Topic: Addicted2DVD's 25 Days of Christmas Marathon: 2010

[addicted2dvd]

With only a few days left... I thought it was about time to set this thread up...

It is once again time for my annual 25 Days of Christmas Marathon. Every year between Dec. 1st and Dec. 25th I am sure to watch at least 1 Christmas Movie, 1 Christmas episode or  1 Christmas Special per day.

The way I think I will do it this year... is for the most part... I will continue watching as I normally do. That is TV Show during the the week (Mon. - Thurs.) and Movies during the weekend (Fri. - Sun.)... though there will be exceptions as the mood hits. The Christmas Specials will be thrown in there at any time the mood hits.

My Christmas Collection:

Movies:

Specials:

1. An Angel for Christmas (Animated)    2. Black Christmas    3. Black Xmas    4. A Christmas Story    5. The Christmas Tree (Animated)    6. A Christmas Without Snow    7. Don't Open Till Christmas    8. Elf    9. Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer   10. Gremlins   11. Home Alone   12. How the Grinch Stole Christmas   13. It's a Wonderful Life   14. Jingle All the Way   15. Miracle on 34th Street (original)   16. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   17. The Nightmare Before Christmas   18. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians   19. The Santa Clause   20. The Santa Clause 2   21. Scrooge (1935)   22. Silent Night, Bloody Night   23. A Very Brady Christmas   24. Beyond Tomorrow   25. The Great Rupert   26. Little Women: Jo's Story   27. Little Women: Meg's Story   28. The Littlest Angel   29. Miracle on 34th Street (1955)   30. The Nativity   31. The Pilgrimage Play   32. Santa Claus   33. Christmas Evil

1. Cricket on the Hearth    2. Frosty the Snowman    3. Frosty Returns    4. Frosty's Winter Wonderland (Britt's)    5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Animated)    6. Jack Frost (Animated)    7. Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special    8. The Little Drummer Boy    9. Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol   10. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer   11. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (Britt's)   12. Santa Claus is Coming to Town   13. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Britt's)

TV Episodes:

