New Year TV Film Picks

So that's it. Christmas is out the way, the annoying relatives have departed and you're just starting to emerge from the food coma which has hung over you for the majority of the festive period. For many people, the celebrations for New Year's Eve is the next big excuse to get merry, but for those of you who prefer a quieter night in, we've selected a few of the best films on the box this New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Staying in just became the new going out...well, sort of.

New Year's Eve

How To Train Your Dragon, BBC1 4.00pm

With beautiful animation, dynamic flying sequences and plenty of funny, strong characters, How To Train Your Dragon is the kind of film where you don't need to steal a child to give you an excuse to watch it. And the best bit? It's on the BBC, so no adverts to disrupt the fun!

Mamma Mia!, ITV 8.00pm

Everyone's guilty pleasure and guaranteed to make you feel good about life (even if you're sat alone on New Year's Eve with a takeaway), Mamma Mia! is cheesy, clichéd and cringe-worthy: all reasons which make it fantastic. It is testament to the songs of ABBA and not even Pierce Brosnan's attempts at singing can detract from the joy and fun that seeps through every second of its 108 minute running time. Pure genius.

Kind Hearts and Coronets, BBC4 8.00pm

Old school and in black and white, Kind Hearts and Coronets might sound like your Grandma's favourite film, but it is the definitive Ealing comedy. Pairing a witty script and black humour with brilliant performances from Alec Guinness (who plays eight members of the same family who are murdered by a distant heir to the family fortune), the film is a piece of British cinematic history and goes to show that the old ones are some of the best.

Hot Fuzz, ITV2 9.00pm

This action comedy from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost has become a modern classic and offers murder, gore and village drama to rival an episode of Midsomer Murders. Hot Fuzz sees PC Nicholas Angel (Pegg) reassigned from the city to the countryside and it soon becomes clear that crime lurks in the most unexpected of places. Pegg and Frost's chemistry makes the film and is sure to produce many a laugh. Brilliant.

The Godfather, Film4 9.00pm

The godfather (sorry!) of gangster films, The Godfather is an immense piece of film-making. Superb performances from Marlon Brando and Al Pacino and enough gangster violence to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty viewer, result in a film which is exciting, intelligent and dramatic. Quite simply, it is a must see.

New Year's Day

Breakfast at Tiffany's, More4 10.00am

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, singing Moon River. Does it get much better? Blake Edwards directs this portrayal of New York high society which is pure escapism and makes for enchanting viewing. Hepburn dressed in that black dress rivals images of Marilyn Monroe which epitomise Hollywood glamour and Breakfast at Tiffany's is simply delightful.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, BBC3 7.00pm

A fantastic final film in the Indiana Jones trilogy (let's forget about the awful fourth film), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has brilliant action set-pieces and a cast to match. The banter between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery enhances the film and the whip-cracking, wise-cracking Indiana really does go through the mill, even running into Adolf Hitler. It never gets old and is easy watching if you've a post-New Year hangover.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, ITV 8.00pm

Concluding the Potter series, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is as dark as it is magical. Viewers who have grown up with the antics and adventures of Harry will be glad to see the back of Voldermort and those who are new to the franchise will be amazed by the film's full-on and grand feel. A fitting goodbye to a mystical, magical universe.

Love Actually, ITV2 9.00pm

If you haven't seen Love Actually this Christmas, now is your chance. Slated by critics on its release, the film has survived and become a much-loved film for many. Despite being over-long and with too many characters, there's something about Richard Curtis' dialogue and direction which makes its flaws pale into insignificance. Emma Thompson's performance when she discovers her husband's affair is some of the best acting in the history of cinema and who can't love the bit when Andrew Lincoln turns up at Keira Knightley's door with those cue cards?

With those filmic offerings, here's to a fantastic New Year!