Christmas Movies
My Alternative List
Well, dear friends and Facebook fans, I am tired of seeing the same old holiday movies year after year after year as good as they may be.
Yes, they bring back memories, but I know the stories and I know what happens at the end. I am not much of a fan of reruns of any sort. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to make another list of movies set during the holiday season. Some of you will question these choices. That’s fine. These are just some movies that I believe do have settings and themes that embody the season along with the traditional holiday listings.
Okay, here goes:
Okay, here goes:
Love Actually
– starring Hugh Grant along with a famous ensemble cast, it is a countdown to Christmas as Grant’s gloomy character cheers himself up by thinking about Heathrow Airport arrivals for the holiday season and how lovingly they treat each other. (2003)
Trading Places
– an R-rated (I’m not sure why) story starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. The wealthy Duke brothers make a bet on whether nature or nurture determines a person’s life. Why a Christmas movie? One of the best scenes is a disgruntled Santa at the investment firm’s Christmas party. (1983)
Die Hard
– this, to me, is the epitome of a man’s man Christmas movie - fighting, guns, blood, and ammo. It also is about a father trying to get home for Christmas. And the clever Grinch villain is Hans Gruber (very clever since Franz Gruber wrote “Silent Night”) and it’s filled with Christmas music. Just replace the chimney with an elevator shaft. It stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson and a slew of other known names. (1988)
The Shop Around the Corner
– this is my oldie, but goody entrant on the list. A 1940 romantic comedy starring Margaret Sullavan*(yes, this is correct) and James Stewart which takes place in a general store in Budapest. At the store, the two constantly butt heads, but each is enamored of a pen pal. Little do they know they are both each other’s enemy and romantic interest. This movie is also the inspiration for the Judy Garland film In the Good Old Summertime, the Broadway musical She Loves Me, and the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie You’ve Got Mail. (1940) [*Sullivan is a journalist.]
Gremlins
– a gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for son and finds it in Chinatown. The reluctant shopkeeper sells him “mogwai” but with the warning that it should never be exposed to bright light, water, or be fed after midnight. Of course, all of this happens and a gang of gremlins wreak havoc on Christmas Eve. Gremlin voices include Howie Mandel as Gizmo and a cameo by Steven Spielberg. Listen for “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “Silent Night.” (1984)
Rent
– one of my favorite shows of all time. This American musical drama is an adaptation based on Puccini’s opera La Boheme. The film depicts the lives of NYC’s East Village bohemians and their struggles with sex, drugs, paying their rent, and AIDS. On Christmas Day, two of the guys are visited by their friends and told they could live rent free for a year. Much pathos and sadness ensures from Christmas Eve 1989 til Christmas of 1990. (2005)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
- a Los Angeles crime caper set at Christmas. Thief Robert Downey, Jr. is robbing a toy store for both cash and for a toy for his child’s Santa list. This is an irreverent comedy in a twisted buddy-cop film with enough Santa hats to qualify for a holiday movie. (2005)
So, my friends, here are seven alternative movies you might consider during the holidays.
Others you may want to research yourself are Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp!!), Lethal Weapon (look for the coke bust in the Christmas tree lot), Batman Returns (set at Christmas by Tim Burton who has more dark stories about Christmas to come later), and, finally, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in which Harry is given the invisibility cloak for Christmas.
Wishing each of you a happy and safe and healthy holiday.
Gremlins
– a gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for son and finds it in Chinatown. The reluctant shopkeeper sells him “mogwai” but with the warning that it should never be exposed to bright light, water, or be fed after midnight. Of course, all of this happens and a gang of gremlins wreak havoc on Christmas Eve. Gremlin voices include Howie Mandel as Gizmo and a cameo by Steven Spielberg. Listen for “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “Silent Night.” (1984)
– one of my favorite shows of all time. This American musical drama is an adaptation based on Puccini’s opera La Boheme. The film depicts the lives of NYC’s East Village bohemians and their struggles with sex, drugs, paying their rent, and AIDS. On Christmas Day, two of the guys are visited by their friends and told they could live rent free for a year. Much pathos and sadness ensures from Christmas Eve 1989 til Christmas of 1990. (2005)
- a Los Angeles crime caper set at Christmas. Thief Robert Downey, Jr. is robbing a toy store for both cash and for a toy for his child’s Santa list. This is an irreverent comedy in a twisted buddy-cop film with enough Santa hats to qualify for a holiday movie. (2005)
So, my friends, here are seven alternative movies you might consider during the holidays.
Others you may want to research yourself are Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp!!), Lethal Weapon (look for the coke bust in the Christmas tree lot), Batman Returns (set at Christmas by Tim Burton who has more dark stories about Christmas to come later), and, finally, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in which Harry is given the invisibility cloak for Christmas.
Wishing each of you a happy and safe and healthy holiday.
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