Much Ado About Nothing
A fun, festive and funny tale from the bard himself but directed by Joss Whedon? Perhaps this is what your Xmas day needs! Throw this baby on and coax as many as you can into the living room. Commence laughs and wonderful romance, all told with a salty wit. This is fun even your grandparents will appreciate.
The black and white comes to life through the amazing performances in Whedon's own locale. This is a personal, passionate project and is a pleasure to watch as much as it was no doubt a pleasure to make. The stories broad, cheeky humor is reconstructed masterfully by Whedon, who makes it his own with no disrespect to Shakespeare.
Don't just take my word for it, check out Todd Brown's review right here.
John Dies At The End
Well Much Ado About Nothing was certainly fun, but the older members of your family have left. Perhaps your estranged friends, distant relatives and weird uncles are still around, time for John Dies At The End!
Your uncle will assuredly love this one.
It's all about the Soy Sauce, a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs.
This film offers too much random insanity for one Xmas day, but hey it's too late, following this humble writer's advice you've already popped the damn thing into the DVD player. Just what the hell is going on? Perhaps you need more eggnog, more punch, more brandy.
Peter Martin's review should set things straight for you.
Upstream Color
Hey that was weird, even your uncle is eyeing you strangely as he leaves the room sighing. Time for something... even weirder. Don't go, this is the best kind of weird. A film that embraces its own unique blend of sci-fi and mystery to deliver a truly unique experience. A film that will certainly shake off your Xmas funk and help you get over that food coma. This is Upstream Color.
Kris is abducted from a bar and forced to ingest a drug that renders her susceptible to persuasion. When she awakens from her trance she discovers that life as she knew it has fallen apart. After some time, she meets Jeff on a train, and soon realises she might not be the only one to have experienced this ordeal, and that something bigger is going on
Just when you thought dinner conversations were getting boring, you can liven it up again with theories and thoughts about this gem, certainly worth a rewatch come boxing day.
The discussion is certainly a vital aspect regarding this experience as Eric Snider attests in his review.
A Field In England
Oh dear, we are down the rabbit hole now. You've ingested enough ahem good spirits at this point, it is probably time to knock it down a few. What better way than with the psychedelic British black comedy horror A Field In England.
You're all alone now, with only the bright flicker of the television to guide the rest of your night. This no-frills but highly insane production will certainly make you forget about the low lights of your Xmas, and possibly everything else as it consumes your thoughts like a black hole as you stare into its abyss.
England during the English Civil War. A small group of deserters flee from a raging battle through an overgrown field. They are captured by two men: O'Neil and Cutler. O'Neil, an alchemist, forces the group to aid him in his search to find a hidden treasure that he believes is buried in the field. Crossing a vast mushroom circle, which provides their first meal, the group quickly descend into a chaos of arguments, fighting and paranoia, and, as it becomes clear that the treasure might be something other than gold, they slowly become victim to the terrifying energies trapped inside the field.
James Marsh's review can be found here.
Pieta
Xmas time can be damn stressful. You've spent all day with relatives, perhaps you've had some awkward experiences or an unpleasant argument. Bitter family relations will become a distant memory once you compare to the utter dysfunction inherent in Kim Ki-duk's masterful Pieta.
In this intensely haunting story, a loan shark lives an isolated and lonely existence, using brutality to threaten and collect paybacks from desperate borrowers for his moneylender boss. He mercilessly collects the debts without regard to the pain he causes his countless victims. One day, a mysterious woman appears, claiming to be his long-lost mother. Coldly rejecting her at first, he gradually accepts her in his life and decides to quit his cruel job and seek a decent, redemptive life. However, he soon discovers a dark secret stemming from his past and realises it may be too late to escape the horrific consequences already set in motion from his previous life.
Quite possibly the most unconventional Xmas viewing of all time, Pieta is a powerful, raw experience that will have you pining for the warm embrace of a genuine loved one.
Todd Brown's review can be found here.
If you're still sane after all that, have a safe and entertaining holiday no matter the format and genre and may your viewings be filled with mirth and value!