Christmas Media Time!

 Something New For Your Stocking This Year!

Anyone who has followed along the last few years knows I’m a traditional Christmas media kind of guy. There’s nothing unexpected on my list of favorites (HERE), except for Berkeley Breathed’s “A Wish For Wings That Work”. “A Christmas Carol”, “White Christmas”, “Miracle on 34th Street”, Charlie Brown, the animated, original Grinch. And WKRP in Cincinnati. Predictable. And always the same year after year.

Until this year.

I am adding a new movie to my list. Stumbled across it earlier this year and watched it for the first time at the beginning of November. It’s got most of your traditional story points. Santa, Elves, reindeer. Children waiting for Christmas.

Except Santa eats children, the elves are zombies who steal and kidnap, and the reindeer are all dead.

So NOT your traditional Christmas movie.

“Rare Exports–A Christmas Tale” is a 2010 European movie, filmed in Norway. Most of the dialog is in Finnish with subtitles. And it is brilliant.

This is a beautifully made film off the top. Good acting, solid directing, quality CGI. The story is tight from beginning to end. Without giving too much away, Santa is much more Krampus than a “right jolly old elf”. Many years ago, the people of the land of the northern lights trapped him in ice and buried him. Then modern man dug him up. The story goes right where you’d expect from that build up. It’s a Christmas story, but with a horror twist.

Did I mention it’s brilliant?

There is some violence, but it’s left to the viewers’ imagination in the large part. Very little bad language (that makes Santa angry), but there is a bit of male nudity right at the end. Our European cousins are much more casual about that than we are. It only lasts about 5 seconds.

Like I said, NOT your traditional Christmas movie.

But there needs to be room for something other than the old classics and the diabetes inducing movies on the Hallmark Channel. “Rare Exports-A Christmas Tale” is all of that and more.

Rating – **** Recommended

Whatever you love for Christmas media, enjoy them all! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!