It’s the
Christmas season again, which means it’s time for anther Holiday themed
countdown. In the past, I’ve posted lists of my favorite Christmas specials, my
least favorite specials, but now I’m going to look at the stuff that doesn’t
belong on a Christmas list at all … yet are still regarded as holiday staples. Yeah, have
you ever noticed that select classic Christmas movies and specials have little
to do with the holiday itself, yet we still watch them every year? Movies like
“Home Alone”, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Gremlins”, and
especially “Die Hard” all could have just been good movies on their own,
but sense their good movies set on Christmas … of course their going to make
for annual viewings around the Holiday season. Well, over the decades, there have been numerous movies and
specials which have virtually nothing to do with the holiday, yet are still set on Christmas, in an attempt to make them holiday classics. Sometimes it
works, other times it doesn’t, but either way, they provide alternative movies
to watch during the holiday season. So, with all that said, here are my
personal Top 10 “Not-So Christmas” Specials.
#10 “Iron Man 3” (2013)
The invincible Iron Man is back for one final solo adventure, and he’s off fighting terrorists, while tying the knot with his girlfriend, and defeating his own personal demons in the process … and all set during the Christmas season. Writer/Director Shane Black typically sets his action movies during the holiday season … as if it’s a staple. The Christmas highlights include Tony Stark making suits while set to Christmas tunes, a giant bunny gift, and an awesome line leading into the climax, in which our hero says … “Its Christmas … take them to Church”.
#9 “Snow Day” (2000)
I can’t make any persuasive argument that this is a “good”
movie by any means, but I will say that I love the concept and would love to
see it done right. The movie play’s out like an anthology movie that’s set
during one really snowy day, as we watch various groups of characters going on
separate mini-winter themed adventures. We see a group of kids waging war with
a nasty snowplow man, teenagers in love, snowball fights, and parents forced to
stay home from work. While neither the jokes or the multiple stories are that
memorable, there is still a great set-up here for some fun winter themed
shenanigans, and the film at least looks wonderful, with lots of snowy
landscapes, and terrific winter visuals.
#8 “Lethal Weapon” (1987)
L.A. cop played by Mel Gibson, has recently lost his wife, and is a loose cannon with a seeming death wish. This makes him indispensable in apprehending dangerous criminals, but a liability to any potential partners ... like this one played Danny Glover. He’s a conservative family man who wants to stay alive for his upcoming 50th birthday, but is stuck with this wild card from L.A. As the two get to bond, as well as get to know the family, things begin to mellow. Unfortunately, once a little girl is taken prisoner by some villains, the two are put to the test to work as partners. Predating “Die Hard” by a year, “Lethal Weapon” marks one of the very first straight forward action movies that just happens to be set during the holiday season, with the climax taking place on Christmas Eve. In fact, the final fight is set at night in a neighborhood that’s all a glow with Christmas decorations and lights. Maybe not as famous a Christmas staple as "Die Hard", but still, "Lethal Weapon" has just as much right.
#7 “Toy Story That Time Forgot” (2014)
It's the day after Christmas, and our favorite group of toys meet some newly unboxed action figures who are all Dino-themed, and have no idea there actually toys. It’s a mini-adventure with Dino rumbles, and our Triceratops Trixie needs to set everything right. This special was heavily marketed as a Christmas special … which was admittedly kind of a bait and switch. Taking place post-Christmas, with very little decorations, and Dino themed visuals in every frame, it’s hard to look back on this as a real holiday special. Regardless, the holiday is referenced, and there‘s a Christmas tree ornament character who joins our hero’s on the adventure.
#6 “Die Hard 2: Die Harder” (1990)
Following one of the most successful Christmas
action flicks of all time, the sequel naturally tried to build on its
popularity with the same set-up. The action this time is set at an airport, which is a great
location change, as it trades the high levels of the building with more
spacious grounds to cover. This also allows more variety to the action, like a
snow-mobile chase, and fights on the wings of an airplane. Once again, the
movie is set on Christmas eve, making it another action holiday hybrid, utilizing the same Christmas music ... and even closes with "Let it Snow", just like the first movie. However, it’s all done without the same
magic or even the same heart of its predecessor. Truthfully, I would have liked this
film more if it was set on New Years, which would have been a perfect follow-up
to the closing statement of the first film. The one good thing here is that
it’s set in a snowy environment, which gives the film a distinct winter
atmosphere over the first film. As such, it may not be the first movie, but I'm not going to act like I don't enjoy it.
