The Christmas TV Strategy Guide 2023 #11

28th December 2023

1130 - BBC1

Is this the last truely great Pixar film? Like classic good? I do like Coco and Turning Red was really good but, man, I don’t know. There’s something in this film that just transcends everything else, where its the story or the excellent voice cast or the design of the film. I don’t know, but whatever it is makes this film a proper 5 star classic

1150 - 5

How on Earth do you have Police Academy on at 1150 in the morning? How, what will be left of the film to put on? Its on in the schedules for 2 hours, even with adverts that much mean most of the film is there. But will it? Will it really? I just checked the BBFC website and its a 15, how do you get that on at 1150 in the morning? If you can’t tell this properly intrigues me. And we’ve seen Sherlock before but here it is back to back with the sequel just in case

1300 - ITV4

Here’s another pair of great WWII films, dealing with the horrors of that conflict which are followed by Smokey and the Bandit. I mean. Its definitely a choice, I’m not sure if its the best film to follow the story of Operation Market Garden and its many failures but there you go

1340 - Great Movies

There we go! Flipping Krull on at lunchtime, amazing. A Big daft fantasy sci fi film with big monsters and a frisbee weapon, its pretty rubbish all told but its entertaining rubbish of the highest order.

1345 - ITV2

All three films here have three stars and you can’t argue with any of those. We’ve already had my eldest’s opinion on Ice Age but he’s also a real fan of Flushed Away as well. Thats fine, I guess? Its hardly one of the Aardman classics but there you go. And then Space Jam which is definitely a film that was made.

1430 - BBC2

Another Christie double bill, this one has a great turn by Albert Finney, which for a fair old while was the definitive version of Hercule Poirot. And never heard of that first one, by its directed by Billy Wilder so it’s bound to be a belter

1540 - BBC1

This film is, in so many ways, much worse than the first film. You know what it is, it’s the music. The songs are worse, the score is terrible compared to the Elmer Bernstein of the original which just drags everything down. It’s a big drop in quality, but it’s still a fun ride just about worth taking

1550 - PBS

Back to the quality Old Dad programs. We’ve done the Vietnam War, now the Civil War as presented by Ken Burns.

1930 - E4

There is only really one definitive version of The Addams Family and it’s this one. The casting is spot on from the top to the bottom, the design of the film is exemplary and the story is great. It also has one of the greatest front flips through a window in movie history

2300 - Quest

One of the great Shane Black Christmas that doesn’t really get talked about, maybe because its a cracking female led action film for a change? This is also post Cutthroat Island Geena Davis as well which probably doesn’t help. But, come on, this is cracking!

2320 - Channel 4

Behold, a perfect film

2340 - Film4

A Michael Mann crime thriller? Yes please, especially when it has a cracking bad guy turn from Tom Cruise. Its a really properly good film, very much recommended

0050 - Legend

Thats how you end a night! Full on splatstick craziness from the finest of the genre! Evil Dead II might be a cartoon but it still has some proper chills and scares in it which fully justify this being on so late. Imagine trying to put this on at 1150 in the morning? Just madness.