Rare Exports
{youtube}ywy4R8Hhi7g{/youtube}Jalmari Helander's disturbed Finnish rewrite of the Father Christmas myth is not one for the kids, or the faint of heart for that matter. When the winter season rolls around, reindeer are mysteriously killed, followed by the disappearance of children and supplies from the town. It soon becomes clear that the culprit is the source of the original Santa Claus story; a supernatural being supported by an army of ravenous elves. True to tradition, Santa is a proponent of the naughty or nice list, but only because he will kill anyone that has been bad this year. Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la.
The Family Stone
{youtube}_wM0Zn3493o{/youtube} In spite of its star-studded cast, 'The Family Stone' is usually overlooked when it comes time to counting down the best holiday family films. Maybe its due to the lack of carols or its categorisation as a 'chick flick' but this 2005 Christmas gem, about a dysfunctional family and their reaction to their son Everett’s (Dermot Mulroney) uptight new girlfriend Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker), is worth the watch.The Stones — Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel McAdams, Luke Wilson — make the most of their roles and capture a united spirit, so much so, that they really do feel like a family rather than a collection of famous actors. It goes a tad heavy handed on sentimental drama but proves to be a better-than-average example of a well-worn genre.
Joyeux Noël
{youtube}HkKkAg4Ew-s{/youtube}Telling the story of the extraordinary Christmas truce between soldiers in the trenches at Christmas 1914, 2005 French film 'Joyeux Noël' demonstrates how the human spirit overcomes blind war. It is an unconventional 'feel good' movie that is even more emotionally resonant because it is based on real events, set during World War I when the Germans, French, and Scottish called for a respite from carnage and got to know the men who lived on the opposite side of the trenches.
A war movie that achieves the near-impossible by keeping the Christmas spirit and shining a light on the finer aspects of humanity and the futility of fighting.
The Shop Around The Corner
{youtube}1pJLZ6mhKp4{/youtube}An old fashioned black-and-white romantic comedy about two retail shop owners who, in spite of hating each other, are unknowingly falling in love as anonymous pen pals. Taking place over the course of many months, 'The Shop Around The Corner' spends most of its time in winter, culminating on a frosty Christmas Eve. Directed with comic delicacy by Ernst Lubitsch, this forgotten classic was later remade in 1949 as 'In the Good Old Summertime', and in 1998 as 'You've Got Mail', which is essentially a cheaper remake, except not half as magical.
While You Were Sleeping
{youtube}d3RSYSsgz3w{/youtube}An orthodox Christmas romance with Sandra Bullock in the role of Lucy Moderatz; she saves the commuter she's got a crush on, pretends to be his fiancée while he's in a coma and then falls in love with the man's brother. That’s a complicated Christmas around the dinner table for you. A great rom-com starring a very likeable Sandra Bullock, 'While You Were Sleeping' delivers everything a Christmas movie promises.
Mixed Nuts
{youtube}QQB3SoI3CJU{/youtube}Everything that could go wrong does for a group of co-workers at a crisis hotline one crazy holiday evening in LA. Directed by Nora Ephron, and featuring an ensemble cast including Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Robert Klein, Anthony LaPaglia, and Adam Sandler, the movie starts shaky but soon finds its footing amidst a downright ridiculous turn of events to balance the right amount of cheeps laughs and clever comedy. Overall, 'Mixed Nuts' is a lot of fun, outlandish, and slightly dark in parts.
A Christmas Carol
{youtube}VZ3lr3urgDU{/youtube}Love it or loathe it, Robert Zemeckis' 'A Christmas Carol' is uncompromisingly faithful to Charles Dickens's source text. While at times the use of computer animated motion-capture delves into the uncanny valley, Jim Carrey's ingenious casting as Ebenezor Scrooge is reason enough for the movie to make the list. A classic journey to self-redemption courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions, you will be heart-warmed by the tale. The special effects are dazzling, too.
Millions
{youtube}73zYjrpUd04{/youtube}Danny Boyle's modern-day parable about two brothers who discover a bag of Pounds just days before the currency is switched to Euros and are at odds at what to do with the money. Do they spend it on themselves or give it to charity? Seven-year old Damian is ethically challenged; he believes the money, which seems to have fallen from the heavens, is a gift from God and wants to use the money to help the poor, while his older brother Anthony wants to use the money to buy the affection of his classmates. Damian spends his spare time seeking advice from the saints concerning his moral dilemma.
A holiday film about something more than just lights, candy and Santa Claus, the film is about real issues and real kids with big ideas. It's stylish, eccentric, funny and kind of heartbreaking all in one, and more importantly, celebrates the real spirit of Christmas.
The Ref
{youtube}s8uPvv3dj8E{/youtube}While I'm sure more than a few of you are familiar with several movies on this list, I bet a majority of you haven't even heard of this one. Don't fret, I'm not judging you because nor had I until very recently. Granted, it's not your traditional Christmas flick, but its satirical and crude language is a welcome break from a plethora of family-loving glucose-coated holidays.
A cat burglar is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve, acting as a referee between Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis. Perhaps the movie could have mustered a bigger cult following had it been released in the holiday season, rather than its poorly thought out March release date. Did the studio want it to bomb?
Arthur Christmas {youtube}7tk-WZSqIGQ{/youtube}
Rounding the list off with a bit of spunk and originality, this animation is best shared with the whole family. It's fast-paced, lots of fun, entertaining for all ages and surprisingly witty for a kids movie. Having trouble explaining to your children how Santa manages to visit every household Christmas night? The answer is here: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But of course.
