Naughty and nice holiday flicks

By DEREK WALKER

With the holiday movie season already in full swing, there are only a few weeks left to get your obligatory holiday flicks out of the way. Here’s a trusty guide to what films are naughty or nice:

“A Very Brady Christmas”

It’s said that it’s better to give than to receive, and in most cases that is true. But when the cast of “The Brady Bunch” regrouped and gift-wrapped this dud, all bets were off. The 1988 TV “special” brought little holiday cheer, as each of the Brady kids faced a different personal crisis, including an amusing subplot in which Bobby drops out of graduate school to pursue his dreams of becoming a race car driver. Cheesy, hokey and of the times, there is nothing more disappointing than a blue Christmas with the Brady clan.

Naughty

“Home Alone”

If you’ve ever used the phrase, “Buzz, your girlfriend: Woof!” in everyday rhetoric, you’re not alone. Director Chris Columbus discovered brilliance in the 1990s with “Home Alone,” perhaps the most quotable, most relatable holiday movie of the last quarter century. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, who portray the wet bandits, literally steal every scene in which they appear, turning their lumps of coal into one collective, sparkling diamond. Merry Christmas, you filthy animals.

Nice

“Jingle All the Way”

There are two types of people in this world: those who adore the comedic genius of Sinbad, and those who do not. In either event, “Jingle All the Way” satisfies the forbidden yuletide cravings of any fan of mid-90s cinema. Featuring candy cane-toting little people, poor child acting, candy cane-toting big people, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the king of windbreakers himself, it is clear why this movie has attained cult-like status in recent years. And yet, it remains unclear as to why Sinbad struggles to find work.

Nice

“The Star Wars Holiday Special”

For those keeping count, George Lucas made the naughty list long before this year’s “Clone Wars” debacle. Turns out Lucas has been sabotaging his own masterwork for the better part of the last three decades, starting with this 1978 snoozer. This regrettable two-hour nightmare aired a year after “A New Hope” hit theaters and is the made-for-TV equivalent of a gag gift. Holly, jolly Wookies and Bea Arthur’s creepy song and dance number are enough to can this Christmas ham.

Naughty

“Jack Frost”

With the exception of “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” movies in which the main characters die and then come back to life usually fail. In 1998s “Jack Frost,” Michael Keaton’s character dies in a car accident for some reason, later to be revived as a talking snowman. No joke. That, coupled with atrocious acting from the leads, puts this film on thin ice. While he was a most respectable Batman, Keaton’s stiff performance in this bomb leaves viewers out in the cold.

Naughty