25. Black Christmas (1974)
This slasher classic – the source of that standby horror line: “The call is coming from inside the house!” – shows one victim being stabbed with a glass ornament as carol singers drown out her dying cries. The director, Bob Clark, also made the sweetly folksy A Christmas Story (1983), which represents the flipside of the same chocolate coin.
24. Remember the Night (1939)
Preston Sturges wrote the screenplay for this comedic journey, featuring Barbara Stanwyck as a thief who is rescued from spending Christmas in jail by a compassionate district attorney (Fred MacMurray), who pays her bail and invites her to stay with him.
23. Le pupille (2022)
Alice Rohrwacher’s nostalgic 39-minute comedy set during wartime follows the excitement caused by a large pudding arriving at an Italian boarding school for orphans. The film is a delightful pick-me-up, with playful angels, a charming nun with a mustache, and a lively soundtrack by Cleaning Women, using unconventional household objects as instruments.
22. Female Trouble (1974)
The wild and provocative movie “Pink Flamingos” directed by John Waters begins with a rebellious teenager named Dawn Davenport (played by Divine) causing chaos after not getting the cha-cha heels she wanted from her parents. She stomps on the gifts and topples the Christmas tree onto her mother, shouting “Screw you both, you terrible people! … I despise Christmas!”
21. A Christmas Tale (2008)
During their family gathering, the Vuillard family engages in trading insults and holding onto grudges. While the experience may not be enjoyable for them, it provides entertainment for us. The tension between the mother, who is battling cancer (played by Catherine Deneuve), and her bitter, alcoholic son (played by Mathieu Amalric) is a deliciously nasty spectacle. Their exchange of words, such as “Do you still not love me?” and “I never did,” is an example of their strained relationship.
20. Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Barbara Stanwyck once again takes on the role of a food writer living in Manhattan. She portrays a friendly Connecticut mother in her writing, but when her editor (Sydney Greenstreet) requests she host a Christmas dinner for a brave marine (Dennis Morgan), she must quickly make this image a reality. This leads to chaotic and amusing mishaps in this subversive screwball comedy.
19. Gasman (1998)
Lynne Ramsay’s emotionally devastating short film depicts two children in 1970s Glasgow who must confront their hidden step-siblings at a chaotic holiday party. The presence of Santa and Slade adds to the bleakness of one of the bleakest Christmas scenes ever captured on screen.
18. Christmas Holiday (1944)
Unable to leave New Orleans, a hapless lieutenant (Dean Harens) is abandoned by his fiancee on Christmas Eve. He crosses paths with a torch singer (Deanna Durbin) who also has a heartbreaking love story: her lover (a hauntingly unsettling Gene Kelly) is behind bars for a murder that may not have been committed.
The film “Christmas Evil”, also known as “You Better Watch Out”, was released in 1980.
Based on the concept of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, this holiday-themed horror story explores the fate of the child in the song as they grow up. Working at the Jolly Dream toy factory, Harry (portrayed by Fiona Apple’s father, Brandon Maggart) dresses as Santa, maintains a naughty list, and donates gifts to the nearby hospital. However, he also brutally murders his colleagues during midnight mass. The dance routines are created by Meryl Streep’s brother and the story concludes with a sleigh ride that will leave Rudolph in awe.
16. Kings and Desperate Men (1981)
The individual named Alexis Kanner, who wrote, directed, and starred in a fast-paced suspenseful film about terrorists taking over a Canadian radio talkshow on Christmas Eve, filed a lawsuit against the creators of Die Hard, claiming that it was a blatant copy of his work. However, he did not win the case, as the two films, although both excellent, share only a few similarities such as hostages, bombs, and the holiday season.
15. Die Hard (1988)
Bruce Willis exudes strong post-prandial Christmas dad vibes as John McClane, who dearly wants to take it easy, but gets caught up in thwarting a terrorist group (led by a lip-smacking Alan Rickman) that has hijacked the Los Angeles office block where his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) is partying. Her name? Holly, of course.
14. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
The romantic comedy by Ernst Lubitsch follows the story of two coworkers in a gift shop in Budapest, portrayed by James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, who exchange letters and fall in love without knowing each other’s true identities. In 1998, the film was remade as You’ve Got Mail, but with less charm.
13. Brazil (1985)
Terry Gilliam’s dystopian holiday horror commences with the sound of sleigh bells and a child questioning how Santa can enter without a chimney. Suddenly, a Swat team crashes through the ceiling and takes her father, leaving her mother holding a document for him as she cries in the now destroyed living room. Is there a more poignant message for the holiday season than “keep the receipt”?
12. Fanny and Alexander (1982)
While crafting this tale of a family in the early 1900s, which is as intricate and complex as a heavily soaked fruit cake, Ingmar Bergman drew inspiration from both ETA Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and Charles Dickens. This work was also influenced by his sense of relief when a lengthy tax evasion case against him ended. “I felt suddenly liberated,” he expressed. The joyous Christmas festivities quickly give way to encounters with spirits and sorrow.
