It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) = “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” What even is there to say about It’s a Wonderful Life? Often proclaimed one of the greatest movies of all time, this seminal holiday staple absolutely lives up to its reputation. We follow George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart), a devoted family man and the owner of a loan company in the small town of Bedford Falls who gets extorted by the greedy Mr. Potter and faces bankruptcy. He then considers killing himself for the insurance money, and was about to jump off a bridge before Clarence Oddbody, his guardian angel, intervenes and shows George how very different life would be if he never existed. Despite its Best Picture nomination and critical acclaim, the movie was a box office bomb and its copyright expired in 1974 due to a lack of renewal, which led to the film being shown yearly on television and gaining its legendary status as a result. This is an absolutely phenomenal and perfect film that has truly deserved its reputation as one of the greatest movies of all time.
Erik’s rating: 10/10.
–It’s A Wonderful Life is a part of the Public Domain, and can be freely accessed by all. It also airs every Christmas Eve on NBC.
Elf (2003) = Every family has their chosen holiday movie, and we’re an Elf family. I actually can’t say how many times I’ve seen this film, but I have to say it still holds up after countless rewatches. Starring Will Ferrall as Buddy, a human raised by elves in the North Pole who heads to New York City to try to find his birth father. The movie is just so gosh darn funny and lovable. For some inexplicable reason, my favorite character happens to be Mr. Narwal, despite only having one single line (he’s just so cute!) I highly recommend this truly magical movie. A true Christmas classic.
Erik’s rating: 10/10.
–Elf is currently streaming on Hulu and Max.
Die Hard (1988) = “Yippee ki-yay motherf#%&er!” Yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie. It has a single christmas party, and focuses on family togetherness. In all seriousness, this is an intelligent action film that is executed flawlessly and truly elevates the genre as a whole. The story follows NYPD officer John McClane (played by Bruse Willis) going to Los Angeles visit his estranged wife at her office Christmas party in Nakatomi plaza, and while changing in the bathroom the building is overtaken by East German terrorists led by the suave Hans Grüber (portrayed by the late Alan Rickman) in order to steal $640 Million in untraceable company bonds. McClane, despite being barefoot, finds himself forced to take on the terrorists and find a way to save all the hostages before it is too late. With a great use of environmental storytelling, you really grow accustomed to the many floors and locations of the Nakatomi Plaza. The writing is excellent, with there being many quotable lines and fantastic setpieces. This is a truly iconic movie, and one that will continue to entertain for many each and every year. “Ho, ho, ho”.
Erik’s rating: 10/10.
–Die Hard is available for purchase and rental on demand.
Home Alone (1990) = We all like being home for the holidays, but certainly not like this. Through a set of extraordinary circumstances, Kevin McCalister was left at home while his family flew to Françe. His mother realizes this at the last minute, and desperately tries to get back to him. Meanwhile, 2 burglars try to break into their house, and only Kevin is there to stop them. He creates several ingenious homemade traps, and proceeds to mop the floor with them in a hilarious fashion. Interestingly, this happens to be the favorite film of U.S. President Gerald Ford. It was released over 11 years after he left office, he just really liked Home Alone, and I can’t blame him.
Erik’s rating: 8/10.
–Home Alone is currently streaming on Disney+.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) = “We’re gonna press on, and we’re gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny f#%&ing Kaye!” This Christmas comedy is actually part of a larger series of films stating the Griswold family as they have various vacations across the years. Now, they have their most stressful holiday yet: hosting family for Christmas. Chevy Chase stars as the patriarch of the family, Clark, and delivers some truly hilarious laughs. The humor is witty and heartfelt, and I can definitely see why people are so passionate about this movie after so many years.
Erik’s rating: 9/10.
–National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is currently streaming on Hulu and Max.
A Christmas Story (1983) = “You’ll shoot your eye out!” This happens to be one of my cousin’s favorite movies and he emphatically recommended that I watch it, and I wish I could have connected a bit more with the film, but I still thought it was good. The story follows a young boy named Ralphie who goes about the Christmas season and wishes for a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle but every adult tells him that “You’ll shoot your eye out!” There are quite a few good laughs, but the pacing was a little dull. I also thought that certain parts of the film aged poorly, most chiefly the Chinese restaurant scene, but it was overall a pretty good time.
Erik’s rating: 7/10.
–A Christmas Story is currently streaming on Max.
Fiddler On The Roof / Скрипач На Крыше / כנר על הגג (Ⅰ972) = To be honest, I felt extremely guilty only discussing Christmas movies so far, and wanted to be inclusive to the other winter holidays. So I decided to try to review a Hanukkah movie as well, but my problem was that unlike Christmas films, there were very few well known movies that were strictly about Hanukkah. So, I ended up going off of what Turner Classic Movies recommended last weekend. This film is based on a Broadway musical of the same name, following a year in the lives of a Jewish family living in the small Ukranian village of Anatevka in the Pale of Settlement during the turn of the 20th century, going through their hardships and trials, but also their triumphs. The director, Norman Jewison, also directed the 1967 Best Picture winner In The Heat Of The Night. By far, the most famous musical number from the film would be If i were a rich man, and it is quite catchy in my opinion. The movie was nominated for Best Picture, and won John Williams his first ever Oscar for composing. Although the 3 hour run-time may be a deterrent, the intermission in the middle helps to break it up. It was a good musical, and while it may not fully focus on Hanukkah (a menorah was in the background of the opening musical number), it does manage to be an excellent encapsulation of Jewish culture.
Erik’s rating: 8/10.
–Fiddler On The Roof is currently streaming for free on YouTube.
Kwanzaa: The Black Candle (2008) = If you thought finding a good Hanukkah movie was hard, try finding ANY movie about Kwanzaa. I searched, and was only able to find ONE. It happens to be a single documentary about the holiday narrated by the great poet Maya Angelou. It discusses the founding of the holiday in 1966 and the seven principles (also known as the Ngozo Suba in Swahili) held over the seven days from December 26th to January 1st. I found it very informative and it’s only a little over an hour long, so I would highly recommend it for anyone wishing to educate themselves about this holiday, but for those who already practice Kwanzaa, you may not get much out of this..
Erik’s rating: 7/10.
–Kwanzaa: The Black Candle is currently streaming on Peacock and Freevee.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) = “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very shiny nose, and if you ever saw it, You would even say it glows. All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names; They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games. Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say, Rudolph with your nose so bright, “Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” Then all the reindeer loved him as they shouted out with glee, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, You’ll go down in history.” This classic stop motion special has entertained audiences for nearly 60 years, and it’s just so cute you have to love it. We follow Rudolph, Hermey the aspiring dentist, and the prospector Yukon Cornelius, who journey to the island of misfit toys and help save Christmas. There isn’t much to say really, as the special is only about 50 minutes, but if you somehow haven’t seen it it’s a pretty good time.
Erik’s rating: 9/10.
–Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is available for purchase and rental on demand.
Love, Actually (2003) = “Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there” I just watched this movie for the first time recently, but I have no issues proclaiming that Love, Actually is a true masterpiece. Told in 10 interwoven storylines over the christmas season, the film effortlessly manages to make you care about all of them. Hilarious at moments, depressing at others, and oh so romantic throughout. The cast is absolutely STACKED, featuring the performances of Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Lúcia Moniz, Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Bill Nighy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Laura Linney, Martin Freeman, Olivia Olson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Rowan Atkinson. Literally everyone here gives an absolutely amazing performance. A truly incredible picture, and one that I will be sure to rewatch every single year. Highly recommended.
Erik’s rating: 10/10.
–Love, Actually is currently streaming on Netflix.
