Hey now everybody, hope you're doing well, and welcome to my top 5 Christmas movies, that aren't really Christmas movies list! It's that time again, when the temperature drops and the snow falls as we get closer to the new year. It's also the time of year when Christmas movies are on TV and everybody watches their favorite's. I know there are a whole bunch of standard Christmas themed films that most everybody thinks of around the holidays, The Grinch, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, It's a Wonderful Life. But I've seen all those so many times and as I get older some of the old classics lose their appeal. So instead I like to watch ones that aren't necessarily Christmas movies, but are just good movies that happen to take place at Christmas. So without further ado, here is my top 5 list!
# 5 - Krampus
Number five on the list is more of a horror comedy than an actual Christmas movie, but it still has some heavy holiday themes and even a few feel good moments in there. This came out a few years ago in 2015 and stars some notable actors like Adam Scott, Toni Collette, and David Koechner. There's been a lot of Krampus movies made in the past five years or so, believe it or not, but this one is by far the best, and the most well known. Most of them are extremely low budget and just poorly made, this is actually good. As someone who loves the horror genre at any time of the year I have no problem enjoying a nice scary movie around the holidays.
Krampus is an old tale from Bavarian folk lore that tells the story of what could be considered the evil Santa Clause. The story goes that any children who behave badly throughout the year might get a visit from Krampus at Christmas time, and he'll take you away in the night. With a premise like that it's no surprise it got made into a Hollywood film, with many low budget knock offs as well. The sets are very well done in this movie, the practical snow effects look amazing, and the practical monsters make this version stand out far above any other. If you're into horror comedy's and want to watch one with a holiday theme, consider checking out Krampus this season.
# 4 - Lethal Weapon
When you think Lethal Weapon you probably don't think Christmas, but instead of a buddy cop drama. Well you'd be right in thinking that way because that's exactly what it is, but it also takes place during the holidays, as you can see in many scenes of the film. The first one of the franchise is definitely a classic, and also definitely not for kids. This came out back in the eighties and deals with some pretty adult situations. Just in the opening scene alone a topless woman sniffs lines of cocaine, and then jumps to her death out of a hotel balcony.
This movie came out back in 1987, and stars Danny Glover and Mel Gibson. This was way before Mel had his meltdown and became known as kind of a bad guy. Back when this was made he and Danny Glover were in their prime and beloved by just about everyone. The two of them play cops and the film is about them trying to solve a murder around Christmas time. Mel and Danny work well together in this series and it still holds up pretty good today. At the beginning of the movie Mel's character is depressed and taking his anger out on the suspects they take into custody, but by the end he finds a renewed sense of joy from being partnered up with Glover and solving the case.
# 3 - Gremlins
Gremlins is one of those weird movies that doesn't seem like it would be any good, but once you actually sit down and watch it you'll find it's a classic. This is another horror comedy that is set at Christmas time and has very heavy holiday themes all throughout. Back when this was released over thirty years ago it was marketed to kids with cereal box promotions and fast food toys, but it's really pretty dark and probably wouldn't fly as a kids movie nowadays. But when I was young I loved it, and I still do for that matter. All the awesome practical effect gremlins running a muck on the town is just so much fun to watch, and is something you don't see much of anymore with everything being CGI in modern films.
Released in 1984, Gremlins is about a Dad who is out shopping for his teenage son at a shady thrift shop. He notices something moving around in a box on the counter and it turns out to be Gizmo, the cute looking brown and white mogwai. But when he gives it to his son something goes terribly wrong, as a result of not following a strict set of rules for taking care of Gizmo. The little critter ends up sprouting off a bunch of new mogwai, but when they hatch it's clear they are not the same, and they begin to start causing trouble. As the Gremlins get bigger they end up going crazy and terrorizing everyone, tuning into little monsters. If you never got around to watching this one definitely check it out for Christmas, I think it's even on Netflix right now.
# 2 - Die Hard
Die Hard is an action crime thriller that follows a lone cop, John McClane, as he ends up stuck in a skyscraper that gets hijacked by German terrorists. Bruce Willis gives one of his best performances in this original film that started a seemingly never ending string of sequels. Not only did this film skyrocket Bruce's career, but it started a sub genre of films about a lone cop taking on insurmountable odds all by himself. There's a ton of great action and some pretty tense moments, as well as some humorous bits here and there. This is probably the most well known non Christmas, Christmas movie out there that everyone is aware of, but I couldn't leave it off my list as it's one of my favorite movies ever.
Made in 1988, this film stars Bruce Willis as an off duty New York cop, who travels to Los Angeles to try and patch things up with his estranged wife. She works for some big corporation that is throwing a Christmas party at their work building in the city. Willis shows up at the party to be with his wife, but just after he arrives a group of German terrorists lock down the building holding everyone hostage inside. They plan to steal $600 million dollars out of the company's safe and make off with it. Now the only hope anyone has of getting out of there alive is John McClane, as he stealthily makes his way around taking out bad guys one by one. This is such a good movie, full of action, if you haven't seen it before definitely watch this one it's excellent.
# 1 - Batman Returns
Oh man, we've finally reached number one on my list, and it's one of my favorite films ever, Batman Returns. When I was a kid I absolutely loved this movie and I think it still holds up just fine today. The early days of Batman on the big screen saw some of the best ones of the series in my opinion. Michael Keaton as the dark knight was perfect for the role at the time, and the two movies he made were both amazing, but this is the one that takes place at Christmas. All over Batman Returns you'll see Christmas trees and lights letting you know it's the holidays.
Not only is Michael Keaton wonderful as Batman, but you also have Danny Devito and Michelle Pfeiffer playing The Penguin and Catwoman. They give the best portrayals of these two characters that's ever been done before. Then you factor in Tim Burton directing the film, in his prime at the time, and you have a dark spooky kind of Christmas Batman movie, that is actually really good. I've seen this countless times and I never get tired of it, it's definitely one of my favorite Batman movies, even compared to the newer ones. The whole tone has that weird Tim Burton charm, and it blends some of my favorite things together in a way that we probably wont ever see again. I know it's not as high quality and nicely polished as the comic book series of today, but it remains an easy pick for my number one Christmas movie that really isn't a Christmas movie.
Thank you for checking out my top 5 list, I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd like to wish everyone a safe and happy holidays!