift exchange between Allen's Scott Calvin/Santa and his love interest Principal Carol Newman (played by Elizabeth Mitchell) and the fact that, despite the family debacles regarding The Calvins' divorce touched on in the first film, the entire family including stepfather Dr. Neil Miller (Judge Reinhold) get along pretty well in this continuing tale.

3. "The Santa Clause" — "Wait? So, the original ranks lower than the sequel?" Yes, to the person I just made up to help with my writing process. Look, I'm not saying the sequel is "better;" I just identify more with the follow-up as I've gotten older. Having said this, the original does still have a special place in my heart, especially when I was going through the experience of my parents' own separation and eventual divorce when I was 10. It was one of those movies that I had to watch again as time passed to understand more of the humor, but it gave me a lot of comfort in watching how Charlie's character was able to handle something rather traumatic as an only child, especially considering the word "divorce" wasn't as common in our vocabulary as it is today. I also think the film was able to show off Tim Allen's capabilities as an actor — you have this guy that is the complete Scrooge character, and then he has to become Santa Claus. And even when he does show joy in the new role, there's still the realness of him realizing how out-of-the-blue the predicament is and still has this mindset of, "Is this really how my life is turning out?" It's a great mix of sentimental family dynamics, with a dash of humor from the animatronic reindeer and the lingering questions of why Judy the Elf's hot cocoa recipe took 1,200 years to get it right and if it's worth the calories?

And before you start thinking about it — no, "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" will not be making my list. Watching Martin Short look like a frozen porcupine made me admit defeat that the franchise was jumping the shark.

4. "The Ultimate Christmas Present" — Some of you may read the title and scratch your head thinking, "I feel like I know this one, but where?" Two words — Disney Channel. It was one of the few original Christmas movies that the network produced, and one of the first I remember watching on repeat because I had the biggest crush on Brenda Song, who plays Sam — the main protagonist, Allie's — best friend.

The film also hits close to home probably because of the memories I have connected to it. I grew up having croup, which became severe and distracting enough I would stay home from school for a few days at a time. Especially in the winter, it would act up and I would find myself in front of the big screen television, eating steamed dumplings from the Golden Crown Restaurant living the days of luxury, I'd say.

Besides the adoration of Song and issues with my immune system, the film was less traditional than many of the Christmas movies I was introduced to — the setting was in Los Angeles, Santa lived in a random cabin not too far away and the whole movie revolved around a weather machine that looked like a robot that I desperately wanted, but never received. It also opened my eyes for the first time that it doesn't snow everywhere, which blew my 8-year-old mind. There is also the inclusion of the Santa Claus, who owns the weather machine, along with having the two full-adult-sized elves putting on the sidekick humor. I wouldn't say that it's the best script in the world, but it does emphasize the importance of family in the latter half when there's a possibility that the main character, Allie's father may not be able to make it home for Christmas because of her and Sam having too much fun with the weather machine, causing a massive snowstorm. But all in all, Disney brought home a happy ending when dad arrived on Christmas morning and all was right with the world; even though I still never got a robot.

5. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" — I was a late bloomer to this movie by not seeing it for the first time until I was 25. And it was probably because of my distaste for the aforementioned "Christmas with the Kranks" that steered me away, despite the former coming out 15 years prior. But when I finally got the chance to see "Christmas Vacation," there was no comparison. It's just complete bonkers that I absolutely love and continues to get even more outrageous up until the last moments. Having Chevy Chase in the main role as this person who both loves and loathes the holiday season is all too-real for an adult navigating it now. It also offers a lot of off-beat moments that you tend to catch as you watch it a number of times. And even though some of it comes off as too fantasy or pretty unrealistic, it's the acting from the cast that makes it believable — from the freak outs, the passive aggressiveness while still seeing the importance of family regardless of how chaotic things can become.

JAMES MAYSE1. "Black Christmas" — Before director Bob Clark became famous with his holiday classic, "A Christmas Story," he made a string of low-budget horror movies that all deserve to be seen: "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things," "Deathdream" and, in 1974, "Black Christmas." A merciless tale of a killer stalking a group of sorority sisters just before Christmas break, "Black Christmas" has a strong cast (including Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea and Margot Kidder), a nice blend of humor and horror, and some truly disturbing moments. Allegedly, John Carpenter was inspired to make "Halloween" after seeing "Black Christmas."

2. "Gremlins" — Director Joe Dante also mixes comedy with horror on this not-totally kid friendly PG-rated creature feature. Billy gets a strange pet called a Mogwai for Christmas, and it's the cutest, smartest little fuzzball ever. But it comes with some rules, and when the rules are broken, a new batch of Mogwai are spawned, who then morph into scaly, evil demons with a love of destruction and mayhem. It's scarier than families with small kids were probably anticipating upon its release, but it's also full of really funny moments, inventive attacks and even some goopy gremlin gore. This is a Christmas classic.

