Water Cooler: Christmas movies on Kanopy
There is still time to sneak in a few Christmas movies before the holiday is upon us. Here are a few offbeat, entertaining and informative recommendations to add to your holiday viewing. Stream them for free at Kanopy.com. All you need to register for an account is a local library card.
“Jingle Bell Rocks!” – Explore the fascinating world of alternative and underground Christmas music with titles like, “Close Your Mouth (It’s Christmas),” “Santa Claus Was a Black Man” or “Merry Christmas Someone.” Hosted by favorite, eclectic characters from the world of pop culture, including, The Flaming Lips, Run DMC and John Waters. This exploration of alternative Christmas music is equal parts character study, social history and pop culture excursion. Directed by Mitchell Kezin. 2013. 94 minutes.
“The Holly and the Ivy” – It is Christmas Eve and inside the rectory of a small town called Wyndenham, people are bustling around hanging decorations in time for the reuniting of the minister’s family. Together they share memories of trials faced living through WWII and come to terms with the events of recent years. Directed by George More O’Ferrall. 1954. 81 minutes.
“Christmas, Again” – Noel returns to New York City for the fifth consecutive December to cover the night shift at a Christmas tree lot. He is heartbroken, devoid of holiday spirit and struggling to stay awake through the cold night of his shift as he waits in the lot’s trailer for customers to arrive. Amid his downward spiral, he meets a young woman whose warming presence helps lift Noel’s spirits. Directed by Charles Poekel. 2014. 80 minutes.
“Road Trip for Ralphie” – Calling all “A Christmas Story” fans. Tyler and Jordie Schwartz both loved the movie as kids, and now they’ll take their fandom even further by exploring the locations, facts and memorabilia of the movie over the span of two years and across two countries. They visit more than 15 locations in Cleveland and Canada, gathering amazing trivia as they go. Also included are rare interviews from crew members as they recall working on the film in 1983. Directed by Tyler Schwartz. 2010. 82 minutes.
“The Man Who Invented Christmas” – Follow Charles Dickens in his journey of creating the iconic characters of Christmas in “A Christmas Carol,” like Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim. They are created through a mix of vivid imagination and real life inspiration. Directed by Bharat Nalluri. 2017. 105 minutes.
“Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas” – This offbeat musical documentary is set almost entirely in a Chinese restaurant and follows a group of Jewish songwriters such as Irving Berlin, Mel Torme, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Gloria Shayne Baker and Johnny Marks, who incidentally wrote some of the most iconic Christmas songs. These immigrant outsiders would go to make major contributions and changes to pop culture and Christmas tradition. Directed by Larry Weinstein. 2017. 53 minutes.
“The Nutcracker Ballet” – If you had to miss out on an annual tradition of seeing “The Nutcracker Ballet” performed live, redeem your loss a little bit with this recorded performance with the Ballet of the Slovak National Theatre and the Sofia National Opera Orchestra conducted by Boris Spassov and filmed in the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, Slovakia. Directed by Alfons Stummer, Dusan Jamrich and Emil T. Bartko. 1995. 71 minutes.