I wasn't planning on making this a list of holiday-themed recordings, so much as a list of good movies that are airing over the holiday period. As it turns out, the two go hand in hand. So without further ado, here's my top 5 list of movies running on basic cable over the next week:- Comedy Central is running Bad Santa several times on 12/24 and 12/25. If you've ever wondered what life is like for those department store Santas, I really hope this movie doesn't provide a glimpse of the truth.
- TBS is running a 24 hour marathon of A Christmas Story starting at 8PM on the 12/24, and running through 8PM on 12/25. Somehow this irreverent tale of a kid in search of a BB gun has become a classic, shown almost as often during the holidays as It's a Wonderful Life.
- Love, Actually. USA Network, 6AM EST on 12/25. Love, Actually isn't so much a holiday movie as a film that takes place against a holiday backdrop. I dare you to watch it and not wind up smiling. And with a 6AM time slot, this is the sort of show that PVRs were created to record.
- Spirited Away. Cartoon Network, 7PM EST on 12/25. Hayao's Miyazaki's modern fairy tale of a young girl who wanders into a world filled with witches, gods, and monsters. The animation is amazing, and a nice change of pace from anything you or your kids are likely to see from most American cartoons.
- Ghostbusters. Comedy Central, 4:30PM EST on 12/22 and 11AM EST on 12/23. It seems like Ghostbusters II is always showing on sable cable television channel or other. But the original film about paranormal investigators over their heads doesn't come on nearly as often. This is a great chance to catch it.
