Donald Clarke's Christmas movies

Experience an ancient joy of Christmas: bickering over which “big movie” to watch in collective disharmony. Here’s a strong selection from the main channels. If you have satellite movie channels then you can, we imagine, watch whatever the heck you like.

Christmas Eve

The Iron Giant (1999, Channel 4, 10.10am) Only a modest hit on release, Brad Bird's loose adaptation of Ted Hughes's The Iron Man is an underappreciated classic. Jennifer Aniston is among the voices.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 4

Wall-E (2008, BBC One, 11am) Whenever conversations rage about the best Pixar film, this poignant story of a lonely robot always makes an appearance. The first half constitutes an immaculate silent comedy.

ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982, RTÉ2, 3.30pm) It hardly seems possible that there was a time when ET didn't exist. Steven Spielberg cemented his status as the master of suburban science fiction with this indestructible masterpiece.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, Channel 4, 4.50pm) Heed this and heed it well. The Muppet adaptation of Dickens's justifiably unavoidable seasonal tale (above right) is the only one to stand comparison with the ancient Alastair Sim version. The rats are particularly superb.

Marvel Avengers Assemble (2012, RTÉ One, 8.40pm) Yeah, it is still officially called that in these territories. The film known as The Avengers everywhere else finds all Marvel's heroes coming together for the highest-quality banter and action.

Delicatessen (1991, RTÉ2, 3.05am) Although millions love Amélie, this slippery, surreal, occasionally horrid tribute to Terry Gilliam still looks like the best film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Working with Marc Caro, he delivers a postapocalyptic comedy to relish in the small indigestive hours.

Christmas Day

The Secret of Kells (2009, TG4, 11.45am) As Song of the Sea, the latest from Kilkenny's Cartoon Salon, circles awards season, we get a chance to enjoy its first Oscar-nominated animation. An account of the Book of Kells that cheekily ignores the Gospels.

Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out (1989, BBC One, 12.10pm) All together now. Doo, da, dee, doo, da, dee, do, do! Begin your journey through the world of the jug-eared inventor and his doggy friend with this charming tale of lunar exploration. The rest of the films appear throughout the schedules.

Big (1988, Channel 4, 4pm) Before Tom Hanks insisted on being an actor he was among Hollywood's best light comedians. Penny Marshall's fantasy, in which the hero becomes a child again, is funny, moving and impressively satirical about Ronald Reagan's rapacious United States.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946, RTÉ2, 3.50pm) So George Bailey is transported to a parallel universe and finds his brother dead, his mother destitute and his arch-enemy ruling the town with an iron grip. Well that doesn't sound very Christmassy. It's not really. But it's still magnificent.

Argo (2012, RTÉ One, 10.40pm) Aha! This is a classic example of a "big movie" that the family can enjoy together. Ben Affleck plays the CIA agent who, posing as a movie producer, helped US embassy officials escape Iran in the days after the Islamic revolution. Gripping and funny.

Anna Karenina (2012, RTÉ2, 10.40pm) Warning bells sounded when it was announced that Joe Wright was shooting a vaguely avant-garde version of Tolstoy's classic with Keira Knightley. Miraculously, it all works. The canny casting of Domhnall Gleeson enlivens the perennially dull Levin subplot.

The Big Lebowski (1998, TG4, 11.10pm) It may not be the best Coen brothers film, but is probably the best of their funny, mad ones. If you have a demented fan in the house, he or she (probably he) will vocally anticipate the best lines all the way through. Shut him or her (probably him) up.

St Stephen’s Day

North By Northwest (1959, RTÉ One, 8.10am) Hang on. Where's the traditional Alfred Hitchcock season? Nowhere on the main channels, alas. But his deliciously sleek "wrong man" thriller is here for early risers on the day after the main festivities.

On the Town (1949, BBC Two, 11.40am) New York, New York. It's a wonderful town. The Bronx is up and the Battery's down. Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and that other guy swing about Manhattan in Stanley Donen's timeless musical. Singin' in the Rain follows at 1.50pm.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962, TG4, 12.45pm) Just as the civil-rights movement was kicking into gear Hollywood delivered a racially charged drama arguing that one decent man could make a difference in a world of intolerance. Gregory Peck is perfectly cast as Atticus Finch.

The Wizard of Oz (1939, TV3, 2.55pm) Many believe that 1939 was the annus mirabilis of the Hollywood system. Certainly, no family film has the lasting power of this spooky musical. Almost every character became a durable archetype, not least those horrid flying monkeys.

The Princess Bride (1987, TV3, 5pm) A postmodern fantasy that remains lively and unpretentious throughout? Inconceivable! Rob Reiner's tale (left) of fair princesses, brave warriors and kindly giants is as sweet as it is subversively hilarious. And it's got Peter Falk.

Skyfall (2012, RTÉ One, 9.10pm) Wake up, Dad, the James Bond film's on! No, it's not Sean Connery. But it's the next best thing. You liked this one. It's the one that ends as a combination of Home Alone and Withnail & I. Wake up!

Hunky Dory (2011, BBC Two, 10.30pm) Here's a nice little film that was unjustly ignored on release. Minnie Driver plays a teacher staging a musical at a Welsh comprehensive in the mid 1970s. The title's allusion to David Bowie is intended.