Best Thanksgiving Movies

In October we have plenty of well known Halloween themed movies ("The Nightmare Before Christmas", "Hocus Pocus", "Halloween" series, "Sleepy Hollow", "Casper"). And of course there are hundreds of Christmas themed movies. The animated "Free Birds" is out now to help represent Thanksgiving some more, but Thanksgiving tends to get passed over on the big screen. However, there are plenty of good movies that feature the holiday.

Pieces of April (2003) - "Pieces of April" is one of the best Thanksgiving movie of the bunch. Part comedy, part drama, this indie flick stars Katie Holmes, Patricia Clark, Oliver Platt & Alison Pill. April (Holmes) is the older, rebellious daughter of a highly dysfunctional family, and she's never gotten along with her cancer-stricken mother (Clark). She decides to have Thanksgiving in her apartment on the lower east side of Manhattan. Of course, her stove breaks among other obstacles. It's a quick moving film that has a satisfying ending.

Addams Family Values (1993) - The movie is set during the summer, but one of the best moments of the film comes when the summer camp that Wednesday (Christina Ricci) & Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) were sent to. They are forced to act in a play about the first Thanksgiving. Wednesday doesn't take this lightly, and concocts a devious plan to turn the production upside down, as her and her fellow misfits acting as Native Americans burn the pilgrim village to the ground and take back their land. Joan Cusack also delivers an outstanding performance as the villain you just can't help but laugh with, Debbie.

Tower Heist (2011) - Well you can tell from the title that the film includes a heist. The people who work in a high-rise apartment building find out a wealthy tenant was operating a ponzi scheme and their money is gone. They decide to break into his apartment during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since that is when his hearing is. The comedy stars Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Alan Alda, Gabourey Sidibe, & Tea Leoni.

The Ice Storm (1997) - Set across Thanksgiving weekend of 1973, 'The Ice Storm' is a drama that takes a look at life in the affluent suburbs of New York City, taking a look at the political climate as well as the sexual revolution of the early 1970s. Yes, that means a Key Party. It all happens during a pretty nasty ice storm (which, is what much of the country may experience this year). It features Christina Ricci (Queen of 90s movies), Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, Kevin Kline, Tobey Maguire, Elijah Wood, Allison Janney & Katie Holmes. Holmes was also in the Thanksgiving themed bomb 'Jack & Jill' in 2011, making that 3 Thanksgiving set films.

Home For The Holidays (1995) - Jodie Foster directed this film that deals with a woman who was just fired from her job that decides to spend Thanksgiving at her parents. Its a Dramedy in the same vein as "Pieces of April", while also packing quite the cast that features Claire Danes, Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Charles Dunning, Anne Bancroft, Steve Guttenberg & Dylan McDermott.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) - This comedy classic directed by John Hughes and starring Steve Martin & John Candy tackles Holiday travel as Neal Page (Martin) trying to get home to his family in Chicago for Thanksgiving, which is complicated by a run-in with Gel Griffith (Candy).

And don't forget these favorites: 'Grumpy Old Men', 'Hannah & Her Sisters', 'Alice's Restaurant', 'Funny People', and 'The House of Yes'.

Best Quotes From 'Hocus Pocus'

Its been 20 years since 'Hocus Pocus' entered our lives and became one of the greatest Halloween themed movies of all time. It didn't break any records at the box office, though it was released in July. Whose genius decision was that? Regardless, it became a monster hit on VHS, then DVD and eventually Blu Ray as well as a Television staple that gets shown multiple times every fall (and even sometimes throughout the year). This cult classic will forever be a Halloween staple now, even if those damn critics gave it mediocre reviews. They missed just how quotable and endearing this whimsical film is. Here are some of the best quotes:

1. Jay and Ernie aka ICE are possibly the greatest high school bullies of all time, and here is one scene chock full of their quotes when they run into Max (Omri Katz) in the graveyard.
                       
