Silver Bells, Silver Screen
Celebrate the holiday season with the silver screen at The Projector. Ahead of Christmas, the indie cinema has curated an eclectic list of festive movies, ranging from Christmas classics to action blockbusters.
Fans of director Tim Burton can catch the animated movie he produced and wrote the story for, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, PG, 76 minutes), about Jack Skellington, a lonely skeleton from a town that celebrates only Halloween, who decides to kidnap Santa Claus and ruin the holiday for children everywhere with ghoulish gifts.
Or they can catch Burton’s classic fantastical romance Edward Scissorhands (1990, PG, 105 minutes), about the titular protagonist created by an inventor who is given everything he needs to be human, except hands. In their place, he has scissors instead.
For those looking for a taste of action, say “yippee ki-yay”, because Die Hard (1988, M18, 132 minutes) will also be showing. The action-thriller classic stars Bruce Willis as a cop who has to rescue his wife and others taken hostage by German terrorists during a Christmas party.
The selection is rounded out by the acclaimed period film Carol (2015, R21, 118 minutes) – starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as lovers in a passionate yet taboo romance; as well as late Japanese auteur Satoshi Kon’s Tokyo Godfathers (2003, PG, 92 minutes), which follows a trio of homeless Tokyo-ites who discover an abandoned newborn baby on Christmas Eve.
Where: The Projector, 05-00 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road; and Golden Village x The Projector at Cineleisure, 8 Grange Road
MRT: Nicoll Highway/Lavender; and Somerset/Orchard
When: Till Dec 30, various times
Admission: $15 for a standard ticket
Info: theprojector.sg/themes/christmas-specials
Yu Yu Hakusho
Premieres on Netflix on Dec 14
Yu Yu Hakusho, the Japanese live-action adaptation of the beloved manga of the same name by Yoshihiro Togashi, is finally here.
The manga, first published in 1990, is among some of the best-selling manga series of all time, with more than 78 million copies in circulation worldwide.
The series stars Japanese singer-actor Takumi Kitamura as Yusuke Urameshi, a delinquent young man who spends his days getting into fights, but dies in an accident while trying to protect a child. No one expected Yusuke to die while performing a good deed and, as such, there is no place for him in either heaven or hell.
Instead, he is given a unique third option – to be revived as a Spirit Detective, who has to travel between human, demon and spirit realms to prevent suspicious demon activities from wreaking havoc in the human world.
Given that Netflix’s last manga live-action adaptation One Piece (2023) was a big-budget breakout hit, expectations are high for Yu Yu Hakusho.
Nom Nom Cinema presents The Grand Budapest Hotel
Having trouble booking fancy restaurants for the Christmas season? Why not try a movie-inspired five-course meal instead?
Nom Nom Cinema, a new immersive culinary cinema experience in Singapore, is showing director Wes Anderson’s whimsical and colourful comedy drama The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014, M18, 100 minutes) in December.
The film follows the adventures of Mr Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel in the 1930s, and Zero (Tony Revolori), the bellhop who becomes his mentee.
The screenings come with a five-course meal inspired by various scenes and plot lines in the movie, such as the main course – an apple-roasted chicken – that pays homage to the fictional Boy With Apple painting that drives much of the movie’s plot. A vegetarian version of the menu as well as optional alcoholic and mocktail pairings are available too.
Where: Haus217, 217 Lavender Street
MRT: Bendemeer/Boon Keng
When: Various dates till Dec 29, 7.30pm
Admission: From $118 to $128. Drinks pairings begin at $68
Info: nomnomcinema.com
