Image: Sony Pictures Animation
Christmas time is upon is, and we know what that means – Christmas movies! Now in all honesty, I’m not that fussed about most Christmas films. Without wanting to sound like a Scrooge, I find a lot of seasonal flicks to be … pretty bad, really. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a soft spot for a few, but many are just the kind of stuff that Hallmark makes simply to fill time on their channel.
Because of that, I don’t have a particular preference for what sort of films I watch over the Christmas period. I’ll obviously watch some festive films, but a lot of my favourite movies to watch at the end of the year aren’t Christmas films at all. Not to most people, anyway! But I like to watch these sorts of movies because they give me that fantastic feeling of warmth and safety that we need over the festive period – this year, especially.
So what I’m going to do here is run through some of my favourite movies to watch at Christmas – some are left-field Christmas movies you might not have heard of, others are year-round movies that I just like watching at Christmas time, but all of them are great. And you never know, you might just find a new festive favourite somewhere in here!
Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)
Shall we get the ‘proper’ Christmas movies out of the way first? Anna and the Apocalypse is a little movie I only saw for the first time last year, and it quickly became a seasonal favourite. But how to describe it? It’s basically Shaun of the Dead meets La La Land, if that intrigues you at all – and I promise it’s as good as that sounds.
And don’t worry, the music is great too! It’s so good, in fact, that I’ve managed to drag myself away from evermore to listen to it as I’m writing this. Highlights include ‘Hollywood Ending,’ ‘Turning My Life Around,’ and ‘Human Voice,’ but every song is a genuine banger, and the soundtrack is so much fun to listen to, especially in the movie itself.
Fair warning, though: it’s bleak as hell. I went back to it last night and wiped tears out of my eyes on about five occasions – it is a zombie movie after all, and each inevitable death is more heartbreaking than the last, solidified by amazing performances throughout its predominantly young cast (led by the excellent Ella Hunt). Still, if that’s your thing, as it is mine), give Anna and the Apocalypse a go – for the novelty of a zombie musical, if nothing else!
Image: Vertigo Releasing
Krampus (2015)
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about Krampus, and I really hope it won’t be the last – because wow, this thing slaps. This festive comedy-horror sees a family being stalked by the demon Krampus after young Max tears up his letter to Santa following some teasing by his older cousins. What follows is a slick home invasion horror with a wicked sense of humour that’s anchored by some great creature effects and an amazing cast.
Ever wanted to see David Koechner (yes, the guy from Anchorman) fight off evil gingerbread men with a shotgun? Or how about Toni Collette fight off a demonic toy angel? Adam Scott wage war with a knife-wielding robot? Krampus is your movie. It’s full of some genuinely great scares, and there are a lot of laughs to be had. The characters are pretty two-dimensional, sure, but they’re basically just an excuse for the film to showcase some fantastic practical effects through its various attack scenes.
It’s a film with a gleeful sense of evil about it; it’s dark and intense, sure, but it’s also extremely knowing in its relationship with its audience. It’s very easy to imagine director Michael Dougherty winking at the audience in many of the film’s sequences, and that sense of glee is something that lets the film get away with its utterly outrageous ending. It won’t be to everyone’s Christmas taste, but if you fancy a little bit of evil in the holidays, you won’t go far wrong with Krampus.
Image: Universal Pictures
Star Wars (1977-present)
Now this is where we get into the ones that only I really consider Christmas films – not because of their content, really, but just … because. Maybe it’s because The Complete Saga on Blu-ray was one of my favourite Christmas presents in 2011; maybe because every other Christmas since 2015 has seen a new Star Wars film in cinemas; or maybe the Original Trilogy just reminds me of being a kid.
Star Wars has had a rocky history, let’s not lie, but personally I like most of the movies in the series, the Original Trilogy especially. These first three movies represent something special to me because I grew up with them – it’s fun to escape into a galaxy far, far away, and a way to remember a time when things were easier. The simplicity of the first film is part of its charm, and although Empire is easily the best of these three, A New Hope is probably the most rewatchable.
The same goes for the Sequel Trilogy; The Last Jedi is probably my favourite of the three, but I find The Force Awakens is the one I go back to most often. Both The Force Awakens and A New Hope capture a wonderful feeling of hopefulness that never, ever fails to put a smile on my face. There’s a warmth in both movies that’s so hard to come by, and I always feel comforted by the time the credits start to roll.
Image: Disney/Lucasfilm
Indiana Jones (1981-present)
That warmth is something that, I think, reminds me of childhood – which is exactly why revisiting the Indiana Jones movies is a must every Christmas. We’ll ignore some of their dodgier elements (particularly as The Temple of Doom reads as a white saviour movie) and focus on the good stuff: and that’s simply how much fun they are. It’s Steven Spielberg at his absolute best (sorry Jaws), and there isn’t a weak link among the original trilogy.
I haven’t seen Kingdom of the Crystal Skull since about 2009 so I’m not getting involved in that discussion, but the original three are genuinely perfect action-adventure movies. They have action, heart, laughs, peril, and such a great sense of fun about them. Many action movies lately have felt the need to ‘go dark’ and be super serious and gritty all the time – and that’s fine in some cases, but there’s something to be said for action films that don’t have that seriousness to them, because that’s where Indiana Jones shines.
The Last Crusade will be particularly sad to revisit this year since Sir Sean Connery’s passing; his performance is a large reason why that movie remains my favourite of the three (combined with the fact that it was also the first I saw as a child). He and Harrison Ford have perfect chemistry that drives the film beautifully, and year on year I’m amazed at how well it holds up.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Shall we end with something a little more recent? Into the Spider-Verse is nothing short of a modern masterpiece, and I’m still staggered that it even exists. It’s perfect in just about every possible sense, and if you somehow haven’t seen it then stop reading this and go and watch it. Right now.
It’s a film that’s so hard to do justice to without just putting the entire thing down in front of you and screaming “look at it!!” CinemaWins does a really great job, in fairness, so check out that video if you want some proper analysis on it because I really don’t think I’ll be able to beat their work, so here goes nothing!
Into the Spider-Verse is a perfect film for many reasons, but I think my favourite of those is its message that “anyone can wear the mask.” It’s an ideal for us to strive towards that we so sorely need right now, and it’s a message that makes Miles’ first swinging scene hit harder than just about any moment in any other superhero movie. In a world that’s still a total mess, Miles’ unending optimism is the perfect tonic to a really awful year – and that’s exactly why I’ll be watching Into the Spider-Verse this Christmas Eve.
Image: Sony Pictures Animation
I think I’ll wrap things up there as I’ve gone on for long enough now – but hopefully you might have found a new movie to watch at Christmas! I realise there are a lot of the classics I haven’t touched (Love Actually, Home Alone, The Holiday, and whatnot) as well as some more recent ones (Little Women, Paddington, and Paddington 2 to name but three), but if I went through every movie I like watching at Christmas, I imagine we’d all get bored pretty quickly.
Anyway, I’m glad this was cheerier than my last post! I’ll be back before the end of the year with something a little more personal, but stay safe until then! I’ll see you all soon.
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