Trapped in Paradise

Rated PG-13

Bill Firpo (Nicolas Cage) managed to stay honest while his brothers were in jail. But the clever Dave (Jon Lovitz) and the kleptomaniac Alvin (Dana Carvey) heard stories from a fellow convict of a bank so easy to rob that once they make parole, they can't resist. The only question is whether or not they can get out of town before the big snowstorm hits. While the three brothers fumble around town with their stolen loot, they are besieged with kindness from the townsfolk of Paradise, PA.

Everyone in this movie plays their parts to a tee, and the three leads comedic styles complement each other without overwhelming. The bank heist is this movie has to be one of the funniest heists ever filmed. This movie was not created to dazzle, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable watch. It has its share of warm fuzzy moments, without being sickly sweet. Though somewhat predictable, the ending will leave you feeling in the Christmas spirit.

South Park Season 8 Finale “Woodland Critter Christmas” (2004)

Rated Mature

When Stan discovers a group of talking animals building a Christmas tree, they convince him to help prepare for the holidays, including tasks such as making a star for their Christmas tree, and building a manger. Soon after, the animals enlist his help again. They explain that every year one of the animals conceives their Savior, but a mountain lion kills it before she gives birth to the baby. After insisting that Stan is the only one capable of helping them, he manages to kill the beast, but is dismayed to find that the lion was the mother of three now-orphaned cubs. Returning to the critters, Stan is further horrified to discover that the woodland critters are, in fact, Satan worshipers, and that their Savior is actually the Antichrist, not an animalistic Son of God.

What a heart-warming Yuletide tale! Obviously not a show for the weak-hearted, South Park’s “Woodland Critter Christmas” alternates between being absolutely appalling and sickeningly hilarious. This episode is a loose parody of John Denver’s Critter Christmas, and in true South Park style, the shocks keep coming and coming, but so do the laughs. The slight twist towards the end will also give you the darkest glimpse into Eric Cartman’s mind since the episode Scott Tenorman Must Die.

This is a Christmas show for those who revile cutesy claymation stories and happy endings. If you have a morbid sense of humor and would like to see Santa Claus pull out a SPAS-12 combat shotgun to try to save Christmas, then this is the show for you.

The Santa Clause (1994)

Rated PG

On Christmas Eve, divorcee Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) hears an unexpected visitor on his roof. Scott sneaks outside and calls out to the man, who is dressed in full Santa garb. The figure falls and mysteriously disappears, leaving only the Santa suit with instructions to "put on the suit, climb into the sleigh and the reindeer will know what to do.” Scott does, and is whisked around town delivering gifts until he's taken to the North Pole. He is then informed by a group of elves that he is now Santa Claus. Scott’s son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) is excited about his dad's new job, though Scott's convinced it's all a hallucination. That is, until his bushy new beard is unwilling to stay shaved, his hair turns white, and he gains weight inexplicably…

This fun Christmas story draws on many elements which work together to make it a great movie. There is the fish out of water comedy factor, which keeps you laughing as Scott is trying to deal with his new role as Santa.

The other aspect of this movie that makes it a great Christmas story is the heartbreak of the broken family. At the beginning of the movie, it is apparent that Scott irresponsibly neglects his son from time to time, and through his experiences becoming Santa, he develops a closer relationship with Charlie, and eventually renews the Christmas spirit of his skeptic ex-wife and her husband.