The holiday season is just days away, and if you are done with your Christmas shopping, then next on your check-list should be to find the right movies. A wintery, snowy Christmas is just the right time to snuggle up as a couple, or sit around as a family to enjoy the holiday season.
The lone-rangers certainly too can just say a 'silent night,' grab a pizza, and yes, why not share in the holiday spirit, by catching up on some 'Christmasy Movies'. The box office special for the 2013 movies with very obvious Christmas theme are – A Madea Christmas, Black Nativity, The Christmas Candle and to a certain extent, Frozen.
In short, there are not very many choices to pick from the newest of the movies. But then there is a line of amazing movies from the past, that never lose their holiday charm.
From light-hearted comedy to dark slasher movies, here is a list of more than just ten movies that will put you right in the holiday mood. A few 'great ones' have been left out, and instead some lesser known have been added for variety. So why keep the best for the last, let us start with some of the 'great' Christmas movies and then go down the list to 'good' Christmas movies.
1 It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
One of the most heart warming; and quintessentially a proper Christmas movie – It's A Wonder Life, has remained a classic movie with its simple message of perseverance. The movie is about a frustrated businessman, who with the help of an angel finds out how life would have been for his family and everyone else, had he never existed.
2 Home Alone (1990)
Director: Chris Columbus
Cast:Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
There is no better way to start the Christmas season by watching the Home Alone featuring a very young Macaulay Culkin violently standing his ground against two hapless burglars. Abandoned Kevin,who has been mistakenly forgotten by his parents is too busy reinventing Christmas in a child's playground of bed jumping and burglar bashing.
3 Scrooged (1988)
Director:Richard Donner
Cast:Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe
Whether it is the 19th Century London or 1980s Manhattan, there will always be humbugs such as the Frank Cross (Bill Murray),a selfish and cynical TV executive. But then he too is a better man, all the needed getting haunted by three Christmas ghosts,who ending changing Frank.
4 The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Director:Brian Henson
Cast: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire
A perfect film for the entire family, the movie surpasses one's expectation in the portrayal of cynical Scrooge and essentially captures the true spirit of Christmas by 'almost 'sticking to the Dickens tale – The Christmas Carol. This Muppet's movie makes for a liveable watch.
5 Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)
Director: Chris Columbus
Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
If you started with the Home Alone first movie, then it is only justified that you also watch the Lost In New York as well. It would certainly at least keep the kids occupied,while you two catch up on some 'alone' time The storylines more or less remains the same, only this time, Kevin's accidently finds himself alone in New York. The film offers great enjoyment and is a great sequel.
6 Elf (2003)
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart
With the film Will Ferrell achieves his first mainstream break. Buddy is not an elf but he is raised as an elf. However, as he grows bigger, the elves increasingly find him at odds with the North Pole lifestyle of the elves. Hence, buddy is sent out to New York to find his real father. With an amiable goofiness, the movie is again a perfect family Christmas film.
7 The Shop Around The Corner (1940)
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan
The Shop Around The Corner is like an old wine and it gets only better, as it ages. One of the sweetest and most enjoyable romantic comedies, this movie comes highly recommended. The movies is about two employees at a gift shop,who never realize they are pen friends, but in real life, they are rivals and can't stand each. Watch how their beautiful romance blooms, as the story plays out the hatred, sadness, sorrow and then love finally.
8 Scrooge (1951)
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
Cast: Alastair Sim, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison
The plight of the poor is everyone's concern and that is the message that Charles Dicken's really wanted to send through The Christmas Carol. A true classic, the movie maintains the message of the book, but Alastair Sim as Scrooge commendably fits into the role and delivers a touching performance as he is visited by the Christmas ghosts of the past, present and future.
9 The Apartment (1960)
Director:Billy Wilder
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray
A great black and white film, The Apartment has the darker undertone involving the comedies of life. A satire on the big rat race, the story involves a lowly employee of an insurance company,who lends his apart of his senior bosses for their affairs. But things start to change when he falls for his boss' latest girlfriend.
10 Life Of Brian (1979)
Director: Terry Jones
Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin
A historical 'destruction' of the Jesus' birth, considered as one of the best works by the Monty Python group, the movie delivers one of the sharpest and smartest satire on religion and Hollywood's epic films.
11 Arthur Christmas (2011)
Directors: Sarah Smith, Barry Cook
Cast:James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy
What happens if Santa misses a gift delivery? Well then its up to Santa's youngest son Arthur (James McAvoy) to take the reins and make the impossible happen. The plot is simple, but the movie is a delight to watch, especially for the young audience.
12 Black Christmas (1974)
Director:Bob Clark
Cast: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder
The first of the slasher movies, this 1974 film is said to have influenced even Halloween to a great extend. This cult classic revolves around a sorority house,where the girls on their Christmas break are getting terrorizing phone calls from unknown strangers. Things start to get bloody and messy as one after another, the girls are killed and the count keeps increasing.
13 Love Actually (2003)
Director: Richard Curtis
Cast: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson
When it comes to this movie,there are only two kind of people, you either absolutely loathe this one or are madly in love with it. The storyline weaves through the lives of eight very different couples, including two porn stars. The entire movie is overly mushy and tenderly honest in its feeling. The whole story unfolds just before Christmas in London. And well, it goes without saying, it's not an entirely a family film.
