Tis the season to be jolly and joyous (restrictions permitting) and Christmas is barreling ever more hazardously down the line towards us all, threatening to flatten schedules and bank balances alike, like an out of control snowball. It’s a good time to really on comforts and joys and as is traditional, the Light House (and sister cinema Pálás in Galway) will be providing a season of Christmas classics. The Naughty or Nice programme is here again in December 2021, with the usual hits and some new films for their rotation set to show from December 4th.
It wouldn’t be Christmas in the fair city of film without the chance to see Die Hard, Muppet’s Christmas Carol and so many more of the all-time great Christmas movies on the big screen at the Smithfield cinema. Emma Thompson is going to break our hearts all over again to to the sounds of Joni Mitchell in Love Actually, while Home Alone allows Dublin’s film fans the glorious confectious fantasy of having a home and being alone in it. No disrespect to this writer’s housemates.
It’s not all going to be the same faces on the big screen this year though. You can see Dev Patel play silly games and win silly prizes in The Green Knight one of the best movies of the year so far. December will see the Light House’s Cinema Book Club taking part in Naughty or Nice, exploring the only genre to explore the naughty/nice dichotomy more than Christmas movies, film noir, with a viewing and discussion of the 90s classic, L.A. Confidential. And The Family Stone will be screening this year, a family melodrama with heartwrenching moments, surprising romance and the unbearable cringe of Sarah Jessica Parker putting her foot in her mouth over and over again.
And as December winds down, you can ring in the New Year by going dancing with our favourite old so and so’s in Phantom Thread, screening on New Year’s Eve.
With 14 features on show and a couple of performances of The Nutcracker for those who enjoy a night at the ballet, it’s another fine Naughty or Nice season that we can’t wait to sink our teeth into like whatever a sugarplum is. And don’t forget that Hollywood Babylon will be hosting a special anniversary screening of The Last Boy Scout in 35mm on December 11th, also showing at the Smithfield cinema. Forget the Coca Cola truck, the real starter pistol for Christmas has fired and you can see the full list of screenings below.
DIE HARD (From 4th December 2021)
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (From 5th December 2021)
ELF (From 5th December 2021)
LOVE ACTUALLY (From 7th December 2021)
THE GREEN KNIGHT (From 8th December 2021)
ROYAL BALLET: THE NUTCRACKER (LIVE) (From 9th December 2021)
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (From 11th December 2021)
THE FAMILY STONE (From 11th December 2021)
HOME ALONE (From 12th December 2021)
GREMLINS (From 12th December 2021)
ROYAL BALLET: THE NUTCRACKER (ENCORE PERFORMANCE) (From 12th December 2021)
HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK (From 12th December 2021)
CINEMA BOOK CLUB: L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (From 13th December 2021)
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (From 13th December 2021)
NATIONAL LAMPOONS CHRISTMAS VACATION (From 14th December 2021)
PHANTOM THREAD (From 31st December 2021)