New Movies to Watch this Holiday Season

By carolinianweb on November 22, 2022 • ( 1 )

Maggie Collins

Editor, Arts and Entertainment

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and one of the best ways to celebrate is to snuggle up with a blanket and a warm cup of hot chocolate to watch Christmas movies. Watching the same Christmas films repeatedly can quickly get old, but this year that problem can be avoided as some classics have been remade with a twist. However, for those of us who don’t mind the same love story plot in all our Christmas movies, I’ve included one of those as well.

“A Christmas Story Christmas” is the sequel to “A Christmas Story,” which was released in 1983 and is one of the most well-known Christmas movies. This sequel shows us the life of Ralph after he has grown into an adult who now has children of his own. He returns to his house on Cleveland Street to try and give his children the best Christmas possible but runs into some problems along the way. In this new film, they have incorporated many of the iconic pieces from the original movie like the leg lamp, pink bunny costume, and the triple dog dare challenges. It was released on Nov. 17 and is available to watch on HBO Max.

The next remade classic is “Spirited,” a twist on “A Christmas Carol.” There have been multiple remakes of this plotline to the point that it is almost overused by now. However, “Spirited” looks to take on a more humorous approach, which hasn’t quite been done yet. It stars well-known actors such as Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell who never seem to disappoint. I don’t have much faith that this will live up to Jim Carrey’s “A Christmas Carol” because of the true masterpiece it was, but it does look like a good movie to sit back and enjoy. It was released in theaters on Nov. 11 and started streaming globally on Apple TV on Nov. 18.

Many, including me, know that every Christmas love movie is what you would call a “basic Hallmark movie,” but we still binge and enjoy every single one anyway. “Christmas with You” is a rom com about a teen, Cristina, who is planning her quinceanera and gets the chance to meet her favorite pop star, Angelina. Angelina is experiencing burnout in her career and takes the opportunity to meet her fan in a small town as a way to decompress. When a big snowstorm hits, Angelia is forced to stay with Cristina and her family. Cristina’s single father and Angelina quickly form a relationship through their interest in music and she gets a shot at love. The movie is now available to watch on Netflix.

If Christmas movies are not your thing, then there is “Roald Dahl’s Matilda: The Musical,” a remake of the original “Matilda” from 1996 that everyone loves. The plot line is the same with a witty little girl, Matilda, who has psychological powers that help her survive her hardships. Of those hardships include the terrifying teacher Miss Trunchbull and Matilda’s lousy parents who don’t know their daughter’s potential. It seems to be very close to the original, and it should be interesting to see how they turn it into a musical. It will be available to watch on Dec. 6 on Netflix.

The struggle with remaking classic iconic films is that a certain standard has to be accomplished. Most remakes never reach the potential of the original film, but they are still good movies to experience at least once. Whether you’re looking for new movies or ones with the same plot line but different characters, I hope this list comes in handy and that you can enjoy some time with your friends and family during the rush of the holiday season by watching them.