Unmissable and Merry Cinematic Events Throughout December
IT’S FINALLY DECEMBER! We all know that this now means we’re allowed to cover ourselves in blankets, eat chocolate for breakfast, turn the heating on (unless you have a Mum like mine, in which case you’ll just put an extra jumper on and possibly some gloves, and put up with it) and we can indulge the best part of the festive season. No, not pigs in blankets, that’s a close second, I’m talking about Christmas Films. A worthy genre of its own, it’s a time for watching those films that make you feel fuzzy inside and the ones it just isn’t Christmas without.
So once again I have made you all a lovely list of what’s going on in December where you are. There are tons of special screenings and events so get your calendar out, cross off all those Christmas parties and add these events instead.
Firstly The Price Charles Cinema in London have a lot of festive themed films. From Friday the 13th of December they’re showing Silent Night, Deadly Night, a horror surrounding a traumatized boy and a Santa suit. There’s a Die Hard Trilogy screening on the 14th. Elf will be screening on the 7th, 14th and 22nd in a special quote-along event, as will Home Alone with the exception of the 22nd screening. There will be screenings of It’s a Wonderful Life from the 13th to the 31st. On the 15th there is a Jingle All the Way quote-along. On the 7th there is a Pyjama Party Christmas Edition, all night movie marathon, filled with Scrooged, Home Alone 1&2, Christmas Vacation, Elf and The Muppet Christmas Carol. There are also several Sing Along events such as The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol and A White Christmas.
Barbican has many Christmas themed events, crossing the art platforms. There will be a Christmas screening of Peter Pan on the 7th, hosted by the Framed Film Club followed by their Christmas Party on the 14th. There is also a recorded performance of The Bolshoi Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty on December 22nd.
Future Cinema is presenting Ghostbusters at the Troxy in London. Screenings are selling out fast but tickets are still available for the 12th of December, the 22nd and 23rd. Pop Up Screens are hosting an exciting collection of festive films throughout December, in Notting Hill. They will kick off on the 13th with The Muppet Christmas Carol, with screenings continuing throughout the month with Polar Express, The Santa Clause, Love Actually, Scrooged and Elf with many more running until the 20th.
For those of you who cannot fully enjoy the festive season without having had your annual dose of The Muppet Christmas Carol, I have found a website which lists everywhere in the UK that is showing the film so have a look here.
In Nottingham at Broadway there is a special Christmas at the Cinema course being held by Alan Seaman on the 14th. The one day course will look at the films of the season, “Aside from the inevitable and various versions of Mr Dickens’ famous story, from the early silent attempt through to the musical Muppets, we’ll look at key cinematic celebrations and commemorations in which people apparently cope with war more easily than they cope with peace. ” Starting on the 19th of December the cinema will be showing The Bishop’s Wife, daily until Christmas Eve as well as It’s a Wonderful Life which runs from the 20th-24th. Frozen is also released this month, on December 6th and will be showing around the country.
Manchester Metropolitan University’s Trauma Group will be screening their Twisted Christmas event, a collection of those festive films that make you feel fear instead of fuzz, or are just slightly less merry. They kicked off yesterday with Jack Frost (no not the Keaton one) and on the 9th they will be showing French film, La Buche or Season’s Beatings. On the 16th they’re showing Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, a dark comedy set in Finland where a young boy explores the mysterious happenings in his isolated village.
will be hosting a fright night in the NQ, screening both Silent Night, Deadly Night and Elves, on Friday the 13th of course. Cornerhouse are having a Filmed Up Dec 2013 Event, a selection of short films created in the North West, showing on the 6th. There is a December film quiz tonight. On the 14th there is a screening of eerie film noir Lady in the Lake, running as part of Cornerhouse’s The Other Side of Yuletide… An Alternative Christmas. They describe the season; “Christmas time. We all love it. Roasting chestnuts on an open fire, sleigh bells in the snow. But Christmas can also be a backdrop to slightly more troubling things, as these films show.” Other screenings include The Queen of Spades, Curse of the Cat People, A Midnight Clear and finally Dead of Night. Don’t worry though they are still showing It’s a Wonderful Life from the 20th to the 23rd.
Finally, although not exactly film related, Tatton Park will be hosting several concerts from the 12th-14th . Spinningfields is also now home to an ice rink!
In Leeds there will be several Christmas Screenings held at the Town Hall. They begin with Miracle on 34th Street on the 18th, followed by Die Hard. Then on the 19th It’s a Wonderful Life will be followed by Trading Places.
In Belfast at Queens Film Theatre there will be a special event for cardholders on the 15th, inviting them to a Christmas event with a preview of The Railway Man (released generally on January 6th) and of course The Bishop’s Wife. They will also be showing The Muppet Christmas Carol on the 14th, 21st and 22nd as well as Scrooged on the 20th, 21st and 22nd and It’s a Wonderful Life which runs from the 14th and has several screenings until the 22nd. There will also be live recorded theatre performances from both Bolshoi and NT Live with Sleeping Beauty being shown on December 22nd.
