You've had nearly too much to drink during the stress of hosting the family Christmas lunch and you just feel like a good cry ...
Love Story (1970)
You've agonised for hours over the table setting. Do you go with the modern navy and rose gold colour scheme or the classic serveware you inherited from Nana? Which napkins work best? And for Chrissake what about the centrepiece? An experimental twigs-and-driftwood construction or a time-honoured, simple posy? It's all too much, you've hydrated with several stiff gin and tonics or few too many "white whines" and now feel on the edge of a teary meltdown. Luxuriate in it! You could watch that Christmassy confection Love Actually, but heck, why don't you go all out and watch the classic tearjerker, Love Story, instead? It might be a bit dated but it's still a deeply affecting, melodrama-drenched tale of star-crossed lovers that ends in the tragedy you know is coming.
Your old friends from France unexpectedly show up to stay ...
Boy (2010)
You love your old chums and while you're happy to see them, you're exhausted. Maybe what you need is to share a good cackle with them. Have they seen Boy, Taika Waititi's irresistible coming-of-age story of the highest order? It's a big-hearted quintessentially Kiwi film that could only have been made in New Zealand. Striking the perfect balance between tender and hilarious, Boy transcends any kind of cultural barriers. And your friends will soak up the stunning Waihau Bay, East Coast, setting.