3. "Better Off Dead" — Lane Meyer (John Cusack) gets dumped by his girlfriend for the evil captain of the high school ski team just before Christmas. Lane overreacts by planning to kill himself. But Lane's "druggy" friend Charles ("Look, that's pure snow! Do you know what the street value of this mountain is?"), and Monique, the pretty French exchange student across the street, vow to help Lane become ski captain and win back his girl. Sure, it's bit of a black comedy at places (the attempted suicide scenes certainly couldn't be made today). But it's very funny, has a great '80s soundtrack and quirky performances. The psycho paperboy scenes are genius.

4. "Anna and the Apocalypse" — The world's first (and only?) zombie musical! Anna just wants to graduate high school and get out of her boring Scottish suburb. But, just days before Christmas, the world is turned upside down by a zombie apocalypse. Yes, I know, a "zombie musical" sounds ridiculous, but somehow it works, such as when Anna obliviously walks the streets singing about how she's making a brand new start in life — not noticing the zombie chaos erupting all round her. Funny and touching and even bleak at moments, the film isn't afraid to go dark and slather on the full zombie gore when necessary.

5. "Krampus" — Max, a young boy in a stressed, harried family, loses his faith in Christmas and rips apart his letter to Santa. It seems the loss of belief is a serious thing, and Max's action brings on the wrath of Krampus, a giant, horned, demonic presence that functions as the anti-Santa. Despite the PG-13 rating, director Michael Dougherty isn't afraid to lay on the scares, with evil, animated toys, vicious elves and killer Christmas cookies laying siege to Max's family's home. Krampus itself, when it appears, is also really horrifying. The open ending is considerably more downbeat than you might be expecting.

KARAH WILSON1. "A Nightmare Before Christmas" — My favorite holiday is Halloween hands down, and there's some debate on if this is a Halloween or Christmas movie. Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon/Danny Elfman) discovers Christmas Town and he attempts to bring the Christmas spirit to his home, Halloween Town. I feel this movie is a good mix of spooky and cheery, and who doesn't love Catherine O'Hara, who voices Sally? The animation style is unique and the songs are fun and enjoyable. Not to mention the scene with Jack and Sally kissing on the hill. Iconic. This movie brings back a sense of nostalgia for me because I used to own this VHS at my granny's house, so any time I see it, I'm transported back there.

2. "It's A Wonderful Life" — This is another nostalgic movie for me because this is one that my mom likes to watch every year. It centers around George Bailey (James Stewart) who is a suicidal businessman who is contemplating ending his life around Christmastime. A guardian angel visits George as he's about to jump from a bridge and shows him what his town could have been like had it not been for George. Winter holidays are a time where many feel depressed and the suicide rates increase. I think it was a bold move for a Christmas movie in the 1940s to center around a suicidal man during the holidays.

3. "Home Alone" — I have a lot of qualms with this movie but it's still a favorite. John Hughes is one of my favorite directors and Home Alone is another knockout movie for him. Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) is somehow forgotten at home when his family leaves for the airport. Granted, if I had that many kids, I'd probably lose a few marbles, but how do you forget a kid like Kevin at home? And it happened more than once! I think this movie also made me realize eight year olds are a lot smarter and creative than we give them credit for. He booby-trapped his entire home from burglars. I will say that Harry and Marv were dedicated and didn't give up trying to get inside despite everything Kevin was doing to them. And again, who doesn't love Catherine O'Hara?

4. "A Boy Called Christmas" — I went into this movie not thinking I'd enjoy it that much because Christmas movies aren't something I seek out very often, but I was at my parents' house one night and they put this on. Henry Lawfull plays a boy named Nikolas who sets out on an adventure to find his dad, who is on a mission to discover the village of Elfhelm. This is a movie centered around the origin of Father Christmas directed by Gil Kenan based on the book by Matt Haig. The storyline isn't much of anything new, but the whimsical settings and magic within the movie are what made it captivating to me.

5. "The Polar Express" — As someone who went to elementary school in the early to mid-2000s, the Polar Express is something I am very familiar with. Each year, teachers across the country popped in this movie on the last day of school before break, made hot chocolate and popcorn, and let us relax. This is on my list more for the fact that when I think of this movie, I think of life before problems. But it is a pretty good movie, too. This was around the time I was figuring out if Santa was real (he is, kids) and I think it was the first movie I related to as a kid. Looking back on it as an adult, the main child's journey of self-discovery and finding the truth is something we should take into adulthood with us.