Series:	Season:	Episode:
21 Jump Street	2	Christmas in Saigon
The Addams Family	Vol. 3	Christmas with The Addams Family
Alf	1	Oh, Tannerbaum
All in the Family	2	Christmas with the Bunkers'
Arrested Development	1	In God we Trust
	2	Afternoon Delight
Avengers	Vol. 2	Too Many Christmas Trees
Batman: The Animated Series	Vol. 1	Christmas with the Joker
Beavis and Butt-Head	?	Huh Huh Humbug
	?	Letters To Santa Butt-Head 1
	?	Season's Greetings 1
	?	It's A Miserable Life
	?	Season's Greetings 2
	?	Letters To Santa Butt-Head 2.
Beverly Hillbillies	?	Home for Christmas
Bewitched	1	A Vision of Sugar Plums
	2	A Vision of Sugar Plums
The Big Bang Theory	2	The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis
Blue Collar TV	1	Christmas
The Bob Newhart Show	1	The Busiest Season
Bones	1	The Man in the Fallout Shelter
	3	The Santa in the Slush
The Brady Bunch	1	The Voice of Christmas
Buffy the Vampire Slayer	3	Amends
The Dead Zone	4	A Very Dead Zone Christmas
Dharma & Greg	1	Haus Arrest
The Dick Van Dyke Show	3	The Alan Brady Show Presents
Diff'rent Strokes	1	Retrospective (2 Part Ep.)
Doogie Howser, M.D.	2	Doogie the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Due South	1	Gift of the Wheelman
Dukes of Hazzard	3	The Great Santa Claus Chase
Ellen	2	The Christmas Show
	3	Do You Fear What I Fear
The Ellen Show	1	Ellen's First Christmas
ER	1	The Gift
	2	A Miracle Happens Here
	3	Homeless for the Holidays
	4	Do You See What I See?
Everybody Love's Raymond	1	The Ball
	2	All I Want for Christmas
	3	The Toaster
	4	The Christmas Picture
Frasier	1	Miracle on 3rd or 4th Street
Friends	2	The One with Phoebe's Dad
	3	The One Where Rachel Quits
	4	The One With The Girl From Poughkeepsie
	5	The One With The Inappropriate Sister
	6	The One With the Routine
	7	The One With the Holiday Armadillo
	8	The One With Ross's Step Forward
	9	The One With Christmas in Tulsa
Ghost Whisperer	3	Holiday Spirit
Gilligan's Island	1	Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk
Grey's Anatomy	2	Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries	1	Will the Real Santa...
Highway to Heaven	1	Another Song for Christmas
Home Improvement	1	Yule Better Watch Out
I Love Lucy	6	Christmas Show
Jack Benny Show	?	Christmas Shopping
	?	Christmas Show with Edgar Bergen
JAG	4	Jaggle Bells
Jeff Foxworthy Show	1	He's Making a List, Checking it Twice
	2	Merry Christmas Y'all
Joey	1	Joey and the Plot Twist
King of Queens	1	Noel Cowards
Knight Rider	2	Silent Knight
Lois & Clark	2	Season Greedings
	3	Home is Where the Hurt is
	4	Twas the Night Before Myxmas
M*A*S*H	1	Dear Dad
	7	Dear Sis
	9	Death Takes a Holiday
	10	'Twas the Day After Christmas
The Mary Tyler Moore Show	1	Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid II
Millennium	2	Midnight of the Century
	3	OMERTA
Monk	4	Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa
	5	Mr. Monk Meets His Dad
Moonlighting	2	'Twas the Episode Before Christmas
Mork & Mindy	1	Mork's First Christmas
Murphy Brown	1	Murphy's Pony
NCIS	6	Silent Night
Night Court	1	Santa Goes Downtown
NYPD Blue	1	From Hare to Eternity
The Osbournes	1	A Very Ozzy Christmas
Picket Fences	1	Pageantry
	1	High Tidings
Reba	2	Cookies for Santa
Roseanne	4	Santa Claus
	5	It's No Place Like Home for The Holidays
Roswell	2	A Roswell Christmas Carol
Sabrina: The Teenage Witch	1	A Girl and her Cat
	2	Sabrina Claus
	3	Christmas Amnesia
	4	Sabrina Nipping at Your Nose
	5	Sabrina's Perfect Christmas
Scrubs	1	My Own Personal Jesus
Seinfeld	3	The Red Dot
	4	The Pick
The Simpsons	1	Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Sliders	3	Season's Greedings
Smallville	5	Lexmas
	7	Gemini
Sports Night	1	The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee
Square Pegs	1	A Child's Christmas in Weemawee
Step by Step	?	Christmas Story
	?	I'll Be Home for Christmas
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip	1	The Christmas Show
Supernatural	3	A Very Supernatural Christmas
Tales from the Crypt	1	And All Through the House
Tales from the Darkside	3	Seasons of Belief
Three's Company	2	Three's Christmas
Titus	2	Last Noelle
	3	Houseboat
Tru Calling	2	Twas the Night Before Christmas...Again
Twilight Zone	2	Night of the Meek
Veronica Mars	1	An Echoll's Family Christmas
	2	One Angry Veronica
Wonder Woman	2	The Deadly Toys
The X-Files	5	Christmas Carol
	6	How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
Xena: Warrior Princess	2	A Solstice Carol

So.... between all of the above... I should have plenty to watch this year. I am hoping to get a good amount watched this year... as I got a lot of new titles added to my collection recently... plus there is all my favorites I like to watch each year. That isn't even including the Christmas episodes that airs on TV this year!

[addicted2comics(:P)]

I've got a thief for a father. 

[addicted2dvd]

 

[addicted2dvd]

NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: The Sixth Season NCIS: THE SIXTH SEASON finds the highly skilled NCIS team still under the able command of Special Agent Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), an uncompromising leader who will see justice done – even if it means bending the rules. This season, Gibbs welcomes new members to the unit, while directing the veteran agents in their dangerous investigations outside the chain of Naval and Marine command. Co-starring Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, Sean Murray, Cote de Pablo, and Rocky Carroll, this 6-disc set includes all 25 action-packed Season 6 episodes, along with high-caliber, behind-the-scenes special features.

Episode Watched:
SILENT NIGHT
Working on a double homicide over Christmas, the team uncovers the truth about a prime suspect thought to have died 17 years previously – as well as a shocking personal revelation.

