Christmas is a wonderful time for lots of people, me included. It is tied with Halloween for my favorite holiday ever and let me tell you, it's quite a competitor.
Christmas was a fond experience for me as a child: smelling the delicious food, eager for Santa Claus to bring me my gifts at night, and just feeling the warm aura in the house when everyone felt jolly and giving. Now that I'm older, I tend to do more giving by getting presents for my family and friends.
As cliche as it might sound, to see their faces light up with such joy really makes me feel good. It reminds me of the purity of this world and how I can bring that out in people.
You can enjoy a lot of things for Christmas like sitting by the fire or playing video games, but a common activity is to watch christmas movies. What movies could you watch that aren't "Elf" or "How the Grinch Stole Christmas?" Well, hopefully my suggestions will help you find the answer.
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THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr6N_hZyBCk
Rating- PG
Genre- Musical/Animation
Warnings- Disturbing imagery
This may seem like an obvious choice for Christmas time, but to others it is not. "The Nightmare before Christmas" is a classic movie with a cult following that has permanently stayed in popular media. Despite its all-around gothic and macabre art style, this movie can be watched during the more jolly festive holiday as well, with milk and cookies and christmas cheer. After all, it does say in the title, The Nightmare before CHRISTMAS and it has the entirety of the story revolve around the pumpkin king, Jack Skellington (Johnny Depp) wanting to learn about the Christmas holiday with the intention of becoming the next Santa Claus.
This has its fair share of disturbing imagery that might frighten little ones depending on how much your child can handle. But, the cg animation is very creative and while the songs aren't very memorable (to me at least) aside from the song, "This is Halloween" they do fit the tone of the scenes that they are in.
The characters are good with Skellington behaving like a curious child and exploring the North Pole wondering what snow and gifts are and going all out to create this wonder in his own world. Side characters like Sally (Catherine O'Hara) is the realist, telling Jack that he should stick with Halloween instead of tampering with Christmas and providing a calmer mind to the situation at hand whereas everyone else seems to quickly agree with Skellington's ideas. The villain is someone that can creep you out the minute you see him, I would know because I remember watching this movie as a child and I couldn't stand look at the boogeyman, Oogie Boogie (Ken Page).
If you're looking for a moral to this story then you'll probably find it, but it can be misconstructed if not analyzed correctly. Light spoiler, but kids might assume that the moral might be that you shouldn't try new things and just keep doing what you normally do in all scenarios. So say if your kid wants to practice studying computer software even though they are more skilled in english literature, they won't pursue it because that's not their greatest strength.
I personally feel the moral is more about how you don't need to change yourself or no one is better than you for having a specific talent, because everyone has their own strengths and yours is just as valued as anyone else's.
I see why this movie is so popular and I would recommend it to anyone who'd appreciate this darker atmosphere of christmas joy while having Halloween join the fun as well. I'd say show this to people as early as 10 years old and up. I give "The Nightmare before Christmas" a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M94yyfWy-KI
Rating- PG-13
Genre- Drama/Fantasy
Warnings- Disturbing imagery, sexual scenarios
This is not a movie that centers on the spirit of Christmas, but it does have major scenes involved around winter and the holidays, therefore I think it's possible to see this during the Christmas year.
It's another movie with Johnny Depp that is more dark than the usual holiday watched films, but it is still just as good for its story, characters and soundtrack.
In "Edward Scissorhands" it stars a quiet young man named Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) who was invented with scissors for hands. He is discovered by a suburban family and is taken into their home, learning about other people but also discovering the prejudice he receives due to his deformity.
The visuals are great, each one either showing a piece of Scissorhands' world of darkness and isolation or the human suburban world with pristine homes and cleanliness. It introduces a damaged soul within a seemingly perfect world and lets us experience the results of that uncanny combination. Scissorhands is a kind soul who is like a child in a sense that he is exploring the real world and learning about family, love and worst of all, hate.
Most of the side characters actually help this movie not be just a movie where the main character is hated by everyone, since the beginning there are already people who try to help Scissorhands so this won't be a film that you end up hating everybody and feel depressed all throughout. The ending scene is also very beautiful and bittersweet that I still remember it to this day.
I would recommend anyone 13 years and up to watch this movie and I will give "Edward Scissorhands" a 5 out of 5 stars.
A MADEA CHRISTMAS
Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zFenzWARtc
Rating- PG-13
Genre- Drama/Comedy
Warnings- Inappropriate language, sexual references
I feel like I need to be honest with you here: I didn't watch this movie completely. I actually saw a lot of clips from, "A Madea Christmas" through several videos on Youtube. I know the plot of the story and have seen the clips in chronological order and I still want to express my opinion on it, but take my advice with a grain of salt for this one.
"A Madea Christmas" stars Mabel "Madea" Simmons (Tyler Perry) who gets roped into helping a friend pay her daughter a surprise visit in the country from Christmas while a small, rural town prepares for its annual Christmas Jubilee.
After watching a good portion of the film, I can say that the story feels cluttered and despite the town hosting a holiday event, it doesn't really feel like a movie with a lot of Christmas spirit. Several characters-including Madea-come off as mean-spirited and inconsiderate of other people's feelings and the jokes are often a miss by how obvious they are to make; you can see how hard they try to tug at the funny bone.
