Blogmas: Movies To Watch This Blogmas
So, the turkey has been decimated and you may not see your toes until the New Year but Christmas isn’t Christmas without some good movies to sit back and enjoy while you slip into a food coma so, naturally, we have some suggestions for you.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Dickens wrote a classic Christmas novel that was made and remade time and again for the silver screen but then Jim Henson and his lovable crew of muppets came along, decided to do the story once more and do it right. With Michael Caine as Scrooge, it was clear who was the serious character in this whimsical, musical retelling of Scrooge’s three ghostly visitors. The adorable Muppets are practically a staple in my home around Christmas time and will, without question, always be a family favourite. The fact that they successfully roped Michael Caine into their antics speaks volumes to their sway in Hollywood and added to the onscreen fun.
Home Alone
“Merry Christmas ya filthy animal.” Need I say more? Probably not but I shall. Macaulay Culkin was 10 when he appeared as the adorable Kevin, living it up after being left behind by his family. Looking as sweet and innocent as pie, Macaulay was the perfect person to cast as the devious minded little prankster. With Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the perfect candidates for every conceivable booby trap that could readily be made by an 8 year old with an imagination and an empty house, the levels that Kevin goes to protect his home are ingenious but that nail on the staircase…..oooofff!
The Polar Express
The Polar Express is a movie that even now is visually stunning and who wouldn’t want to be invited aboard a train to the North Pole. Our protagonist has begun to doubt the existence of Santa Claus and this story is perfect for those kids growing skeptical about Santa Claus. We watch our protagonist go from skeptic to believer after finding in himself to believe once again. We watch as our hero survives through multiple dangerous situations and hears the sleigh bells ring and it is worth all those dangers to see his belief restored. I mean all you have to do is Believe.
Noelle
Oh my Garland! (Get it?) There’s a Christmas movie with Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader in it! The most recent movie on our list is Disney’s new offering where the new Santa, Nick Kringle (Hader), has decided that the hat and suit that he has inherited from his father, Kris, just don’t suit him and his Santa training is going badly to say the least. All the pressure starts getting to him so Noelle (Kendrick), Nick’s sister, suggests he takes a weekend break but when the sleigh returns there’s no Nick. With cousin Gabriel from the tech department in charge unless Nick returns and planning to deliver all 2000ish presents to the “good” kids on the planet by drone something needs to be done. Can Noelle fix her mistakes and remember what everyone asks for for Christmas? (Here’s a hint it starts with i and ends with Pad.)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Not necessarily a Christmassy Christmas movie but because RTE seems to have a near annual tradition of showing all the Harry Potter movies over the festive season, it makes sense that the very first installment of the franchise appears on our list. It is also, if memory serves me correctly, the only Harry Potter movie that shows more of Christmas at Hogwarts, the decorations and the atmosphere of the school. Most of the other films seem to gloss over the holiday with snowy scenes to imply the winter setting. Watching a very young Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint unwrapping presents and that moment with the invisibility cloak was truly magical and as the queen, J.K. Rowling herself said “Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Only Jim Carrey could deliver the line “Hate, hate, hate. Hate, hate, hate. Double Hate. LOATHE ENTIRELY.” and still be hilarious as the devious bad guy. Sorry Benedryl Cucumberpatch, Carrey has you beat as the grinch every single time in my opinion. The story goes that the bitter Grinch has been laughed out of Whoville and resides alone on the snowy Mount Crumpit with only his dog, Max, as a companion. Continously annoyed by the noise of Whoville in the run up to Christmas, the Grinch decides to steal all the presents, trees and essentially anything Christmassy using a sleigh and Max as a reindeer. It is laugh out loud funny and bizarre but would it really be any other way when the book was written by Dr. Seuss?
Love Actually
If you ever want to see practically every single well known British actor and actress in one Christmas movie, this would be the perfect option for you. The plot goes through ten separate stories with a wide variety of people, many of whom are shown to be linked to one another as the stories progress. The story begins five weeks before Christmas and counts down in weekly intervals until the holiday. It received mixed reviews on release but has become a Christmas cult classic and it has Hugh Grant dancing in it. Go on, you know you want to watch it for the fiftieth time.
The Man Who Invented Christmas
This film is unusual as it is a telling of Charles Dickens’ time as he writes “A Christmas Carol” while we listen to the story unfold as Dickens writes it. Under pressure to publish something amazing after multiple failed and publicly criticized novels, we watch as Dickens creates his most beloved characters and struggles to keep within his deadlines in order to have this new Christmas novel finished and published in time for Christmas all while his life is going crazy around him. We see how Dickens’ life influences his storytelling and, while the historical accuracy of the film is unclear, it is certainly one way to hear an old story in a new way.
Now, these last few movies are always highly debated as Christmas movies but I will allow you to make the decision yourself.
Die Hard
“Yippee-ki-yay, motherf*cker.” Come on! Bruce Willis is epic as John Mc Clane and this film is set near Christmas. Besides who could deliver the line “Nine million terrorists in the world and I gotta kill one with feet smaller than my sister.” with a straight face? Bruce Willis, that’s who! But a hero is only ever as good as his villain and Willis had a fantastic villain to play off of: the one and only Alan Rickman. Hans Gruber was Rickman’s first feature film role and made Rickman a regular on lists upon lists of cinema’s best villains.
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
A Tim Burton stop motion animated musical fantasy on a Christmas movie list? Believe your eyes, it’s happening. The story follows Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween Town, who stumbles through the portal to Christmas town and is inspired to celebrate the holiday. Jack decides that it’s unfair that Christmas Town alone can enjoy the holiday and decides to take over the job. What’s this?! What’s this?!
Gremlins
Don’t let it get it wet. Don’t expose it to direct sunlight. And don’t feed it after midnight. Billy’s father gets him a pet from China with three very specific instructions. However, when Billy does not follow them, all hell breaks loose when Gizmo, Billy’s new pet, spawns other creatures after getting wet who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. So if your parent returns from Chinatown with your Christmas present and you can’t follow the rules, burn it!
Let us know what you think: Are Die Hard, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Gremlins Christmas movies? If not, why not? If so, how so?
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