The most badass Christmas movies - Filmustage edition

Hello, hello, there are only days left until the new year 2022, so we've put together a small list of the team's favorite and non-trivial New Year's Eve movies for you. Wrap up in a plaid, grab a cup of cocoa and get the New Year's Eve vibe going. Here we go!

But before we dive into this  journey, we want to remind you that the main idea of the blog is to bring love of art and try to inspire the shy guy sitting in the corner and keeping his creative ideas for himself to take a camera and implement his ideas and thoughts in a movie, leaving the boring pre-production routine to the Filmustage - automatic script breakdown.

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Art by @nadi_bulochka.

"Gremlins" (1984) - Joe Dante

Anybody watched Gremlins on New Year's Eve as a kid? It's a very cool and atmospheric tale about a strange beast called Gizmo and the ridiculously creepy Gremlins. If you lacked that kind of pure 80's cinematic spirit where minimal graphics and everything was solved with high-end makeup and animatronics, this movie is for you. It's hard to define what for we love this movie more: whether it's the nostalgia or the crazy story. However, one thing is certain: "Gremlins" gives you a very heartwarming and unusual experience while watching.

"Bad Santa" (2003) - Terry Zwigoff

A modern classic of black comedy. "Bad Santa" is an example of a movie that is so bad that it's even good. The main character is a jailed Willie who pretends to be Santa in order to commit another crime. He's an alcoholic and a womanizer, but there appears a kid who believes in him after all. And Willie will have to work real miracles to bring his plan to an end this time! You probably won't get any expeted cliché from this movie, because "Bad Santa" is a bold irony of the whole bunch of Christmas movies. It's dumb and funny - recommended!

"Jack Frost" (1998) - Troy Miller

This movie could be called strange because it is both sentimental and very dark at the same time. This contradiction prevented the film from becoming any kind of success among its target audience, so the "Jack Frost" has flopped at the box office. However, the Filmustage team highly recommends you to watch this film, cause behind all its flaws is a very touching story of a child that still can make you cry.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005) - Tim Burton

This list couldn't do without Tim Burton, could it? We think so, too, so we can't help but mention one of the best winter tales ever made. It has all the trademarks of Burton's masterpieces: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, bizzare sets and  an outsider as the main character. There are hardly anyone left who has not seen Tim Burton's adaptation, but we think this film is unreasonably forgotten on New Year's evenings, so give it a try this year ;)

"Beetlejuice" (1998) - Tim Burton

Okay, it's definitely not an obvious New Year's Eve movie at all, but we can't just let Burton go that easy. It just so happens that some people on our team are revisiting "Beetlejuice" at this particular time and year. And choosing "Beetlejuice" for the evening will certainly be a non-trivial and unique experience for you. And if you've been wondering what Tim Burton is capable of with his creative freedom, this crazy movie is a complete reflection the director's soul&mind. Despite the seemingly grotesque vibe, it is a very funny farce and an irony of everything Burton himself cared about. Very funny, witty and crazy.

"The Polar Express" (2004) – Robert Zemeckis

Robert Zemeckis is another famous creator of fantasy stories. "The Polar Express" is a very colorful and kind cartoon, which is capable of raising your New Year's mood several times over. The fascinating adventure on the screen gives incredible emotions of happiness, for which we are all so fond of the films of Robert Zemeckis. But it is interesting to watch this work because "The Polar Express" was one of the first films to reunite cinema, graphics and animation. And we are not at all surprised, because Robert Zemeckis has always been a pioneer of new technologies in cinema. In short, it's a wonderful tale from a wonderful director.

"The Shining" (1980) - Stanley Kubrick

Alright, what could be better than watching a Stanley Kubrick thriller for the New Year? Despite the fact that the author of the original novel, Stephen King, was not happy  by Kubrick's adaptation, "The Shining" is a classic that needs no introduction. So why is "The Shining" on this list? Well, well... Firstly, there's snow in the movie and, secondly, just because we wanted to put it on our list, come on. It's never too late to get to know a movie that has almost everything perfect: the direction, the camerawork, the actors, and the music. Join the main character, Jack, and try to solve the mystery of a thrilling hotel in the mountains.

"The Family Stone" (2005) - Thomas Bezucha

This list would be incomplete if we didn't include some classic melodrama. And "The Family Stone" has everything you can expect from this genre. However, on New Year's Day, we discount the clichés and just enjoy a family-friendly story with a happy ending. A great choice to watch with the family.

"Scrooged" (1988) - Richard Donner

We would like to end our list with a film that reflects the Christmas mood: Frank Cross, the film's protagonist, is a callous and complacent individual who does not believe in the Christmas miracle. However, in the Christmas night Frank's re-education will be handled by specially selected creatures: a cheerful cab driver from hell, a modern-day fairy and a scary guy with a skull instead of a head. It sounds absurd and crazy, but it's an insanely funny story with an impressive comedic performance by Bill Murray.

Afterwords

We hope you were able to find something interesting in our list and definitely watch this movie tonight. Here we come to the end of a very difficult and busy year, 2021. Thank you for being with us: reading our blog and helping to make our platform better. We want to wish you a warm and bright start to the new year and may all your dreams come true. Stay tuned and see ya next year!

Love, Filmustage team.