It's the same every year. We return to our families and our loved ones, if we can, for a few days at Christmas, having outspent our budgets and our overdrafts on presents and comestibles, and we're looking forward to at least a couple of relaxing hours in front of the television indulging in classic Christmas movies. So where did it all go wrong this year? Instead of the classic 'Home Alone' we are subjected to the inferior sequel 'Home Alone 2; Lost In New York'. We aren't treated to 'Santa Clause The Movie' until Christmas morning, by which time we're already in the mood and don't need the burst of goodwill, and forgive me if I'm wrong but I haven't seen hide nor hair of 'The Great Escape', surely a Yuletide staple for our family viewing?! The BBC played its trump cards far too early this year I feel - 'Mighty Ducks 2' and 'Cool Runnings' before ITV had anything worth competing against. We must always remember, as Estevez clearly states - "Mighty Ducks fly together", but the BBC took it too much to heart and put their big guns up first, leaving other channels chance to exploit the gaps left and plug them with musicals and reruns of '80's Mania', both guaranteed crowd pullers But God bless BBC 2 this festive season, reminding us that once upon a time people made some decent films. The travesty of 'Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' only being granted a lunchtime slot in the dead week between Christmas and New Year is one I shall not easily forgive, but at least they gave us the brilliant, nay sublime 'Topsy Turvy', and the scintillating 'LA Confidential', a film so underrated and under-appreciated its not true. And, much as we only watch it for late night American sports and smutty films starring Shannon Tweed, Channel 5 occasionally excels itself, no more so than with the inclusion of the brilliant 'Get Carter' in its schedules.(Not the painful experience that is the Stallone rehash, the Michael Caine original. I mean, come on...). Of course, we mustn't forget poor old Channel 4. As subtle as Richard Whiteley's wardrobe, and as predictable as a joke in a Christmas cracker - 'Wickerman' is seeing in the new year. I'm not sure how many years on the trot they've employed this particular ratings gambit, but you've got to admire them for persevering. Don't misunderstand me here, 'Wickerman' is an exceptional film, chilling and yet enthralling in equal measure, but as I've got it on DVD I'll be ignoring Jools Holland on BBC 2 instead. No-one, except baby-sitters, watches TV on New Years Eve, so I don't know why BBC and ITV didn't pool their ropey films together for that night, and give us the good stuff when we were in the mood. And where, pray, was 'Labyrinth'? And, come to that, 'The Never-ending Story'?..... Cheers to you, Henry
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