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First Viewing Viewing Date: December 12th Via: iTunes Store Plot: Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand each other, without realizing that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal. Rating: 7.7/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 12th Via: iTunes Store Plot: A transgender prostitute tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Rating: 3.1/10

First Viewing Plot: A transgender prostitute tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart.

I only watched Tangerine because it was a 99 cent rental on iTunes and it's set at Christmas, but this is easily the worst film of my Christmas film binge so far (yes, worse than the 1997 Jack Frost). From the outset, I did not find any of the characters likeable, endearing or interesting, and I immediately regretted my decision to give this movie a shot. Unfortunately, Tangerine does not improve. Shot on the streets of Los Angeles exclusively with iPhones, the sense of immediacy and realism is commendable (I keep hearing that LA is a dumpster fire shithole and now I can see why), but the movie does absolutely nothing else of interest or note. I don't doubt that people like this exist, and the movie probably faithfully portrays them, but it doesn't change the fact that I would never want to spend time in the company of people who are so studiously unlikeable. Tangerine is not interesting, compelling or exciting, nor is it incisive or enjoyable - I have no idea what it's meant to be. Additionally, it's not a Christmas movie in any sense of the word, rendering this a complete waste of time and I couldn't wait to get it off my TV screen. I'm just glad that it's not a long movie as I was already prepared to slit my wrists after 87 minutes of this garbage. I will never consider watching Tangerine again and I recommend that you steer clear.

First Viewing Plot: A hopelessly romantic Chicago Transit Authority token collector saves a handsome stranger after he falls unconscious on the railway tracks. As he lies in a coma, she is mistaken for his fiancée - and she's too meek to say anything after being quickly accepted by his family.

Another one of those movies which is only partly set at Christmastime but still qualifies as a Christmas film all the same, While You Were Sleeping is a surprisingly effective and charming romantic comedy from director Jon Turteltaub. This is also another movie revolving around a big white lie that will eventually be revealed at the end, and there's a certain amount of rom-com formula at play here, but the execution is surprisingly successful thanks in large part to the direction and the disarming ensemble cast. Indeed, Turteltaub doesn't lather on the saccharine or emotionality, and I quickly found myself invested in the story - and this is coming from someone who doesn't normally like Sandra Bullock. I'm glad I sought this one out and gave it two hours of my time.

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 12th Via: Disney+ Plot: A hopelessly romantic Chicago Transit Authority token collector saves a handsome stranger after he falls unconscious on the railway tracks. As he lies in a coma, she is mistaken for his fiancée - and she's too meek to say anything after being quickly accepted by his family. Rating: 7.0/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 11th Via: Stan. Plot: A romantic comedy about a New York socialite who fakes her identity to get her book published and has to rush back to her deceased mother's farm when the publisher and her son come to visit their 'Australian' author. Rating: 5.3/10

First Viewing Plot: A romantic comedy about a New York socialite who fakes her identity to get her book published and has to rush back to her deceased mother's farm when the publisher and her son come to visit their 'Australian' author.

Not terrible but certainly not great by any means, Christmas on the Farm is the second Australian Christmas film in as many years from the Aussie streaming service Stan. But rather than a heartfelt Christmas movie with a typically Australian sense of humour, we instead get one of the tritest set-ups imaginable: a woman needing people to pretend to be her husband and daughter. This is one of the oldest sitcom tropes in history, and it has even been done in the Aussie flick Strange Bedfellows in 2004. Thus, we get vignettes in which the fake husband is seen fooling around with his actual partner and he's forced to kiss his fake wife (and he's gay here, ha ha ha). The farm set-up feels like window dressing and doesn't take full advantage of the Australian setting - instead, we get horse riding and a cow giving birth. Oh, and a forced scene in which characters go swimming in a dirty dam at night for no reason, only to be attacked by yabbies. At least we get some culturally unique things and there are some charming scenes, but the formula is too apparent and it's not interesting enough to break away from the utterly generic nature of the screenplay. At the end of the day, Christmas on the Farm feels like just another disposable Christmas rom-com rather than something more significant.

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 11th Via: Google Play Plot: After an accident that left murderer Jack Frost dead in genetic material the vengeful killer returns as a murderous snowman to exact his revenge on the man who sent him to be executed. Rating: 4.2/10

First Viewing Plot: After an accident that left murderer Jack Frost dead in genetic material the vengeful killer returns as a murderous snowman to exact his revenge on the man who sent him to be executed.

I needed to open a window while watching this godawful Christmas horror movie as I needed to let out that horrid stink - and what a pungent stink it was. Even despite the bad reviews, I was hoping this iteration of Jack Frost was going to be "so good it's bad," but I was shit out of luck. Badly paced and with a villain that doesn't look anything remotely like the campy design on the poster, you're better off watching one of those "kill count" compilations on YouTube as opposed to watching the entire 90 minutes of this hit-and-miss movie. The creative kill scenes are the only positive of this movie, as there's some gore and other moments which made me chuckle; as for the rest, it's just dire. There's no suspense or tension, nor did I become invested in the characters or care about their survival. And then there's the only chestnut of the characters miraculously having something on-hand that helps them defeat the villain - in this case, the hero's kid made him some terrible oatmeal with anti-freeze. Watching movies like this reminds me precisely why the suicide rates go up around Christmas.

