Books, Movies & More

3 new Christmas movies I discovered this season

23. December 2020 /

by The Flamingo

Being very traditional and all that, I tend to take Christmas very seriously. I have to enjoy my yearly dose of cheesy Christmas reads, seasonal food, cheer around the house, carols on every device, my winter outdoors activities and of course my beloved movies. I watch and rewatch the same Christmas movies I grew up with over and over again. This year, being in lockdown, the activities outside the house have completely disappeared, so I have allocated a lot more time to baking and to some new films. 

1. The bishop’s wife (1947, directed by Henry Koster)

I can’t believe I somehow missed this jewel of a movie. It’s the perfect reflection of “A wonderful life”. In this one the star is an angel by the name of Cary Grant. He guides a bishop’s family towards a more happy and fulfilling life, while falling in love with the bishop’s wife. The movie shows the struggles of most marriages and how people tend to lose sight of what is really important in life. It’s very heartwarming, with a bittersweet ending. A perfect vintage black and white Christmas movie. See trailer here.

 2.   The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, directed by Brian Henson)

I had this DVD for years in my Disney collection, but never got a chance to watch it. This year my 6 year old son has been very interested and quite shaken by Scrooge’s story and he keeps wanting to read and watch every available version of it. The Muppets Christmas Carol seemed one of the few not so scary versions (except for the old Mickey Mouse one). The movie stars Oscar winner Michael Caine as a very “Bah humbug”, greedy and selfish Ebeneezer Scrooge, brilliantly performed. The Muppets bring the laughter and fun to this rather gloomy and quite scary Dickens tale. Who’s a fan of the Muppets?  I, for one, love puppets. See trailer here.

 3.  The Christmas Chronicles Part 1 (2018, directed by Clay Kaytis)

I was extremely surprised to see a newly made Christmas movie that is really worth it. Most of the new movies are either too cheesy or too silly or too predictable. This one I found to have the old 90’s recipe that worked quite well for action movies. It stars the also “vintage” but still super sexy Kurt Russel, who pictures an unusual Santa, very much to my taste. The movie has the perfect balance between action, feeling, and humor with just a tiny sprinkle of sorrow on top. For the really nostalgic cinema lovers there is also a glimpse of Goldie Hawn as Mrs. Santa Clause. There is also a sequel of Christmas Chronicles (2020), which I watched. It isn’t as good as the first one, but it’s more magical and more in tune with what people like to watch these days. You can find them both on Netflix. See trailer here.

These are my 3 cinematic Christmassy discoveries this year. For more inspiration on what to watch this time of year, because we all have to spend lots of time indoors, here is my all time favorite Christmas movie list:

I wish you all, my dear readers, Happy Holidays and stay safe and healthy. Don’t forget that your sense of responsibility and decent human behavior may save a life at this difficult time! 

P.S. For a not so cheerful Christmassy movie choice, but seasonal nonetheless, I would recommend the newest thriller I recently watched, “The Wolf of Snow Hollow”. One of my favorite all time themes is displayed in this movie: a small community where an unexpected murder happens. It’s scary, it’s sad, but has an unexpected humor that goes so well in this combination. The main character is the one I watched this movie for, a policeman that doesn’t fit in any American “recipe for success” Hollywood script. The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) was a very nice surprise indeed.

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