'Tis the season to simmer into the magic of Christmas movies!
Christmas comes but once a year
So may your day be grand and full of cheer
May your company be fine, your food most splendid;
Gifts given and received fulfil what was intendedd
And when the sun has set and the moon shines bright
May the joy of the day roll into the night
They say any movie you watch on Christmas is technically a Christmas movie. Oh, you may say they don’t say that at all. And you would have a point. But what is Christmas if not a time for mild disagreement with a wavering air of long-term resentment and deep-seated trauma?
When it comes to festive viewing, there are those who are staunch Christmas classic devotees, while others prefer a Christmas-adjacent movie. Some like a cosy watch, while others a little comedy or action. There is no right or wrong. No one will end up on Santa’s naughty list. Below you will find an A to Z of Christmas flicks and a few specials (there’s no Die Hard, sorry) that we at Forte hope will help with your Christmas watch. Think of it as Forte giving you a gift voucher. We’re giving you the gift of options. We’re not lazy or cheap, though. Seriously, we’re not.
So, as the rosemary said to the sage, season’s greetings. Happy watching…
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
A – The Apartment (1960)
Insurance clerk and go-getter CC ‘Bud’ Baxter (Jack Lemmon) allows his superiors to use his apartment for an extramarital affair, along the way falling for elevator operator Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine). It is considered one of the greatest films of all time.
Alternative watch: About a Boy
B – Batman Returns (1992)
Abandoned by his parents and forced to live in the sewers, Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin (Danny DeVito) teams up with wealthy industrialist Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) in an attempt to topple Batman (Michael Keaton). And let’s not forget about Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Alternative watch: Blue Christmas (1978)
C – Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
When her boss and his returning war hero companion invite themselves over for a traditional Christmas feed, food writer and homemaker Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) must find a way to cover her lies. Those lies being she is not married, does not have a baby and cannot cook.
Alternative watch: Carol
D – Deck the Halls (2006)
Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick) is the Christmas king of his neighbourhood. One night, new neighbour Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito) arrives in town with his family. All seems to be going well until Buddy makes a play to become the new king in town.
Alternative watch: Diner
E – Edward Scissorhands (1990)
An artificially constructed being, the gentle Edward (Johnny Depp) is left with scissor blades for hands when his inventor (Vincent Price) dies. When kind-hearted saleswoman Peg (Diane Wiest) brings him home, Edward falls for Peg’s teen daughter Kim (Winona Ryder).
Alternative watch: Elf
F – The Family Man (2000)
Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is a hard-driven businessman who seems to have it all. Following a run-in with Cash (Don Cheadle) outside a convenience store, Jack wakes up the following morning to find himself in a suburban New Jersey home with his college sweetheart Kate (Téa Leoni) and two kids.
Alternative watch: Fatman
G – Ghostbusters II (1989)
Five years after the events of the first film, the team has been disbanded and their business bankrupt after destroying parts of the city caused by battling Gozer the Gozerian. But when trouble begins to brew, it’s time to once again call upon the ghostbusting crew.
Alternative watch: Gremlins
H – Home Alone (1990)
A yearly watch this time of the year for many, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) must fend for himself when he is accidentally left behind on a family trip. This includes contending with Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), otherwise known as the ‘Wet Bandits’.
Alternative watch: The Holdovers
I – In Bruges (2008)
The feature-length debut of Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are two London-based hitmen who are forced to hold up in Bruges, Belgium following a botched job. Ralph Fiennes and Clémence Poésy also star.
Alternative watch: The Ice Harvest
J – Just Friends (2005)
In high school, the overweight Chris (Ryan Reynolds) secretly harboured feelings for his best friend Jamie (Amy Smart). Ten years after an embarrassing moment, a now highly successful Chris is forced to return to his hometown following a mishap.
Alternative watch: Jingle All the Way
K – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Harry (Robert Downey Jr.) is a crook on the run from the cops who bumbles his way into an audition for a mystery film. After winning the part, he finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy with childhood sweetheart Harmony (Michelle Monaghan) and PI Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer).
Alternative watch: Krampus
L – The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
When schoolteacher and mother Samantha (Geena Davis) gets in a car accident, she begins experiencing memories of unexplained violence. Teaming up with private detective Mitch (Samuel L. Jackson), she begins to uncover her secret past.
