5 Under-The-Radar Christmas Gems Beyond Home Alone and Love Actually
Works that are a little darker, more cynical, or more offbeat than we've come to expect from Christmas movies.
If you're tired of saying no to the invitation to rewatch all the Harry Potter movies, here are six less-than-obvious holiday movies that range from touching to sarcastic.
1. Brazil, 1985
Terry Gilliam's sci-fi gem opens with a perfect Christmas scene: we see a family gathered in their living room watching television. But suddenly a government squad bursts in and arrests the father.
This is a dystopian nightmare where people are slaves to machines. When the government discovers that they have accidentally arrested the wrong person, an ordinary employee is forced to correct the mistake and go in search of Archibald Tuttle, a freedom fighter.
The movie features a drunk Santa Claus, religious cults that glorify the ideology of Christmas consumerism, and a particularly notable scene in which Robert De Niro's character uses wrapping paper to avoid arrest.
2. Go, 1999
In 1999 Doug Liman made Go, a collection of intertwining stories that culminate in a drug-fueled Christmas party with unexpected consequences.
Fast-paced and wild, the movie stars Sarah Polley and Katie Holmes as two friends who get into a deal involving ecstasy and a dealer in a Santa hat; Jay Mohr and Scott Wolf as two actors who find themselves hostages during a Christmas dinner; and Taye Diggs as a guy in a yellow jacket who wreaks havoc on his friends in Vegas.
3. Fanny and Alexander, 1982
ngmar Bergman's magnum opus tells the story of Fanny and Alexander, sister and brother, and the entire Ekdahl family. The first part of the movie is a standard Christmas movie with lavish celebrations and touching speeches.
But everything falls apart when the family's father dies. Bergman's signature directorial style makes Fanny and Alexander a true Christmas classic.
4. 2046, 2004
This surreal romantic drama from Wong Kar-wai consists of four storylines set in four time periods.
The film centers on a writer named Chow who is grieving the loss of the love of his life, played by Maggie Cheung. The movie unfolds over several Christmas Eves as Chow travels through time and space in hopes of healing his wounded soul.
5. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, 2005
Written and directed by Shane Black, who apparently likes to set his movies at Christmastime, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a black comedy that is most notable for the on-screen chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. as an aspiring actor and Val Kilmer as a detective.
The pairing of brilliant actors giving their best performances, a twisty plot, and Michelle Monaghan as a femme fatale are enough to make you fall in love with this movie.