The holiday season has always been an ideal time for the movies.
It’s cold outside and folks are always looking to survive the weather with some kind of indoor activities.
Christmas films always set the mood by filling the room with joy and cheer.
Just like the length of Santa’s naughty or nice list, there are tons of Christmas movies loved by many.
Whether it be the all time classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or Christmas Vacation, there are a selection for all kinds of viewers.
Any movie to throw on with the fireplace burning is something we all look forward to during this jolly time of the year.
With a long history of great Christmas movies, there has been a dip in quality since the turn of the 21st century.
With the exception of Elf, starring Will Ferrell, and a few others, there hasn’t been a classic film good enough to revisit.
It isn’t necessarily that the movies are bad, but they haven’t been anything worthwhile.
Just this November, an animated remake of the The Grinch was released and performed well at the box office.
The problem is that we’ve seen the story before and done so in a way that is way more nostalgic for the holidays.
Original box office hits are hard to come by, but we’ve seen it happen not too long ago. The Santa Clause, Home Alone, and—even though I don’t consider it a Christmas film—Die Hard.
The current trend seems to be using Christmas as a device to put out a raunchy comedy film. Over the past few years, films like The Night Before starring Seth Rogan and Office Christmas Party featuring T.J. Miller have been released for the holidays and both of them seem to have faded away without much recognition.
Sure, they may air on cable TV for the next few years, but I find it hard to believe these films will ever be remembered as instant classics.
Are we doomed for an endless stretch of bad holiday films? Lumps of coal on top of lumps of coal?
Adjunct communication professor Lisa Allocco noted that some of the older movies, like Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman, are sadder than other recent funny or charming Christmas tales.
Other older films, like A Charlie Brown Christmas, touch more on religious themes targeted perhaps at an older audience.
“A lot of the [older movies] are surrounded around the season, about the feeling of hope or giving or peace,” Allocco said. “[Newer films] are more commercialized now to appease a larger audience.”
So if not for the movie theater, where can we get our fix?
The television specials like Rudolph and Frosty and the Snowman have always had a charm to them with the dated animation and old time feel.
While it’s not everyone’s cup of hot chocolate, the Abominable Snow Monster and Yukon Cornelius are major holiday players in my household.
Streaming services are also dipping their toes into the holiday market. Netflix has become more prevalent with late year releases.
Last year, Netflix had a bit of a cult-ish hit with A Christmas Prince, and even released a musical special starring Bill Murray fittingly titled, A Very Murray Christmas.
These aren’t particularly major success stories, but the availability of the movies makes for a potentially interesting trend in the holiday film landscape.
It’s always important to go back and watch your favorite movie during the winter seasons.
For me it’s always A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Everyone has their one; it’s just wishful thinking that comes with this time of year where we hope we can see something new and jolly.
There isn’t anything else left on the slate this year and nothing set for 2019.
It seems uninspiring to have these Christmas themed movies be released without much substance to them.
They seem like throwaway scripts dressed in fake ornaments and tinsel to put on the scent of milk and cookies to sell to an audience.
While the holiday film season has now been reserved for the latest Star Wars or Disney release, all we can do is ask the big guy up north for a sleigh full of new classics in the near future.
PHOTO TAKEN by Comedy Movie Review
PHOTO TAKEN by IFC Center
