Gateway

Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: Arts & Leisure

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Every year around mid-November, the commercials for new holiday films make their way onto the television screens. So far this year, movies like "Four Christmases" and "Nothing Like the Holidays" try to capture the spirit of the season when the old stand-by of "A Christmas Story" can get a little repetitive.

However, it is difficult to measure up to the classics. This is one of the reasons Film Streams is introducing "For the Holidays," four flicks, both traditional and non-traditional, that the theater's director, Rachel Jacobson, said should be holiday staples.

The "For the Holidays" series began on Thanksgiving with Ernst Lubitsch's "Shop Around the Corner." The film is about two gift shop employees realizing they are mutual secret admirers.

Jacobson said she hopes that moviegoers will come to love the lesser-known film, which she calls "one of the best romantic comedies ever." It will be shown in conjunction with the Holiday Lights Festival next year.

The next two films, "The Magic Flute" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas," will be shown from Dec. 12 through Dec. 18.

"The Magic Flute" is a 1975 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman. It's built on an opera composed by Mozart. Roger Ebert once called the movie "the most delightful film ever made from an opera."

Jacobson said the theater chose "The Magic Flute" because of its relative obscurity and its appeal to opera lovers here in Omaha.

"We wanted something artful that represents our mission," Jacobson said.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas," however, it is more widely known. The Oscar-nominated film produced and co-written by Tim Burton is far darker than the other selections.

In 1993, it was made by stop motion animation, a relatively new animation technique where an object is photographed moving small amounts and then played in a continuous sequence so it would appear to be moving on its own.

Jacobson said the flick is a "cult classic" and she has already received e-mails from fans excited to see it on the big screen.

One such fan is UNO junior Drew Wilson, who plans on attending the film's screening.

"I absolutely love 'The Nightmare Before Christmas,'" Wilson said. "It leaves me singing and dancing and it will never grow old."

The last movie in the series is "It's a Wonderful Life," a classic 1946 film directed by Frank Capra. It is about a businessman, George Bailey played by James Stewart, who gets a new outlook on life after his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers), shows him what life would have been like if he never existed.

The film was nominated for five Oscars, including best picture. It is also ranked 20th on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 greatest films.

Jacobson said selecting the film was a "no-brainer."

"It has become the quintessential Christmas movie," Jacobson said. "Lots of people had suggested that we play it."

"It's a Wonderful Life" will be shown from Dec. 19 through Christmas day.

If the series is successful this season, it will become a tradition at Film Streams. Jacobson said the theater is already considering adding two new movies for next year - "Muppet Christmas Carol" and "Holiday," with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn.

For movie show times or more information, visit filmstreams.org or call 933-0259. Tickets for are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors and $4 for members.

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