As the winter season approaches its festive zenith, you might be yearning for a new flavor of Christmas. Everybody has their annual favorites, and maybe that’s enough for you. If not, here’s my humble offering of Yuletide cinema. Happy Christmas, deck the halls and such!
The Apartment (1960)
Billy Wilder was a prolific writer and director of unparalleled talent. Thankfully, it seems like he was a great guy, too. He helmed the classics Some Like It Hot, Double Indemnity, and Sunset Boulevard, to name a few. When I first nestled into the corner of my couch to watch The Apartment, my eyes widened and my mouth hung open as I witnessed one of the best scripts I’d ever experienced. If you’re looking for sharp holiday humor, tangled love lives, and a snowy atmosphere—you’re in luck. Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine both knock it out of the park. (This one is best watched in the post-Christmas season, closer to New Year’s Day, in my humble opinion).
At the time of writing, The Apartment is available to stream on Amazon Prime or Tubi.
Black Christmas (1974)
I recently watched this and was impressed! It’s like Halloween (1978), but Christmas. Chilling, tense, well-acted, and it caused me to be genuinely scared at one point. There’s a chance that forty-five seconds of a scene might have lost me some sleep that night. If you’re a thriller or horror movie fan, definitely check it out!
At the time of writing, Black Christmas is available to stream on Amazon Prime, Peacock, Kanopy, Roku, or Tubi.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Maybe the coziest Christmas movie? I didn’t realize until now that I want an oversized sweater to curl up in while feeding my cat milk? Would I like Bill Pullman’s gaze to fall upon me? Why can’t my extended family feel like this? If I were a putz, would someone call me out on it? Why are his eyebrows so big? I’ve seen this movie so many times, why is it shocking every time?
These are some of the thoughts I have while rewatching this film.
At the time of writing, While You Were Sleeping is available to stream on Disney Plus, The Roku Channel, or Paramount Plus with Apple TV.
Klaus (2019)
Come on, you’ve seen this, right? Really. You have, right? Seriously. Go to Netflix, click play. Watch it; rewatch it. A rare modern Christmas classic. (Coincidentally, J.K. Simmons plays Santa in both Klaus and the recent Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson affair—Red One. Hopefully that’s the last time I’ll think about the latter).
At the time of writing, Klaus is available to stream on Netflix.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
This was the first movie I thought of when I made this list. If you only check out one recommendation from this list, let it be this one. Robert Downey Jr. says: “‘’Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,’ which is, I think, in some ways the best film I’ve ever done. It wound up being a calling card. It came out, and it bombed, but Jon Favreau saw it, and he said, ‘This guy could do an action movie.’ And so that wound up being my calling card into the Marvel Universe.”
Witty, hilarious, endlessly rewatchable. Most of Shane Black’s movies have some Christmas, but this one is very Christmas-forward. It also just so happens to be his best movie! (The Nice Guys, I love you dearly, you’re a close second). They even apologize to the midwest for all the cursing at the end of the movie.
At the time of writing, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is available to rent or buy on Apple TV or YouTube.
In Bruges (2008)
Impressed by Colin Farrell as the Penguin? Thought he did a great job in The Banshees of Inisherin? If you enjoy his career at all, you definitely should watch this comedy where he plays a hitman in crisis. Warning: if this movie were chocolate, it would have a rating of 90% dark chocolate. Perhaps with bits of Heath for all of the funny parts. Another practically perfect script!
At the time of writing, In Bruges is available to rent or buy on Apple TV or YouTube.
The Holdovers (2023)
This one is more recent. Set in the 70s, a college boy has to be supervised by his professor because he can’t go home for the holidays. If you’re feeling lonely, this is the one you should choose. Amazing atmosphere and great performances from the three leads.
At the time of writing, The Holdovers is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Honorable Mention: Arthur Christmas (2011)
Isaac graduated Calvin in 2019 studying English, secondary education and recently finished being an English teacher for the past few years. He’s currently a resident director at Hope College while also taking classes so he can become an art teacher. Isaac loves movies and lighthouses more than most things.
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My housemate and I just watched Black Christmas last night; I enjoyed it a lot. I love a good suspense/horror film without too much gore, but the ending!! It slayed and also frustrated the heck out of me.