The best Christmas movies. Ranking of the top 10 films for Christmas

TVN24 | Culture and style

December 23, 2021, 14:33

TVN24 | Culture and style

Author:

Tomasz-MarcinWrona / az

Source:

tvn24.pl

video 2/ 4Forum Film Poland"Silent Night" by Piotr Domalewski

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Before Christmas - between window cleaning and the last shopping - it's worth taking a breather, preferably with a good movie. And during Christmas, it is also worth spending some time in front of the screen, because eating cheesecakes, marzipans and poppy seed cakes is even more pleasant then. The editor of tvn24.pl Tomasz-Marcin Wrona chose ten titles for Christmas. In addition to romantic comedies, there are also proposals for those who prefer a thriller or off-movie to candy fairy tales about happy holidays.

The film classics are like mayonnaise: there are camps of supporters of the "Home Alone" series, and there are those who are closer to "Love Actually". How about looking a little deeper? If you also reach for those titles that loosely touch on Christmas? Here are 10 Christmas movies that are perfect for the coming days (in alphabetical order).

"Silent Night" (2017)

This perverse comedy-drama brings together the pros and cons of Poles gathered around the Christmas table. One of the best feature debuts of the last decade, he is the current record holder of the Polish Film Awards "Eagles" - he won ten of them.

"Silent Night" is a moving picture, sometimes very bitter, but unfortunately, equally true. Piotr Domalewski reaches for what is "typically Polish" with a unique distance. The action takes place on Christmas Eve somewhere in the north-east of Poland. Adam (Dawid Ogrodnik), who works abroad on a daily basis, visits his family home in the Polish countryside on Christmas Eve. At first, he hides the real reason for this unexpected visit, but soon begins to introduce more relatives into his plans. A special role in the intrigue is played by his father (Arkadiusz Jakubik), brother with whom Adam is in conflict (Tomasz Ziętek), and sister (Maria Dębska) with her husband (Tomasz Schuchardt). Things get even more complicated when a Christmas guest announces he's going to be a father. Then, according to Polish tradition, alcohol appears on the table. No one in the family expects how much of an impact the subsequent events of that Christmas night will have on their lives.

"Bridget Jones's Diary" (2001)

It's true that "Bridget Jones's Diary" isn't strictly a Christmas movie, but there's a lot about the Christmas and New Year period. And it is a great pleasure to watch the love adventures of a 32-year-old single again. In fact, it's a whole range of situations that would overwhelm many. Jones does not give up and even the blue soup is able to comment with due grace.

An evening with the unforgettable trio of Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant is always a good idea. Especially around Christmas, so that a few days later you don't rush with New Year's resolutions.

"The Apartment" (1960)

Those who love the films of the Golden Age of Hollywood will probably be happy to return to one of the most famous films by Billy Wilder (born in what is now Sucha Beskidzka). It is also one of the best films in the history of cinema. Awarded with five Oscars, "The Apartment" never gets boring.

Calvin Clifford Baxter is trying to get promoted in a huge company. The key to success turns out to be ... a small key, which even Baxter's superiors strive for. As it turns out, this is the key to his apartment, which is made available to gentlemen for secret trysts. The entertaining cast includes Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, David Lewis, Willard Waterman, David White, Hope Holiday and Edie Adams.

"Holiday" (2006)

"Holiday" has been a Christmas must-have for 15 years now. Nancy Meyers, a Hollywood specialist in intelligently constructed romantic comedies ("It's Complicated", "Better Late Than Later" or "What Women Want"), in "Holiday" gave a show of her screenwriting intuition. The film is worth praising for its well-written characters - both the main and supporting ones, funny American-British stereotypes woven into the story and Christmas charm. On the screen, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black delight.

A succinctly, the film tells the story of two single women - total strangers Iris and Amanda - decide to exchange their homes for the holidays. Iris goes to a luxurious mansion in Los Angeles, Amanda - to the snow-covered English countryside.

