Whether you are the sort who dresses up in full Christmas regalia, complete with a Rudolph sweater, or the bah, humbug type, one thing is for sure. As soon as you switch on the telly, you can’t escape the ubiquitous movies of festive cheer.
It could be the The Santa Clause, Home Alone, or A Christmas Carol, but they are all bound to be present and correct on the coming week’s television listings. You know what they say... if you can’t beat them, join them. So here are my suggestions for those who want to make the Christmas choices their own, rather than just taking in whatever the stations foist on them.
For the horror enthusiasts: Gremlins. Not any of the sequels, of course, but the original Joe Dante 1984 offering, which – if you ask me – is a masterpiece in the genre of kitsch, darkly comic humour.
Of course, it was not marketed as such when it was first released. At least, not in Malta. Instead, hundreds were gulled into thinking it was some sort of cute action/fantasy movie good for the kiddies. This was released hot on the heels of E.T. The Extraerrestrial, and cute action/ fantasy was more or less what everyone wanted.
Well, the eight-year-olds who turned up at the cinema did get action... along with floods of tears and nightmares for weeks. And that was just the adults who had to deal with them. Still, the film remains a brilliantly executed piece of fun for those who aren’t particularly fond of sanitised elves and would rather have a dash of murder and mayhem with their Christmas tree setting.
For the insatiably romantic: It really has to be Love, Actually. As explained before, I’m not a particular fan of soppy stories, but this one has all the ingredients to keep you there, mesmerised, reaching for your popcorn while wiping a tear or two. The cast itself is a constellation of A-listers: there’s Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Martin Freeman, Keira Knightley and a host of others.
There is not only one storyline to make you go “aww”, but eight. And they all converge together on Christmas night for an improbable, but highly satisfying, end. The soundtrack is gorgeous, with some truly lovely classics, like John Lennon’s All You Need is Love and Sugababes’ Too Lost in You. There is also the kitsch, like the adaptation of Love is all Around You (with ‘love’ substituted by ‘Christmas’) and the cliches, like All I Want for Christmas. All the elements are perfectly combined to turn this into one of the sweetest and most entertaining Christmas stories the big screen has seen.
For the classics lovers: Hands up those of you who have not yet seen Miracle on 34th Street. What, no show of hands? Didn’t think so either. This 1994 classic is the one that gets the whole family together on the couch, the one that gets the kids to stop fighting and the adults to stop reaching for their booze bottle. Les Mayfield’s tale about a little girl and her journey towards believing in Santa is so heart-warming that it will bring a smile to the face of the most cynical Scrooge among us.
So heart-warming that it will bring a smile to the face of the most cynical Scrooge among us
For the fantasy fans: Unless you are an aficionado of the genre, chances are that you are not that familiar with the works of Terry Pratchett. In which case, feel free to move on to the next section. The others will be happy to know that one of Pratchett’s works, Hogfather, was turned into a movie, and it’s not half bad, either.
I’m usually quite sceptical about these book-to-screen transitions, as you know, but it’s Christmas and I’m inclined to be generous. The made-for-television film may not have earned any awards for production, acting or set, but it offers a fun two hours, with enough jokes to keep the relatives from going at each other’s throats.
Happy Christmas viewing!
rdepares@timesofmalta.com