Alternative watch: Lethal Weapon
M – Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Introduced to the Smith family in the summer of 1903, this movie is divided into a series of seasonal vignettes leading up to the opening of the 1904 World’s Fair. It is notable for Judy Garland debuting ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ among others.
Alternative watch: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
N – Nobody’s Fool (1994)
Paul Newman stars as Donald ‘Sully’ Sullivan, a sixty-year-old who divides his time between the local bar and the occasional construction job. When his estranged son Peter (Dylan Walsh) arrives in town with a son of his own, Sully is forced to confront the responsibilities of fatherhood.
Alternative watch: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
O – One Christmas (1994)
Based upon the short story by Truman Capote, this would mark the final television appearance of Katherine Hepburn. Set in 1930, a young boy living his perfect life in rural Alabama is shipped off to New Orleans to spend time with his estranged con artist father.
Alternative watch: Office Christmas Party
P – Penny Serenade (1941)
After getting married, Roger Adams (Cary Grant) and Julie (Irene Dunne) are looking to start a family before an accident causes Julie to have a miscarriage. Deciding to adopt, the couple fights through further adversity in the name of love, marriage and family.
Alternative watch: Patti Rocks
Q – Quantum Leap: A Little Miracle (1962) & Promised Land (1971)
In A Little Miracle, Sam (Scott Bakula) and Al (Dean Stockwell) attempt to scare some good into a rich Scrooge character looking to tear down a mission. In Promised Land, Sam finds himself back in his hometown just in time to save his neighbour’s farm.
Alternative watch: A Quarantined Christmas
R – Rocky IV (1985)
Rocky’s (Sylvester Stallone) plans for a quieter life are upended when his friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is killed in the ring by Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) during an exhibition match. Rocky saves the world when he and Drago meet in an unsanctioned fight on Christmas Day.
Honourable mention: The Ref
S – Serendipity (2001)
While Christmas shopping, Jonathan (John Cusack) meets Sara (Kate Beckinsale) and the pair discover an instant chemistry despite being in relationships. Following their encounter, it is decided fate should determine whether the two should be. Ten years later…
Alternative watch: Scrooged
T – The Thin Man (1934)
In this murder-mystery, Nick (William Powell) is a retired private detective who left a successful career after he married wealthy heiress Nora (Myrna Loy). The husband and wife team decide to take on the search for a missing inventor, getting themselves into trouble along the way.
Alternative watch: Trading Places
U – The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
A young Frenchwoman selling umbrellas at a small-town boutique falls in love with a mechanic. The entirety of the film’s dialogue, including casual conversations, is sung as recitative. It would win the Palme d’Or at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival.
Alternative watch: Unlikely Angel
V – Vendetta: A Christmas Story (1997)
Clocking in at less than 40 minutes, this indie film short is presented as two episodes of fictitious TV series Vendetta and sees Santa fleeing for his life following a failed raid. You can watch a HD version and learn all about the story through vendettachristmas.com.
Alternative watch: A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
W – While You Were Sleeping (1995)
After transit worker Lucy (Sandra Bullock) saves Peter’s (Peter Gallagher) life, a misunderstanding leads Peter’s family to believe the two are engaged. After they invite Lucy into their home and hearts, further complications arise when Lucy begins to fall for Peter’s brother Jack (Bill Pullman).
Alternative watch: Why Him?
X – The X-Files: Christmas Carol (1997) & How the Ghosts Stole Christmas (1998)
In Christmas Carol, Scully (Gillian Anderson) receives a mysterious phone call while on Christmas vacation with her family. In How the Ghosts Stole Christmas, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully stake out a haunted house and discover a lovelorn pair of ghosts living within.
Alternative watch: Xmas without China
Y – Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus (1991)
In an 1897 editorial for New York newspaper The Sun, Francis Pharcellus Church wrote a reply to an eight-year-old’s letter assuring her the existence of Santa is very real. This 1991 made-for-television movie is based upon this widely reprinted editorial.
Alternative watch: Year without a Santa Claus
Z – Ziggy’s Gift (1982)
Based upon Tom Wilson’s Ziggy comics, this animated holiday television special sees Ziggy (and his faithful dog, Fuzz) take on a job as a street Santa in order to raise money for the poor. Despite being surrounded by no-gooders, Ziggy remains true.
Alternative watch: Zog and the Flying Doctors
