The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Christmas 2017Culture

Christmas 2017: Movies to watch on demand over the festive season

Christmas 2017: Movies to watch on demand over the festive season
13 December 2017
Euan Franklin
Avatar
Euan Franklin
13 December 2017

Christmas is about opening presents, eating good food and falling asleep in front of the telly. Watching a Christmas movie on Christmas Day is a solid tradition in modern times, and now, with on-demand television, there’s no time wasted trying to dig out the DVD. Here are five festive films available on demand this Christmas.

Scrooged (1988) – Sky/Netflix

A modern twist on Charles Dickens’s Christmas classic, Scrooged follows TV executive Frank Cross as he endures his own existential undead. Rich with dark humour and frightening surrealism (worthy of David Cronenberg), it’s an aburdist comedy with Bill Murray fitting perfectly into the role of the old, funny Scrooge. Scrooged is a funnier (though no less frightening) take on an old classic.

Elf (2003) – Amazon Prime Video

It didn’t take long for Elf to become a classic in Christmas cinema. Buddy (played beautifully by Will Ferrell) works as an elf in Santa’s workshop. But when he realises he’s human, he leaves the North Pole and travels to Manhattan to find his biological father. Elf provides jolly laughs from viewers of all ages and, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, you’d have to be a real Scrooge not to love it.

Gremlins (1984) – Amazon Prime Video

Three rules for mogwais: don’t expose them to bright lights, don’t get them wet, and don’t feed them after midnight. Otherwise, violent havoc will ensue in your small snowy town. When the kids have gone to bed, Gremlins is essential viewing. If there’s any genre that summarises Christmas, it’s the horror-comedy.

Love Actually (2003) – Sky

Starring an ensemble of British and American talent, Love Actually follows several characters on their respective pursuits of love during this seasonal time. Richard Curtis receives a lot of schtick because his films are waded in Hollywood fantasy and sentimentality – but that’s what Christmas is full of, and where the fun comes. We don’t always need to be stuck in the cold darkness of Dickensian existentialism when Curtis can wrap us warm with Love Actually.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – Sky

There’s no film with a greater urgency to be watched at Christmas time. If you haven’t already got three copies at home, it’s available online. Based in the small, Nuclear-family town of Bedford Falls, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) finds life hard to bear despite acting honourably. As he considers suicide, an angel takes him through the key events of his existence to make him realise he’s had a wonderful life. There’s no better message for this time of year.

Euan Franklin

Related Items

More in Christmas 2017

Sounds and Sorcery at the Vaults

★★★★★
Laura Foulger
Read More

Our favourite sequin pieces to buy now

Eleanor Oaten
Read More

Party make-up inspiration

Eleanor Oaten
Read More

Perfect Christmas recipe: Spiced Custard Christmas Tart from Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

The editorial unit
Read More

The best personalised gifts for Christmas

Rebekah Absalom
Read More

Christmas 2017: Six must-read books for you and your family over the Christmas break

Alexandra Newson
Read More

Christmas 2017: Five foodie Christmas gifts

Daniel Masters
Read More

Christmas 2017: Five festive markets to visit in London

Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

Christmas 2017: Christmas Gifts for Art Lovers

Anna Souter
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Syml – Dim EP
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Steelers: The World’s First Gay and Inclusive Rugby Club
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Arlo the Alligator Boy
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Digital signage: A new trend in communication
    Tech & Sport
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Ride or Die
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
    ★★★★★
    netflix
  • Arlo the Alligator Boy
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Live from the Barbican: Moses Boyd
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Secret Connection – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • London Grammar – Californian Soil
    ★★★★★
    Album review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Antony & Cleopatra at the Barbican | Theatre review
Star Wars: The Last Jedi: An explosive and original return to the saga | Movie review