With all the different holidays in December, I'm sure a good majority of you received at least one gift at some point in the last week or so. And seeing as most of the folks who read this blog are serious movie nerds, we're guessing your gift(s) were related to movies in some way, shape or form. Perhaps you took our advice and purchased something from our should-be-award-winning Holiday Movie Junk series (which, due to its popularity, will continue into the new year under the title Movie Junk), or maybe you did your own research and smoked out a tasty little movie-related treat so random and so absurd that you're just dying to share it with someone else.

Me? I didn't get much. The only movie-related thing I really asked for was A Christmas Story on Blu-ray, which I received, but haven't watched yet. Like most of you, we kept our spending to a minimum this year. But I'm curious to hear what cool movie-related gear you all received. Let us know in the comments section below -- and try to tell us where it's from if it isn't obvious.

(This month we're bringing back some of our favorite holiday-related posts, as well as sharing some new ones. Happy Holidays!)

By: Christopher Campbell (reprinted from December 25th, 2007)

Enough with the same old lists of favorite holiday movies! Every year, I see the same entries, probably because there hasn't been a good Christmas movie in years. At least here at Cinematical we shake things up a bit and present you with our favorite Christmas horror, favorite Christmas action, favorite holiday musicals, favorite Christmas movies for Jews, favorites you probably haven't seen, favorite R-rated Christmas, Scrooge's favorites, least favorite obnoxious Christmas comedies and we have a guy who really hates the usual favorites, including A Christmas Story.

Last year we also had a list of non-Christmas movies set during Christmas. Somewhat similar to that, I present you with my favorite non-Christmas movies NOT set during Christmas. I know, that just defines any movie that isn't a holiday movie. I could pick ... Old School ... or The Hunt for Red October. But there's actually some logic here. On Christmas I like to avoid all true holiday movies, whether they are about Christmas, set at Christmas, make fun of Christmas, steal Christmas, blow sh*t up at Christmas, whatever. Yet there is enough holiday spirit in me to choose movies that could almost just barely be associated with Christmas, at least for me. So, if you're tired of It's a Wonderful Life, Gremlins, Home Alone, Santa Claus: The Movie, or whatever you normally watch today, try out one or seven of these:

Droidel Droidel Droidel
I made it out of a PDF file
Droidel Droidel Droidel
It makes nerdy Jew-boys smile

Yes, that's right, Hanukkah celebrators! Now you can finally make your own Hanukkah dreidel Droidel and spin it till the Banthas come home! OK, so maybe it's not as cool as the Mos Eisley Cantina Christmas Tree Ornament Collection that my next door neighbor has, and it's definitely not as cool as the full-size Death Star that my dad is building in orbit around Pluto ... but really, Star Wars + Hanukkah goes together like peanut butter + motor oil. So enjoy!

Thanks to StarWars.com for the high holiday hilarity (and head over there to learn how to make your own Star Wars Droidel). Looking forward to their Obi-Wan afikomen and the Kit Fisto sukkah set.

On Christmas Day, Last Chance Harvey will go into limited release and give us a Christmas treat. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, and it's almost like seeing what would've happened if Stranger Than Fiction's Professor Jules Hilbert met and romanced Karen Eiffel. I always wonder what sort of romance could have blossomed between Jules and Karen, and since this is the holiday season, it got me thinking about characters who should reunite and deal with the holidays on the big screen.

The first that came to mind was Jesse and Celine -- our beloved Before Sunrise and Before Sunset characters. After Richard Linklater created a billowing, world-wide sigh with the ending of the second film, audiences have been itching to find out what happens next, so why not a thoughtful piece that takes place over the course of the holidays? It wouldn't work to add a million people into the mix, but I'm sure the pair would find a lot to say about Christmas, and maybe we could finally see how the pair survive in the real (albeit Santa-laced) world.

Beyond the realm of indie romance, can you imagine a certain Miles and Jack taking a New Years Eve trip back to wine country? Pineapple Express getting hidden in a Christmas gift? The Wonder Boys going on a new snow-filled adventure?

Are there any characters you would love to see in the holiday setting? Are any just perfect for dealing with a Winter Wonderland?

(This month we're bringing back some of our favorite holiday-related posts, as well as sharing some new ones. Happy Holidays!)

By: Scott Weinberg (reprinted from December 7, 2006.)

OK, with a name like "Weinberg," I wouldn't blame you for questioning my expertise in the arena of "Christmas." But I've been a big fan of the holiday, the season and (yes) even the music since I was old enough to ask my parents "Why don't Jews believe in Santa Claus?" (I stumped her on that one, I think.) And one of my very favorite things about Christmas are the traditional movies. (In my house, "traditional" Christmas movies include Scrooged, A Christmas Story, Gremlins, Die Hard, Black Christmas, Bad Santa and Christmas Vacation.) So when the newest crop of Xmas flicks hits the scene each year, I try to keep an eye out for the solid ones -- and then yesterday I saw a trailer for something called Deck the Halls.

Now, obviously one cannot judge a film without having seen the thing, but -- holy moley does this thing look like a cinematic abortion of the loudest and most hellaciously obnoxious order. Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick play a pair of neighbors who'll stop at nothing to prevent each other from having the flashiest Xmas-house on the block. Expect 79 minutes of horrible slapstick schtick by hateful characters and 11 minutes of warmed-up seasonal "warmth" that fits into the movie about as well as a tongue-kiss fits in at the dentist's office.

So anyway, the Deck the Halls trailer reminded me -- hey, there's been a whole BUNCH of really rotten Christmas comedies over the past few decades! At least seven, anyway! Which brings us to the list; all naughty, no nice.

