Bah humbug! Time for some non-festive movie fare

1 Paris, Texas

Love Elf, but looking for something with a little more, er, substance? The Cinematheque presents Essential Cinema, a series of five films with nary a Christmas tree or Santa’s helper in sight. The theatre has selected “much-loved classics, all works of affecting beauty, all must-sees on the big screen! ”In Wim Wenders’1984 film Paris, Texas, Harry Dean Stanton plays a drifter trying to reconnect with his wife (Nastassja Kinski).

2 City Lights

Film critic James Agee called the final scene “the highest moment in the movies.” Orson Welles cited it as his favourite film. Charlie Chaplin’s 1931 classic features the Little Tramp going to desperate ends to raise money for a blind flower girl.

3 Black Orpheus

Escape from the winter doldrums into the bossa nova world of Black Orpheus. Marcel Camus’ 1959 film sets the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice against the backdrop of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival. Brazilian poet and composer Vincius de Moraes co-wrote the screenplay and Antonio Carlos Jobim (who co-wrote The Girl from Ipanema with de Moraes) co-composed the soundtrack.

4 Ikiru

In Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film, a minor government official discovers he has only months to live. Realizing it’s not necessarily a wonderful life, he sets out to do something that will give meaning to his existence.

5 Days of Heaven

Before he became known for lengthy existential ruminations like The Tree of Life and Song to Song, director Terrence Malick delivered relatively shorter existential ruminations like Days of Heaven. The 1978 movie stars Richard Gere, Brooke Adams and the late Sam Shepherd.

— Shawn Conner