My Thoughts:
I thought I would start this year's marathon with one of my favorite current series. This is a good Christmas episode. I definitely enjoyed it. I kinda go a kick out of the ending where Tony got most all the group together to watch a Christmas movie. It fit his character perfectly since he been quoting movies from the very beginning of the series.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Bones: Season One David Boreanaz (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) stars as F.B.I. Agent Seeley Booth, who teams up with forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) to solve some of the most baffling and bizarre crimes ever. Booth depends on clues from the living, witnesses and suspects, while Brennan gathers evidence from the dead, relying on her uncanny ability to read clues left behind in the bones of the victims. Their different investigative styles cause the two to frequently clash, creating an undeniable chemistry and just the right touch of dark humor. Inspired by real-life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs and state-of-the-art criminal invenstigation procedures, Bones is compelling, cutting-edge television.

Episode Watched:
THE MAN IN THE FALLOUT SHELTER
The team is quarantined and must remain in the lab over Christmas when the examination of a corpse trips the building's biohazard system.


My Thoughts:
This is an excellent episode. Bones has a great cast that has wonderful chemistry together. I think this was a very good way to do a Christmas episode for this series. The story was well done... I really liked the hologram Christmas Tree Angela made... as well as all the gifts they made for each other. Not to mention the case they were working on... they even made it good for the season. Definitely one I would recommend.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
Year: 2000
Director: Phil Roman
Rating: NR
Length: 51 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Elmo Shropshire
Michelle Lee
Alex Doduk
Susan Blu
Jim Staahl
Kathleen Barr

Plot:
The Song You Love - Is Now an Outrageously Funny Movie!

Based on the hit song that became a worldwide holiday phenomenon, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer is a wild and wacky escapade that will knock you off your feet!

When his beloved Grandma appears to be missing on Christmas Eve, young Jake Spankenheimer goes on the mis-adventure of a lifetime to try and prove that Santa Claus is indeed real. With his spirit, smarts and determination, Jake must outmaneuver his greedy and curvaceous Cousin Mel (Michele Lee) and the all-powerful businessman Austin Bucks to the disbelief of his doting parents, rebellious sister and goofy Grandpa. All the while, it is up to Jake to save Sants from his fretful fate in this colorful Christmas mystery. This is one hilarious high-flying adventure that will bring joy to the world and laughs for the entire family. Narrated by Elmo Shropshire (A.K.A. "Dr. Elmo").

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Gallery
Production Notes
Interactive Games
Closed Captioned
Song Selections

My Thoughts:
Last year Brittany gave me this DVD out of her collection because she didn't care for it. So I went into this one not expecting much. And it is a good thing. While there is a decent base story... they didn't do so well with it. It really should have been much better. But as it is... it is barely an average show... if that.  I never been much on music as most of you already know... and even I knew some of the songs in this cartoon was out of place. Anyway... I wasn't too impressed with this one... but what can you expect from an animated movie based on a silly song?

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Title: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Special Edition
Year: 1989
Director: Jeremiah Chechik
Rating: PG-13
Length: 97 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Chevy Chase
Beverly D'Angelo
Juliette Lewis
Johnny Galecki
John Randolph
Diane Ladd

Plot:
This holiday season Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) vows his clan will enjoy "the most fun-filled family Christmas ever." Before you can sing "Fa-la-la-la-lah," he decks the halls with howls of folly in the perennial favorite National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Seeing is believing. There are 25,000 lights on the roof. An exploding turkey on the dining room table. A SWAT team taking siege outside. A festive supporting cast (including Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Juliette Lewis, William Hickey and more). And a John Hughes script full of wit, heart and sheer goofiness. Yule love it!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Production Notes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This one I enjoyed quite a bit. It wasn't quite as good as the first Vacation movie... but felt it was better then both European Vacation and Vegas Vacation. As usual they played around with the kids in the family once again... but this time not only did they change the actors playing them... they made the kids younger as well. And surprisingly for the Christmas movie... the kids really took a back seat in this one... not having much to do in the story at all this time. In this one they have Johnny Galecki playing their son... who most of us know now playing Leonard on The Big Bang Theory.... and Juliette Lewis playing their daughter... who I personally know best from her part as the preacher's daughter in From Dusk till Dawn. Anyway... I found this movie to be a lot of fun... has a few good laugh out loud moments. I can easily see this one become part of my annual Christmas viewing.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Gremlins: Special Edition
Year: 1984
Director: Joe Dante
Rating: PG
Length: 106 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Hoyt Axton
John Louie
Keye Luke
Don Steele
Susan Burgess
Scott Brady

Plot:
Celebrate one of the funniest movies of all time as never before! Feed your hunger (but not after midnight) with never-before-seen footage. Shine a bright light behind the creation of this unforgettable film with a pair of commentaries that reunite the original cast and crew. Swim in a pool of brand-new extras including a photo gallery, a making-of featurette and a newly remastered soundtrack.

