Monday, December 02, 2019

The 12 Days of Christmas Movie Tag

Time for a festive movie tag!  I came up with this idea a few months ago and have been waiting so eagerly for December so I could share it with you :-)


Rules:

#1 Use a different movie for each prompt
#2 Add photos and/or explanations of how your choices fit the prompts
#3 Tag a few friends to play along

(They're more like guidelines, actually.  Just so you know.)

My reviews linked to titles where applicable :-)

1. A Partridge in a Pear Tree -- movie that involves agriculture

Friendly Persuasion (1956).  Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, and Anthony Perkins play Quaker farmers grappling with how their beliefs clash with the world around them during the American Civil War.  Which doesn't sound like a comedy, but I consider it one anyway.


2.  Turtledoves -- movie about a long-lasting relationship

Giant (1956).  Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor play a married couple whose life together we trace for more than twenty-five years.  This is a movie I grew up with.


3.  French Hens -- movie that takes place in France

Chocolat (2000).  Juliette Binoche meets Johnny Depp in France, and there's a lot of chocolate involved.  Totally delicious, and I need to review it one of these days.


4.  Calling Birds -- movie where people talk on the phone

Bells are Ringing (1960).  Judy Holliday works for a phone answering service (because answering machines and voicemail hadn't been invented yet), and she falls in love with one of her clients, Dean Martin, who thinks she's a matronly older woman.  Musical comedy hijinks ensue.


5.  Golden Rings -- movie with multiple romances

The Holiday (2006).  Both recently heartbroken, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz are total strangers who switch houses with each other for a few weeks, one travelling to LA and one to Britain.  They then find new romance while on vacation in each others' worlds.  It all involves Jude Law at his yummiest, plus Jack Black, Rufus Sewell, and a darling Eli Wallach.


6.  Geese A-laying -- movie with a birth or that features babies

Stagecoach (1939).  While under threat of hostile Indians and other dangers, a woman (Louise Platt) gives birth to her first child with only strangers, her fellow stagecoach passengers, to help her.  That's a small piece of the story, but an important one that affects everyone.


7.  Swans A-swimming -- movie where someone goes swimming

Hamlet (2000)  Julia Stiles, as Ophelia, literally goes swimming, imagines she's swimming, and eventually drowns herself.  One of my absolute favorite Hamlet productions.


8.  Maids A-milking -- movie with cows

Witness (1985).  Harrison Ford plays a Philly cop who hides out with the Amish while protecting a murder witness.  He learns to milk cows.  And has to wake up really early to do so.


9.  Ladies Dancing -- movie with a dance scene

Emma (1996).  Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Toni Collette, and Jeremy Northam do quite a bit of dancing.  Alan Cumming, however, is an old married man whose dancing days are sadly over.  This is my favorite Jane Austen movie adaptation.


10.  Lords A-leaping -- movie about athletes

Chariots of Fire (1981).  True story about a bunch of Olympic runners who have powerful religious beliefs.  And run a lot.  On the beach, through the school, around race tracks, wherever they can.


11.  Pipers Piping -- movie with someone playing a musical instrument

That Thing You Do! (1996).  A band of young musicians almost makes it really big in the '60s music scene, guided by music producer Tom Hanks.  I can't believe I've never reviewed this movie!  I adore it for its cheerful, happy-go-lucky vibe.


12.  Drummers Drumming -- movie with characters in the military

The Patriot (2000).  Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, the American Revolution -- something for everyone here!  One of the first movies I saw multiple times in the theater.


Now, I said that those rules were more like guidelines, actually.  I'm going to break one of them by not tagging anyone with this because... I don't feel like it.  If you want to do this on your own blog, then consider yourself tagged with it!

43 comments:

  1. Aw, what a neat tag! Love the tag and reading your answers for each. I may have to play along on this one!

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    1. DKoren, glad you got a kick out of it :-) Would love to see your answers too!

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    2. So, I did it! Just posted by answers.

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  2. Fun tag! I enjoyed reading your questions and answers. :)

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  3. I am so totally going to do this!! This is such a great idea for a tag!!! The only problem is that I can't think of another movie about athletes besides Chariots of Fire! My dad watches The Patriot whenever he can, but I've never paid much attention to it, but now that I know Heath Ledger is in it...

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    1. MC, how fun! I'm so excited you want to do this too. And you can totally use Chariots of Fire. But if you want to do all your own, there are lots of sports movies out there. Here's an enormous list on Wikipedia, if that helps.

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    2. Wow! Thanks for that list! It helps a lot, I looked through there and found a few others that I've seen.

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    3. You're welcome, MC!

      Most of the sports movies I've seen have been about baseball, hee.

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    4. I did it! It was a ton of fun, thanks for creating it!

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    5. Sweet! Off to check it out, MC :-)

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  4. Oooh, I might do this one! If I can think of enough movies, that is :D It looks like fun!!

    I love Chariots of Fire so much.

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    1. Katie, I hope you do! I'd love to see your answers :-)

      I do too. It's such an amazing film.

