The Funniest Holiday Movies of All Time

Alex Leo • Operation Itch Contributor

Now I know I’m jumping the gun here becauseFour Christmases hasn’t opened yet and any movie that combines the humor of Jon Voight with the understated elegance of Vince Vaughan is sure to be a winner, but I thought I’d risk it and come out with my list of the funniest holiday movies of all time today.

10) Tadpole – In this odd, Voltaire-ridden coming of age story, we follow a young man in his quest to sleep with his stepmother. It’s not a perfect film, it’s lacking visually and some of the dialogue falls flat, but it is hilarious when it wants to be and Bebe Neuwirth is awe-inspiring both in her comic timing and sex appeal.

9) The Muppet Christmas Carol – My favorite part of these movies was always the lack of differentiation between people and muppets, and who better to throw into the mix than the stuffy and sweet Michael Caine. Both hilarious and delightful, the movie makes you feel better about a season so often characterized by greed.

8) Planes, Trains and Automobiles – This movie teaches us an important lesson: You should always make sure you are reaching for a towel and not John Candy’s underwear. Funnier than the film itself, is this mash-up of it and Brokeback Mountain: 

#7- #1 after the break

Five Sexist Trends the Advertising World Just Can’t Shake

 Alex Leo • Operation Itch Contributor
This was a big year for women: The first serious female presidential candidate, the firstpredominately female state senate, the first female Top Chef. Yet the advertising world has not caught up to the advances of half our population and continues to use stereotypes and violence to prey on our most vile desires. Here are the worst of them–the trends that won’t die despite our cultural outrage, and personal boredom.

BONDAGE - This year Remy Martin debuted it’s “things are getting interesting” campaign that features a mediocre Website and a series of billboards/magazine spreads depicting women in degrading bondage positions. You may think, “hey this one shows two women, there aren’t even men involved, how can it be sexist?” But most of the ads (not available online) have men between the two women in controlling positions. And even without that, these women are obviously putting on a show for an outsider, not having a passionate lesbian love affair for themselves. These types of ads gain traction in cultural periods of female advancement–capturing the fantasy of “putting us back where we belong.”

Remy Martin describes its followers as“influential, social, and multicultural urban males, ages 25 to 35.” Men of this ilk and age range (read: over 16) should know better than to fall for this kind of pandering. If we switch the view from this being sexy, to this being a pathetic attempt to make an undersexed male feel powerful in the face of female accomplishment, the image loses its appeal. I would like to start a “things that are not interesting” campaign, which would include men insecure enough about themselves that they can’t talk to women who aren’t physically degraded. I would also include cognac.

RAPE – The world of high fashion has been the worst offender in the violence-as-art game. Cavalli hadpirates, Chanel had a wife beater, and now Dolce and Gabbana has this.

Let’s get this out there now: It’s not edgy, it’s ridiculous. This is a gang rape, and any woman that sees those shoes instead of that message deserves those shoes. Any man who doesn’t see that this is rape is probably looking at one of the hard bodies in the background and therefore not really a threat to women.