Christmas films

I started thinking about a list of Christmas films a few weeks ago.

It’s been a regular visitor to my headspace, while driving to/from work, this list.

There are a number of ways of looking at it, and I couldn’t get my head around how I’d want to. For example:

• The most awful Christmas films
• The most awesome Christmas films
• The most mediocre Christmas films
• The most embarrassing Christmas films

There are so many candidates for all of those.

In the end, and after a lot of thought – about content and ordering the content – I’ve come up with my list of the top five Christmas films.

And in reverse order, they are:

At number five, it’s time to put on your Sunday vest (see what I did there?) and give it your best ‘Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker!’ as a very young Bruce Willis takes on Alan Rickman (in stunning form, and a very smart suit) in the amusing action flick Die Hard

Number four on my list of my top five Christmas films is the financially bullish, pork belly bearish Trading Places. Eddie Murphy (for once) plays his character with just the right amount of charm, Dan Akroyd is perfect casting for his role and even Jamie Lee Curtis does a nice job in this role-swap with a twist:

Third on the list of my top Christmas films is the totally diarytastic Bridget Jones. There’s something about this film that makes it a very watchable – yet guilty – pleasure.

We’re on the home straight now, and in a flat-out sprint for the line – and coming second on my list of top Christmas films by the smallest of small margins – is the brilliant It’s A Wonderful Life. I agonised for ages over where to place this film in the list. It is brilliant. It makes me cry. It leads the viewer. It is a compelling story which embodies the higher values of the Christmas period

And the winner, by the most whiskeriest of whiskers, the number one on my list of top Christmas films is the brilliantly constructed, wonderfully written, beautifully script-edited and well-acted Love Actually. You might find it strange that I’ve placed Love Actually at number one, and It’s A Wonderful Life at number two, when, on my All Time Top 10 list of films, the order is reversed. The reason is simple; It’s A Wonderful Life is a better film. Love Actually is a better Christmas film. And this is a list of Christmas films.

Enjoy

Go on, tell me you didn’t start to tear up with that introduction? Those are powerful words from the fine Mr Curtis’ pen.

And fine sentiments.

Ho ho ho.

Have a very Merry Christmas.