When jolly old Saint Nick, A.K.A. 'Red One' (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped, the head of his security detail, Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) is forced to work with Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans) - a freelance hacker/tracker who claims he can find anyone, anywhere. But will the pair be able to get along in order to find Santa and save Christmas? With Red One , Jake Kasdan attempts to do for Christmas what he did for Jumanji ... and misses. Where Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle  and Jumanji: The Next Level  were light-hearted, silly, and featured The Rock doing something a little different, Red One  takes itself way too seriously, is overly cheesy, and for a supposed Christmas movie it isn't all that festive. As for Johnson, well he's simply playing the type of character he usually plays; tough but straight. On the other hand, his co-star Chris Evans delivers a fine performance as the loveable rogue/Christmas sceptic, even though it feels like he's simply trying to escape ...

In an effort to cheer up Quill (Chris Pratt), and restore his love of Christmas, Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) travel to Earth in search of the perfect gift. With the help of Marvel  and the Guardians of the Galaxy , James Gunn has finally got the chance to share his love of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special , and to spread a little festive cheer while he's at it, with his very own Holiday Special. But a Holiday Special born from Gunn's interesting sense of humour can only mean we're in for another gonzo galactic adventure, one served with copious amounts of cheese, and - rather unsurprisingly - an excellent soundtrack. All of which Gunn delivers, and more. Seeing the Guardians deliver Christmas in their own (very) weird way, it turns out, is actually a perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. As well as being a delightfully sappy adventure, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special  is a fun way to catch up with the gang before the arrival of ...

When his family head off on a Christmas holiday to Japan, young Max Mercer (Archie Yates) is left home alone. It's every kid's dream; the house to yourself, no parents telling you what to do - and more importantly, what not to do. But when a couple of burglars come a knocking (Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper), Max takes it upon himself to defend the family home. All the while, Max's mother Carol (Aisling Bea) fights to get home to her son. That's right,  Home Alone ; the classic movie enjoyed by millions every Christmas for the last 30 years, has another unwanted sequel - one the filmmakers are desperate for us to know exists in the same universe as the original. Buzz McCallister (Devin Ratray) is back to rather pointlessly ram home that point.  Home Sweet Home Alone  is yet another take on the child left behind scenario, in which said child must defend their home from some unwanted guests. Except this time it's more about the burglars than the child. In the original, ...

'Tis the season to be jolly, which means lots of tinsel, wrapping paper, empty bank accounts and the same damn Christmas music playing over and over. But it also means we have the perfect excuse to watch Die Hard - the ULTIMATE Christmas movie - as many times as we want. It's my pick for Best Christmas Movie in the latest LAMBracket from The Large Association of Movie Blogs, and I need your help. You can vote for it over at the LAMB's website , or on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter . Now many of you are probably thinking; Die Hard? That's not a Christmas movie! Well respectfully, you're wrong. I don't think Die Hard could get any more Christmassy. For one thing, it's on TV every December. The story takes place during a party on Christmas Eve. There's plenty of decorations, trees and music, not to mention the most inventive use of Christmas tape the world has ever seen. Our hero even sends his enemies a heart-warming Christmas message, ...

In order to put together our Advent Calendar of Christmas Movies I have watched many movies from several decades. I have made lists, debated over said lists  (that's a nice word for argued right?) , made new lists and argued...I mean debated some more. The point is, it wasn't an easy task whittling down the list to the final 25 - well 27 but who's counting? In order to do it I've had to watch some challenging movies, and by challenging I don't mean intellectually. It's a miracle I made it through some of them. Two such gems of varying quality are 'The Night Before' and 'A Merry Christmas Miracle' A.K.A. 'A Merry Friggin' Christmas'. The Night Before reunites the team that brought us 50/50. In December 2001, Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) lost his parents in a car accident. Every Christmas Eve since then his friends Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) have taken him out partying so he's not alone on Christmas. But ...

For most people, 'tis the season to be jolly. For me it's a time to watch one of my favourite Christmas movies, the greatest Christmas movie of all...Die Hard. When terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) seize control of Nakatomi Plaza taking thirty people hostage, the last thing they expect to find is John McClane (Bruce Willis). McClane, a New York Police Detective is in town to spend Christmas with his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). With the building locked down by the heavily armed terrorists, McClane is the only one who can save the hostages. I know I don't need to talk about Die Hard, it's a classic. Not only is Die Hard my favourite Christmas movie, it's probably my favourite movie in general. And before the naysayers start complaining that Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie, here's proof that it is: The story takes place during a Christmas party on Christmas Eve There's Christmas music McClane uses Christmas tape in a ...