Christmas Classic: How The Grinch Stole Christmas

If by chance this modern classic isn’t a fixture of your Bluray collection then you can catch it on Netflix. It isn’t the best adaptation of Dr. Suess’ story but this update of the Grinch still holds up today. With great commentary on consumerism, fantastic set design, and two great lead performances from Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen.

Family: Paddington

Paddington is the perfect film to warm you up on these cold nights. Following the eponymous bear as he moves in with the Brown family and is hunted by Millicent (Nicole Kidman) this movie is some of the purest, good-natured fun to have been released in the last decade. There’s a lovable character at its centre (Ben Whishaw provides Paddington’s beautiful voice), pitch-perfect comedic timing, inventive set-pieces, and a heartwarming message about taking care of those in need no matter where they come from. Paddington is a good-natured pallet cleanser for all the cynicism of modern filmmaking. 

Drama: Boiling Point

No film captures the intensity of working in a restaurant during the Christmas run-up better than Boiling Point. Clashes with customers, interpersonal team drama, and personal issues intruding into work play out brilliantly and flowingly in this extraordinary drama shot entirely in one take. It will definitely give everyone a newfound appreciation for what hospitality workers have to put up with.

Animation: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

This hotly anticipated stop-motion reimagining of Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of a wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy from horror master Guillermo del Toro and stop-motion mainstay Mark Gustafson does not disappoint. The stop-motion is a marvel, the voice acting is outstanding and it takes the classic tale in interesting new directions. Plus its central exploration of family, faith, and how fascism perverts them makes for perfect viewing right now.

Romance: I Believe in Santa (14th December)

Sometimes we all want a bit of festive cheese. I Believe in Santa focuses on a woman (Christina Moore) who has to come to terms with the fact that her partner (John Ducey) is obsessed with her least favourite holiday, Christmas. And still believes in Santa. Undoubtedly the film will be sickeningly saccharin but hey, occasionally we all need a bit of Christmas schlock.

Mystery: Knives Out & Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (23rd December)

Finally, for those who love watching a mystery tale during the holidays, you’re in luck. Both Knives Out and its sequel Glass Onion will be arriving on Netflix just in time for Christmas. Both movies revolve around unconventional mysteries being investigated by Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc. Rian Johnson’s series (Netflix has ordered another sequel) revels in the genre’s trappings and not only subverts what’s expected but updates the genre in very satisfying ways. And both films feature great performances from absurdly talented casts. Please give them a watch so we can encourage Johnson and Craig to make as many sequels as they want.

That does it for our seasonal Netflix recommendations. We hope our suggestions provide some enjoyment for you. Please feel free to recommend anything we should add to our watchlist. And from our family to yours we hope you all have a Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Also Read: Best Christmas Movies of the Past Decade

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Martin Scorsese / Leonardo DiCaprio

This duo first appeared in 2002 with “Gangs of New York” and have produced four feature films together since, with two more in development as well as a promotional short. While this partnership has not produced as many films as Scorsese’s other famous partnership with Robert DeNiro, it is arguably more varied, with their collaborations including genres like crime, comedy (“The Wolf of Wall Street”)and biopic (“The Aviator”), with Leo helping the director win his first Oscar with his role in “The Departed”

Interestingly it was actually DeNiro who introduced the pair, after having worked with DiCaprio previously, DeNiro sang the young actors praises and that Scorsese needed to work with him, with the director referred to as “extraordinary fortune” and that they wanted to make movies the same way

Christopher Nolan / Michael Caine

When Christopher Nolan turned up at Micheal Caine’s house, he was initially going to turn down the part of Alfred, Batman’s loyal butler, as serving dinner and coffee didn’t really appeal to the veteran actor. Then he read the script and quickly changed his mind, noting that he had “written great parts for real actors“.

Michael Caine is a prolific actor who has been in the business for over sixty years, so it’s fair to say he recognises talent when he sees it, and that’s exactly why he keeps partnering up with Nolan. Since “Batman Begins” in 2005, Nolan has included him in every one of his films, with a small voice cameo in “Dunkirk” being the only time he hasn’t appeared in person.

Sam Raimi / Bruce Campbell

Raimi and Campbell have been friends since high school, making short films in their spare time. They eventually convinced some dentists to invest in their first feature “Evil Dead” and both of them became cult horror icons.

Bruce Campbell has gone on to have roles in various fan favourite projects, but aside from his role as Ash Williams, he is also known for his memorable cameos in various Raimi movies, especially his Spider-Man trilogy, appearing in various roles through the series. If Spider-Man 4 had ever gone into production, Campbell would once again appear, this time as the villain Mysterio.

Guillermo Del Toro / Doug Jones

Possibly the least recognisable duo on this list, not due to the body of work, but because Doug Jones’ face is often hidden behind hours worth of prosthetics, with his first big break actually being a McDonald’s ad. He first met Del Toro on the director’s English language debut “Mimic“. Despite the films’ troubled production, the two became friends, bonding over their love of monsters and movies.

Jones has appeared in all of Del Toro’s films since the original “Hellboy”, except for “Pacific Rim”, with his biggest arguably being the creature in Del Toro’s “Shape of Water” which won an Oscar for Best Picture.

Matthew Vaughn / Mark Strong

Some partnerships happen because of a pre-existing friendship or a recommendation. Some just happen because the pair find each other easy to work with, as is the case with Director Matthew Vaughn and actor Mark Strong.

The pair have worked together four times since their first collaboration in 2007’s “Stardust” with Strong only being absent for X-Men First Class. Having previously played villainous characters in “Stardust” and “Kick-Ass” he plays Merlin in the “Kingsman” films, in which he is a member of the super-secret spy organisation.

Wes Anderson / Bill Murray

Murray has worked with Anderson since his second feature “Rushmore”. Anderson sent him the script with no expectations, then had an executive leave their own office while Murray talked to him about the role. His role in “The Royal Tenenbaums” happened simply because Murray lived close to the shoot, the two talked about “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”.

Murray and Anderson have such a good rapport, that he instantly says yes when the director calls, no matter the project. He must get the call a lot as Murray has appeared in all of Anderson’s film since, totalling eight, with some being important parts, and others just wordless cameos.

Quentin Tarantino / Samuel L Jackson

Tarantino has several actors that he frequently collaborates with, which he refers to as his “Tarantino superstars“. However. he clearly has a favourite, Samuel L Jackson, whom he frequently writes roles in mind for. The admiration goes both ways, as Jackson cites some of his roles in Tarantino’s films as his favourites.

Jackson has appeared in 6 of Tarantino’s 9 films (Tarantino considers “Kill Bill” one film, and Jackson does not feature in “Once upon a time in Hollywood”). He actually auditioned for “Reservoir Dogs” but didn’t get the part, when he saw Tarantino again later at the premiere, the director told him he was writing something for him, which would turn out to be his Oscar-nominated role in “Pulp Fiction”.

Also Read: Video Nasties: The History of Censored Films in the UK

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