11. The Silent Partner (1978)
Christopher Plummer, dressed as Santa, plays a ruthless bank robber and reveals his true nature. This may turn viewers away from The Sound of Music, fish tanks (which play a role in a particularly unpleasant scene), and even Christmas itself. However, the satisfaction of watching one of the most clever thrillers since Hitchcock’s prime is worth the sacrifice. The script was written by Curtis Hanson, who also explored Christmas-themed crime in LA Confidential.
10. The Dead (1987)
On January 6, 1904 (the day after Twelfth Night), John Huston’s final film, based on James Joyce’s flawless short story, takes place on the Feast of the Epiphany. While it is not directly set during Christmas, the feeling of one last celebration and the gentle snowfall described by Joyce make it a fitting addition to any list of festive movie marvels.
9. Elf (2003)
Numerous Christmas movies include a significant amount of sorrow. However, this is not the case for Elf. This lively comedy features Will Ferrell at his most cheerful, playing Buddy, a human who was raised as an elf. He ventures out of Santa’s workshop and into the bustling city to find his unknowing father (a stern James Caan). It would take someone with a lack of intelligence or Christmas spirit to not enjoy this film.
The film “It’s a Wonderful Life” was released in 1946.
Frank Capra’s conflicted fable, in which George Bailey (James Stewart), a suicidal good-egg, is shown how bad the world would have been without him, was never meant to be a festive treat. Its original release date, in January, was brought forward because another film on the movie company RKO’s schedule wasn’t ready. The Telegraph predicted Capra’s movie would be “gone like a Christmas tree smothered with sweets and crackers”. Instead, it put down roots after falling out of copyright in 1974, enabling TV channels to show it for free.
7. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Shane Black has a tendency to place his movies during the holiday season (also evident in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Lethal Weapon). The most exciting action film of the 1990s, written by Black, showcases the perfect seasonal elements: ice skating, a cheerful parade, and a clever final stunt involving Christmas lights. Geena Davis, playing the role of an ex-assassin turned homemaker, brilliantly loses her composure when her adorable daughter falls on the ice. “Life is full of pain,” she remarks. “You just have to get used to it.” Nothing captures the Christmas spirit quite like a frustrated parent.
6. Meet Me in St Louis (1944)
The Missouri family’s year is overshadowed and saturated by the Christmas episode. While facing her upcoming move to New York with dread, Judy Garland performs “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” a song that embodies mixed emotions about the holiday (“We’ll have to find a way to make it through somehow …”). Meanwhile, her younger sister Tootie (played by Margaret O’Brien) cries uncontrollably and destroys the snowmen in the garden.
5. Carol (2015)
Carol (Cate Blanchett) experiences tumultuous events during the holiday season in 1950s New York. She goes through a separation from her husband, battles for custody of their daughter, and develops feelings for Therese (Rooney Mara), a woman who works at a toy counter in a department store and wears a cute floppy Santa hat. Todd Haynes’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel, The Price of Salt, is a delightful and captivating slow-paced love story. It’s hard to imagine a more fitting couple for a Christmas romance than Carol and Therese, whose names are reminiscent of the holiday.
4. Gremlins (1984)
In Joe Dante’s delirious horror-comedy, written by Chris Columbus (who later directed Home Alone), the very act of gift-giving becomes the catalyst for carnage: the present itself, an exotic fluffy pet, spawns legions of marauding offspring. As if the film’s ambivalence toward the festive season were not clear enough, the rampaging beasties even savage Santa, who gets trussed up in fairy lights, while Phoebe Cates reminisces unforgettably about a traumatic childhood Christmas.
3. The Apartment (1960)
“On the eve of Christmas, the house was silent with no signs of movement. The atmosphere was dull and uneventful.” Billy Wilder’s poignant humor perfectly captures the feeling of desolation as it follows the story of an office worker (Jack Lemmon) who allows his unscrupulous bosses to use his apartment for their affairs, and a depressed elevator operator (Shirley MacLaine) who was abandoned by her employer. Despite the bleakness, the movie manages to find a glimmer of hope, making it a true miracle on West 67th Street.
2. Tangerine (2015)
“Happy Christmas Eve, you!” This energetic comedy about transgender sex workers is far from the heartwarming classic It’s a Wonderful Life. But upon closer inspection, Sean Baker’s film is filled with the holiday spirit, captured through his dynamic use of attitude, color, and resourcefulness. Shot entirely on three iPhones using an $8 app, this sun-soaked tale set on Santa Monica Boulevard still manages to capture the magical feeling of snowfall through the dreamy white dots of a bar-room glitterball.
1. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Gonzo, in the role of Charles Dickens, recommends reading the book if you enjoy this. It’s no surprise that anyone would enjoy it – not only is it the best Christmas movie ever made, but it’s also the top Muppet film and one of the most magnificent adaptations of Dickens’ work. Michael Caine delivers a fantastic performance as the cold-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge, making his eventual transformation a truly delightful sight. Memorable quotes are plentiful, and every song by the talented Paul Williams (known for his work on “Phantom of the Paradise”) is a hit, especially the upbeat opening number that introduces Scrooge as “the undisputed master of deceit”. May every Muppet be blessed.
Source: theguardian.com
