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From my favorite movies..

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

I almost never review stuff that I've already seen before but I will make an exception if it's something that I rewatch because this is the only thing that I consistently rewatch. In fact, given my current state of movies, it might be the only thing period that I watch over and over. I am so glad to have kept this VHS all this year and I'll never let go of it. This is my pick for the all time best Christmas movie ever. Okay, it's not really a Christmas movie as it's only 25 minutes long. It's a Christmas special or whatever. Christmas related media, I think that works too. It's the only thing I consistently watch every year, at Christmas.This actually wasn't quite the first animated appearance of the "Peanuts" characters. They actually first appeared in the late 1950's in Ford commercials. This is obviously the first TV special they ever did. I think this even set a record for most follow ups on this entire website. I counted 51 last time! Well, none are direct sequels, but you get the idea. I've seen this dozens of times and can probably repeat the entire thing word for word. If real life is ever like "Fahrenheit 911" and we burn stuff, this is the work I'm able to recite. It's gotten to the point where I've noticed every single detail about it.I can even point out every animation error! When we see Lucy's psychiatrist stand, the word "Real In" is sitting on the bottom of the screen in a closeup. When the screen changes, we clearly see that the sign is right next to the other words. When Snoopy first appears on his doghouse, he isn't wearing his collar! I know every inch of this cartoon and am proud of it. What makes this so amazing is that there's just no attempt to be elaborate. Looking at most Christmas specials, they're big with Santa Claus imagery and the like. Instead, we get the most sincere Christmas related thing ever created. Charlie Brown even himself complains about the commercialism that we see relatively little of in the whole thing! Having seen nearly all the other "Peanuts" cartoons, this is the best as the first and it will never be surpassed.The best part is obviously when Linus talks about Jesus' birth. That is the true meaning of Christmas. Even if you don't believe it, just remember that it's all done for the sake of love. It's weird looking back at all the "Peanuts" comics and realizing what jokes they took from them. We're so familiar with this version. They did however invert it when it actually had Linus' famous speech being reused in a 1966 comic strip, actually. The weird thing is that if you think about it, we never really do find out what happens to the Christmas play. I guess we've reached the point where we don't care. Everyone has seen this already, but I'll never get over how great it is. It will last forever. ****

One year away from the 50th anniversary of A CHARLIE BROWN Christmas and it's continuing relevance it's impressive. I'm always (even just a little) surprised at how strongly I identify with Charlie Brown's struggle with the meaning of Christmas. He's trying to get at the fundamentals of the holiday, and it's increasingly difficult in our world to hold onto those. And even Linus' quoting of scripture at the end feels right (and I'm not a religious person). There's a purity of message here that's extremely refreshing. That said, this annual special is just another reason to hear Vince Guaraldi's iconic score. That guy's a national treasure and his work has only enriched the holiday music this country has to offer.7/10

Unlike simple video presentations, this timeless Christmas offering is bit of comfort food as much as it is a piece of Americana. Charile Brown searches for the meaning of Christmas, running into the utter commercialism we all deride (yet we fill up the shopping malls anyway). Charlie (who is abused at every turn) takes on the role of the director a Christmas play, much to the disdain of his peers. They continually refer to him as a blockhead. Even his dog enters a Christmas lighting contest, turning his doghouse into a showplace. As time passes, the din of the season overwhelms our young hero to where he can't stand it anymore. He must seek out the true meaning of the holiday. This is a precious offering, utilizing one of the most recognizable soundtracks in all of cinema, and seems to give us a little boost at the holiday season. See it an grab a little childhood.

Anyone who loves Christmas as much as I do knows that the number of TV Christmas specials out there is infinite, be it series having their own special episodes or stand alone events. Many of these specials are good but there are a select handful that rise above all the rest and one of these is 1965's "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Written by the legendary Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz himself, it follows Charlie Brown being down in the dumps (As usual) during what should be the happiest time of the year. He tries to find out why this is and through a series of events (Including a "therapy session" with Lucy) ends up the director of the school's annual Christmas pageant. The problem is, Charlie just doesn't know what in the world Christmas is all about and worse nobody seems to respect his authority since they go about dancing to that iconic Peanuts theme. In an attempt to set the right mood, Charlie gets that famous loopy Christmas tree and of course, everybody only mocks poor Charlie (Again, as usual). But just as it looks like all is lost, a wonderful miracle happens: people come to their senses and realize what Christmas really means. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" will go down in television history for many reasons, including its comedy, sarcasm, truth about human nature, commercialism versus the true meaning of the holidays, and splendid animation were the colors seem to just jump out at you. But above the show deserves to be celebrated for its truth; unlike many similar specials, Mr. Schultz is not afraid to bring in what Christmas is really all about, the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. For without him, this thing called Christmas would never be and we should never forget that. Of course, it always helps to have that adorable Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang around to add some much needed comedy. Credit should also go to Vince Guaraldi for that lovable theme and beautiful "Christmas time is here". It all combines everything to form a special that never fails to make me laugh and cry just a little bit at the end. So gather around folks and watch this Christmas classic. Oh and before I forget, Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!!!!!