Recently in Holidays Category

As we remember and thank those who have served our country and defended our freedom, these movies help us begin to understand their contribution.

"The Messenger" (in theaters next week) One of the finest young actors working today, Ben Foster, stars with Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton in this powerful story of an injured soldier assigned to visit the families of soldiers to deliver the news that they have been killed.

"Gardens of Stone" (on DVD) The detail assigned to Arlington Cemetery is responsible for honoring the war dead. James Caan, James Earl Jones, and D.B. Sweeney star in this moving tribute to the soldiers who pay tribute.

"Taking Chance" (on DVD) Kevin Bacon stars in this fact-based story of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl who volunteered to escort a fallen soldier's remains when he found out they shared the same home town. It is a quietly touching drama about how the journey affected Strobl and the people along the way.

Please take time to gather your family to watch The Way We Get By in observance of Veteran's Day, showing tonight on PBS. This is a documentary about the troop greeters who devote their last years to being there to give a warm hello, a smile, and a thank you to the military as they leave the US to serve abroad or return from their stations.

Beginning as a seemingly idiosyncratic story about troop greeters - a group of senior citizens who gather daily at a small airport to thank American soldiers departing and returning from Iraq, the film quickly turns into a moving, unsettling and compassionate story about aging, loneliness, war and mortality.

This is not about war. It is about honor, meaning, devotion, and thanks.

Writer-director Robert Zemeckis wisely chose the most unquenchable of stories for his technological marvel. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, already filmed with everyone from Michael Caine to Patrick Stewart, George C. Scott, Vanessa Williams, and Mr. Magoo in the role of the skinflint who learns to give, can hold its own even surrounded by the most dazzling of special effects.

I actually gasped at one moment as the camera flew over London. It was not just that the Victorian setting was so meticulously created, though I plan to go back just to revel in the details. It was that I had never before seen a camera move so fluidly through so many different vantage points in the midst of a convincingly immersive 3D experience. It evokes a visceral sense of buoyant jubilation and freedom that immediately connects us to the movie's setting, making us feel completely present in the story as it unfolds.

We meet Ebeneezer Scrooge (voice of Jim Carrey) as he is bidding farewell to his partner, Jacob Marley, now laid out in his coffin. Scrooge literally removes the coins from Marley's eyes. It may be a custom, but money is money. Seven years later, Scrooge is well into his bah, humbug mode, turning down a Christmas dinner offer from his nephew Fred (voice of Colin Firth), turning down a charitable donation, and grudgingly agreeing to allow his poor clerk Bob Cratchit (voice of Gary Oldman) a day off to celebrate with his family. Scrooge goes home to eat his gruel by himself when, in one of the film's most thrilling effects, Marley's flickering greenish ghost appears, heaving the heavy weights he bears through the door ahead of him. As we all well know, he is there to announced that Scrooge will be visited by three spirits who will teach him about Christmas past, present, and yet to come.

Our familiarity with the story is an anchor in the sea of new visual stimuli, and it keeps our focus on what is happening to the characters, even when the technology goes slightly askew. Zemeckis said that the good news about making a motion capture film is that you can do anything. Whatever you imagine can be realized. But, he added, the bad news is that you have to do everything. The blank screen is there and every single detail, every button on every coat, every log in every fire, every reflection, shadow, and snowflake have to be separately created in three dimensions and designed to interact with every other element we see. Some of the figures are more solidly created while others seem a bit stiff and rubbery. Firth's Fred is particularly awkward. Some of the scenes are hyper-realistic while others, like a dance at the Fezziwig's Christmas party, play with space and weight, not always in aid of the story. It gets too frantic, especially during a non-Dickensian insert of a chase scene that has Scrooge shrinking like Alice in Wonderland. The decision to double up on voices (Carrey plays all three spirits, Oldman plays Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and Marley and Robin Wright Penn plays both Scrooge's sister and his girlfriend) is distracting and occasionally confusing.

But oh, there is a visual sumptuousness here to rival even the merriest Christmas celebration. Scrooge's flights through time, the glorious bounty of the Ghost of Christmas Present, the Victorian streets, the costumes, the warmth of the fire, the magic of Scrooge's first dance with Belle -- make this an instantly indispensable classic. It's all there, Scrooge's bitter loneliness to his thrilling giddy-as-a-schoolboy realization that he can change, and that the power of giving is greater than any power of having. And for the people who gave us this great gift, God bless them everyone.

Halloween gives kids a thrilling opportunity to act out their dreams and pretend to be characters with great power. But it can also be scary and even overwhelming for the littlest trick-or-treaters. An introduction to the holiday with videos from trusted friends can help make them feel comfortable and excited about even the spookier aspects of the holiday.

Kids ages 3-5 will enjoy Barney's Halloween Party, with a visit to the pumpkin farm, some ideas for Halloween party games and for making Halloween decorations at home, and some safety tips for trick-or-treating at night. They will also get a kick out of Richard Scarry's The First Halloween Ever, which is Scarry, but not at all scary! Witches in Stitches, about witches who find it very funny when they turn their sister into a jack o'lantern. And speaking of jack o'lanterns, Spookley the Square Pumpkin is sort of the Rudolph of pumpkins. The round pumpkins make fun of him for being different until a big storm comes and his unusual shape turns out to have some benefits.

