Top 5 Movies for the Christmas Season

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas - Tim Burton and Danny Elfman's masterpiece of one skeleton's journey to find some meaning in his life and bring some Christmas spirit to his town. The stop motion animation is wonderfully organic in a way that CG can never hope to be. Every song hits its mark with Danny Elfman's wide range of vocals making Jack's inner torment come to life in a most heart-wrenching manner. The ghouls and critters may be off-putting to some people at first but stick with it because the story will surely suck you in and having you humming for the rest of the season.

2. Scrooged - Quite possibly the best reinterpretation of the classic Dickens' tale. Bill Murray and his brothers star in this tale of a television executive who's in desperate need of the Scrooge treatment. It's filled with great touches like the signs in Frank's bathroom that define a cross as "something people are nailed to" and former glam rocker David Johansen as the cab-driving Ghost of Christmas Past. Every performance is top notch, even the cameos.

3. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas - Combine the masterful animation skills of Chuck Jones with the deep, resonating voice of Boris Karloff and you get a Christmas classic like no other. The level of energy and emotion in Jones' animation brings the Grinch story to life in a way Ron Howard never could. Though others may try, no one comes close to Karloff's rendition of "Mr. Grinch" which, since the short's premiere, has become an even more beloved holiday classic than many carols.

4. The Ref - Nothing says Christmas like Denis Leary robbing your house. In this movie Leary, the mastermind behind the award-winning Rescue Me on FX, plays a cat burglar who ends up having to change his Christmas Eve plans. Now he's stuck holding champion snarkers Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis' family hostage including the grandma from Hell. Hilarious throughout and yet manages to have some of that required holiday schmoop in the end. It may even warm the cockles of your heart.

5. The Muppet Christmas Carol - What could make a movie better than The Great Gonzo playing Charles Dickens? If Rizzo the Rat does running commentary! Brian Henson's little Muppet gem is a sure holiday pleaser. The songs are catchy, the mood swings from delightfully creepy to bouncy and fun, Michael Caine's Scrooge works off the muppets well, and the art direction is superb. Plus those old codgers Statler & Waldorf get their own musical number. Always and forever recommended for all ages.


Honorable mentions:

Bad Santa - Insane and dirty in a way only Christmas in the desert could possibly be. A loser of a burglar and a loser of a kid form a friendship of sorts and Billy Bob gets drunk a lot. Look out for Lauren Graham's Santaphile bartender.

A Christmas Story - Is there a person in America that hasn't seen at least part of this? Repeated for 24 hours straight on TNT every year this autobiographical tale of a child's Christmas has something in it for everyone to relate to. I double dog dare you to watch it.

A Garfield Christmas Special - The newspaper strip's been pretty hit-or-miss over the years but the orange cat was made for animation as can be seen in his 80s cartoon show. In this special Garfield, Odie, and Jon Arbuckle head back to the farm where Jon was raised to spend a little time with Ma, Pa, Doc Boy, and a chopper-ridin' Grandma.