The Night Before is messy in the way you’d expect any Seth Rogen movie to be, but it’s also the stoner-Christmas movie that’s worth putting on your list. There’s no plot to follow or anything: it’s just full on Christmas spirit, bottled in the story of a journalist and a rogue prince in a country that isn’t even real. It’s not all upsetting though — inspired turns by some of the biggest names in UK film, including peak Hugh Grant cutting shapes around 10 Downing Street, make it a real joy. Oh you better believe it exists. Emma Thompson’s performance alone is enough to make Love Actually worth revisiting this Christmas. A superb cast, which also includes Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken, Burton’s phantasmagorical direction and a genuinely creepy villain makes this a great watch this December.
It’s an all-star cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams, Luke Wilson, and Diane Keaton. And that list is leaving some reasonable star power out. There are so many movies out there about this man that it can be hard to choose which ones to watch. Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart play Jamie and Chris, old high school friends wrapped up in a similar plot: Chris is in love with Jamie, and Jamie just wants to be friends. In 1994 a very specific Christmas fear formed for some children: that Santa would fall off their roof and to his death. Rarely has a series' third installment been the equal of its two predecessors, but such is the case with this threequel involving Clark (Chevy Chase), Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), Audrey (Juliette Lewis), and Rusty Griswold's (Johnny Galecki) mishap-besieged family get-together. Soon after she befriends his family who welcomes her with open arms.
Sure, Michael Keaton gets a Christmas movie, too. While the 1990 sequel was a more family-friendly affair, the original is a scary seasonal treat and a pretty violent watch to boot. After travelling to a bridge with the intention of ending his own life, he encounters Clarence, his guardian angel who gradually reminds George of all the joy, love and happiness in his life. It puts people in the Christmas spirit when they watch this film, as viewers are given new reasons to believe in his legacy. Fred is the bitter older brother who asks his brother for a loan, and Santa only agrees to give it to him if he comes up to the North Pole to help with Christmas. This sound terribly saccharine, but this film also touches on some class and familial grief issues. “Life-affirming” is a term that gets bandied around an awful lot in film criticism, but It’s a Wonderful Life is arguably more deserving of the description than any other. Featuring a new version of the song from which the film gets its title (and which was originally sung by star Bing Crosby in Holiday Inn), this 1954 musical features Crosby and Danny Kaye as music-act partners who team up with two sisters (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to help their former military commander save his Vermont lodge. Everybody needs a bit of schmaltz from time to time, and The Holiday has it in bucket loads.