Top 10 Christmas Movies

 Howdie Folks, Sol's back with another list. This time with the top ten christmas movies of all time. I have to mention the lack of Jingle all the Way in the list. But, I imagine that's what opinions are for.

10. Arthur Christmas
Recently released and in spite of its borderling disgusting character design and animation style as well as its horrendously off-putting advertising campaign, 'Arthur Christmas' holds its own amongst the Aardman movie canon. It's not their best work, but it's far from their worst - containing their usual bucketfuls of heart and charm.

9. Bad Santa 

The first of a few films on this list that might be considered an antidote to the usual mushy family fare that deals with topics such as goodwill to all and peace among men. 'Bad Santa' is about a man who plays a mall Santa and doesn't take anything even resembling pride in his work - in fact, he only does the job because it gives him an 'in' meaning that every Christmas Eve, he's able to rob the mall extensively with his dwarf friend. Something of a perfect inside-job. It's a gloriously dark comedy that still manages to find some Christmas spirit towards the end - and due to how it arrives there, it feels all the more sincere.

8. About a Boy

I'm not usually a fan of Richard Curtis-esque romantic comedies. Whilst striking the exact same tone as the likes of 'Love Actually' and 'Notting Hill', this film wasn't written or directed by him. And it's perhaps because of that, that this film is actually funny. It's not gut-bustingly hilarious, but it's funny enough to work as a romantic comedy instead of as a romantic borefest that appeals to my mother and similarly minded women with no taste. Hugh Grant's performance is terrific and is quite probably the comedic highlight of the film (although I should point out that I'm a rare breed of man that actually quite likes Hugh Grant) and his character is equally terrific: a man that wastes away his life, living off of the royalties of his dead father's novelty Christmas hit. The inherent guilt he feels for living such an easy life is cranked up in volume every Christmas when his song starts to get airtime again.

Anyway, I'd be lying if I said that the film really strayed from familiar romcom territory. Hugh meets a woman, is charmingly awkward around her, etc, etc - but this one is actually sincere and funny enough to work. That's why I like it.

7. Millions

Danny Boyle is a rare example of a director that seems to love nailing each individual genre. So far, he's done horror, sci-fi, crime, drama and 'Millions' is his relatively unknown attempt at family films. Unlike many other big-name directors that make family films, with 'Millions', Danny never forgets to make a film that will appeal to the whole family, not just the adults. It deals with a lot of adult themes regarding money and ethics, but it's all handled from the point of a young child and because we see the world through his eyes, we see a world full of magic and whimsy. 'Millions' is a strong, heartfelt storyline elevated a few notches by its wonderful direction that breathes life and energy into everything it does.

6. Home Alone

It may be cheesy, but I couldn't possibly not put it on this list. The concept is one that appeals to children by targeting that dark part of our minds that wishes zombies would invade the world just so that we could run around doing what we want in the mall. Being home alone would be awesome? Right? No parents telling you what to do or when to go to bed. But of course, there's a flip-side to that and that's obviously where the film draws from to get its emotional weight and tension. Well... that and COMEDY BURGLAR VILLAINS IN WHICH ONE OF THEM IS JOE PESCI! Joe fucking Pesci! Who doesn't love him? His voice alone is reason to love him. Cue lots of Rube-Goldberg-inspired tricks and traps and you've got yourself one incredibly fun film, laced with Christmas slapstick.

5. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

You may not have heard of this one, but it's the first film on the list that I REALLY like so if that's the case, sort it out. 'Rare Exports' is an incredibly original film, clearly inspired by Finnish folk-lore such as Krampus In this film, it transpires that not only is Santa real, but he's a viscous, gigantic, demonic being that lives to punish naughty children and that, obviously, over time the story has been bastardised to become that of the happy, loveable Santa we all know today.

When one of the parasitic creatures at Santa's disposal (what we'd call an elf) shows up in a reindeer farmer's wolf-trap, it kickstarts something of a Santa-hunt, leading to the discover of a plan to excavate Santa's frozen body from the centre of a mountain - one that was actually man-made as a means of keeping Santa trapped eons ago. Soon, the reindeer farming community are in an all-out war against these elves as they struggle to destroy Santa before he thaws out.

If it sounds like demented brilliance, that's because it is. In fact, the only reason that this film isn't one of my all-time favourites is that the ending is something of an anti-climax. I think this is most-likely due to its modest budget, but even with an ending that doesn't quite slap you in the face with a hand of pure awesomeness, it's one hell of a fun ride as well as being funny and as I said before, incredibly unique. Certainly a film that deserves to become a highly regarded Christmas classic - although sadly, it's likely to just remain a cult thing.

4. The Great Escape

Not a Christmas film in the traditional sense, but it's more of a national Christmas tradition - at least here in the UK - than any of the other Christmas films in this list. It's on every single year on Christmas day (or close to it) and it's become so much of a staple that adverts even get in on it now by using the theme tune and even spoofing it.

So, in the sense that it's literally part of Christmas tradition in itself, I consider this to be a Christmas film. It's one of those classics that really deserves its status as one, too. It's thoroughly entertaining with countless memorable scenes and a great deal of heart and best of all, an uplifting tone that makes it fit right in with the holiday season.

3. It's a Wonderful Life!

This is pretty much regarded as THE Christmas classic. It's surprisingly dark and depressing for the most of it, dealing with a man who's kicked to the lowest point in life imaginable, only to do a complete U-turn at the end with one of the happiest scenes ever committed to film - and you don't mind how mushy it is, in fact, you're thankful because the film has earned it by taking you hell and back, first.

Add into this an incredible performance by the infinitely brilliant Jimmy Stewart and you've got yourself a movie.

2. Die Hard

Yes, 'Die Hard'. This, along with 'The Office''s Christmas specials, is one of the few parts of my yearly Christmas tradition that I insist on. And in case you're unaware - it very much is a Christmas film. It takes place on Christmas Eve and at its core, is about a man's struggle to get home to his family by Christmas day. Sounds like your usual, run of the mill Christmas special when I put it like that, doesn't it? Of course, those Christmas specials usually have the character stuck a long way from home with a broken down car or in an airport grounded due to the snow - something like that. In this film, the protagonist is stuck in a hostage situation in a skyscraper seized by German terrorists. And what a protagonist! The man is John McClane, one of the greatest movie characters of all time. And to top that off, the villain is the wonderful Hans Gruber (played by, the also wonderful, Alan Rickman) - another of the greatest movie characters of all time. Add to that some bad-ass one-liners and some absolutely kick-ass action sequences, as well as a series of sequels that surprisingly don't suck - in fact, I'd say all 3 of the 'Die Hard' sequels have something to offer. In fact, 'Die Hard 2', which also takes place on Christmas, would have made this list if it weren't for the fact that its presence would spoil the presence of the first film higher up on the list.

In closing, 'Die Hard' is awesome and you owe it to yourself as a man to watch it every Christmas - that is, unless you're a woman, in which case you owe it to breaking down the barriers between both sexes and trying to get in touch with your masculine side.

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas

What can I say? Some people grew up with 'It's a Wonderful Life!', some people grew up with 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' and I grew up with this. But all nostalgia (and annoying emo hanger-ons) aside, this is one incredible film. Its art-style is quintessential Tim Burton before his (in my opinion, undeserved) backlash, the music is Danny Elfman's best work (which is saying a LOT) and the story is both original and furiously entertaining. The character designs are all iconic, the songs are all good enough to get regular playtime on my computer and the animation - whilst admittedly somewhat dated - still oozes the magic that makes films something people like to watch.

Hope this pleases you!
Sol!