Some of the best movies are perfect for the holiday season. So, grab a bowl of popcorn and enjoy some of the greatest Christmas films with your family this season.
It’s a Wonderful Life – Frank Capra
One of the most well-known movies of the season is Frank Capra’s masterpiece. Capra brought to the screens a hope in humanity that rings true instead of cliché, real instead of fabricated. As in his later film “You Can’t Take it With You”, Capra’s greatest villain is the loss of connection between people. Nobody can be independent, Capra seems to tell us, and dreams are only worth something in this crazy world when there is someone to share them with.
Love Actually – Richard Curtis
For any fan of British television and cinema, “Love Actually” is a must watch: Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson are just a few of the stars shining in this elaborate Christmas tree of intertwining stories. The multiple faces of love are here, from the young boy falling for a girl for the first time to the prime minister chasing his Cinderella on Christmas Eve. Even with its flaws (such as a way too pompous opening voice over and a story or two that’s a bit forgotten by the director), “Love Actually” still manages to be one of the most enjoyable films of the season.
The Polar Express – Robert Zemeckis
Cinema and trains seem born for each other. From the very beginning with “The Great Train Robbery” (1903) to today, great filmmakers have explored the magic involving a trip on rails. “The Polar Express” takes this trip into a fantastical world on Christmas Eve. Filled with thrills and capped by a great, and new kind, of Tom Hanks performance, the film captures young and old hearts. Out of this list, it’s also the most action packed. One of the great scenes happens when the train skates uncontrollably across a frozen lake while drifting away from the next piece of track. “The Polar Express” will keep you and the kids await while waiting for Santa.
The Nightmare Before Christmas – Tim Burton (directed by Henry Selick)
One of the most inventive filmmakers of our time, Tim Burton, also has his take on Christmas. Halloween Town is your typical Burton scenery, with odd and distorted shapes that hark back to the German Expressionism films of the 1920s. This time, however, Burton’s main monster, tired of scaring people year after year, decides to take over the Christmas holiday. Despite his jolly intentions, nothing goes according to plan. This visual masterpiece took 19 sound stages, hundred of character models animated 24 times per second of film, and three years to make. It is probably the most inventive and ambitious film of this list, as Burton goes totally off the beaten both in technique and narrative form.
