James (Jim) Martin, Andrew Weber and I were talking about Christmas movies several weeks ago. Jim describes himself as a cynic, who “developed a taste for what I call ‘alternative Christmas,’ films such as The Lion in Winter and Desk Set.” Jim defines alternative Christmas films as “films that take place during the holiday period, but which do not directly concern Christmas.” For this post, Jim and I, with contributions from Robert Brammer and suggestions by the Blog Team, have identified some Christmas films that involve legal issues. Some of these fit into Jim’s alternative Christmas category, and some do not. Here are our picks.
Robert Brammer picked a little known film titled Ice Harvest. This film, set in Wichita, Kansas on a frigid Christmas Eve, follows the machinations of Charlie, an ethically challenged attorney, and his associates after they embezzle a large sum of money from a local mob boss. The attorney’s goal is to skip town as quickly as possible, but in classic noir fashion, a series of close call