Brought to you by Virgin Media.
Get the snacks ready.
Christmas is a special occasion that’s all about family, friends and celebrating this unique time of year. It’s also about hitting the couch and stuffing your face while watching lots of films and TV shows.
So we looked at the On Demand options that are available to Virgin TV customers to come up with a Christmas list that definitely won’t disappoint. The following selection includes something for all the family, whether you love a good action flick or prefer watching old school classics from back in the day.
1. A bit of drama
What: There Will be Blood
Why: Daniel Day-Lewis unleashes the beast with his portrayal of a remorseless oil man chasing black gold with an even blacker heart. Part historical drama and part biblical morality tale,Day-Lewiss’ character clashes with Paul Dano’s evangelist in an epic tale of greed versus greed.
Critics say: A searingly intense and artful tale that grabs hold of the viewer from its jarring and wordless opening scenes and doesn’t let go [USA Today].
Clip via Movieclips Trailer Vault
2. A feelgood film
What: Good Will Hunting
Why: 20 years ago, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck announced their arrival with this clever film about a working class genius who’s trapped between two worlds. There’s a seething power to this witty, thought-provoking and confident film. The late Robin Williams also excels as the psychologist who provides an emotional counterpoint to Damon’s brash, reactive hero.
Critics say: Intimate, heartfelt and wickedly funny, it’s a movie whose impact lingers [San Francisco Chronicle].
Clip via Movieclips Trailers
3. A sports movie
What: Moneyball
Why: A film about Moneyball and the Oakland Athletics’ use of sports analytics doesn’t sound overly compelling. That’s until you draft in Brad Pitt for some effortless A-List charm and Jonah Hill to play it straight as the brains behind the headlines. It works. The result is a fascinating underdog story that exudes an air of quiet confidence.
Critics say: A smart, intense and moving film that isn’t so much about sports as about the war between intuition and statistics [Chicago Sun-Times].
Clip via Movieclips Trailers
4. A Christmas movie
What: Arthur Christmas
Why: Well, every Christmas list needs a Christmas film. This animation from the people who brought you Wallace & Gromit gives Santa a Mission Impossible makeover, putting the tech into gift giving. Arthur Christmas is steeped in enough Christmas spirit to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside but you also get lots of genre-defying concepts and dollops of subversive humour.
Critics say: [It] strikes just the right combination of naughty and nice, reverent and irrelevant, holiday-sweet and Aardman dry [The A.V. Club].
Clip via Sony Pictures Entertainment
5. An action flick
What: Kill Bill
Why: Quentin Tarantino’s venture into martial arts movies is a balletic explosion of colour, style and violence. This is a seventies kung fu flick on steroids – a spinning, kicking, slicing orgy of cinematic violence that is so beautifully shot that you just can’t look away. Uma Thurman joins the list of cinema’s great badasses as The Bride, an angel of vengeance in a bright yellow jumpsuit.
Critics say: In Kill Bill, Tarantino brings delicious sin back to movies — the thrill you get from something down, dirty and dangerous [Rolling Stone].
Clip via Movieclips Trailer Vault
6. A timeless classic
What: Shawshank Redemption
Why: This prison drama stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman as a kind of convict odd couple who get caught up in each other’s orbit. It’s a film that slowly peels away the layers, offering plenty of emotional twists and old-timey wisdom to keep us hooked – right up until its gripping climax.
Critics say: This is a movie with every facet shining in place, every word charged and resonant [Chicago Tribune].
Clip via Movieclips Trailer Vault
7. A boxset you may have missed
What: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Why: This BBC miniseries is all about magic so it’s an ideal Christmas option. A sorcerer and apprentice tale set during the Napoleonic War, it delves into a magical world that is brought to life with spectacular effects. Great characters, a fine cast and a well-crafted fictional world make it a series that’s well worth revisiting.
Critics say: …Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, a costume drama with spells, monsters, and cutting-edge special effects, has been dubbed by some critics Harry Potter for the adult set [The Philadelphia Inquirer].
Clip via BBC
8. A family favourite
What: Toy Story
Why: Remarkably, Toy Story still looks as good today it did 22 years ago. It remains a high water mark for modern cinema and it’s one of those films that transcends age and genre. Not many films manage to combine plot, character, heart and humour in such a well-crafted package. Do yourself a favour and revisit it this Christmas.
Critics say: Just perfect. Script, character, animation… this manages to break free of the yoke of ‘children’s movie’ to simply be one of the best movies of the 90’s, full-stop [Empire].
https://youtu.be/KYz2wyBy3kc
Clip via MoviesHistory
9. A cult classic
What: The Warriors
Why: If The Wizard of Oz was reimagined using street gangs from 70s New York, it might look a little something like this. This is a film about street gangs featuring the least believable gangsters in movie history but it is redeemed by some great sequences and a defined sense of self. It’s cheesy, charming and occasionally funny when it doesn’t mean to be!
Critics say: There’s a night-blooming, psychedelic shine to the whole baroque movie [The New Yorker].
Clip via YouTube Movies
10. A comic book movie
What: Sin City
Why: Sin City broke the mould with its stunning visuals, comic book stylings and pulpy sensibilities. It paints a vivid picture of a dark world of killers, dirty cops, amazons, monsters and antiheroes. The result is a film that’s larger than life but grounded by a stellar cast and its commitment to its noirish origins.
Critics say: This isn’t an adaptation of a comic book, it’s like a comic book brought to life and pumped with steroids [Chicago Sun-Times].
Clip via Movieclips Trailer Vault
11. A hidden gem
What: Gone Baby Gone
Why: Ben Affleck’s directorial debut stars his brother Casey and it’s set in their Boston hometown. This isn’t a film about good guys and bad guys. It’s drenched in moral ambiguity, soaked in street level pettiness and it slowly builds to a devastating crescendo as it tells the tale of a missing child.
Critics say: It’s a tribute to this thoughtful, deeply poignant, splendidly executed film that we replay the conclusion in our minds long after the lights come on [The Hollywood Reporter].
Clip via MoviemanTrailers
12. A leftfield option
What: Shaolin Soccer
Why: If you’ve seen Kung Fu Hustle, you’ll know what to expect from Hong Kong actor, writer and director, Stephen Chow. This is a gloriously silly film that’s full of daft humour and elaborate action sequences. It has slapstick comedy, kung fu action and a plot that involves adapting martial arts skills to win a football tournament. What’s not to love?
Critics say: Comedy-action lunacy of a truly high, and endlessly bizarre, order [Premiere].
Clip via Miramax
Check out Virgin’s great offers on TV, broadband and mobile on their website.
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