As I'm writing this post, outside is -22 degrees Celsius (-8 degrees Fahrenheit), which is kind of balmy for this time year in my neck of the woods, and everything is covered with a layer of the white stuff (the kind that melts, not the kind that goes up your nose). It's the perfect weather to start up the fireplace, cozy up on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate made with milk, real chocolate shavings, and mint leaves, and pop in a few Christmas flicks. Oh, yeah. I'm getting all warm and fuzzy inside from the anticipation.
For most people, It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story are their go-to feel good movies for this time of year. Me? Not so much. Being the twisted person (how else would you describe someone who thinks about how to kill people?) that I am, I'm more of a Die Hard kind of fan. For me, nothing embodies the spirit of the season quite like Alan Rickman saying detonators with a deliciously wicked German accent and Bruce Willis delivering John McClane's iconic "Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker."
Between now and the 25th, I'll go through a slew of DVDs from my collection. If you want a quick trip inside a
- Bad Santa. A Christmas movie produced by the Coen Brothers. 'Nuff said. Besides, how could I resist the title?
- Blackadder's Christmas Carol. The nicest man in Victorian England learns the true potential of greed and selfishness. Isn't British humor the greatest?
- Die Hard and Die Hard 2: Die Harder because...well, what I said above. But it's worth repeating: Nothing embodies the spirit of the season quite like Alan Rickman saying detonators with a deliciously wicked German accent and Bruce Willis delivering John McClane's iconic "Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker."
- Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. A tongue-in-cheek crime/dark comedy with Val Kilmer as a gay PI and Robert Downey, Jr. as a bumbling small-time thief. They meet, they fight, they kiss and make up, and I laughed all the way through.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas. A skeleton going through a mid-life crisis wants to lead a town of ghouls, goblins, vampires, and other monsters in a takeover of Christmas. Plus, music AND singing by the über-talented Danny Elfman. No wonder this film's a cult classic. (Honestly, I watch this film several times throughout the year, not just in December.)
So, any of these titles on your list? Or is it just me?
15 comments:
Great post, Ann! I love the Nightmare before Christmas but then again I love anything by Tim Burton. And Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of my all time favorites therefore always on my list!
Love Blackadder. Haven't seen Kiss kiss bang bang. Think I must :)
I love Die Hard too. How can you not? :)
My ultimate Xmas movie is Love Actually. The humor and the pathos.
Well, generally I'll watch anything that is a version of A Christmas Carol, even muppets. We do love The Nightmare Before Christmas and I swear Die Hard is on one of our channels 3X a week, I do enjoy it though. Probably one of the most oft-quoted lines ever along with "I'll be back" and "Go ahead, make my day".
I like the Grinch, the animated one not that annoying Jim Carey one. I should get it on DVD because I always seem to miss it on TV. Have a great Christmas. It's only -4C here this morning with a bit more white stuff on the way.
Does hot chocolate really go with those DVDs? Wouldn't scotch be better?
I love the original Die Hard. Alan Rickman deserves something greater than an Oscar for that role.
Blackadder makes me spit my coffee on the TV screen it's so funny.
On that note...MERRY CHRISTMAS, Ann
I'm definitely a fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Not a big Die Hard fan, but DH makes up for me on that.
Love Die Hard, love Nightmare, but haven't checked out the others yet. I like the way your mind works, Ann!
Oh, and Elise? Scotch goes with everything.
Hey, Ann!! Happy Holidays and congrats on the book!! Love Die Hard and my teen son has watched The Nightmare Before Christmas every single Halloween since he was about 10!
Great choices, Ann!
I love Rickmen--another good one is Truely Madly Deeply.
All I could remember was a Christmas movie with a woman with candles on her head...then I remembered, "The Ref". hahahaha that was a dark Christmas movie that cracked me up.
@Angela Henry: Tim Burton is like crack. You can't stop watching even when it's bad for you. *cough*Alice in Wonderland*cough*
@Toni Anderson: Love Actually is cute, but once was enough for me.
@Tam: Love How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I love it enough to own it...along with the Muppets' version of A Christmas Carol. I have a soft spot for Miss Piggy. And Animal.
@Elise Warner: Scotch goes with hot chocolate, too.
@MaureenAMiller: Ah, Alan Rickman. Would it be sad to admit I only watch the Harry Potter movies for Snape?
@Wynter Daniels: *gasp* Not a Die Hard fan? Does...not...compute...
@Marcelle Dubé: With a mind like mine, I could either get tons of therapy or become a writer.
@Julie Moffett: You can tell your teenager The Nightmare Before Christmas will still be good in his thirties.
@J Wachowski: Thanks for the suggestion. I need to go a Rickman night one day.
I love anything Blackadder. Of course British humor/humour is the greatest! ;)
Alan Rickman is just superb in anything.
I haven't seen Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang but I'll check it out.
Merry Christmas!
@Shirley Wells: After Batman Forever, I'd pretty much written off Val Kilmer, but he redeems himself in KKBB.
I laughed aloud at your choice of Die Hard - for me they can't be beaten for all-out fun and entertainment! One of the few series I will always watch when any of them comes on the TV. And this Xmas season in the UK, they're showing them all! LOL
This year's favourite for us is Nativity with Martin Freeman, where a rather jaded primary school teacher has to put on a Hollywood-style nativity play with some challenging - but very cute! -children and staff. It's v British but I think everyone would love the humour. I'm just too mean at the moment to spend out the ££ to buy the DVD, but I'm hoping it'll appear in my stocking :).
@Clare London: Die Hard transcends gender, geography, and genre. When I lived in Europe, it's the one movie my German, Swedish, French, and Danish roommates and I all watched together. Sadly, we knew all the lines by heart.
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