Gremlins is a wildly original roller-coaster ride of hilarious mischief. One minute your hair will stand on end, the next you'll hold your sides with laughter at the havoc these supposedly gentle furballs create when the rules are broken. One of the most fondly remembered box-office hits of recent times, with sly special effects that dazzle and enchant, Gremlins is "what superior popular moviemaking is all about" (Richard Corliss, Time).

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Gallery
Production Notes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This is the first time I seen this one in many years. It is one that I always enjoyed... is just a fun film. A nice mixture of comedy and just a dash of horror set during the Christmas season. A good movie to just turn your brain off... relax and enjoy. I am sure this is another one that will become an annual viewing at Christmas time. I always liked Gizmo on these movies... but the actual gremlins are definitely good for a few silly laughs as well.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Elf: Infinifilm
Year: 2003
Director: Jon Favreau
Rating: PG
Length: 97 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1, Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Trivia

Stars:
Will Ferrell
James Caan
Bob Newhart
Edward Asner
Mary Steenburgen
Zooey Deschanel

Plot:
One Christmas Eve long ago, an orphan baby crawled into Santa's bag of gifts and was taken to the North Pole. Raised by Papa Elf (Bob Newhart), Buddy (Will Ferrell) comes to realize he doesn’t fit in with the other elves. Determined to find a place where he belongs, Buddy searches for his real dad - in New York City!

In the Big Apple, Buddy finds out why his dad (James Caan) is on the naughty list! But most importantly, he sees that the world is seriously lacking in Christmas spirit, which causes Santa all kinds of problems!

So with the help of a beautiful department store elf (Zooey Deschanel), Buddy tries to teach his dad and the world the true meaning of Christmas spirit and to prove to everyone that Santa (Ed Asner) really exists!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Gallery
Interactive Games
DVD-ROM Content
Closed Captioned
Sing-Along

My Thoughts:
I been looking forward to checking this one out since I first found out a friend was sending me a copy.... and my daughter Brittany showed me the trailer. Sure this one is very silly... but it works. I enjoyed every minute of it. I liked that this one has Ed Asner playing Santa. Bob Newhart as the head Elf was pretty good as well. I can see myself watching this movie around Christmas time in the future as well... it is just a fun and silly show.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[Rogmeister]

Ummm...Elf Infinifilm?  Does this mean it's on an endless loop, running over and over, like they show A Christmas Story for 24 hours straight every Christmas Day on that one cable channel? 

[addicted2dvd]

Title: A Very Brady Christmas
Year: 1988
Director: Hal Sutherland
Rating: NR
Length: 94 Min.

Stars:
Florence Henderson as Carol Brady
Robert Reed as Mike Brady
Ann B. Davis as Alice
Maureen McCormick as Marcia
Eve Plumb as Jan
Jennifer Runyon as Cindy
Barry Williams as Greg
Christopher Knight as Peter
Michael Lookinland as Bobby

Plot:
Mike and Carol Brady decide to spend their savings on bringing their kids and relatives in for the holidays, but the kids are having their own problems: Greg (now a doctor) has to make the trip alone since his wife Nora is spending the holidays with her family; Peter is embarrassed to bring his girlfriend home since she is his boss; Bobby is hiding the fact that he dropped out of business grad school to race cars; Marcia's husband, Wally, has been laid off from his job at Tyler Toys; Jan and stuffy husband Phillip are separating; and Cindy is tired of the fact that mom and dad can't respect her as a grown woman. Just another day in the life of the Bradys.


