03 UNEXPECTED XMAS MOVIES TO WATCH ON XMAS DAY
or whenever :) Cronos, Phantom Thread, Eyes Wide Shut, Go, and more <3
No fashion this time around, I’m off for the holiday season babes. However, I am working on a Phoebe Philo retrospective/deep dive. More on that l8r :~D
Maybe you’re alone and want to spend the day stoned and drunk off eggnog*, maybe you’re hiding from your family, maybe you’re hiding from your partner’s family!, hell! maybe the whole squad just wants to curl up and movie marathon— well you’ve come to right place :) Ahem, without further ado:
*i do not get the eggnog hate, it’s literally the best melted vanilla ice cream with a lovely shot of rum… what’s not to be obsessed with?? it’s naughty bad which is why it’s good
Phantom Thread (2017)
directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Streaming on Netflix
The first time I saw this movie was at an early-bird preview at the Roxy Theater (RIP) in Philly a week before opening day. They started the movie without turning the lights off and I thought I’d go mentally ill, but before I could get up to say anything a more mentally ill gentleman beat me to it. The moment they turned them off I went to clap …but no one else seemed to notice lol so I didn’t.
Anyway! This is a movie about food and so is Christmas. It’s a movie about decadence, deceit, revenge, LOVE, pleasure, and exquisite beauty. It’s about being alive! It also seems like it’s set only in the cold months and there’s a red accent in just about every scene so, it qualifies 🤓
The oscar goes to his sister in this film, but overall Daniel Day Lewis is my king of line reads and some of my favorite reads from him are in this movie. He and PT must have so much fun lol
“You look beautiful, really. Very beautiful. You’re making me extremely hungry.”
“I ordered you a steak tartar, my little carnivore”
“I cannot begin my day with a confrontation” (after the stodgy food that was too beautiful to eat imho)
“Excellent work ladies. It’s just not very good, is it. It’s ugly.”
“Chic? Oh don’t you start using that filthy little word. Chic. Whoever invented that should be spanked and puppied(?) what is that word? Fucking chic??”
Ahhh idk if those land without watching it, so I guess you just should.
I neeeeeeed this shirt and waistcoat ugh
The lavender pjs, the chic layered towels, the bowl! and those incredible house shoes jadore
Cronos (1992)
directed by Guillermo del Toro
Streaming on [HBO] Max
Not much to say about this one other than it’s perfectly dark and twisted and sweet— and set during Navidad 🧑🏾🎄🤶🏾🎄🎀🎁 Nothing like a sweet grandpa who owns a beautiful antique shop where he chills with his best friend and sidekick (his young granddaughter) to do the trick. A lot of red in this one and not the pleasing kind.. unless…………
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
directed by Stanley Kubrick
Only available to rent rn but like you have to
Call me obvious, but it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t include it. Based on the 1926 novella Traumnovelle (Dream Story) by Arthur Schnitzer, the story is transferred from early 20th century Vienna, to 1990s New York City.
In 1999 celebrity culutre was still pretty mild; celebs were able to retain some mystery and could exist to us as we see them on screen. So to have a movie with 2 of the most famous people in the word at the time, who were married irl, STARRING in the NEW STANLEY KUBRICK, and it’s about SEX, was probably very insane and very cool and extremely exciting.
Anyway this movie is a wild, winding road. It’s iconically the aDuLt movie of my generation (NC-17) and when I snuck to watch it as a kid it basically made no sense. Now I get it lol. It’s a fucking horror christmas movie! A movie about rich, modern, high society white people, set in NYC (filmed in Toronto tho hehe) and it’s really fun. Every shot is perfectly intentional so much so that you feel like you may be inside them. Maybe my favorite ending, ever. Top 5. 🤵🏾♀️
Merry Christmas!
Carol (2015)
directed by Todd Haynes
Streaming on Netflix
Forbidden reckless lesbian love ugh! Jonny (bf) made a comment after we saw The Holdovers (really loved it btw) about how it’s refreshing that we seem to have moved passed romanticizing the prude 50s and have moved on to capturing more period pieces set during a time where people at least had some political and moral awareness. Kinda gets TIRED watching so many movies where the oppressed are still oppressed, and at the highest degree 🙄
lol— anyway! Beautiful movie! A perfect use of red in almost every scene and who doesn’t love our favorite movie lesbian, Cate <3
Ah a budding love affair 4 days before xmas <3333
Go (1999)
directed by Doug Liman
Only available to rent rn whomp (worth it tho)
A quintessential “Paige” (me) movie. It’s super 90s about “cool” 90s kids in their 20s getting into clubs and doing drugs, wearing cool shit, getting in and out of the kinda trouble revolving around a rave. It plays out in three parts, with each getting more wild than the next. Similar to the underground culture of the time, the energy this movie has can only be found in 90s movies. It’s at once a heist film, a road trip movie, and a Christmas comedy without ever fully being one or the other lmao. The soundtracks hot too, Len, Air, Fatboy Slim, and No Doubt did an original song for it.
It’s literally never boring and super easy to watch alone, with loved ones, or people you don’t like. Go off.
Home Alone (1990)
directed by Chris Columbus (lol?)
Written by John Hughes
Streaming on Disney+ or do a free trial to Starz
Ah yes, this is what will be playing Christmas morning at the Montgomery-Hanserd household It wouldn’t be right to wake up and not hear the sounds of Kevin Mcallister on Christmas morning 🤓 We are who we are and this is who I am. Now let’s all say “Kevin.!!” together now 🥲
Honorable Mentions:
- Moonstruck (Norman Jewison, 1987)
- A Christmas Story (idk if this one is as obvious as it seems anymore) (Bob Clark, 1983)
- Independence Day (Roland Emmerich, 1996)
- Bridget Jones’s Diary (Sharon Maguire, 2001)
- Felicity (the entire series) (J.J. Abrams + Matthew Reaves, 1998)
- Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
- The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
- Rope (Hitchcock, 1948)
- Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)
- The Godfather Trilogy (Coppola, 1972, 1974, 1990)
Aw that was funnnn 😇 I’m thinking of doing movie review posts more often, but with an emphasis on the fashion too hehe. Happy holidays everyone <3 ily!!!!!!!!!
yesss more movie reviews + fashion would be so good!!! i always love to dissect a look in a film. (also we have the same brass lamp; iconic)