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    2. Good news!!! I was able to find 12 different movies to fill out the whole tag! Now I've just gotta finish my "why" captions and finding the pictures ;-)

      And the music!!! The music is PHENOMENAL.

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    3. Sweet!

      Yes. I have that soundtrack on LP. When I was a little kid, they played the main theme on the radio a lot, and I was obsessed. I called it "Running in the Water" and I wanted to hear it as often as possible.

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  5. My gosh! I though I'd come to the wrong blog for a moment!

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    1. VT, lol! Um, yes, I changed the header. Feeling all Christmasy :-)

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    2. Christmassy is good! I'm writing Christmas cards tonight while listening to the publicity radio show - "Behind the Scenes in Hollywood" - from 1945...https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Behind_the_Scenes_in_Hollywood

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    3. VT, I usually have my Christmas cards done and sent right after Thanksgiving, but I haven't even started them yet! Yikes!

      I love old radio shows, so thanks for the link :-)

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  6. Don't know if I'll actually do this. (If I'm really bored Saturday I may give it some thought.) But I already have one, in my inimitable way of twisting the intentions of the original plan... #6 Movies featuring giving birth: Alien. That scene where the alien pops out of the guy's chest is a great "birth" scene.

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    1. Quiggy, lol! Make it you, my friend. Twist it however you please!

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    2. Just a follow up. I did the whole thing and posted it.

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  7. I LOVE The Patriot. I watch it every Independence Day.

    Also, Emma. Still my favorite. Did you see the trailer for the new version coming out in Feb? Looks hilarious, but I'm still going to be partial to the Paltrow one. ;)

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    1. Charity, I love it too -- even made a sort of pilgrimage down to the area in SC where they filmed a lot of it. But I haven't managed to watch it again since Heath Ledger died. Every year, I think, "This year, I will!" and then I don't. I did upgrade my VHS copy to a DVD, though. So I WILL watch it again some day.

      And I don't think anyone who posts as many things with #janeausten attached on Instagram as I do can help having seen a LOT about the new Emma :-) It does look fun! But yeah... the Paltrow version will always be MY Emma.

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  8. Ive got three where someone has a baby. CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN(MYRNA LOY), TENDER COMRADE(GINGER ROGERS), and YOURS, MINE AND OURS (LUCILLE BALL). Classic TV Fan

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  9. I love this concept. :D Working on my answers! I think I'm going to release them closer to Christmas, though . . . or maybe not . . . hmm.

    Bells Are Ringing looks promising! Shall have to keep an eye out for that one.

    I just watched That Thing You Do! earlier this year and really enjoyed it.

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    1. Also, who's that on your header? I feel like he's Significant but I can't place him.

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    2. Olivia, Bells are Ringing is a little... wacky. In a fun, lighthearted way, but it does get a bit silly. Zany, even. So watch it when you're in the mood for such a thing! It's not quite a screwball comedy... but it's pretty close sometimes. But with music.

      Yay for another fan of That Thing You Do! :-D

      Ahhh, my new header :-D It's Bobby Darin. I don't 100% love it cuz the picture of him on the left has this weird pinkish filter in every single version I could find, and nothing my (very rudimentary) photo-adjusting skills could do would remove it, so I tried to make the other photo sorta match it, but it's all SO PINK that it bothers me a little. I'm going to try messing with it again at some point, but... it works for now.

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    3. Love this tag, Hamlette! Such a great idea. I saw Giant for the first time this year and it's the kind of movie once you've seen it, you can never forget. So many great lessons in it and done on such an impressive, huge scale. I've started Bells are Ringing but need to finish it. I loved what I saw and really like the fun vibe of the movie. I'll definitely be doing this tag on my blog, thanks in advance for the idea!

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    4. Classic Movie Muse, I'm so glad you like it!

      I grew up watching Giant, and it is definitely one that is indelibly inscribed on me in so many ways. Such a fantastic, sprawling, rangy movie.

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    5. Hi Hamlette, I just got my answers up! I had a blast putting it together and discovered a few new movies as a result. Thanks again for creating it!

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    6. Classic Movie Muse, great! I will check that out :-)

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  10. What a fun idea. I'm participating in something similar with Once Upon a Screen's #payitforward tag and I interpreted some of the lyrics exactly the same as you did without knowing it!

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    1. Thanks, Brittaney! How fun that we had some similar ideas about ways to use this song :-)

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  11. This looks fun! I think I'm going to have to do this tag, just a couple years late.

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    1. Johanna, that would be so awesome! Come back and leave me a link when you do so I can be sure to read it :-D

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    2. I have my link up now! https://oldbooksandmovies.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-12-days-of-christmas-movie-tag.html
      I had a lot of fun doing it. :)

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    3. Johanna, that's so cool! I will check it out. Glad you had fun with it!

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  12. I did this tag last year and had a lot of fun with it, and I was wondering if it would be okay if I did it this year with books instead of movies?

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    1. Johanna, absolutely! In fact, I did that very thing myself on my book blog a year after I did this one. So there's a bookish version of the button over there if you want it :-)

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    2. Thanks! I will check out the bookish button. 😀

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