The Best Christmas Films and Specials

This is the one to watch if you want a good version of the Grinch. This Grinch has some class and dignity and doesn't act like an hyperactive jackass "like Jim Carrey".

It's the one holiday film that's good for both Christmas and Halloween.

Jim Carrey voices Scrooge in Robert Zemeckis' version of a Christmas Carol. You know the story, he's mean and self-centered and on Christmas eve he's visited by 3 ghosts. But this version is still very worth seeing due to the great animation and the fine work by Jim Carrey.

I expected Jim Carrey to be extremely annoying voicing Scrooge, as well as playing the 3 spirits. He's pretty restrained though and that's good since he gives his best performances when he's not over-acting. Zemeckis is good at making this kind of movie but he's too good to just make animated movies. I'm hoping that his next is a live action film. I mean, this is the guy that made Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Romancing the Stone and Forrest Gump.

This Muppet version is surprisingly well made and even one of the best more recent tellings of the Charles Dickens story. It should also be seen for Micheal Caine's fine performance as Scrooge.

Elf is one of the better Christmas movies to come out in recent years. I have felt like Will Ferrell can give the same performance in a lot of his movies. However, his work in Elf is kind of different than anything else he has done.

Despite being alone in NYC this time around Home Alone 2 uses all the same formulas that it did in part 1. Still it's entertaining and fun and it's way better than Culkinless sequels.

Sadly for a short animated special, Shrek the Halls is better than Shrek the 3rd. I mean where were these writers when that movie was being made ?

It has the same humor that made the first and 2nd movies good. Plus, thank god there's no sign of the unfunny Artie. Hopefully they get Shrek 4 right, like they got this right. Hopefully they leave out Artie as well!

Bill Murray stars as a mean television executive who's visited by 3 ghosts. It's a goofy and often sleazy re-imagined comedy version of Scrooge. Critics hated it but I always actually liked it despite seeing it's flaws. The very end for one is a little annoying with Bill Murray talking to the films audience.

That was basically my only problem with it though. I still found it to be a fun movie and I liked Bill Murray in it and Karen Allen as his old girlfriend that he let get away. Alfre Woodward is also really good as his assistant with a son that never talks.

Ed Asner's character escapes prison and convinces some kids that he's Santa Claus. He has it planned to steal some money and use the children to help him do the job. The movie is more magical than it sounds and since I grew up with it, I think it's a Holiday Classic.

It's the best of the 3 by far. The way his ex-wife and her new husband act takes the fun out of it a little though.

It's more watchable than critics made it sound. The cast make it worth seeing for one thing.

Despite some fun and a few laughs, I'm still not sure if it's for the whole family. The very beginning is surprisingly depressing.

The movie has it's moments but a lot of the good parts come at the end after all the complaining and arguing. Plus, sure the language in the movie isn't horrible but iit's bad enough for what's supposed to be a family Christmas movie.

I think it works for adults much more than it does children. The scene where Vaughn is at a support group for jealous brothers of successful celebrities is pretty funny if you're a grown-up and know who the people are. Plus I don't think kids need to hear Vince Vaughn saying to his brother Santa,"I don't hate you, I just wish you were never born". The movie can be a little negative.

Vince Vaughn is a bit of a jerk in the movie but I don't blame him that much. His mom played by Kathy Bates tells him to be more like his younger brother pretty much every time she sees him. She's pretty unlikeable in this. While Paul Giamatti didn't really get to do much as Santa until his touching scene with Kevin Spacey towards the end. Which is the best scene in the movie.

Richard Roeper knocked the fact that Rachel Weisz plays an officer that gives out tickets. He said she wasn't believable in a part like that. Who says there's not a pretty woman out there putting tickets on windshields lol. Plus it doesn't matter what her job is in the movie, she's good when she's shown. Elizabeth Banks and her both light up the screen when they are shown. Which can be needed in what's surprisingly a some-what moody Christmas movie at times.

It's better than most of the Ernest films. It's also better than a lot of the Christmas films that are made these days.