The Christmas TV Strategy Guide 2024 #13

Start off the New Year with one of the definitive Fred Astaire films? With Cheek to Cheek and all that? What a way to clear the hangover

Thankfully, and a bit ironically, 5 skipped the fifth film in the Trek series which is, let’s be honest, a bit of a misstep. This one is much better and a return to form, and a great send off for the original cast. Then we have a Zorro film which isn’t the first underrated 90s classic but the decent sequel. It is good, just felt a bit too much time had passed since the first film

After Bond Connery dropped some clangers but this is very much the opposite of a clanger, it’s a banger! Only just noticed that rhymes. Anyways, it’s Caine and Connery off having a boys own style adventure in India; great cast, great direction, as I said a banger

A perfect film

Good double bill here; it’s a bit early for Groundhog Day but it makes sense to put it on during this period between Christmas and New Year when time has no meaning. And then Crystal Skull which is a film I never hated; some parts aren’t ageing great but when it hits those pure Indy moments it’s really good

Fairly sure we’ve already had Dirty Dozen before but need to include it here to compete a pretty good triple header; two great War films, the first being a bit more triumphalist that the more cynical near grindhouse tone of Dozen. After that you get another great 90s Dad Action film, with Kurt Russel versus terrorists on a plane.

It’s the modern take on Matilda based on the Dahl book, this time with songs! The songs are mostly bangers, the film doesn’t shy away from that nasty edge like the original and Emma Thompson nearly equals the original’s iconic take on Ms Trunchball. The only thing it loses really is the presence of Danny DeVito. Asking my youngest which was better left him stumped for a minute then he confirmed “the newest is best as Ms Trunchbull gets cooked” so there you go

I do love the Mission Impossible films. After II missed the mark a bit it seemed like we were done, but since III each film has been cracking. It was basically a straight line up in quality until the peak of Fallout but that doesn’t mean that this one is bad. Far from it, Brad Bird delivered a great film with some iconic moments and probably established the trope of Tom Cruise doing mad stuff for the sake of cinema

Very much a product of its time, this still has six or seven perfect jokes. The walk into the airport with the charity folk? Double sunglasses? Leslie Nielsen in general? The very definition of “a hoot”

Maverick did way better than it had any right to do, simultaneously tapping into nostalgia for the era and also being a great action film. But that only works if the original is good, and it is; a pumped up jingoistic 80s Cold War action fest with an all conquering soundtrack. The story is a bit flat in places but when it kicks into gear it’s pure cinema

Inside No 9 leads off this run with one of the best Christmas Specials of recent times. And then two brilliant films; Untouchables takes a lot of liberties with history but when you’ve got a Connery performance this good who cares? You can follow that up with a great modern romantic musical, backed up by a great cast

Stay up for this take on the classic sci fi novel I Am Legend; as it’s stands it’s closest to the original book, and is certainly better than the modern Will Smith version. Is it better than the Charlton Heston version Omega Man? That’s a tougher question as they both have issues and different vibes; this is much more of a Hammer Horror sort of vibe, whereas Omega is in the list of 70s dystopian sci fi films. Just depends how on how the mood takes you I guess