Bad Santa 2, the long-awaited sequel to Billy Bob Thornton’s anarchic, adult take on the holiday season, hits cinemas this week, kick-starting the countdown to Christmas.
So, if you’re planning to put up the tree and start decorating the house soon, why not accompany your festive activities with one of these classic Christmas movies, all available on Blu-ray.
Elf
Now a staple of the Christmas season, Elf tells the tale of Buddy (Will Ferrell), a human being who has spent his whole life believing himself to be an elf. Brought up by Santa and his elves at the North Pole, Buddy has spent the last 30 years happily working in Santa’s toy workshop. But when his ungainly size starts to become a liability in the elf-sized working environment, Santa suggests that Buddy head to New York City to find his biological father (James Caan). So, he sets off on an adventure to find his new family, and inevitably the good-natured Buddy finds himself in all sorts of scrapes along the way.
The Blu-ray includes lots of special features, including commentaries from director Jon Favreau and star Will Ferrell, behind the scenes featurettes and a selection of deleted scenes.
Home Alone
For many, Christmas just isn’t the same without at least one viewing of Home Alone, the classic John Hughes-directed comedy from 1990. Accidentally left behind when his family rushes off on a Christmas vacation, eight-year -old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) embarks on a hilarious, madcap mission to defend the family home when two bumbling burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) try to break in and find themselves tangled in Kevin’s bewildering battery of booby traps.
On Blu-ray you can enjoy even more from the world of Home Alone, with special features including a making of documentary, behind the scenes interviews with Macaulay Culkin, a blooper reel, deleted scenes and a look at the film’s impact around the world. You can also pick up Home Alone in a double pack featuring the Lost In New York sequel.
Love Actually
If romance is more your cup of tea at Christmas, look no further than Love Actually, the star studded romcom from legendary Brit Richard Curtis. Starring the likes of Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman, Colin Firth and Rowan Atkinson, the hilarious and heartfelt film explores the ups and downs of relationships in the weeks building up to Christmas. Boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, fathers and sons and rock stars and managers all combine to make Love Actually not just one story but ten very different ones.
Special features include deleted scenes with an introduction by Richard Curtis, a feature on the film’s impressive soundtrack, commentaries and music videos – including of course Billy Mack’s “Christmas is All Around”.