Hello and a warm welcome to the final Film Club blog of the year! And what better subject than the best celebration in the calendar – Christmas! We took a break from the festive season last December but it is the hot topic one again to see out 2024. These entries each offer a great watch for over the holidays with your family, partner or by yourself.
It is only right to begin with the oldest movie on the list, Miracle on 34th Street (1947). While you may be familiar with the 1994 version, this is its big screen predecessor, directed by George Seaton. It stars Maureen O’Hara (The Parent Trap 1961, Rio Grande) and Natalie Wood (Rebel Without a Cause). The premise begins with Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) being hired to play Santa at Macy’s store in New York City (after helping to remove the previous Santa) on 34th Street. He proves to be an instant hit with the kids and all is going well until the children start to believe he truly is the Santa Claus. Kris gets in trouble when he refuses to denounce these insinuations, and events director Doris (O’Hara) takes particular offence when her daughter starts to believe.
She endeavours to fire Kris but his popularity makes it difficult. Finding other ways to test Kris, he soon finds himself in a fight to prove who he really is and escape persecution from both the law and the public. Winner of 3 Academy Awards including Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Gwenn, Miracle on 34th Street was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry. It has since become a Christmas classic, with the BBC labelling it “a clever and deeply original story”. It has spawned various TV remakes, a Broadway musical and of course the just as beloved cinematic remake in the 90s. Get a glimpse of this beautiful film by clicking the link below to see Kris’ interview for his store position:
From classic to modern, next is the newest entry of this blog, the romantic comedy Last Christmas (2019). Directed by comedic officienado Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat), it is named after the highly popular Christmas song by Wham! And acts as a tribute to both their and George Michael’s music (which is featured throughout). British duo Emilia Clarke (Solo: A Star Wars Story) & Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) spearhead the cast with supporting turns from Dame Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee) and Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies). The premise centres around aspiring singer Kate Andrich (Clarke) who has no fixed address and is bouncing between friend’s couches. She works as an elf at a year-round Christmas shop for its owner “Santa” (Yeoh).
While working one day, she strikes up a conversation with a man outside the store, Tom (Golding). Returning home to her parents, Petra (Thompson) and Ivan, after a failed audition, Kate becomes increasingly downbeat. As her life spirals further out of control, she grows closer to Tom who comforts her – yet he becomes more mysterious by the day. Last Christmas received mixed reviews but is seen by many audiences as a modern-day classic. Charles Bramesco [The A.V. Club] called the film “a guilty pleasure”. While not one to blow you away, the solid soundtrack (as one would expect) and strong chemistry of the protagonists still makes it worth a watch. Watch the awesome trailer for this movie by clicking the link below:
Journeying more into the fantasy world now, the penultimate film of the month is It’s a Very Muppet Christmas Movie (2002). The Muppets first television film, it takes it inspiration from quintessential Christmas delight It’s a Wonderful Life, with Kermit the Frog taking center stage as he falls into despair trying to save the Muppet Theatre. Alongside the world-famous puppets are stars such as David Arquette (Scream), Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act, Ghost) and Joan Cusack (School of Rock, Toy Story 2) and whole host of celeb cameos.
After several Muppets leave to find new ventures (including Miss Piggy), Kermit loses all hope of stopping banker Rachel Bitterman (Cusack) from closing down the Muppet Theatre. Sympathizing, the angel Daniel (Arquette) decides to intervene and take Kermit on a journey of rediscovery. It’s The Muppets at their very best and a true festive delight. View a sneak preview by clicking the link below:
To conclude we have the most well-known entry, Scrooged (1988), directed by Richard Donner (Superman, Lethal Weapon). Based on the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Bill Murray (Ghostbusters, Caddyshack) portrays the central protagonist Frank Cross. Cross is the sleezy president of television studio IBC, cynical and selfish, he has no time for his family and only cares about his work. On December 23rd, he is busy making sure everything is ready for a live broadcast of A Christmas Carol scheduled for Christmas Eve, creating and distributing a violent and distressing ad for it. He even fires an executive for questioning his vision.
As a result, Frank is visited by several apparitions who attempt to convince him to change his ways. Scrooged initially received mixed reviews for its premise, seen as too dark for the festive season; however, it has since become a Christmas staple in many households and is a TV broadcast favourite. John Ferguson [Radio Times] dubbed it – a “Joyously black Christmas treat”. In addition, IGN named it the 11th best holiday movie of all time in 2015 and just a year later, Empire named it no.7 in their own list.
So, over this festive season, why not curl up in front of the fire and watch one or more of these delights? You don’t even have to worry about coming into the library as all four of these films are available only e-stream, so you can watch them whenever and wherever you like. Also, the Library will be closed between 21st December-5th January 2025. Have a happy holiday everyone! See you next year!
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