The comedy is lackluster, but if you're a big fan of Madea then I'm sure you'd still be able to watch it. The editing is slightly wacky, including the movie's needs to transition with Christmas swipes. While they are cute, they don't really fit what's happening during the story.
I can't say much about this one honestly, but anyone 13 and up can watch it and you'll probably like it as a movie you can joke about with your friends at most. At the very least, you'll feel bored and disinterested in the plot lines, only wanting to see more christmas related stories. I give "A Madea Christmas" a 1 out of 5 stars.
EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS
Rating- PG-13
Genre- Comedy/Musical
Warnings- Inappropriate language, gross out humor, sexual references
Though this is technically a movie for Hanukkah, I simply love this movie too much to keep it off the list. Sorry for all those who celebrate Hanukkah. I don't celebrate it myself and I haven't watched any movies talking about it to critic, maybe next year. It stars town alcoholic Davey (Adam Sandler) and how he must work community service with an elderly, old man named Whitey (Adam Sandler) to make up for his many misdemeanors in the town. In the process, Davey learns to reform and see the real beauty of Hanukkah and what it means to love. Its comedy can either be a hit or miss. Depending on the type of person you are, this movie will either be hilarious or annoying with its crude humor including fart jokes, poop jokes and a lot of jokes involving bodily fluids and gases.
Normally, I wouldn't enjoy that myself but this movie isn't just about that. It can also be funny for its sheer absurd characters like Davey who hates Hanukkah or Whitey with his high-pitched voice and the more sane characters reacting to it. Plus, the songs are catchy, some of them are in that parody Hanukkah song way, like how instead of saying Hanukkah is great they say Hanukkah isn't and it sucks to be around people during that time. The animation is also really pretty with beautiful visuals and the transitions are decently put together as well, the scenes seem to pace themselves properly so none are dragging on any longer than the should.
In addition, this movie also reveals some dark material like death and not being appreciated that actually tug at the heartstrings. You first laugh and joke about Davey's predicament but later on you realize why he acts the way he does and while it isn't exactly justified, some people can understand how an event that happened to Davey really screws him up.
Overall, this movie is one I would consider a guilty pleasure of mine. There aren't many people who enjoy it but for those that do it is a laugh riot from start to finish while also bringing up emotional moments and brining friends and family closer together in the weirdest way possible. I would not recommend watching this with young children or your parents, probably your siblings though. Ages 13 and up can watch this and I would rate "Eight Crazy Nights" a 4 out of 5 stars.
Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMt2r6Yfx-o
Rating- N/A
Genre- Musical
Warnings- None
Not sure what to do for the holiday season? Trying to get tickets for a christmas show when you know it will cost you a grand for just four people? Then check out the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" located on Netflix. It is a complete recording of one of their amazing stage shows that have talented dancers gracing the stage with their moves, all while addressing the fun and joy of Christmas time. The duration of the performance is a little over an hour I believe with no intermission. Certain things performed on stage include the dancing rockettes, toy soldiers, christmas in New York City and the Nativity scene.
Multiple cameras have recorded this show so you will get many close and far out shots of the performance, plus moments where you see the audience and their reactions. It's such a beautiful masterpiece throughout and while it may be awesome to see it live, if you're not able to afford it then this is the next best thing. You still can't pull your eyes away and it will definitely entertain your kids, especially when they see Santa Claus on the screen.
The only complain I could think of for this is that if you're not interested in a segment then you might have to bear with it for a while, the segments can go as long as 10 minutes. I consider that minor though since each segment is creative enough to not end up being a complete bore, there has to be something you get out of it.
So if you're looking for a long film to entertain the young ones while you prepare christmas dinner or something similar to that and you don't spend hundreds of dollars, then this is the perfect kid-friendly holiday show for any year. I give the, "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" a solid 5 out of 5 stars.
Note: If you want to check out tickets for the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" and see if you're able to bring loved ones to the show, the link should be below. I tried getting tickets before (and failed) but I do remember what I wanted and I can give you an example of how much it would cost. The shows are presented from November 11 to January 2.
Example: I wanted to get four regular tickets in the 1st mezzanine (1st balcony) of the theater in the third row without discounts. This would be an average of $402.5 to have this type of seating with this many people.
Official Website- https://www.rockettes.com/christmas/
Ticket websites:
http://radiocitymusichall.ticketoffices.com/Radio+City+Christmas+Spectacular?gclid=Cj0KEQiAhNnCBRCqkP6bvOjz_IwBEiQAMn_TMSct3NRGtWwI_DBfaaKBu49u7NCdpHbi0QgYdIvl5lMaAhw48P8HAQ
http://www.ticketmaster.com/Christmas-Spectacular-Starring-The-Radio-City-tickets/artist/807157
http://www.box-officetickets.com/NY/New-York/Radio-City-Music-Hall-Tickets?&mkwid=slNoAuO0B|pcrid|82578974057|pkw|radio%20city%20tickets|pmt|b|pdv|c|&st-t=google&vt-k=radio%20city%20tickets&gclid=Cj0KEQiAhNnCBRCqkP6bvOjz_IwBEiQAMn_TMZOCJuYGeSoiV2l2XaArsqUtu9hpwQDi7253cAXbVWIaAjJc8P8HAQ
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