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Why should Christmas movies be awash with happy endings?
- Posted at 5:02pm
- 19 December 2008
- by AndrewCollins-RT
- 2 comments
It is, as the pine-scented crackle of childlike anticipation in the air confirms, Christmas!
A time of tinsel and toys, Mass and marzipan! So first my guide to making this a traditional movie Christmas – complete with snug new slippers and a glass of sherry, of course.
What could be more festive than gathering the whole family round the box (or flatscreen) for a real blockbuster? Christmas Day alone offers Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (BBC1), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (ITV1) or the 2005 version of Lassie (Channel 4).
Other treats include Superman Returns (Monday 29 December BBC1) and Enchanted (from Saturday 20 December Sky Movies Premiere).
But if you crave a bit of cinematic snow, Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass (from Christmas Day Sky Movies Premiere) certainly delivers on the white-coated ursine action, with more frozen fantasy in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Boxing Day BBC1).
Traditionalists will welcome back an old favourite, Miracle on 34th Street (Saturday 20 December, Christmas Eve More4). And for you Little Dorrit fans, Channel 4 is showing both Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist (Sunday 21 December) and David Lean's 1948 classic (Monday 29 December).
Whatever happens, don't let anything spoil the twinkly mood. And no arguments over your RT, please!
Now, if you're desperate to avoid festive overload, what better way to sidestep all that schmaltz, fake snow and "family" fluff than to plan a defiantly non-traditional viewing season.
You could start with V for Vendetta (Saturday 20 December BBC2), in which a future Britain is threatened by a terrorist in a Guy Fawkes mask. Or how about a spot of psychological torture in the highly unsettling modern French classic Hidden (Saturday 20 December Channel 4)?
For some, nothing says Christmas quite like a good horror movie: the Spanish slasher The Christmas Tale (Tuesday 23 December BBC2), or the 1974 version of the aptly titled Black Christmas (Christmas Eve Channel 4). While The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Monday 29 December Five) is self-explanatory.
And for sheer gore and guts (albeit in computer-generated form), try Beowulf (from Saturday 20 December Sky Movies Premiere).
It's based on toys, but it's mostly noise, so don't miss Transformers (from Saturday 27 December Sky Movies Premiere); or how about the thoroughly unwholesome Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Boxing Day BBC1)?
But as you enjoy that Christmas tipple, spare a thought for Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses (Monday 22 December BBC2) – it will probably put you off booze for ever. Merry Christmas!
Comments
- Posted on 26 December 2008
- at 3:42pm
- by Stefkatjack
God i miss Christmas in the UK, living in Kentucky now with my wife (American) and out son (Duel National) just doesn't have the same feel to it.
- Posted on 24 December 2008
- at 6:32pm
- by thehellhecould
The Days of Wine and Roses ought to be compulsory viewing for all the binge drinking "Lads" and "Ladettes" out there. Its a brilliantly written and acted tale of a descent into alcoholism.
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