The Christmas TV Strategy Guide 2021

Start the day off in the right way with some classic Golden Age of Hollywood comedy starring legit Hollywood royalty in the shape of Cary Grant. Yes its black and white and its from like 80 years ago but funny is still funny so force it on your kids while you can

Here’s what you should have on in the background today; Monsters Inc was a great film with a lovely ending, so heading the other way and doing a prequel so we can spend some more time with those characters is a great idea. It almost collapses under some of the logistical questions it raises but thats easily ignored. Big Hero 6 is part of the amazing run of films Disney Animation has been on since Princess and The Frog, it may not quite be top tier but it’s still very good. And then you can make lunch and play some games and that before you get a genuine modern classic in Inside Out. This one can proper stand up there with Pixar’s best

Finally, the Dirty Harry season is done. Best thing I can remember about this film is when Clint pulls out a harpoon gun to take down a baddie. You can follow that up with Out for Justice so you can remember a time when Steven Seagal was almost relevant

We’re getting to the end of the year so we’re going to get more list and clip shows; 2021 will be a tough one to look back in considering the morass of shit we’ve all needed to wade through a a show like this does feel like wallowing somewhat. Still, should be worth a watch if only to remind ourselves how amazing it is that we all got through another year of a pandemic. Good job everyone!

The second film in the Cornetto Trilogy, this time we take aim at buddy cop action films which is something I never thought I’d say about a British film. Honestly, the fact that the UK doesn’t have a proud history of 80s action films is a crime, and this film shows what we could have been enjoying for years. Not saying its all Richard Curtis’ fault but he has to shoulder some of the responsibility

The bets of the 90s Nic Cage action films? Its got to be, right? It just has to be this one. I’ll hear an argument for Con Air but I’ll siding with this slice of fried gold

We’re proper into the 90s nostalgia now; we’re getting to the point when people who were kids in the 90s are becoming in charge of stuff so its only going to continue. This is despite the 90s only being a couple of years ago and I won’t hear anything else to the contrary

This kind of stands out in De Niro’s 80s filmography, its very much a by the numbers 80s buddy action thriller but it’s a really properly good 80s action buddy thriller. De Niro’s chemistry with Charles Grodin is key, fully proving that De Niro can play in a comedy as well as the more serious fare he was known for at thus point