Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol has been turned into a variety of films and television shows. Alistair Sim stars in the most traditional film version, while Bill Murray played an 80s version of Scrooge in Scrooged and Jim Carrey stars in an 3D animated version. The best of all the adaptations, was released in 1992 and starred a collection of Jim Henson puppets made famous on … [Read more...]
Review: Elf (2003)
That time of the year has come to watch Will Ferrell prance around with the rest of Santa's little helpers in the silly yet hilarious, Elf (2003). Ferrell plays Buddy, a human who found himself stowed away into Santa's sack and taken away from his orphanage to the North Pole. Life is about to get very interesting for this human come elf. … [Read more...]
Top 30 Christmas Films
Love Actually (2011) It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Elf (2003) A Christmas Story (1983) The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Our list of the Top 30 Christmas Movies of all Time. Do you Agree?......... Nothing says Christmas quite like a roaring fire, some warm clothes and a great Christmas film. There have been many over the years, some good, some Four … [Read more...]
Review: Home Alone (1990)
Despite dropping out the Christmas Zeitgeist in recent years, Home Alone remains one of the most quintessential festive films of recent times. It's simultaneous charm and subversive comedy belie the ˜Disneyfied' veneer to produce a film that not only engenders the fabled ˜Christmas Spirit', but one that spawned a decade-long infatuation with the genre of child-focused … [Read more...]
Review: Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
When their daughter joins the Peace Corps, the thought of a Christmas alone worries Luther and Nora Krank (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis). A chance spotting of an advertisement makes Luther realise that if they don't spend all the money they usually spend of Christmas, they can instead takes a Caribbean cruise and still end up better off. Thus the Kranks decide to skip … [Read more...]
Review: Ikiru (1952, Japanese)
Akira Kurosawa tends to be best remembered for his period samurai films, particularly Seven Samurai, often considered one of the best films ever made. His films set in the modern day have consequently been rather overlooked, which is a real shame. Ikiru, meaning to live, is one of his best, rivalling Seven Samurai for the top spot, and is particularly noteworthy because it was … [Read more...]
Review: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Perfectly positioned before the Christmas period and after the staggering success of The Avengers, Rise of the Guardians, based on a series of books called The Guardians of Childhood, unites a series of mythical creatures into an an Avengers-like team of children's defenders. Created by Dreamworks Animation it follows on from box office successes like Kung Fu Panda 2 and How to … [Read more...]
Review: A Christmas Story (1983)
For a Christmas film to do its job, there are certain boxes that it needs to tick. Firstly, and most obviously, it needs to be set at Christmas. Secondly there needs to be something that the main character is striving for, with obstacles constantly appearing in his way. There should be a nice feeling of nostalgic sentimentality to everything, preferably some snow and children … [Read more...]
Review: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Frank Capra stands as one the greatest directors of all time. He has won the Academy Award for best direction 3 times for the films It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and You Can't Take it With You (1938). Two of these classic films star one of the biggest movie stars on the 1930s, James Stewart. The actor and director worked together numerous … [Read more...]
Review: Scrooged (1988)
Christmas time is a season of giving, recieving and all-round merriment. It is no coincidence then, that Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol is one of the most enduring tales of the period. It is so popular that for years people have attempted to recreate, reimagine and reuse the story in the medium of film. From Scrooge to The Muppet Christmas Carol, the story of a … [Read more...]