Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas: Revised & Updated Edition

(Paperback, 2nd Revised edition)

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Don't waste a second of your valuable holiday time on another boring Christmas movie. In this merry and informative guide, film critic Alonso Duralde takes us on a tinsel-bedecked tour of the bestand worstfilms of the Yuletide season. Whether you're looking for the classics, family favorites, holiday horror, seasonally themed crime epics, or the most wonderfully awful cinematic lumps of coal, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas serves up delightful recommendations in prose as brisk as a winter sleighride. From White Christmas to Bad Santa, Eyes Wide Shut to Gremlins, you'll find a marvelously electic selection of holiday fare and a thorough breakdown of the many screen Scrooges, including Alistair Sim, Jim Carrey, and ...Tori Spelling And get ready to encounter movies you may never have heard of, from the gritty noir Blast of SIlence (filmed in New York City over Christmas 1959 without a single permit), to the loony Santa Claus, a Mexican kiddie movie in which St. Nick teams up with Merlin to fight the devil! Fun facts abounddid you know the actor cast as Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life was also in the running to play mean old Mr. Pottermaking this a stocking stuffed with goodies you'll turn to every Christmas season.

This fully revised and updated edition includes all Christmas movies of note to have been released in the fifteen years since the first edition was published, as well as gems omitted from the first edition.

Reviews

Alonso Duralde is no Scrooge when it comes to updating his useful and entertaining book on Christmas movies. Whats more, he has added write-ups of three personal favorites: Arthur Christmas, Mrs. Santa Claus, and The Holdovers. His writing remains as sharp and perceptive as evera gift that keeps on giving. * Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian *
Alonso and I have been a part of many engaging movie arguments. We usually agree. Never more than on whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie (of course it is). Turns out I have the right guy in my corner. Alonso is Americas foremost expert on Christmas movies - on why we love them, why they matter, and yes, why they qualify. * Ben Mankiewicz, host, Turner Classic Movies *
On the first day of Christmas, Alonso Duralde was there to chronicle every holiday movie worth knowing about. He's the great master of a genre that's snowballed into an industry juggernaut, and a witty guide through everything from gems to stinkers -- even the forgotten flops that are so terrible he suggests spinning them into an eggnog drinking game. If he's hosting, I'm there. * Amy Nicholson, film critic, Los Angeles Times *
Unless you're a grinch, 'tis always the season for Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, Alonso Duralde's enjoyable, encyclopedic and exuberant celebration of all films Yuletide and Yuletide-adjacent. As for me, I savored it over a couple of hours accompanied by a roaring fire in the hearth, a hot toddy, and a warm batch of Italian holiday cookies. * Stephen Rebello, author, Criss Cross: The Making of Strangers on a Train, Hitchcocks Dazzling, Subversive Masterpiece *
No one knows Christmas movies like Alonso Duralde. With wit and insight, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas isnt just a guide; it's a behind-the-scenes pass to the heart of holiday cinema. Whether you're searching for a hidden gem or revisiting a beloved classic, Alonso delivers the perfect blend of expertise and Christmas spirit. Consider your holiday watchlist officially upgraded! * Brian Earl, author and podcast host, Christmas Past *
Ever wish you had a friend you could ask about literally any kind of Christmas movie Well, you dohis name is Alonso Duralde, and he wrote it all down for you! * Tim Babb, host, Can't Wait for Christmas podcast *
Alonso Duralde shows why he's the King of Holly Jolly Cinema in this essential book. I thought I knew Christmas movies, but Alonso's book introduced me to dozens of titles I had never even heard of, right alongside annual favorites from It's a Wonderful Life to Die Hard. A must-read for those of us making our yearly holiday viewing lists and checking them twice. * Emily St. James, author, Woodworking *
A few things are beyond dispute: Die Hard is a Christmas movie, Meet Me in St. Louis is the greatest Christmas movie, and there is no more knowledgeable or more companionable guide to the weird and wonderful world of Christmas movies than Alonso Duralde. Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas is the best kind of yule log: warmly written, generously insightful and mind-bogglingly comprehensive, it positively bursts with love for beloved favorites, undersung gems and memorable stinkers alike. And in this new edition, dazzlingly updated to reflect the last fifteen years worth of Christmas cinema, its the definition of a gift that keeps on giving. * Justin Chang, film critic, The New Yorker *

Author Bio

Alonso Duralde is the author of Hollywood Pride and the co-author of Ill Be Home for Christmas Movies. He co-hosts the podcasts Linoleum Knife (with his husband Dave White), Maximum Film!, Breakfast All Day, and Deck the Hallmark.