It's Christmas eve for Christ's sake...let's watch some movies!!!

Christmas films to be watched. There’s no merit order here, the first is no better than the others and so on, juts a list; I decided to mix the proper Christmas films with the X-mas ones. Your choice what to watch.

- It’s a wonderful life

Capra’s masterpiece is the quintessential Christmas’ flick, and you can't help to fall in love for James Stewart’s character, this movie reach the peak of perfection. (available in a beautiful restored edition on BD)

- White Christmas 

Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, would you ask more for Christmas musical? Yes Irving Berlin as a composer, and here you get it. Michael Curtiz directs this joyous entertainment in splendid Technicolor. My God this man was able to direct musicals, dramas (Casablanca) Swashbuckler adventures (Robin Hood, Captain Blood), noir he did everything with class and quality, can we clone him? (available in a beautiful restored edition on BD)

- Christmas in July

Ok I know, has nothing to do with Christmas, it’s just an excuse to write about Preston Sturges the best comedy, dramedy would be a better definition, writer director that can be matched only by Lubitsch and Wilder. In a 4 years string (40-44) this man directed some of the best films ever made: Sullivan’s travels, The lady Eve, The great McGinty. (He wrote also Remember the night directed by Mitchell Leisen that should be in this list as well, it takes place on Christmas)

- Miracle on 34^th street

This a cheerful one, maybe not a masterpiece but it’s Christmas entertainment plain and simple. Everything is just right here, I’m writing about the original of course. George Seaton directs, Edmund Gwenn and Maureen O’Hara give some of  their finest performances.

- Gremlins

Wouldn’t you like to receive as a Christmas present Gizmo? I would, and I bet my daughter as well.

This is the perfect example of classy 50 SF entertainment mixed with new high tech spfx (for the 80’s I mean, but stands up pretty well even now) and Joe Dante’s wonderful sense of black humour. It’s a shame Dante has difficulties to find a proper vehicle for him nowadays, he’s clearly one of the most talented and underrated directors that came out from the late Corman’s factory. 

Instead of Santa here you get nasty creatures, funny and evil at the same time, completely dedicated to spoil your Christmas’ spirit, and to bring you their own concept of  “presents”. If you never saw it, hurry up to the local videostore (if you download it, your pc is gonna be damned forever and burned in hell; what about this Christmas spirit uhm?)

- ‘R Xmas

Abel Ferrara directs this dark tale of loss and no redemption in the jungle streets of New York, following the life of two small scale drug dealers, husband and wife, during Christmas time. While figuring out who’s ratting on ‘em, the husband is kidnapped and the wife has to come up with the money for the ransom.

Ferrara at its best on his own territory, NY underground. I believe few filmmakers have the ability to film and let audience feel NY the way Ferrara does. From his debut: the down and dirty Driller Killer, to the nastiness and angriness of Mrs. 45 (one of my favourites) and the hallucinatory trip of King of NY, Ferrara’s movies are a unique experience of the mind and the body. Movies that leave you a little more dirty deep down in your soul. 

film mass is ended for the moment you may go in peace

The Vikar