issue 13 // volume 44 Not the same old feel-good Christmas movies > Unconventional flicks for December Cazzy Lewchuk Senior Columnist he holidays are not the most wonderful time of the year for everyone. For many, the season isn't always cheerful or all fun and games. There are countless movies that feature the holidays played straight, but some tackle the subject in a more subversive way. All these flicks feature holiday content, but they also contain more serious content, and they’re about more than merely the festivities— just like the holidays in real life. Bad Santa (2003) Willie T. Sokes (Billy Bob Thornton) is a crooked alcoholic mall Santa who robs the whole department store on Christmas Eve every year with his elf Marcus (Tony Cox). His plans and outlook take a turn when he befriends “The Kid” (Brett Kelly), a troubled child who thinks Willie really is Santa Claus. Equally hilarious and depressing, the sheer cynicism of this movie may hit close to home this holiday season. Asa bonus, check out Bad Santa 2 (2016), featuring the original cast. Eyes Wide Shut (1999) Legendary director Stanley Kubrick’s final film features Tom Cruise as Dr. Bill Hartford and Nicole Kidman as his wife Alice. After learning of Alice’s infidelity fantasies and a secret club from a friend, Bill travels through New York City at Christmas time for a night of wild adventure. Featuring mysterious costume shop owners, drug overdoses, and [luminati-esque orgies, this long flick is most decidedly not cheerful or sentimental—all the more reason to put it on this list. wf - — SE a ‘4 ‘a % ee *". . | Lh a Le r+ ere i Still from ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ via hotflick.net The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Truly the all-time goth kid classic for both Halloween and Christmas. This iconic Claymation Tim Burton musical has been immortalized in punk merchandise forever, but in case you've missed out: Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, stumbles upon another magical town with gifts, elves, and mistletoe. Inspired and misguided by this new holiday, Jack attempts to combine > DC’s latest film just came out, and a lot was riding on its success Veronnica MacKillop Contributor he future of DC’s Cinematic Universe is riding on how well Justice League does in theatres, and the reviews are quite mixed. The long-awaited Justice League film came to theatres on November 17. After previous DC films such as Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad underperformed, but Wonder Woman proved to be a hit, fans and critics claim that this movie will be very important in determining the overall success and future of the DCEU. The studio has quite a few films planned for the future, including Aquaman in 2018, as well as Wonder Woman 2 in 2019 and Flashpoint in 2020. Justice League has an important job: To regain fans’ trust in the DCEU and get them excited for upcoming movies. According to Forbes Magazine, Justice League has made around $325 million worldwide as of last week, but the two weeks after the initial release will be vital in determining the film’s success. With Thanksgiving weekend in the US starting on November 23, and the movie opening in Japan and Lebanon the same week, it’s hard to make a final call on how well the film has done commercially until the results come in at the end of November. Justice League saw a huge jump in the box office a few days after it was released, but its opening weekend came up fairly short, making only $94 million domestically. This number pales in comparison to some of the other popular films that came out in 2017, such as Thor: Ragnarok, which made $121 million, or Wonder Woman, which made $103 million. Comparing it to Warner Bros. movies outside the genre, It made $123.1 million in its opening weekend. Apart from how much the film earned, a lot is based on reviews and fan reactions. People were concerned because Rotten Tomatoes held their Justice League review until the day before the film came out, which is rarely a good sign. When the review came out, it earned 41 per cent on the Tomatometer, but out of 269 reviews, 110 voted the film “fresh.” Many of the top critic reviews said that the film did not get the pacing right, and that it felt rushed or didn't have the right tone. This could be due to some of the issues Justice League faced while filming, such as bringing Joss Whedon on board to direct, replacing Zack Snyder, who had to leave due to a family tragedy. The audience score was very different, with 84 per cent saying they liked the film. Despite the negative reviews from critics, it seems that reviews on Rotten arts // no. 7 Halloween with Christmas and replace Santa Claus—with disastrous results. Harry Potter (2001-2012) So, maybe these aren't explicitly Christmas movies. But each movie, which takes place over the course of a year or so, does feature scenes set during the holiday season. The scenes of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade in the snow are absolutely lovely. The Weird Sisters at the Yule Ball rock the place hard. Also, if you're not feeling the holidays, there's plenty of terrifying creatures and dark wizards ahead. If you don't know what a Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, or Weird Sisters is, now is a great time to enter the world of Harry Potter! Mean Girls (2003) This movie is actually pretty hilarious, especially that Christmas scene (you already know which one I’m talking about). Nevertheless, it does touch on serious subjects, and may be the perfect film to indulge in when you're having another mood swing and it’s not even December yet. “That’s the Jingle Bell! That’s the Jingle Bell! That’s the Jingle Bell Rock!” Promotional art for ‘Justice League’ Tomatoes that are not from top critics are much more positive. Audience reviews gave an average of three out of five stars. It seems that critics are being rather harsh with Justice League, and audiences do not necessarily agree with the lacklustre reviews. So, what does this mean for the future of the DCEU? It’s hard to say. Unlike Thor: Ragnarok, which made it very clear where the MCU was headed and how audiences felt about it, it looks like we’re going to have to wait a few more weeks before seeing what Justice League actually means for DC’s future. What we do know is that the characters seen in the film were great, and audiences were much happier with the film than critics thought they would be. In the end, fans fuel fandoms, so how the audience responds is what will determine DC’s fate going forward.