The nights are starting to draw in, and there is a chill in the air. While no one feels they can drop the C-bomb of Christmas, we are going to wholeheartedly embrace the joy of the season and wallow in some family seasonal films. We feel this is a completely acceptable decision when there is a whole channel devoted to Christmas films in July.
The debate over which film is the best of all time is contentious. As you would imagine, the paying customer differs in their opinion from the film critic. When you ask the critics, the best Christmas movie ever is It is a Wonderful Life! Granted, this film is a classic and always brings a tear to our eye – even though the life in the film doesn’t really seem so wonderful.
The US are completely in love with Will Ferrell’s performance, placing it top of the best film list for the country. The box office disagrees, with It’s a Wonderful Life not placing; instead, The Grinch with the elastic face of Jim Carrey tops that list. We love a bit of Christmas grumpiness coming good with a hint of comedy genius. The popularity of Elf in the list also suggests that we love laughing in general in the festive season.
What is contentious is that Love Actually, a favorite in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries worldwide, doesn’t even rate in the top-grossing or critics. Sometimes, the fate of the Christmas movie is beyond comprehension.
And sometimes, the movie itself is unbelievable.
When you check out the reviews for the worst festive film ever, as rated by the critics, Nutcracker 3D comes in one top. Be wary though, not a single critic offered a positive rating – as it received 0% – and the critics rarely agree! One review suggested it should never have been made and another suggested in was misguided. Strongs words – and one that is likely to get us all sneaking a peak to see if it really is that bad.
What is most distressing for the makers of The Nutcracker 3D is that it came top of the worst list ahead of a film called Christmas with the Kranks and another with the title Mixed Nuts.
When the frst door of the advent calendar opens, we all have a film we love to put on to kick off the Christmas season. For some it might be The Night before Christmas, the Tim Burton classic; for others it is the sweet narration of Tom Hanks in The Polar Express. While some contentious films are listed, including the Gremlins and films such as Die Hard left out, what is clear is that we love the saccharine sweetness of family fun with a heartwarming message.
Whatever film we choose, there is nothing better than gathering with loved ones to enjoy a good Christmas movie… even a bad one. I mean, let’s face it, The Holiday made it to the top-grossing list – so we are not looking for Oscar-winning!
