The continued dominance of the Hallmark-industrial complex means that even the majority of Christmas movies released elsewhere on VOD and streaming services focus on fresh-faced smiling telegenic people in red and green outfits perfunctorily falling in love. This year\u2019s fringe holiday offerings include a couple of variations on that formula, plus documentaries about Christmas tree merchants and movie memorabilia, animated adventures for a superpowered Santa Claus and magical animals, and one excessively grim thriller that is decidedly not produced in the spirit of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fragil\u00e9<\/em><\/strong> (Vimeo on Demand November 7):<\/strong> The installation of a 50-foot replica of the leg lamp from A Christmas Story<\/em> doesn\u2019t necessarily seem like fodder for a feature-length documentary, but director Reagan Elkins finds the absurdity in the petty battles among the residents of Chickasha, Oklahoma, over the proposed kitschy tourist attraction. It\u2019s easy to imagine someone like Will Ferrell starring in the narrative version, as the local businessman who becomes inordinately fixated on a leg lamp as the magic bullet to bring visitors to his small, economically challenged town. Over a four-year odyssey, Tim Elliott never wavers from his conviction that the giant leg lamp is the only possible solution to the town\u2019s troubles, and Elkins captures every minor squabble, with a Christopher Guest-like eye for ridiculous characters. The showdown between the arrogant, confrontational Elliott and his often prudish opponents becomes a real Team No One scenario, but that just makes Fragil\u00e9<\/em> more entertaining. The leg lamp situation is, of course, a microcosm for America, in all its crass glory. Grade: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Animal Tales of Christmas Magic<\/em><\/strong> (Kanopy November 10; VOD and DVD December 2):<\/strong> This French animated anthology from a group of female directors is meant for the smallest children, but the lovely retro animation and timeless fable-like storytelling should appeal to parents, too. The five stories have varying connections to Christmas, but all involve winter adventures for adorable animals, told via expressive visuals and minimal dialogue. The best segments feature human characters, too, including stories of a mother and daughter joining with forest creatures to decorate a Christmas tree in the wild, and a pair of sisters bonding with a playful shape-changing tanuki. It\u2019s unfortunate that the movie begins on its worst note, with a cutesy short about a bird accidentally sabotaging Santa Claus\u2019 home, in which Santa simply repeats the same line of dialogue over and over. Even that segment has its charms, though, and none of the individual tales overstay their welcome. At 70 minutes, it\u2019s an easy watch for little ones, and a worthy candidate for a new childhood Christmas tradition. Grade: B<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n SuperClaus<\/em><\/strong> (VOD and DVD November 11):<\/strong> The bombastic in-universe movie franchise about a Santa-themed superhero sets the tone for this grating, hyperactive animated comedy. The real Santa Claus (Harland Williams) is jealous of his movie counterpart, and a bump on the head leaves him believing that he\u2019s actually the superpowered fictional character. After Santa flees the North Pole for the big city, neurotic elf Leo (Paul Van Dyck) teams up with kid genius Billie (Millie Davis) to rescue Santa, restore his mental faculties, save Christmas, etc. The additional threat from a greedy toy manufacturer (Colm Feore) adds more confusion than conflict, and the haphazard subplots about Billie\u2019s family life and friendships offer poorly defined life lessons. The kind of international co-production that takes place in a generic no-man\u2019s-land of eerily empty liminal spaces, SuperClaus<\/em> bombards viewers with hideous animation, garish colors, and nonstop chatter, including from Billie\u2019s gibberish-spewing robot sidekick. It\u2019s ugly and irritating, with nothing to say about the commercialization of either Christmas or cinema, and no goodwill toward anyone. Grade: D<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n