"Got any cash...Hollywoooooood?" "They're very health conscious in Los Angeles." "Check out the new cross trainers."

2. "I don't have any, what do you call them Max, yabbos? Max likes your yabbos. In fact, he loves them." -Dani (Thora Birch) to Allison (Vinessa Shaw)

3. "What are you supposed to be? A new kid on the block?" "For your information he's a Little Leaguer!" - Jay & Dani

4. "Thank you Max, for that mahhhhvelous introduction." -Winifred (Better Midler), because it is exactly how you'd imagine Bette Midler as a 17th century witch would say that.

5. "Aw man, how come it's the ugly chicks that always stay out late?" - Jay to Winifred, Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) & Mary (Kathy Najimy).

6. "We desire...Children." "Hey it may take me a couple tries but I don't think that would be a problem." - Winifred to the bus driver. Disney just loves to slip sexual innuendo's into family movies.

7. "Why was I cursed with such idiot sisters!" "Just lucky I guess." - Winifred & Sarah.

8. "Sisters look, it's the chocolate covered finger of a man named Clark." - Mary, about a Clark Bar.

9. Sarah yelling "Amok!" over and over before Winifred hits her.

10. "You wanna look in windows and watch babes undress?" "It's 3AM, they're undressed already." Ice & Jay before getting caught by the Sanderson Sisters.

90s Family Movies You Shouldn't Forget

The 90s were a great time for G & PG-rated movies. The many animated Pixar and Disney films that came out in the 90s will never be forgotten, as well as other hits like Beethoven, Home Alone & Hocus Pocus. However, there were plenty more that you may not have seen in a long time, and you should remember. You don't have to line up your Beanie Babies and pop in the VHS anymore to watch them, but if they ever come on TV, don't change the channel.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993). If you've forgotten Chance, Shadow and Sassy, then you should turn in your 90s kid card. This is a remake of a 1963 original simply called The Incredible Journey, but this is one of the rare examples where the remake is better. The voice cast is pretty top notch as well. Michael J. Fox voiced Chance the American Bulldog, Sally Field was Sassy the cat, and Don Ameche was Shadow the Golden Retriever. Clearly the three pets go on an incredible journey (Duh!) when they think their family left them. When they finally return home, you probably cried when just Sassy & Chance came up the hill. And then a wave of happiness swept over you when the old Shadow finally showed up for a satisfyingly happy 90s ending.

We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993). This was produced by Steven Spielberg's animation studio  Amblimation, and came out in the fall after Spielberg's blockbuster Jurassic Park. Genius! It should be considered one of the top non-Disney/Pixar animated films of the 90s. Does it get better than watching lovable, friendly dinosaurs on an adventure to try and get into the Museum of Natural History? At one point, they get disguised as Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade floats. And in real life, they created an actual balloon for the 1993 Thanksgiving parade, which is infamous for having the head of the Rex balloon get pierced by a street light. Now that's how you create some buzz.

The Land Before Time Series. The original Land Before Time actually came out in 1988, and was a big VHS hit during the 90s. It also spawned a ton of direct-to-video sequels throughout the 90s, that were probably only beaten in persistence by all those endless Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen movies. More on them later. Again, maybe the massive popularity of Jurassic Park had something to do with that. Here's to hoping that Jurassic Park 4 will once again spawn some more dinosaur hysteria in the entertainment world.

Jumanji (1995). Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt, David Alan Grier and Robin Williams, during the height of his popularity, brought this unique tale to life. Everyone wanted a real version of this jungle board game that comes to life after seeing the film. We're still patiently waiting. We also never got a sequel, even though the open-ended ending might have allowed for one. It probably would've sucked though. By the way, the two kids who hear the beating board game in the sand at the end were speaking French. I always thought it was Chinese, please tell me I'm not the only one?

