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There was once a time when Christmas movies were about Claymation heroes fighting abominable villains, visits by ghosts and angels, and young dreams for a Red Ryder B.B. Gun. Now these classics share the stage with hordes of super-basic, super-saccharine fare with the simplicity of a greeting card (and not surprisingly, often produced by the channel of a greeting card company). Instead of worlds full of Santas and mystical powers, these are basic escapist fantasies where life can be fixed in the blink of an eye – where soulmates can be found near and far, where prison sentences can be avoided by finding love, and kindness will get you everything you’ve ever hoped for. These movies are embraced by some and mocked by others, as their simplistic storylines are flooded with little subtlety and cast with actors who are often firmly out of the spotlight. But there’s more talent in these films than a quick...