Saturday, December 22, 2012

Christmas Flicks Not to Miss

Little by little Kringle gains Susan's confidence,
leading her into his trap
Miracle on 34th Street: Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is not who he seems to be, but who is he, and what evil cat-and-mouse game is he playing with Susan (Natalie Wood) and why is he so interested in little girls in the first place?  As Susan tries desperately to hold onto her fragile grasp of reality, she is drawn deeper, ever deeper in Kris' sinister web of lies and fantasy.  With a nail-biting courtroom scene and plenty of shapely calf flashed by co-stars Maureen O'Hara and John Payne, this is a film that will leave you guessing to the very end.  With Don Knotts as the voice of the dog.


He always planned to get away
but never did - and now it's too late!
It's a Wonderful Life.  Don't let the title fool you.  Life sucks, a fact which George Bailey (Jimmy Stuart) knows all too well.  Defrauded of a very tidy sum by the town's most powerful man and facing prison time, will George snitch on his uncle to save his own skin?  After a lifetime of giving, giving, giving, playing the sucker for every slicker that comes down the pike, something inside George finally snaps.  In a bar he says he wishes he'd never been born, little suspecting he's overheard by a diabolical entity with the power to make that wish come true, and from there he descends in a maelstrom so horrible, he'll need every bit of his wits to escape.  Which just goes to show, never say things can't get any worse, because they can!  With a supporting cast including Donna Reed, who isn't shy about showing a little bit of skin, if you know what I mean, by the creators of the classic political thriller, Mr Smith Goes to Washington.  With Don Knotts as the voice of Maureen O'Hara.

What sort of sicko would dress a dog as a reindeer
and hang him from the ceiling?
How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Oh, silent night - the perfect setting for the perfect crime!  The Grinch has it all planned, a daring robbery that will leave all Whoville stunned the next morning.  Will he even leave behind the roast beast?  He will not.  The bone-chilling encounter between the Grinch and Emmy Lou Who will have you on the edge of your seat.  Throughout much of the film, the Grinch is completely naked, except for a Santa suit which has no pants, allowing the readers to feast their eyes on plenty of shapely green thigh.  With Boris Karloff as the voice of Don Knotts.