Wednesday 1 December 2010

The 25 Best Christmas Films

25. The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
Dir: Michael Lembeck
Cast: Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Eric Lloyd, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Spencer Breslin, David Krumholtz, Peter Boyle.
Genre: Comedy/Family/Fantasy
Cert: U for very mild peril
Run Time: 104 minutes
Follow-up to the brilliant film about a man who accidentally becomes Santa Claus and needs to find a Mrs. Claus.



24. Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)
Dir: Tim Hill
Cast: Jason Lee, David Cross, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Cameron Richardson, Jane Lynch.
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Family
Cert: U for no material likely to offend or ham
Run Time: 87 minutes
Big screen adaptation of the classic cartoon series revolves around the friendship between a failed musician and three singing chipmunks who come to him over the Christmas period.



23. Die Hard 2 (1990)
Dir: Renny Harlin
Cast: Bruce Willis, William Sadler, Art Evans, Bonnie Bedelia, Dennis Franz, John Amos, Franco Nero, Reginald VelJohnson.
Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller
Cert: 18 for strong bloody violence
Run Time: 118 minutes
The follow-up to the 1988 hit sees hero cop John McClane battling against terrorists who are holding his wife's plane hostage on Christmas Eve.



22. White Christmas (1954)
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes.
Genre: Comedy/Musical/Romance
Cert: U for no material likely to offend or ham
Run Time: 120 minutes
One of the most legendary Christmas films ever made; it's a musical romp throughout and every moment is perfect.



21. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Dir: Chris Columbus
Cast: Macaulay Caulkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Rob Schneider.
Genre: Adventure/Comedy/Crime
Cert: PG for comic action and mild language
Run Time: 115 minutes
Comedy retread set over the Christmas period.




20. A Christmas Story (1983)
Dir: Bob Clark
Cast: Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, Jean Shepherd, Ian Peterella, Scott Schwartz.
Genre: Comedy Family
Cert: PG for mild violence and language
Run Time: 90 minutes
The humorous tale of a child trying to convince everyone that what he wants for Christmas would be the perfect gift.



19. Lethal Weapon (1987)
Dir: Richard Donner
Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan, Tom Atkins.
Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller
Cert: 18 for strong language and violence
Run Time: 109 minutes
Humorous buddy cop movie set around the Christmas period.





18. Love Actually (2003)
Dir: Richard Curtis
Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Martine McCutcheon, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page, Kris Marshall.
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Cert: 15 for sex scenes and strong language
Run Time: 129 minutes
Hilarious glimpse into numerous peoples' lives as Christmas approaches.



17. Gremlins (1984)
Dir: Joe Dante
Cast: Hoyt Axton, Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Frances Lee McCain, Corey Feldman, Judge Reinhold.
Genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Horror
Cert: 15 for mild violence and gore, disturbing images, brief language and smoking content
Run Time: 106 minutes
Frightening and humorous look at a killer Christmas present.



16. The Nativity Story (2006)
Dir: Catherine Hardwicke
Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Oscar Isaac, Ciaran Hinds, Stanley Townsend, Shaun Toub.
Genre: Drama/Family
Cert: PG for mild images of violence
Run Time: 97 minutes
The original story of the first Christmas.




15. Bad Santa (2003)
Dir: Terry Zwigoff
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, Lauren Tom, John Ritter, Bernie Mac.
Genre: Comedy/Crime/Drama
Cert: 15 for strong language and moderate sex
Run Time: 91 minutes
Story of an alcoholic, unlikeable department store Santa Claus.




14. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Dir: Ron Howard
Cast: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon, Clint Howard.
Genre: Comedy/Family/Fantasy
Cert: PG for some crude humour
Run Time: 105 minutes
Adaptation of Dr. Seuss' tale about a monster that tries to steal Christmas from an innocent town.



13. Batman Returns (1992)
Dir: Tim Burton
Cast: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle.
Genre: Action/Crime/Fantasy
Cert: 15 for moderate violence
Run Time: 126 minutes
Batman must stop the deformed Penguin from murdering all the children in Gotham City on Christmas Eve, while also dealing with the appearance of Catwoman.




12. A Christmas Carol (2009)
Dir: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Cary Elwes, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright-Penn.
Genre: Animation/Drama/Family
Cert: PG for mild threat, scary scenes and mild language
Run Time: 92 minutes
3D animated version of the classic Dickens tale.




11. The Polar Express (2004)
Dir: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, Eddie Deezen.
Genre: Animation/Adventure/Family
Cert: U for mild scary scenes
Run Time: 101 minutes
3D animated adventure about a child's journey to the North Pole aboard a magical train.




10. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Dir: Henry Selick
Cast: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Ken Page.
Genre: Animation/Family/Fantasy
Cert: PG for mild horror
Run Time: 73 minutes
Tim Burton penned tale of a Halloween monster discovering the joys of Christmas.






9. The Snowman (1982)/Father Christmas (1991)
Dir: Dianne Jackson/David Unwin
Cast: Peter Auty/Mel Smith
Genre: Adventure/Animation/Family
Cert: U for no material likely to offend or harm
Run Time: 27 minutes/26 minutes
Both based on separate Raymond Briggs Christmas stories, these two half-hour films tell the story of a Snowman taking a child on a journey, and of Father Christmas, taking a holiday.




8. Scrooged (1988)
Dir: Richard Donner
Cast: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Carol Kane, Robert Mitchum, Michael J. Pollard.
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy
Cert: PG for moderate language and violence
Run Time: 97 minutes
Comedic modernisation of the classic Dickens tale, "A Christmas Carol."




7. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Dir: Frank Capra
Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers.
Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance
Cert: U for mild violence
Run Time: 130 minutes
The ultimate feel-good Christmas movie.






6. The Santa Clause (1994)
Dir: John Pasquin
Cast: Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd, Wendy Crewson, Judge Reinhold, David Krumholtz, Peter Boyle.
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Family
Cert: U for rare mild language
Run Time: 98 minutes
Humorous tale of a father who inadvertently transforms into Santa Claus.




5. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Dir: Brian Henson
Cast: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz.
Genre: Comedy/Family/Fantasy
Cert: U for mild scary scenes
Run Time: 86 minutes
Fantastic Muppet version of the classic Dickens story.






4. Elf (2003)
Dir: Jon Favreau
Cast: Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Kyle Gass.
Genre: Comedy/Family/Fantasy
Cert: PG for mild language and violence
Run Time: 97 minutes
Hilarious misadventures of a human, raised by elves journeying to New York to find his real father.




3. Home Alone (1990)
Dir: Chris Columbus
Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, Roberts Blossom, John Candy.
Genre: Comedy/Crime/Family
Cert: PG for moderate violence
Run Time: 103 minutes
Hilarious adventure of a child trying to defend his house from burglars on Christmas Eve.



2. Miracle on 34TH Street (1947)
Dir: George Seaton
Cast: Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood, Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Harry Antrim, Porter Hall.
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Family
Cert: U for no material likely to offend or harm
Run Time: 96 minutes
Tale of a man who is taken to court over his claims that he is the real Father Christmas.



And the number one best Christmas film is...



1. Die Hard
Dir: John McTiernan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, Alexander Godunov, Paul Gleason.
Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller
Cert: 18 for strong violence, language, nudity and hard drug use
Run Time: 127 minutes
Why? Because it's Die Hard.

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