Bargain-bin holiday flicks

By Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

There are only so many times you can watch "It's a Wonderful Life" before the holiday cheer cools and you start to feel like you're becoming George Bailey yourself -- the pre-Clarence Bailey, not the happy one. Likewise, "Halloween's" haunting little theme worked the first few decades, but today's jaded audiences have grown more comfortable -- probably too comfortable -- with Michael Myers and his spooky theme song.

The animated "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and Michael Mann's "Public Enemies" are this year's major releases over the Fourth of July weekend, which is usually given over to the latest Will Smith epic. But until Congress acts to rename the holiday, "Big Willy Weekend," we're stuck with the same old patriotic fireworks movies from decades ago. It's "Yankee Doodle Dandy" or bust.

So what's a movie buff to do when the old classics have worn thin and economic times are tight. It turns out the bargain bin is the ideal place to look for the next great DVD holiday classic. To aid in the sifting, we've presented alternative classics for every major holiday. Enjoy!