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Thread: Christmas TV

  1. #1
    Senior Member Desert Orchid's Avatar
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    Christmas TV

    I must confess to always looking forward to the Christmas & New Year double edition of the Radio Times and even though it's some years since the authoritative film guide was provided by Barry Norman, I still want to see what films they're putting on TV.

    For me, Christmas isn't Christmas without a screening of It's A Wonderful Life.

    So this year there won't be any Christmas...

    Sure, we've all got a copy of the DVD/video/both (in our case more than one of each but that's another story) and we can watch it at our leisure but I still think it's important for the TV companies to show such a powerful message at such an emotional time of year.

    Oh well.

    (Now I'm trying to think of ways to make this ridiculously long to annoy Slim )

    You also (well I do) have to wonder what criteria apply to the "Film of the Day". On the first day (Sat 22) the FotD is The Lone Ranger with four stars but on the same card we've got The Wizard of Oz (5*) and no fewer than ten other 4* films (very few of which I would want to watch, especially the awful Steve Martin's Father of the Bride.

    Christmas Day has TWO FotD. So that makes a mockery of the accolade straight away. And neither has been deemed good enough for five stars. I haven't seen either and I wouldn't want to see either The Jungle Book (2016) or The Greatest Showman (mainly because CGI in a film doesn't, for me, make it a great film.) By the way, Disney's The Jungle Book is on New Year's Day.

    And I have two wimmen in the house who are heavily into both The Greatest Showman and Hugh Jackman but fortunately for me it's on Sky which we don't have.

    Monsters, Inc is well worth its five stars, though. If your kids or grandkids have never seen it give them a treat. And yourself.

    The 1948 Oliver Twist is an absolute classic.

    Strongest recommendation from me, though, for anyone yet to see it is to watch or record Up (Sun 23). Be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster. Will I watch it? I'm not sure. Some things you just don't want to spoil for yourself. I'd probably end up in front of a shrink if I watched it again too soon (eight or nine years after the last time is probably still too soon for me).

    So lots of good films (the TV looks shite) but not many proper 'Christmas' films. No White Christmas or IAWL but Holiday Inn is on.
    Last edited by Desert Orchid; 13th December 2018 at 11:45 AM.
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  3. #2
    Senior Member simmo's Avatar
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    Edit: Stupidity on my part.
    Last edited by simmo; 13th December 2018 at 12:52 PM.

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    Super Moderator Diamond Geezer's Avatar
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    Just about the worst tv schedules I've ever seen for the Christmas period, especially on the main channels.

  5. #4
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    'Up' one of the most wonderful films I've ever seen, and incredibly moving if one of the issues touched on at the start of the film has touched your family in any way [gulp]. Actually saw it first time at a childrens matinee during which we laughed and cried [but mostly laughed].

  6. #5
    SlimChance
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    What are TV movies? Is that when there was no Netflix and the Radio Times scheduled the riding?

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    Also an "UP" fan, as long as we're talking the animated film ,grumpy old git, house with balloons , book of dreams.

    Certainly echoes life for a lot of ordinary folk like we.
    Man who catch fly with chopstick .... accomplish anything.

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    I'll watch 'The ABC Murders'; a three-parter starting on Boxing Day, if only to moan about whoever it is playing Poirot isn't half as good as David Suchet was. A cracking yarn, sure it won't disappoint

    Other than that there's the continuous loop of Carry On...films on ITV3, a now traditional feature of Bank Holidays

    Has anyone dipped into the 'Talking Pictures' channel?

    https://talkingpicturestv.co.uk/

    There's plenty of interesting, off-beat stuff on there, notably many largely-forgotten English films from the '50s and '60s, most of them in black-and-white: a much underrated medium

  9. #8
    Senior Member Desert Orchid's Avatar
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    Yes, I like checking the channel out because I reckon some of the old B&W films are a lot better than their under-the-radar status. Some of those films just suck you in straight away with either the dialogue, acting or direction or a combination of them.
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  10. #9
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    I’m a massive fan on ‘Talking Pictures’ too! Some great tv series - Public Eye; The Human Jungle; Scales of Justice - and some terrific B movies, including the Edgar Wallace series. Christmas is sure not to disappoint either.

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