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Office of County Executive
Mark A. Hackel
(586) 469-7001

Macomb Matters December 2014 Favorite Movies

Elected Officials

My favorite Christmas movie is The Polar Express. I love its message of “Believe.” There is a childhood innocence that is often lost as we become adults and I like how the movie portrays the importance of remaining youthful. -- Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel

Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. It's a hilarious movie that depicts some of the frustrations of the holiday season. -- Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham

My favorite holiday movie is A Christmas Story because it reminds me of my childhood. -- Macomb County Public Works Director Anthony Marrocco

For me, It’s a Wonderful Life captures the essence of the holiday season: the spirit of sacrifice and forgiveness, the healing power of love and the understanding that we stand tallest when we bend to help our fellow man. I’m overwhelmed by the movie every time I see it. -- Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith

Department Heads

Is there any Christmas movie other than White Christmas? -- Steve Mellen, Equalization director

A Christmas Story. I still laugh every time I see it as many scenes correlate with my own childhood and now with having my own family and daughter. It also brings back a lot of good memories from watching it as a kid with my family. -- Vicki Wolber, Emergency Management director

A Christmas Story (1983). It brings me back to my childhood when all I dreamed of was owning a BB gun. I still don't have one. -- Mark Deldin, deputy Macomb County executive

My favorite holiday movie is A Christmas Carol. Many versions have been done and my favorite is either the 1951 or 1984 version. It is my favorite for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was written by one of my favorite writers, Charles Dickens. Secondly, I favor period films. Finally, it is not only a wonderful story about redemption and forgiveness but raises some social awareness as well. -- Rhonda Westphal, Juvenile Justice Center director

A Christmas Carol, with George C. Scott as Scrooge. -- Bob Hoepfner, Macomb County Department of Roads director

I am probably the world's biggest fan of A Christmas Carol.  But I am NOT talking about the relatively recent versions, like the one with George C. Scott, or the one Jim Carrey did, or Patrick Steward or the Mr. Magoo one. These are all poor-to-terrible, and if you've seen one of them, then you haven't seen the movie at all. There are only two versions of A Christmas Carol as far as I'm concerned. Both are old black and white British films – it's right that they should be British since the tale was written by Charles Dickens (though one of them may have been colorized, which is fine), and both of them are quite wonderful.

The ones to search out are either the 1938 version starring Reginald Owen (Scrooge) and Gene Lockhart (Cratchit) or the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim and Mervyn Johns. These are both classics, with wonderful acting and great portrayals of what it was like to be rich or poor in Victorian England.

I love this movie for its great acting, its elegant presentation, and its viewpoint on humanity. It is unsentimental regarding our capacity for negligence and outright cruelty toward each other, but is sentimental without being soppy about our ability to choose to be better than we are. This message:  that we can choose to be better people – and by doing so can make things better for others as well – is an important one, and I love seeing it expressed every year in A Christmas Carol. -- Steve Gold, Macomb County Health and Community Services director

I love watching the original Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman movies with my kids like I did with my family. But nothing brings back more holiday movie memories than watching A Christmas Story with my brother when we were on break from school. We still try to find it on television when we're together during the holidays.  Happy Holidays! -- Barb Caskey, Community Corrections director

Probably my favorite movie is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The reason why I enjoy this movie is because it makes me laugh. Christmas time is when you are able to relax and not take life so seriously.  This movie is a great way to open the holiday season. -- Lynn Arnott-Bryks, Facilities and Operations director

There are too many good ones, but here is the favorite: Sitting down each Christmas to watch Scrooge get kindhearted in A Christmas Carol is a favorite family tradition – especially the George C. Scott version. -- Bill Ridella, Macomb County Health director

Mine would have to be Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (1964). It's an amazing classic that transports most of us back to our childhoods, rekindling the magic of Christmas. Everyone recalls the lyrics (or at least part of them … lol), but no one can forget how Rudolph's nose shined so bright, he guided Santa's sleigh that night!! -- Jeff Randazzo, Macomb County Animal Control chief

My favorite holiday movie is How The Grinch Stole Christmas. I like this particular story because is shows that the real meaning of Christmas is not about toys. The movie also is a cool personal transformation movie where the Grinch was able to become more self-aware, more sharing, and more a part of society as opposed to an evil, frustrated outcast. -- Richard Wooten, MSUE interim director