Some cinematic turkeys are so bad they achieve a kind of trascendence. Last Christmas, for one | Kathryn Bromwich
You can’t simply set out to create a so-bad-it’s-good classic. But this year’s thinly veiled Taylor Swift biopic, Christmas in the Spotlight, could be a contender
As a lifelong enthusiast of the “so-bad-it’s-good” sub-strand of cinema, I approach every Christmas with a mix of excitement and trepidation. If at one end of the spectrum we have magical Christmas films (It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Jingle All the Way), passing through the slurry of mediocre, sentimental seasonal cash-ins, what I hope to find at the other extreme is something so truly awful it achieves a peculiar kind of transcendence.
Some recent contenders were Last Christmas (a January resolution to eat more vegetables masquerading as a Christmas film; weird Brexit subplot; insufficient George Michael) and Cats (genuinely creepy, but giving way to a confusing, cumulative high as the film progresses, so that by the time Judi Dench says “a cat is not a dog” you have reached a sort of collective hysteria).
Continue reading...-
Prison, longing, and some cooking tips: Australia’s unconventional Christmas anthem
How to Make Gravy by Paul Kelly was released in 1996 but has grown in popularity over the past 10 years and has now been turned into a film. More summer essentials Get our breaking news email ...The Guardian - 1d -
Wham! are Christmas number one for a second time
Last Christmas tops the festive chart for a second year running, but Band Aid misses the top 10.BBC News - 1d -
‘Everything is so bad’: Argentina’s poor hit hard by Milei’s ‘chainsaw’ measures
Rightwing president vowed to rescue country from years of ‘impoverishment’ – but for many the situation is desperate. Late at night, a young father stands in a dumpster in Buenos Aires, passing ...The Guardian - 4d -
Van Hollen, Graham threaten sanctions on Turkey to achieve ceasefire with Syrian Kurdish allies
Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are threatening sanctions against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unless Ankara forces Syrian opposition fighters into a ceasefire ...The Hill - 4d -
Turkey and sprouts drive down cost of Christmas dinner
The BBC digs into which bits of the festive feast have gone up and down in price.BBC News - 5d -
The Christmas number one race - and how to win it
All Mariah and Wham! want for Christmas is a chartopper. Can a newcomer like Tom Grennan stop them?BBC News - Dec. 15 -
Why Do Some Rebel Governments Last When Others Fall?
One factor matters most, and it could be a problem in Syria.The New York Times - Dec. 12 -
How I Aged Into the Bad Christmas Movie
One December morning, a millennial critic awoke to discover that she had been begrudgingly charmed by an onslaught of Hallmark and Netflix holiday films.The New York Times - Dec. 8 -
Inside a one-of-a-kind home for teens and adults with autism
About one in every 36 children is diagnosed with a form of autism. A New York facility is seeing success in treating some of the most profound cases — and providing a welcome home for teens and ...CBS News - Dec. 7
More from The Guardian
-
Photographs reveal first glimpse of uncontacted Amazon community
The Guardian - 6h -
Middle East crisis: Israeli strikes kill 28 Palestinians in Gaza – live updates
The Guardian - 33m -
US shoots down two of its own navy pilots over Red Sea in ‘apparent friendly fire’ incident
The Guardian - 3h -
‘I won that fight’: Tyson Fury rejects defeat as judges’ ‘Christmas gift’ to Oleksandr Usyk
The Guardian - 7h -
Magdeburg mourns Christmas market dead
The Guardian - 15h