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Frame Related #4: Christmas Classics, Clark Kent, and Festive 4K
⛄️ Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our thousands of readers, dozens of writers, and hundreds of newsletter subscribers.
This month we’ve published a number of seasonal reviews, some of which you could have missed — from Billie Gagné-Lebel’s unusual modern choices of Carnage for Christmas and An Almost Christmas Story to Remy Dean’s more traditional Box of Delights review of its 40th anniversary Blu-ray, Rachel Dvorak’s Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller, and Devon Elson’s retrospective on 1984’s A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott as Scrooge…
And as 2024 draws to a close and we all take a short break until after the festivities, we’ve prepared a few treats for ardent readers of Frame Rated…
🎄 Our Favourite Festive Christmas Films
Several Frame Rated writers choose their favourite festive film, which may inspire you to watch their picks this season — if you don’t already. From old and venerable classics to more recent offerings, they’re all guaranteed to put a smile on your face and maybe a warm glow in your soul.
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) by Alexander Boucher
“I’ve learned that New Year’s resolutions are pointless, and summarising a year as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is equally useless. Much better is to let the 12 months behind you — in all its pain, joy and madness — spill out in cathartic tears and laughter. It’s A Wonderful Life is that catharsis for me. From the anguish in Jimmy Stewart’s face as his world crumbles, to the final, desperate scramble to hold his loved ones close, few films (Christmas or otherwise) capture the highs and lows of the human experience with such emotional resonance. Stewart seems to have lived a thousand lifetimes by the end of it — and isn’t that how we all feel by the time Christmas comes around?”
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) by Rachel Dvorak
“To me, the best Christmas film is Miracle on 34th Street. The great thing about it, aside from its sweetly simple story and Edmund Gwen’s Academy Award-winning performance as Kris Kringle, is how it grows with you and its message shifts and deepens as you get older.
When I was a child, the film was about Santa Claus working at Macy’s and how the adults refused to believe in him. There was no question that Edmund Gwen’s Kris Kringle was the genuine article. As I grew, I started to realise that while it was that simple story on one level, on another level it was telling an entirely different story.
The story adults see and understand is the tale of an elderly man with dementia who believes he’s Santa Claus. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact none of the grownups believe Kris Kringle was Saint Nick. They simply argued he should be allowed to have his fantasy because he’s not hurting anyone and is doing a lot of good.
Though modern audiences will find some dialogue and the acting a bit dated, it’s worth watching if only see Gwen light up the screen and watch two films unfold simultaneously before your eyes.”
Scrooged (1988) by Dan Owen
“While hardly the cosiest or most faithful of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol adaptations, I rented Richard Donner’s Scrooged on VHS numerous times as a boy and it’s become a festive fixture in my house.
The film is twisted and cynical one minute, then tender and oddly romantic the next. Bill Murray was also one of my favourite comedy actors at the time of its release, as Ghostbusters (1984) was still on repeat play, and I enjoyed how the film updated and parodied such a well-known tale that had grown stale. Scrooged is now on TV every year, somewhere, so I find myself stumbling across it far more often than a traditional version.
And while I once savoured crowdpleasing moments like the opening violent siege of Santa’s grotto or the twee Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane) sucker-punching Murray, these days the sweet love story with Karen Allen leaves a bigger impression. And who doesn’t feel a little happier and lighter when we get to the slightly toe-curling “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” sing-a-long at the end?”
The Holdovers (2023) by Lance Li
“Nothing warms your heart up in the iced jingle bells and frozen candy canes of this ruthless winter like an Alexander Payne buddy dramedy. Covered in the feverish glow of a snow globe, this attractively boisterous son of A Christmas Carol and Dead Poets Society (1989) is just what the doctor ordered for your SAD.
Paul Giamatti plays a fubsy, lazy-eyed classics instructor who hates his students and colleagues, and he hasn’t lost that florid, beatnik timbre and the dry wit of a shrewd, disillusioned Village Voice critic from his better days in Sideways (2004). Only Dominic Sessa, radiantly petulant in this screen debut, can hope to level with this despot as he was left behind with him to frost by his mother and stepfather. With a grieving black mother (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who lost his son to a senseless war, and whose heart of gold is buried beneath a distant surface, as the voice of reason between the two warring brats, we trek on a path of greater understanding, brotherly love, and ultimately forgiveness between a lonely schoolmaster and an angry young man from the kitchen sinks.
