ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
Festive flicks
Christmas films are some of the greatest films ever made . It ’ s true ; think about it - name another type of film that you and your family are guaranteed to want to watch , all together , with no arguments ? What other films can raise a smile no matter how many times you ’ ve seen them ? Christmas films are pure escapism ; happy endings are promised , and , even if you ’ ve got wrapping to do , cards to write and a Christmas dinner to prepare , snuggling up for a couple of hours to watch the perfect Christmas movie is never a waste of time .
The Family One : Home Alone
It all started back in 1990 , when Kevin McCallister ( Macaulay Culkin ) was literally left home alone when his family – his huge family at that – took a Christmas trip to Paris . A mix up involving pizza and a brotherly fight , plus the unfortunate timing of a neighbour ’ s visit , means that Kevin is forgotten . At first , Kevin is thrilled at the prospect of being able to watch scary movies and eat ice cream all day long ; he can even order pizza ( plain cheese , naturally ) and use aftershave ( argh !). But , when two bungling burglars decide that the supposedly empty McCallister house is the perfect place to break into , Kevin has to defend his home using whatever he can find .
The Romantic One : Love Actually
An all-star cast including the late and lovely Alan Rickman , as well as Hugh Grant , Emma Thompson and Colin Firth bring this gorgeously romantic Christmas film to life . It ’ s a collection of interconnected short stories that tie up neatly ( much like a bow on a Christmas present ) at the end . But , before we get there , we see love in all of its many splendoured varieties : friendship , romantic love , heartbreak , first love , and last love . We think this slushy , lovefest of a film is perfect for curling up with on Boxing Day night .
A red hot iron , marbles , paint tins and a horribly hairy tarantula all come into play in his ingenious plan , while miles away , his family embark on an epic journey to try to get home to Kevin for Christmas ... be warned , the ending is a bit of a teary one .
The Classic One : It ’ s A Wonderful Life
George Bailey ( James Stewart ) has given everything he has to the town and people of Bedford Falls . He ’ s sacrificed his ambition , his dreams of travelling , and a better life ( or so he thinks ) in order to keep the town safe from evil Mr Potter , who wants to take over the town and charge everyone for the privilege of living there . One night , George discovers that money is missing from his business , and is sure that he will be blamed .
Realising that this is the opportunity Mr Potter has been waiting for , George brands himself a failure , and decides to kill himself – after all , everyone in the town would be better off if he was dead . Or would they ? Angel , Clarence – who has not yet earned his wings – is tasked with the job of showing George exactly what life would be like for his friends and loved ones if he had never been born . What George sees shows him that he is needed . He is loved . And he is far from a failure . As Clarence tells him : “ no man is a failure who has friends ”. As the film ends to the seasonal sounds of ‘ Auld Lang Syne ’, be prepared to weep and then hug everyone and everything around you with overwhelming gratitude .
The Action One : Die Hard
Ooh , controversial ! We ’ ve obviously just opened up the age-old debate about whether Die Hard ( starring Bruce Willis and , again , Alan Rickman ) is a Christmas movie or not . Now , it may not reference Christmas per se , but it is set at Christmas , and it is about love ( in a roundabout way ), so , despite all the explosions , gunfire , and cringeworthy glass-in-bare-feet scenes , we ’ re adding it to the list .
Policeman , John McClane leaves New York to visit his wife Holly ( Christmassy name ) in Los Angeles . She works for the Nakatomi Corporation at Nakatomi Plaza . Unfortunately , a gang of violent terrorists have decided that the Nakatomi Christmas party is the perfect time to launch an attack . John , unable to get any outside help , has to save his world single handedly . It ’ s a rip-roaring adventure with a nice sprinkling of Christmas spirit thrown in .
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