Happy Holidays Everyone!! Another festive post this week in the lead-up to Christmas! Last week I talked about some of the Christmas episodes and specials you should be adding to your festive watch-list this year, so this week I thought I'd talk about some Christmas films you should be checking out! There are so many Christmas films out in the world, so you're never going to be short on what to watch, but it also means there are probably some that you've not thought to add to your watch-list. So, with a week left until Christmas, here's some films you should find the time to watch before the big day arrives! This year, I've gone all-in on trying to watch as many Christmas films as possible, combining my DVD collection with what is available on Netflix and Stan. And let me tell you, I'm cramming a tonne of films into 24 days - there's around 70 films (some are shorts) and 8 different TV series (a couple with multiple Christmas episodes). The first part of the month has been dedicated to Netflix and Stan originals/exclusives, and films I haven't actually seen, while the latter part of the month is dedicated to rewatching films I have seen. I 1000% underestimated how many films I'd be able to watch around other commitments, but I still managed to get through a good chunk of films in the lead up to this post, although not as many as I had planned - maybe I was just being too ambitious! So a lot of the films I've watched have been holiday romances, and for the most part, they've been pretty good. Sure, they're a little bit cheesy, but it's hard not to love them when they're all cute and Christmas-y. And probably the queen of holiday romances is Hallmark. Thanks to Stan and Netflix, I've been able to watch several Hallmark films throughout the year, which I've been seriously loving, and their holiday films have been super cute to watch. One of the many is Angel of Christmas (2015), which is seriously sweet and one I'm totally adding to my annual watch-list. An editor of a newspaper is finally given the chance to write a piece for herself, and the Christmas Day feature at that. Her topic is the handcrafted angel that her great-grandfather made, and family legend says that the angel brings people together. As she uncovers the history of the angel and why her grandfather made it, she is helped out by free-spirited artist Brady, and naturally there's a connection. There's a little Christmas magic and a family mystery to be solved, and it was such a great watch. Speaking of one that I'll be adding to my annual watch-list, a film that is definitely a must-watch during the holiday season is 12 Days of Giving (2017), which is such a beautiful film. When photographer Baxter wins $50,000, he decides to help out those who are struggling during the holiday season, becoming Lucky the Elf, instead of splurging on himself and his fiance. Seriously, a very cute and moving film that'll make you want to give back this Christmas. You know who's been slaying the game when it comes to romances, especially holiday romances? Netflix! They're honestly some of the most talked about films of the year, and even though they can be pretty cheesy, cliched and full of plot holes, we love them anyway. Probably one of the most talked about Netflix films this Christmas is The Princess Switch (2018), which is very much The Parent Trap but for adults. Everyone's had a lot to say about the film, and while it wasn't the greatest film in the world, it was still fun and really cute. Who doesn't want to see a film where Vanessa Hudgens is playing both lead roles? And as cringe as I found it at times, suffering from second-hand embarrassment, I 100% want a sequel to this next year. I don't know what the sequel would be about, but I want it! Next from Netflix is The Holiday Calendar (2018), which follows budding-photographer Abby, who inherits an antique Advent Calendar that seems to be predicting the future and pointing her in the direction of love. This is a seriously cute holiday romance filled with a little magic and will definitely kick you in the feels just a little bit. There seems to be something about struggling but talented photographers and Christmas, because this is the second film that I watched.... You know what we all need to see? Aaron Samuels with dogs. And that's what you get with A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale (2015)! Jonathan Bennett, aka Aaron Samuels in Mean Girls, plays Dean, a vet-in-training who is passionate about dogs and the dog park he visits daily. When the dog park is to be closed and turned into a spa, Dean is determined to fight it. Helping him is new dog-walker and totally spoilt Luce, who, despite being excited by the idea of a spa in the area, comes to see how important it is to the dogs and their owners/walkers. It's a Christmas film with a whole bunch of cute dogs, so what's not to love! Plus, the romance in this is super cute - the perfect Christmas film for romance and dog lovers! One of my favourite Christmas romances is The Spirit of Christmas (2015) - seriously, I watched it like four times last Christmas, once during the year, again at the beginning of November, and only just last night. Lawyer Kate is sent to Hollygrove Inn to get it appraised, only to meets the Inn's resident ghost Daniel, who returns for twelve days every Christmas and is doomed to spend eternity doing so. Together, Kate and Daniel piece together how Daniel died and why he's unable to move on. Thomas Beaudoin, who plays Daniel, is honestly a Canadian version of Henry Cavill, so what's not to love about this holiday romance! Okay, so fantasy doesn't seem like the right way to describe these films, but they are a lot more magical with a lot more Santa, so it's a good a way to describe them as any. Alongside their holiday romances, Netflix released a very magical family Christmas film in the shape of The Christmas Chronicles (2018). Siblings Teddy and Kate attempt to catch Santa in the act of delivering