My Thoughts:
For some reason I like the Brady Bunch reunion movies more then I do the actual series. This one in particular. For some reason this movie gets me in the mood for Christmas. Something that has been difficult for me the past several years. Seeing a large family celebrating Christmas of my childhood Holidays where I was the youngest child of a large family. It was fun to see most of the cast back after all the years that past. The reunion movies in this complete series set is the main reason I bought the complete series set... instead of the individual seasons. Since that is the only way to get them.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

The above is a recycled review... it doesn't need to be added to the list of reviews.

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Home Alone
Year: 1990
Director: Chris Columbus
Rating: PG
Length: 103 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Macaulay Culkin
Joe Pesci
Daniel Stern
John Heard
Roberts Blossom
Catherine O'Hara

Plot:
Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) has become the man of the house, overnight! Accidentally left behind when his family rushes off on a Christmas vacation, Kevin gets busy decorating the house for the holidays. But he's not decking the halls with tinsel and holly. Two bumbling burglars are trying to break in, and Kevin's rigging a bewildering battery of booby traps to welcome them!

Written and produced by John Hughes ("101 Dalmatians"), this madcap slapstick adventure features an all-star supporting cast including Catherine O’Hara and John Heard as Kevin’s parents, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the burglars, and John Candy ("Planes, Trains and Automobiles") as the "Polka King of the Midwest."

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers

My Thoughts:
This is one that I haven't seen in many years! I can't believe this movie is already 20 years old! I used to see this one on cable every year at Christmas time a good 10 years ago... but for some reason I haven't seen it on much at all anymore. I am glad I got the opportunity to see it again... there is many good laughs in it... but I must admit that it wasn't quite as funny as I remembered it being. Though I do see myself watching it again next year. I even feel lucky to find part 2 playing on cable later this week... so set my recorder for it.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special
Year: 2008
Director: Michael Simon
Rating: NR
Length: 85 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: N/A

Stars:
Jeff Dunham
Brian Haner

Plot:
Jeff Dunham invites Walter, Peanut, Bubba J, José Jalapeño and Achmed the Dead Terrorist to join him on his first holiday special. Unfortunately, his suitcase posse doesn't quite share the same Christmas spirit—and the result is a one-of-a-kind live event unlike any yuletide celebration you've ever seen!

Dunham whose first two television specials drew record ratings multimillion DVD sales and over 200 million views on websites worldwide, brings together all-new material and for the first time, original songs and stories guaranteed to become instant classics: from Achmed's "Jingle Bombs" to Bubba J's "Roadkill Christmas" to Peanut's version of "The Night Before Christmas."

Destined to become a treasured holiday favorite!

Extras:
Scene Access
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes

My Thoughts:
I got this one for my marathon last year... so this is my second time watching it. Before last year I didn't even know who Jeff Dunham was. Now this is to become a yearly tradition. This guy is just freaking hilarious! I really liked all his characters... my favorite is a toss-up between Achmed and Peanut. I watched this along with Britt... and let me tell you... I thought Britt was going to laugh so hard that she would pee herself! I wasn't expecting to like a ventriloquist as much as I liked this one. Brittany and I actually had to pause it more then once to catch our breathe from all the laughter and be able to hear what he had to say next. It is just as good on the second viewing as it was on the first. If you never checked this guy out before... I highly recommend it!

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Bones: Season Three Who is Gormogon? When a routine investigation unearths the ghastly trail of a cannibalistic serial killer, forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and F.B.I. Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) must face the most baffling — and gruesome — case of their careers. While cracking caseloads full of underground extremists, sexual fetishism and charred corpses, the duo relies on Brennan's uncanny scientific ability. Booth's infallible instincts and a brilliant investigative team known as "squints." Now, in the thrilling Season Three of Bones, Brennan and Booth must uncover the shocking truth behind a centuries-old society and stop the Gormogon killer...before it's too late!

Episode Watched:
THE SANTA IN THE SLUSH
It's up to Bones to save Christmas when the body of a shopping mall Santa named Kris Kringle seems to be the real McCoy.


My Thoughts:
I imagine this is because of the writer's strike... but the third season Christmas episode came pretty early the year this one came out. Airing at the end of November. It is a fun episode... I had to laugh at how Caroline (The Assistant US Attorney) made Booth and Brennan kiss under mistletoe in order to do a favor for them. Other then that... it has a decent mystery and I liked the story of Brennan's father getting a Christmas in jail.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5