You probably know the list of Yuletide perennials by now : It’s a Wonderful Life, the original Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol (the version with Alastair Sim), A Christmas Story ....
Here are a few alternatives for more adventurous and/or cynical viewers.
Gremlins
Director Joe Dante (Piranha) and screenwriter Chris Columbus (The Goonies) have some fun at the expense of traditional festive film fare with this deliciously malicious 1984 entry. An eccentric inventor (singer/songwriter/actor Hoyt Axton) gives his teenage son (Zach Galligan) a "mogwai" for Christmas. Sure, he's cute as the dickens but loyal horror fans know you must never get these critters wet or feed them a midnight snack. Sure enough, the little fella is accidentally splashed with water and spawns some ugly offspring which, when fed after midnight (whoops!), embark on a murderous rampage through the scenic, snow-covered little burg of Kingston Falls. Moral of the story: give your kid an exotic pet for Christmas and you may live to regret it.
Reindeer Games
Charlize Theron's slinky sex appeal is tailor made for the role of a femme fatale and she is in fine form here in an edgy 2001 thriller written by Scream 3 scribe Ehren Kruger and directed by old pro John Frankenheimer (Ronin). Charlize's sleazeball brother (Gary Sinise) and his gang plan to rob a casino on Christmas Eve disguised as Santas. They enlist the help of an ex con with identity issues, played by Ben Affleck. Anyone who tells you more about the plot deserves coal in their stocking. Let's just say that with bloody scenes of violence and some neck-snapping plot twists this movie is one nasty (and, possibly, confusing) slay ride.
Joyeux Noel
Written and directed by French filmmaker Christian Carion, this 2006 Academy Award nominee (Best Foreign Language Film) is based on the true story of how German, French and British troops during World War One agreed to lay down their weapons for one night on Christmas Eve 1914 and celebrate the holiday together. The film serves as a potent reminder that even hardened combat veterans are not immune to the true spirit of peace and goodwill on earth.
7 Times Lucky
Setting a noirish drama in Winnipeg Manitoba is a chilling thought. However, thanks to Kevin Pollak's knowing performance as a hard luck anti-hero tangled up with an enigmatic ice princess (Liane Balaban) and savvy dialogue by writer/director Gary Yates (High Life), this 2004 Canadian indie pic has a wry downbeat charm. Yates has a terrific eye for atmospheric locations in the frigid Prairie metropolis and the gritty low budget look of the film suits the material perfectly.
Richard Goertz - Richard Goertz has a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in English and History acquired light years ago (when his hair was longer) and have ...