The Holdovers’ Hal Ashby-esque sentimentality hits you just where you’re weakest, without deploying saccharine, archetypes, or easy lessons to be digested like baby food. The film is proportioned beautifully and lyrically, with enchanting needles drops of folk music that leaves one ecstatic. You’ll come away with a bright beam on your face that’ll last a whole winter.”
Trading Places (1983) by Dan Perrin
“While a lot of people don’t have Trading Places on their radar for a Christmas movie, I’ve had it on annual rotation for about the last 10 years — and I never get bored of it! I first saw it aged 14 and immediately fell in love with its story, warm humour, and great performances.
For anyone who’s yet to enjoy its many delights, the film focuses on wealthy commodities broker Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), whose comfortable life of privilege is turned upside-down just before Christmas when his bosses, Randolph and Mortimer Duke (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche), place a bet to see if Winthorpe would turn to a life of crime if he was fired and lost his fiancée and home… while at the same, taking homeless streetwise hustler Bille Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) and placing him in Winthorpe’s shoes to see if he can successfully run their business.
Chaos and hilarity ensues when the bet comes into play, giving all concerned some great comedy material to sink their teeth into. Directed by John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), the film’s core themes of ‘greed is bad’ and ‘be kind to those less well off’ are timeless and perfect for the festive season.”
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) by Remy Dean
“Of all the 60 or so screen adaptations, The Muppet Christmas Carol stands out as the definitive and best. Plus, it’s simply one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made. It has it all, laugh-out-loud humour, heart-aching pathos, sharp social critique, superlative production design and pitch-perfect performances in every respect from the entire cast, whether made of flesh and blood or fur and foam.
The success of any adaptation rests heavily on the central performance of Scrooge and the casting of Michael Caine was inspired. He doesn’t just give a great performance, but it’s his career best. Director Brian Henson somehow delivers a seasonal story that’s quintessentially Dickensian and distinctively ‘of the Muppets’. There’re more than enough quotable lines, memorable scenes, and hummable tunes that for those who love the movie, it becomes an integral part of Christmas to look forward to each year.”
Klaus (2019) by Robert English
“Even though it’s only been out for five years, Klaus is already a Christmas classic. A unique adaptation of the story of Santa Claus we know from songs, illustrations, and stories, Klaus follows a selfish mailman forced to the furthest island north who befriends an enigmatic toymaker named Klaus. Funny, heartfelt, and beautifully animated, I look forward to watching it all year long.”
James Gunn’s long-awaited teaser trailer for Superman was released days ago, which is at the forefront of relaunching the DC Universe. I don’t envy Gunn this challenge now the appetite for superhero movies has waned thanks to Marvel botching their post-Avengers: Endgame releases, but he’s certainly a good choice for breathing zest and colour into the Man of Steel.
The teaser offers a promising first look at what’s in store. I welcome Superman’s upbeat vibe and the casting is excellent — particularly Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane — plus there are already some bold decisions like involving “Krypto the superdog” and having monsters and other superheroes exist in this world from the start. It looks like Gunn is drawing from the comic-book’s more imaginative and cosmic periods, not trying to anchor such a fantastical character in a loose approximation of “our world”.
My only concerns is a mild feeling that Superman Returns (2006) had also leaned into vintage vibes by reusing John Williams iconic Superman: The Movie (1978) theme tune, which this teaser uses a slower arrangement of, and the Daily Planet scenes even look similar to Returns’ art deco aesthetic. And I don’t know why, but no actor since Christopher Reeve has ever managed to look believably awkward as Clark Kent, then undeniably the complete opposite of that as Superman. David Corenswet in his peculiarly curly mop of black hair as Clark is… a bit worrying. Maybe his performance will sell it, but I very much doubt Reeve’s performance as Clark will ever be bettered in terms of the role’s duality.
Superman flies into cinemas on 11 July 2025.
Why not enjoy some 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays this Christmas?
There’s Chevy Chase classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, reminding everyone that Americans don’t get much time off over the festive period. (Seriously, it now seems strange that Clark Griswold’s at work so much during this film’s events, as an Englishman who enjoys two-weeks at home eating cake and drinking mulled wine).
Or how about classic musical White Christmas with Bing Crosby and a host of “that song’s from this movie?” tunes to croon along to. Rachel Dvorak reviewed it for us recently.
And then there’s notorious flop Santa Claus: The Movie, which has nevertheless become a cult favourite since it came out, particularly in the UK and Europe. Dan Owen reviewed the film last year when it debuted on Ultra HD.
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