First Viewing Plot: An affluent, fast-lane investment broker is given a glimpse of how the other half lives; he wakes up on Christmas Day to find that his sports car and girlfriend have been replaced with a mini-van, a wife, two kids and a dog.

A noticeably Frank Capra-inspired drama reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life, The Family Man is a mostly effective Christmas film which is undoubtedly elevated by the presence of Nicolas Cage. It's a sweet, polished movie (Brett Ratner is not a good director, but he's surprisingly sensitive with this material) with laughs and a huge amount of charm, and the message is a worthwhile one about family meaning more than anything and you need to make sacrifices for the ones you love. I'm not quite sure I agree with the ostensible notion that ambitious, well-paying jobs should be sacrificed as I'm sure there's a happy medium between struggling working class and greedy stockbroker...but that's just my opinion. Unfortunately, the film does outstay its welcome at over two hours in length, with the second act in particular feeling flabby and uneven, in need of more momentum. Indeed, the majority of the flick takes place in the fantasy world, and we're acutely aware that Jack will eventually return to his old life. The movie also paints itself into a corner, leading to an ending that's not entirely satisfying but still feels overly Hollywood. I didn't love The Family Man, but I found it sufficiently charming for this year's festive viewing. And that's another one ticked off the list that I've been wanting to watch for over a decade.

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 11th Via: Blu-ray Plot: An affluent, fast-lane investment broker is given a glimpse of how the other half lives; he wakes up on Christmas Day to find that his sports car and girlfriend have been replaced with a mini-van, a wife, two kids and a dog. Rating: 6.7/10

First Viewing Plot: On the night of Christmas Eve, an extended power outage in New York City traps six groups of people in elevators.

Ensemble Christmas movies are nothing new - hell, just scroll up and see Noel - but the gimmick of the made-for-TV Christmas Eve is that all of the vignettes are set in elevators where people are trapped inside. It's a noble effort, especially since the varied stories prevent the banality that would inevitably set in if it was focused on just one set of characters for 90 minutes, but the results are decidedly mixed. This is a paint-by-numbers television Christmas effort that walks and talks like a Hallmark movie, and the lack of visual panache in the cinematography and lighting is a genuine concern considering the cramped elevator sets. Not helping things is the really obvious green-screening during the scenes involving Patrick Stewart's character; it really detracts from the sense of reality. There are some really contrived scenes, to boot, and the director lathers on the drama and dramatic music at times. Nevertheless, Christmas Eve does have its moments and its charms - I just wish it was executed better overall. I only watched this one because it was free to watch on Amazon Prime, though I feel I should try to vet my choices more clearly in the future. Not terrible, not great, and not a festive staple by a long shot.

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 11th Via: Amazon Prime Video Plot: On the night of Christmas Eve, an extended power outage in New York City traps six groups of people in elevators. Rating: 5.3/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 10th Via: Stan. Plot: American GIs are assigned to hold an isolated cabin in the Ardennes against a handful of Germans cut off from their main force. Combat-weary and short of rations, both sides are determined to survive. Rating: 7.9/10

First Viewing Plot: American GIs are assigned to hold an isolated cabin in the Ardennes against a handful of Germans cut off from their main force. Combat-weary and short of rations, both sides are determined to survive.

Here we are with another Christmas war movie, though this is an extremely different experience compared to Joyeux Noël. Unlike several other titles on this list, I didn't actively seek this one out - I found it by accident while scrolling through Stan, realised it was a Christmas movie, and added it to the line-up. This is a strong anti-war film buoyed by excellent performances and convincing production values, placing us in the middle of an intense fictitious war story set at Christmastime, 1944. The pacing is a bit wonky at times, especially during the first act, but the characters are well-drawn and it's easy to become invested in them. I can't say that A Midnight Clear will have you full of festive cheer, but it is a terrific movie in its own right and I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch it.

First Viewing Viewing Date: December 10th Via: Cinema Plot: When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. Rating: 8.1/10

First Viewing Plot: Two people search for each other years after the night they first met, fell in love and separated, convinced that one day fate would allow them to end up together.

This is another of those stealthy Christmas movies; the first act takes place at Christmastime, but the remainder of the movie unfolds at another time of year and there's not much more festive cheer to soak up. Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed Serendipity as both a Christmas movie and as a standalone motion picture; it's fast-paced, funny, well-written and entertaining all the way through, with a superb cast who ably carry the movie. I found myself becoming invested in the story and the characters, and, although I know this is an American rom-com that will have a happy ending, I really wanted to see the leads end up together and I wasn't sure if it'll happen. It also avoids some of the hoariest rom-com cliches and it doesn't assume that the audience are idiots; instead, the dialogue is sharp and the characters aren't fools. The ending, too, is lovely without being too cloying. I could see myself watching Serendipity a few more times around Christmas.