presents, only to end up on his sleigh and accidentally causing it to crash. With presents still to deliver, a broken sleigh and missing Reindeer, they must help Santa to save Christmas before it's too late. This was an amazing Christmas film, and feels very The Santa Clause, meets The Polar Express, meets Arthur Christmas, meets The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. That's a lot, I know, but it's such a stunning film with so much Christmas magic, a rock star Santa, and super cute elves. You'll want to bring the family together to watch this one! A very cute short that Netflix released this year is the Irish animation Angela's Christmas (2018). At just 30-minutes long, it's the perfect watch if you haven't got a lot of time to spare. Set in Dublin in 1917, the short tells the story of Angela, who takes the baby Jesus doll from the Church nativity scene in order to keep him warm in the dead cold of winter. The story is sweet with a beautiful and heartwarming message of looking out for and opening your heart to others at Christmas. Definitely one you'll want to share with everyone and a short film I'm sure you'll add to your annual watch-list. Going a bit more classic with the animated Christmas films, you can't go past A Flintstone Christmas (1977), A Flinstones Family Christmas (1993) and A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994). No matter how old you are, The Flintstones are always such a joy to watch, so if you've not watched the animated series before, you definitely need to - and why not make your first Flintstones experience be a Christmas one! From Fred taking over as Santa Claus to the Flintstone family taking in an orphan at Christmas to a Stone Age version of Charles Dickens' classic, there's something for everyone looking to head to Bedrock for Christmas. I really enjoy The Flintstones, so I'm glad I finally watched their Christmas films. And let's not think about how the Flintstones were celebrating Christmas before the birth of Christ... Speaking of A Christmas Carol adaptations, there are a tonne out there, and even though they are all pretty much the same, it's fun to watch all the different adaptations. A great one for Disney fans is Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), which is probably one of my favourite adaptations, with Donald Duck's uncle, Scrooge McDuck, as our leading Christmas grouch. Another Disney version is A Christmas Carol (2009), with Jim Carey voicing Scrooge and all three Ghosts. This one is a little darker when it comes to adaptations, but a great watch none-the-less. Finally, although certainly not the last A Christmas Carol adaptation out there, is A Christmas Carol (1997), which features a very classic 80s/90s animation style, and stars Tim Curry as Scrooge and Whoopi Goldberg as one of the Ghosts. Whichever adaptation you choose, definitely make time for at least one at Christmas (and for a more adult adaptation, although not animation, try Scrooged (1988), starring Bill Murray). A cute and short animation is 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (1974), which follows Clement C. Moore's poem of the same name, adding in the story of Junctionville, who learn that Santa Claus has been offended by the town and won't be visiting them this year. The story not only follows the townspeople trying to change Santa's mind, but the town's mouse population who also play a big role in Santa deciding to skip the town at Christmas. Another short film that's a reading of a famous Christmas story is How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966), featuring animation that mirrors that of the book. It's a fantastic adaptation of the Dr Seuss' classic and a great companion to the 2000 Jim Carey adaptation, and, I'm sure, the new Benadict Cumberbatch adaptation. It's the Christmas magic of Dr Seuss all wrapped up in 26 minutes. Getting back to A Christmas Carol, it's crazy how many adaptations there are of the Dickens' classic, and that it's become the most iconic Christmas story since the birth of Jesus. A film that I've been excited for since it came out and one that I've been saving for Christmas is The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), which is a very fitting watch after bingeing a variety of A Christmas Carol adaptations. The film is such a creative way to tell Dickens and Scrooge's story, with a nice mix of biography, comedy and drama. Dan Stevens makes a great Dickens and Christopher Plummer an excellent Scrooge. If you're a fan of Dickens, then this is a must-watch, especially at Christmas. Then of course, I have a lot of favourites - the films that everyone knows and loves. From The Santa Clause (1994-2006), Home Alone (1990-1992), and Arthur Christmas (2012), to The Holiday (2006), Love Actually (2003), and How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), there's just so many amazing films that I've grown up with and come back to year after year. I actually made a post last Christmas talking about my favourite Christmas films, which you can read here.
There are many more films that I've watched, not just over the past few weeks, but over the years. If I were to talk about them all, we'd be here forever, and you wouldn't have time to watch any of them before Christmas. I've been posting gifsets of everything I've been watching over on my tumblr, so if you want to see what else I've been watching, that's the place to be. Maybe next year I'll make another post talking about Christmas films and try to cover the ones I didn't get to today, and others that I end up watching between now and then (no doubt Netflix will be back bigger and better next Christmas with some great films). I hope this has given you some film-night inspiration in the lead up to Christmas. Now, I'm going back to my watch-list to try and cram some more films and TV series into the next week! Happy Holiday Watching! Victoria :) |
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