We imagine the Christmas couch hibernation has begun.
It can be a little overwhelming when you’re suddenly presented with all this time off, and all of these choices can be overwhelming, so once again your pals here at JOE have helped make it much easier for you.
In case you missed it, here are our 5 picks of movies you have to check out on the telly on Christmas Day, but for now, on to the five(ish) movies you should check out before Santy arrives.
Baby’s Day Out – Film4 – 1.05pm
This whole movie really does feel like someone in Hollywood watched Home Alone and then thought to themselves “Yes, but what if the child being chased by criminals was even younger??” Hence we get a helpless infant wandering the city streets, barely avoiding death every five minutes, and a very weird sub-plot involving the nanny that loves that child more than its own mother. It is all incredibly dark, which makes it the perfect film to keep any kids in your house at the time very, very quiet.
The Muppet Christmas Carol – Channel 4 – 6.30pm
We think we’ll leave it to the Muppets themselves to explain why they’re on this list:
Casino Royale – ITV2 – 9.00pm
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: we’re not entirely sure why James Bond is such a Christmas corner-stone, but it is, and thankfully we’ve got some great ones to watch. Daniel Craig’s first outing in the role, paired against arguably the greatest Bond girl of all time thanks to Eva Green, and a pounding, bruising action movie that kicks off with that construction site parkour set-piece and never lets up.
The Great Gatsby – BBC 2 – 9.30pm
Leo DiCaprio reunites with his Romeo & Juliet director for this lavish, OTT story about lost loves and the loneliness of infamy. The production design and soundtrack are through the roof, DiCaprio nails the balance of Gatsby’s uncertainties perfectly, and while not everything in the movie works (cough, Tobey Maguire, cough), there is more than enough here to keep you distracted until…
Predator – Film4 – 10.55pm OR Demolition Man – ITV4 – 11.10pm
We couldn’t decide between these two, and if you can, then you’re a stronger person than we are. While we know Predator is obviously the better of the movie, there is an argument to be made that Demolition Man is more fun. Thanks to Sandra Bullock’s “sex scene” reaction, or Wesley Snipes as the high-kicking psychopath villian, or Sly Stallone at his most Stallone-y, it is a decent alternative to Arnie fighting an invisible alien in the jungle.
All clips via Movie Clips Trailers
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