It Takes Two (1995). Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen were 90s royalty. The Full House stars also became billionaires at a young age thanks to owning Dualstar, their video company, which made all their films from 1993-2004. The only one Dualstar didn't was 1992's Christmas classic To Grandmother's House We Go. The best of all their movies though, is It Takes Two, also starring Kirstie Alley, Steve Guttenberg and Jane Sibbett (Carol from Friends!). The film is pretty typical & predictable, but a fun one at that. Not to mention it does a solid job capturing day camp in the 90s.

The Rugrats Movie (1998). Nickelodeon did a very smart thing by starting their movie studio during the 90s, the greatest time for the network. Harriet the Spy, Good Burger (with Kenan Thompson pre-SNL) and Snow Day are all classics for 90s kids, but The Rugrats Movie was without a doubt the biggest of all. The show ran from 1991-2004 on Nickelodeon, and the film came out during the best years of the show. It was so big that the theme song for the film, "Take Me There" by Blackstreet & Mya reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song incorporates the actual theme song from the show.

Halloween Playlist

Happy Halloween! Need a Halloween themed playlist to scare up your day? I've thought up a few obvious and not so obvious songs for you to listen to or download.

1. The Beatles - "Revolution 9". The experimental avant garde track from 1968's The White Album is 8 minutes of "What the fuck?" It doesn't make sense, but a fun song to listen to around this time of year for its creepy sounds filled throughout. 

2. Michael Jackson - "Thriller". Well, this is the obvious one. The music video is the way to go, and pretty much everyone has heard this song and seen the video already. Listening to this around Halloween is the same as watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." A must for everyone. 

3. The Rolling Stones - "Sympathy for the Devil". A song sung from the point of view of Lucifer himself, the devil. Is there anything else you need to know? 

4. Bette Midler - "I Put a Spell on You". Not originally her song, but this version stands out for being in the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus. And there's Sarah Jessica Parker pre-Sex and the City. 

5. The Cranberries - "Zombie". Zombies are in right now more than ever thanks to the massive record breaking success of The Walking Dead. 

6. Stevie Wonder - "Superstition". Possibly his most famous song, its also another perfect song for Halloween. The song brings up many of the popular superstitions that exist in our culture. 

7. U2 - "Until the End of the World". This one is especially good for the 2012 edition of Halloween, with all the Mayan calendar hooplah going on. 

8. The Nightmare Before Christmas cast - "This is Halloween". The song is made specifically for today's holiday, and is best listened to while watching the scene in the film itself.

9. David Bowie - "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)". You can tell this is creepy from the title, and the song is about a woman who turns mad. 

10. Lady Gaga - "Judas". How about a more recent song? Its not really about the devil, the devil is more of a metaphor in this song. Plus, Lady Gaga tends to scare some people, as well as dress up like its Halloween more than just on October 31. 

Halloween Classic: Hocus Pocus

ABC Family's 13 Night of Halloween is back, and it kicked off with the 1993 Disney cult classic, Hocus Pocus! The movie stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters, the witches who have come back from being dead for 300 years thanks to a virgin lighting the black flame candle.

However, this is not to talk about the film itself. This is a plea to Disney to release a Special Edition Hocus Pocus on DVD. Currently the DVD is bare bones. No deleted scenes or special features like documentaries and such. The film is a cult classic and every Halloween people buy up the DVD and anticipate it being on TV. I'm surprised it hasn't been released with additional content. We know there are scenes that were in the trailer but not in the film. One such shows the sisters in a supermarket.

Maybe there will be something going on for 2013, which will be the 20th Anniversary. Yes, that will make everyone feel old. There have also been rumors of a sequel. Hopefully if there is one, it has the original cast. I don't think people would be excited about one of those direct-to-DVD films with new people playing the characters.

Show your support, E-Mail Disney and ask them to release a Special Edition of Hocus Pocus on DVD and Blu Ray! Hurry, go now, I put a spell on you.

Also, this site has pictures of the filming locations in Salem, Massachusetts as they look now. Some of them look the same!