Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/12/18/the-greatest-christmas-movie-is-the-lord-of-the-rings.html
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i have to agree. also, the whole Die Hard thing is so over anyway.
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A bit of a stretch, but I will agree that certain movies become Christmas movies for many older people because they were released in theatres in December or were regularly shown on network TV during the holiday season. That’s another phenomenon that’s going to go away with streaming becoming the norm.
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Ok, then here’s my list of December related Christmas movies:
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I saw a discussion once where people were talking favourite Christmassy videogames, and one guy piped up with
“the Wolfenstein games”. Those are basically shooting games where you run around German castles mostly, fighting WWII all over again (the first, seminal one ended with a battle against robot Hitler).
People said “What, why? They’re not Christmassy.”
His answer was “I think because the Indiana Jones movies are always on TV at Christmas, I associate Christmas with killing nazis,” which I still find hilarious.
(Only slightly OT here I think - different category but same question of classification… Ho ho ho etc.)
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As I always say, if you’re going to claim Die Hard as a christmas film, then I’m claiming Trading Places. It’s also set around christmas and New Year, and its plot involves the redemption of a scrooge-like character, but instead of resolving to be nice to people, his redemption arc involves wreaking revenge against a couple of thoroughly evil capitalists.
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Criterion Channel just put up a great “Christmas Movie” that I’d never heard of before.
Christopher Plummer robs a bank as Santa Clause and gets into a cat and mouse game with Elliot Gould. Written by Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential) and it’s one of John Candy’s first movies. The film kinda disappeared after release because it was a Canadian tax shelter film. Lot’s of great shots of Toronto in the 70’s.
Warning, the female characters are very underwritten. They are mostly set dressing to fall in love with Gould or to be sacrificed.
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Mainly because the Bad Guys plan entirely revolves having those people available at the party…
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Well it is a fantasy flick. Fits the holiday well.
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I like the first LOTR movie but my enjoyment drastically dives with each subsequent movie as they veer further and further from the books. That said if someone loves to watch them during the holidays have at it, but i don’t consider it the “greatest” holiday movie and that’s such a subjective criteria to begin with. Some of my favorites are Scrooged, Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, Elf, Home Alone 1 & 2, and Tokyo Godfathers (among others)
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The greatest Christmas movie is Brazil.
(But it’s not really Christmas until I see Hans Gruber falling of the Nakatomi building.)
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Well, it doesn’t really matter which specific people are available, or what particular day of the year it is, what’s important is that the Bad Guys can establish a terrorist threat with hostages and get the FBI involved. Having most of the people rounded up in a single floor at an unusual time of day is just good planning.
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If it’s got a scene where a bunch of people get presents made by elves then it’s a Christmas movie.
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LET IT SNOW!
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Also, I hate the Hobbit prequel movies as much as anyone but I think Radagast the Brown is clearly some kind of Hippie Burnout Santa.
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Does anyone else have an association between Christmas and The Wizard of Oz?
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Danny Johnson Saves the World - the greatest Christmas movie that’s not about Christmas ever made. Dear God, no!
Might depend on how old one is. It has been traditionally shown around Christmas, but also around Easter, during different years. If I remember correctly, it was Easter in my youth. Whatever day it was, shortly before the showing I bruised my pancreas, which I don’t recommend, and every TV in the children’s ward seemed to be playing TWoO. Took me a long time to want to face that movie again.
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