I'm sure it's a tradition in your family to watch A Christmas Story at least once during the holiday season. As the film has grown in popularity over the years, folks have gone out of their way to cherish it -- like that dude who bought the original house in Cleveland and turned it into a museum. There was an actual Christmas Story fan convention this year, too, and I'm sure more than a few kids will try to stick their tongues to something cold this winter ... just to see if it really sticks. (Warning: Yes, kids, it will really stick.)

Over at Mental Floss, they put together a list of 10 things you might not know about A Christmas Story. And as someone who thought he knew everything there was to know about this flick, I was pleasantly surprised to find some very cool tidbits in there. Like, for example, I did not know Jack Nicholson was originally up to play the part of the father. Yup. And, while I knew about one cruddy sequel, there were actually two! And one starred Jerry O'Connell as Ralphie! What about this: Did you know The Wonder Years was inspired by A Christmas Story? Not only that, but in one of the episodes, Peter Billingsley (Ralphie) plays one of Kevin Arnold's roommates. Very cool.

Check out the entire list over here. What's your favorite part of A Christmas Story? (Ahem, I like the Tin Man ...)

(This month we're bringing back some of our favorite holiday-related posts, as well as sharing some new ones. Happy Holidays!)

By: Patrick Walsh

Wonderful as the classic family Christmas movies can be, the overwhelming sugary sweetness in most of them can be a little off-putting to adult audiences. I know my friends tend to gravitate more towards the R-rated holiday fare -- Die Hard, Bad Santa, The Ref, etc. Lord knows Hollywood doesn't want to be bothered coming up with original ideas, so I'm proposing seven remakes of Christmas family classics -- souped up for 2008 and aimed at the 17+ crowd. I've set up the plots and even suggested a possible director for each. Enjoy...

Judd Apatow's Elf

40 year-old Buddy (Will Ferrell) learns that he is in fact a human, not an elf, and he has been kept from human experiences for his entire life. Buddy returns to Earth eager to make up for lost time, with the help of some wisecracking friends, played by Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd ("You know how I know you're gay? You're wearing yellow tights!"). They are more than willing to help him out, and so begins an epic quest to get Buddy laid -- though what Buddy really wants is love. He eventually finds it with the kind of girl who would totally go for an average-looking man/child in the Apatow universe -- Jessica Alba.

If you're looking to purchase a movie-inspired t-shirt for the film geek in your life this holiday season, there are literally tons of places to look online. And since we're now running this cool little Holiday Movie Junk feature for the next couple weeks, we'll definitely spotlight some of our favorites ... because every dude or dudette would be down with receiving a rad shirt underneath their Christmas (or Chanukah) tree, right?

First up, we have the website GoApeShirts.com. Aside from a bunch of really funky designs, this site boasts a pretty kick-ass collection of unique movie-inspired shirts -- like the three above, which happen to be my favorites.(C'mon, you know you want to rock out that Guitar Solo T-shirt!) You can scope out the images above in larger form below, and purchase these shirts right over here.



For more on what movie-inspired items to buy this holiday season, check out Moviefone's Holiday Gift Guide.

-- A bunch of early reviews for Quantum of Solace have arrived online, and the consensus seems to be that while exciting and fast-paced, it's not as good as Casino Royale. The Guardian adds, "I was disappointed there was so little dialogue, flirtation and characterization in this Bond: Forster and his writers Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade clearly thought this sort of sissy nonsense has to be cut out in favor of explosions. Well, perhaps that is what Bond fans want (not this Bond fan, though). But I was also baffled that relatively little was made of the deliciously villainous Amalric." [More reviews: Empire, BBC]

-- Black Film snagged a whole bunch of new images from the film Cadillac Records, starring Beyonce Knowles (in the blonde wig above), Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright and Columbus Short, among others.

-- Anne Pressley, a TV news reporter who also played Anne Coulter in Oliver Stone's W., was attacked in her home over the weekend -- beaten and stabbed several times -- and is suffering injuries that police say are "life-threatening". There are no suspects right now, however seeing as her purse was missing, police suggest a robbery.

-- Page Six claims Steve Carell is interested in remaking The Bobo (1967), which originally starred Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland. Story tells of an unsuccessful singing matador who's offered a prime gig, but only if he's able to convince a beautiful woman to spend the night with him. Word has it Eva Mendes is on the wish list to play that beautiful woman.

-- Several outlets threw a number of Nick Fury questions at Samuel L. Jackson during the Soul Men press junket, and the actor told IESB that, according to Jon Favreau, Fury will have a much more prominent role in the Iron Man sequel. Also on IESB: Daniel Craig talks about turning down the role Thor in Marvel's upcoming movie.

It's perhaps the most sought-after movie soundtrack of the year, and now it's kinda sorta available online for you to throw on in the background while you dream of sexy vampire boyfriends and ... dark stuff! Yup, looks like most of the upcoming Twilight soundtrack has hit YouTube, and it features songs from angsty bands like Linkin Park, Collective Soul, The Black Ghosts and -- wait for it -- the super misunderstood hottie Robert Pattinson himself on a tune called Never Think. (Tell me this guy Pattinson didn't pick the right movie to sign on to? I hope he sends his agent flowers and candy every single day.)

Other artists who appear on the pre-sold out album include Muse, Perry Farrell, Iron & Wine, Carter Burwell, MuteMath, Paramore and Blue Foundation. I've only listened to a few of the tunes (definitely dig the Collective Soul), and, ya know, it's Twilight -- so we're looking at darker, moodier, emo-esque vampire-ish tunes. For fans who don't want to listen to it on YouTube or wait until the album officially comes out on November 4th (pre-order it here), you can swing on by a Hot Topic store on Friday, October 24th at 7pm where they'll be hosting listening parties. We've posted the complete track list and a few of the songs after the jump. Enjoy.

Twilight storms theaters on November 21st.