WATCH "HOLIDAY" ON PLAYER.PL>>>

"Tangerine" (2015)

This is one of the most important films of the 21st century and it's hard to believe that it was shot with a smartphone. "With The Tangerine and The Florida Project, Sean Baker has set himself apart from the rest of the American indie scene, becoming a model of artistic honesty that other filmmakers can only look on with envy and admiration," wrote Nate Jones and Rachel Handler in Vulture.

In this cult comedy, Baker takes us into the world of Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) - two transgender friends who spend Christmas Eve looking for Chester (James Ransone) - Sin-Dee's boyfriend and their pimp. Perhaps this is not a stereotypical Christmas comedy, but a good example of the best auteur cinema. A little "escape" to hot Los Angeles never hurt anyone.

READ ALSO: "Sean Baker for tvn24.pl: some characters need fresh faces">>>

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993)

Produced by Tim Burton, who is also the originator of the project, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" subversively combines the spooks and monsters of Halloween with the magic of Christmas. Nominated for an Oscar (for special effects) and a Golden Globe (for best music), the animation, more than two decades after its premiere, has already become a Christmas classic.

The main character of the film Jack Skellington - the king of Halloween Town - falls in love with Christmas and decides to share his joy with the rest of the world. Therefore, he kidnaps Santa Claus and distributes gifts to children himself. But instead of sharing the joy, it causes a Christmas nightmare.

"Letters to M." (2011)

This is one of the most popular Polish romantic comedies of the last decade. It is true that it is inspired by "Love Actually", but made "in its own way". Therefore, it is a successful example of skilful use of proven foreign formulas. Not only that, the film is not only cute, but also genuinely funny.

Mitja Okorn spins a multithreaded story of several people whose paths loosely intersect. An array of Polish stars appeared on the screens: Maciej Stuhr, Paweł Małaszyński, Tomasz Karolak, Roma Gąsiorowska, Agnieszka Wagner, Agnieszka Dygant, Katarzyna Zielińska and Wojciech Malajkat. And if someone felt unsatisfied after one installment of the adventures of this group of people, they can spend a few more hours with them, watching the next three parts.

WATCH "LETTERS TO M." IN PLAYER.PL>>>

Die Hard (1988)

Who says an action movie can't be a Christmas movie? And that it is, "Die Hard" proves, although Bruce Willis himself, who plays the main role, believes that this film has little to do with Christmas.

During a Christmas party in one of the office buildings in Los Angeles, the building is taken over by terrorists who want to steal several million dollars from the local treasury. Among the hostages was the wife of New York police officer John McClane (Willis). This is the perfect movie for those who are fed up with candy fairy tales about happy holidays.

"Christmas Shock" (2020)

It was supposed to be a traditional family Christmas with my parents. Successful journalist Harper (Mackenzie Davis) decides to invite her partner Abby (Kristen Stewart) to her family home. Abby, although she doesn't like Christmas, accepts the invitation because she wants to prepare a surprise for her beloved. The whole plan goes awry when it turns out that Harper is keeping their relationship a secret.

"Christmas Shock" is a warm, charming story about how there are no perfect families, and maintaining a reputation as a perfect family comes at a huge price. Well-written characters, especially the supporting ones, draw you in and envelop you like a cup of hot chocolate.

WATCH "CHRISTMAS SHOCK" ON PLAYER.PL>>>

"Crazy Christmas" (1994)

A Christmas classic, directed by Nora Ephron, the creator of the famous films "When Harry Met Sally", "Heartburn", "Silkwood", "Sleepless in Seattle", You've Got Mail or Julie and Julia. Phillip (Martin) runs a private helpline for people struggling with mental health problems. However, he also faces a reality that is sometimes merciless for him. Every now and then, it's some kind of trouble that creates a chain of funny situations.

In the American remake of the French black comedy "Santa Claus is garbage" directed by Jean-Marie Poiré, they played m. Steve Martin, Adam Sandler, Liev Schreiber, Rita Wilson, and Madaline Kahn.

Author:Tomasz-Marcin Wrona / az

Source: tvn24.pl

Main photo source: Robert Jaworski/Munk Studio/SFP

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