#5 “Frozen” (2013)
When the eldest of two royal children is revealed to have magical ice
powers, she goes on the run to rule her own ice Kingdom. However, a determined
younger sister sets out on a mission to bring her back home, while singing
catchy songs along the way. Much like “Snow Day”, the film has zero
connection to Christmas, but visually it’s so rich in winter imagery, a prominent
snowman character, and a magical atmosphere that it still feels right for the
holiday season. I don’t think I need to say too much else about this one, the
music is great, the animation is great, the artistry is great, the characters
are great, and it’s just another “cold” themed movie that just warms the heart
with repeated viewings.
#4 “Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang” (2005)
During the four days leading up to Christmas, a
murder mystery brings together a private eye, a struggling actress, and a thief
masquerading as an actor. As was evident in my previously mentioned “Iron
Man 3”, writer/director Shane Black likes to set his action movies during
the Christmas season, and works great with Robert Downy Jr., who's once again in the lead role ... and delivering one of his first true breakout performances in this film. Along
with solid supporting performances from Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan, this
dark comedy, crime drama is everything over the top, yet extremely fun. Aside
from being set during the season, there’s also a strange Gothic-Christmas
party, and Michelle Monaghan’s attractive Santa dress is hard to forget. Other
than that, there’s really no reason to call this a Christmas movie, yet it
continues to appear on best-of holiday lists. It’s an acquired taste in
entertainment to be sure, but if you’re on board for some goofy action mayhem,
then maybe this Neo-Noir homage is just what the holiday season needs ... just
for something a little different and offbeat.
#3 “Batman Returns” (1992)
Speaking of different and offbeat ... lets talk about "Batman Returns". Yes, Gotham’s famous hero is back to protect the city
from the sinister plans of The Penguin, Max Shrek and Cat-Woman, resulting in
arguably the darkest, most violent and disturbing of Batman’s ventures ... and
all set during the most magical time of the year. Thus, we have the contrast of
the most joyous holiday, mixed with all kinds of twisted, nightmarish imagery.
I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but I think Tim Burton mixed these
creepy visuals with the holiday season as a means to foreshadow “The Nightmare
Before Christmas”, which came out the following year. Either way, it gives
this Batman adventure a unique identity, and many still regard it something of
a minor holiday-classic.
#2 “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944)
The Smith family live peacefully in St. Louis, and
one of the four daughters played by Judy Garland has fallen in love with the next-door
neighbor. However, their happiness is shaken when the father announces that they’ll
be moving to New York City after Christmas. The movie then follows this family
over the course of a year, how this news is affecting them, and how they utilize
their time. While the final act is set on Christmas, it’s still not the
majority of the movie. In fact, a good chunk of this film actually takes place on
Halloween night, which features just as many memorable moments. However, whenever
people think back on this Musical classic, they think of Margaret O’ Brian letting
out her frustration on her family of snowman, and they think of Judy Garland
singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”.
While I’ve personally never viewed this as a mandatory film to watch on
Christmas, it’s still become one that frequently comes around during the season,
and one that’s adored on a similar level to “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
Before I reveal my number one pick, here are some Honorable Mentions …
“Edward Scissorhands”
“Babe”
“First Blood”
“Home Alone 3”
Disney’s “Melody Time”
#1 “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1994)
In this stop motion holiday classic, the King of Halloween town is sick of his usual holiday, so he decides to take a shot at Christmas, resulting in the strait forward story of “The Night Before Christmas”, just with a dark Halloween edge. Even though this is one of my favorite holiday movies of all time, I’ve only ever watched it around Halloween. Outside of one musical number in Christmas town, and the ending, the majority of the film is spent in Halloween town, with monstrous creatures taking up the scenery. However, while visually the film will get you in the mood for Halloween, the story is still 100% centered on Christmas, so it still works. Even with its dark visual style, there are still some stand out Christmas moments. The musical number in which Jack Skellington discovers Christmas town is one of the most colorful and detailed I’ve ever seen in a holiday movie. Also, Jack Skellington makes for a memorable Santa Clause in his own unique way. The best way to describe this film is Halloween dose Christmas ... which is awesome, and why this remains one of the greatest holiday movies ever made.
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