Kids from 7-11 will enjoy the classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and the silly fun of What's New Scooby-Doo, Vol. 3 - Halloween Boos and Clues. Try The Worst Witch and its sequel, about a young witch in training who keeps getting everything wrong. Kids will also enjoy Halloween Tree, an animated version of a story by science fiction author Ray Bradbury about four kids who are trying to save the life of their friend. Leonard Nimoy (Dr. Spock on the original "Star Trek") provides the voice of the mysterious resident of a haunted house, who explains the origins of Halloween and challenges them to think about how they can help their sick friend. The loyalty and courage of the kids is very touching.

Older children will appreciate The Witches, based on the popular book by Roald Dahl and Hocus Pocus, with children battling three witches played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. And of course there is the deliciously ghoulish double feature The Addams Family and Addams Family Values based on the cartoons by Charles Addams.

The Nightmare Before Christmas has gorgeous music from Danny Elfman and stunningly imaginative visuals from Tim Burton in a story about a Halloween character who wonders what it would be like to be part of a happy holiday like Christmas. And don't forget some old classics like "The Cat and the Canary" (a classic of horror/comedy) and the omnibus ghost story films "Dead of Night" (recommended by the New York Times' A.O. Scott), and "The House that Dripped Blood."

Happy Halloween!

"Honey, I'm home" takes on a cheerfully creepy new meaning in "Monster House," a fresh, fun, and deliciously scary animated film produced by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future) and Stephen Spielberg (Jurassic Park, Jaws) and it is a great...

Here's a great new DVD from my all-time favorite series, just in time for Halloween -- A Very Brave Witch...and more Halloween stories. In the title story, a little witch who has been taught that humans are scary decides to...

Christopher Columbus has not yet had the movie he deserves, but I prefer the Fredric March version to the later versions. Happy Columbus Day and cheers to all adventurers and explorers!...

The Muppets' theme song is remixed to wish everyone a sweet new year....

Our deepest gratitude for the honor and sacrifice of all who have served our country....

A thoughtful commenter named Richard S. Webster added some superb suggestions to the list I published last year for Memorial Day, and I wanted to post them for families to have as they salute the courage and sacrifice of our...

Reposting from 2008: In honor of Memorial Day, take a break from picnics and sales and share one of these great films about American soldiers, sailors, and Marines. And be sure to take time thank the military and veterans in...

Reposting for Easter -- Have a blessed celebration, everyone! Ben-Hur is the traditional Easter classic, but there are some other films that beautifully illuminate the themes of this holy season. I like The Gospel of John, a very reverent re-telling...

Reposting -- Hag Sameach! Passover is not just about remembering the story of the Exodus from Egypt. It is about telling the story. Thousands of years before people talked about "learning styles," the Seder included many different ways of telling...

Purim, which comes this year on March 10, is the celebration of the triumph of Queen Esther over the plot of Haman to kill all the Jews. Jewish children love to dress up and to hear the "purim shpiel," the...

Mark Jordan Legan of NPR has a great list of Valentine movies....

Last year, I did a Valentine's Day tribute to great movie couples, from Mickey and Minnie to The Princess Bride and with suggestions for all ages. This year, I'm listing five of my all-time favorite falling-in-love (or realizing you're in...

The documentary The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration, narrated by Maya Angelou, uses the holiday of Kwanzaa to explore the African-American experience. The holiday was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana studies, as a way to...

Happy Hannukah!...

Merry Christmas!...

Olivia Olson sings Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" in this clip from "Love Actually." And here is Mariah's version:...

I am charmed by this recent and fast-spreading Hannukah tradition, the menorah parade. Here's one with firetrucks!...

The Washington Post's always-delightful Jen Chaney wrote about her favorite television series holiday episodes from "Seinfeld" and "South Park" to "Moonlighting" and "The O.C." Be sure to take a look as the column includes some great clips. I remember the...

The Beatles used to send out special Christmas greetings to their fan club members: And they released "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)" in 1968: Former Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon each created Christmas songs that have become seasonal favorites....

"Love Actually" is as stuffed with goodies as the Christmas stockings for those at the very top of Santa's "nice" list -- and it is just as entertaining, too. You say you like romantic comedies with gorgeous stars, witty dialogue...

Tennessee Williams' only comedy is this neglected gem of a movie about two couples at Christmas. It has never been available on DVD so your only chance to see it is this Tuesday on Turner Classic Movies. It stars a...

Adam Sandler's silly song about Jewish celebrities has become almost as much of a Hannukah tradition as spinning the dreidel. Happy Hannukah!...

1. What Christmas classic features sibling rivalry between two brothers, the sons of Mother Nature? 2. What Christmas classic features the Island of the Misfit Toys? 3. Who is repeatedly told, "You'll shoot your eye out!" 4. Mr. Magoo stars...

Reprising from 2007: I love It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, and A Christmas Story as much as anyone. I love the bittersweet struggles of George Bailey and never get tired of seeing him try to resist falling in love...

Preston Sturges wrote and directed some of Hollywood's greatest comedies, specializing in wickedly sharp satires like "The Lady Eve" and "Miracle of Morgan's Creek." But the first of his screenplays to be produced was this bittersweet Christmas romance about a...

Seinfeld's alternate December holiday has actual followers. There are even books about it. Its primary attraction seems to be that it is not Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanzaa and that it is easy to observe. All you need is parties, grievance-airing,...

Amanda (Cameron Diaz) has a successful business cutting up new Hollywood releases into three-minute trailers that make the films look as enticing as possible. Writer-director Nancy Meyers essentially cuts up classic romantic comedies and reassembles them for modern consumption. The...