There are some festive films that stand the test of time. It’s almost impossible not to get teary-eyed when the townsfolk turn up at the Bailey household at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life, or get goosebumps when Judy Garland sings Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas in Meet Me in St Louis.
But for every Home Alone, there’s a Home Alone 3 (and 4!) lurking at the bottom of the seasonal cinematic stocking alongside a lump of coal.
“Many of these Christmas movies highlight the regurgitated media we get every year that streaming services now take advantage of,” says Daniel Hart, editor-in-chief of Ready Steady Cut, which has compiled a list of the 10 worst Christmas films. “Did we need a Home Alone 4? Did we need The Nutcracker in 3D? The answer is no to both questions, but we are living in an era of content, which is a shame.”
Here are 10 Christmas films that should be on the naughty list…
1. Home Alone 4
Macaulay Culkin might have bailed on the franchise after Home Alone 2, but that didn’t stop producers from cranking out another two sequels.
In this made-for-television movie, Kevin McCallister (Mike Weinberg) defends a mansion from two thieves before the royal guests arrive.
Even worse, mum Kate and dad Peter, who were every 1990s child’s idea of perfect parents (give or take that whole leaving their child at home thing) are in the middle of a divorce.
2. Jack Frost (1998)
Starring Michael Keaton and Kelly Preston, this iteration of the classic winter tale has Keaton in the title role as the lead singer of The Jack Frost Band.
When he is killed in a car accident while trying to get home to his family for Christmas, Jack is resurrected as a snowman in his son Charlie’s front garden, thanks to, of all things, his magic harmonica.
3. The Nutcracker in 3D
If your idea of a festive film is one that gives you and the children nightmares, then this is the one for you.
Starring Elle Fanning and Nathan Lane, the movie not only deviates a lot from the classic tale, it also can't quite work out if it's a drama or a comedy — failing miserably at both. And that’s before we even get to the horrifying rat soldiers…
4. Christmas Sail
As far as made-up competitions for movies go, “best decorated deck” ranks quite high and is the pivotal plot of Christmas Sail.
With $25,000 up for grabs (although who in that tiny town is putting up that kind of cash is anyone's guess), it’s enough for Dennis (Terry O’Quinn) to put in a call to his city-slicking daughter Liz (Katee Sackhoff) to come home for Christmas and help him win.
5. A Karate Christmas Miracle
When his father disappears during a mass shooting on Christmas Day (festive), Jesse Genesis (Mario Del Vecchio) becomes convinced that if he achieves a black belt in karate, his dad will return.
While his mother Abby believes her husband is dead, when Jesse reports seeing visions of his father, she hires a psychic-turned-law professor and the film turns into a thriller, then a mystery and then finally, a Christmas miracle.
6. Falling for Christmas
Lindsay Lohan makes her comeback as wealthy hotel heiress Sierra Belmont, who falls off a mountainside and into the arms of struggling ski lodge owner Jake Russell (Chord Overstreet).
Suffering from amnesia and without her phone, Sierra sets about trying to revive Jake’s fortunes while going totally unrecognised in the same town as the people searching for her.
7. The Princess Switch
The classic lookalikes-as-plot-device gets the Christmas treatment as Vanessa Hudgens plays both Chicago baker Stacy De Novo and European princess Lady Margaret Delacourt, Duchess of Montenaro, in this Netflix movie.
Swapping places so the Duchess can take a break from the limelight, Stacy is soon falling for Margaret’s royal fiance and everyone’s weirdly cool about it.
8. The Knight Before Christmas
Vanessa Hudgens pops up again, this time as science teacher Brooke Winters who hits the charismatic Cole (Josh Whitehouse) with her car and ends up with him staying at her house following a bout of amnesia.
Unbeknown to Brooke, Cole is actually Sir Cole Christopher Fredrick Lyons, a 14th-century English knight sent forward in time by a forest-dwelling wench to find true love via a series of modern misunderstandings and Alexa-based gags.
9. The Holidate
Brooklyn Beckham’s wife Nicola Peltz pops up in this joke-lacking romcom which stars Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey as Sloane and Jackson, two singletons who agree to pretend to be each other's dates to keep their families off their backs.
As they work their way through the major holidays — wedding season, summer, Halloween — pretty soon, these platonic plus ones start feeling things they promised they wouldn’t.
10. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Tim Allen returns for the third time as the big man, this time facing down Jack Frost (Martin Short) who casts a spell which causes Santa to lose his title of Father Christmas.
Pretty soon, Frost has turned the North Pole into a theme park and is accepting bribes from parents to put their naughty children on the nice list in what could have been a searing indictment of late-stage capitalism, but is instead, as Rotten Tomatoes calls it: “a bag of bland gags and dumb slapstick.”
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The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
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Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
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• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
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CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
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Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
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Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Lexus LX700h specs
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BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
