Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Tim Burton once said that his two favorite holidays are Halloween and Christmas. Before he mixed those two holidays into the ultimate festive stew in Nightmare Before Christmas, he created a Christmas wonderland in the finale of his dark fantasy cult hit Edward Scissorhands. It was Johnny Depp's first collaboration with Burton and Vincent Price's final film role. Edward Scissorhands tells the story of a man created by a kindly professor who dies before he can replace his creation's scissored hands with real hands. He is discovered by an Avon saleswoman named Peg and is invited to live with her and her family. Edward must then try and fit into suburban society and the rest of the neighborhood tries to accept him as well. There are a lot of wonderful Burton-esque elements in this film including a likable and misfit lead, "normal" pastel sets competing with dark twisted scenery, a musical score that's both magical and somber. Dark and light come together most beautifully when Edward, a gothic hero if there ever was one, makes it snow for the first time in this town by making an ice sculpture of Kim on Christmas. At the very end of the film, the now elderly Kim says she knows Edward is still alive in the mansion because it snows every winter. Having a tense and heartbreaking battle during Christmas is very much a Tim Burton move. And even though the ending is a little sad, we all let out a sigh of relief to know that Edward is safe and Kim really does love him. Edward Scissorhands is a modern fairy tale that reminds us that magical things can happen, especially during Christmas.
Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard is a groundbreaking movie in a lot of ways. It turned comedic television actor Bruce Willis into an action star. It was Alan Rickman's first film role. And it is considered to be one of the most entertaining action movies of all time. Coming from someone who isn't a huge fan of action movies, this film struck me. It has good acting, clever writing, and it's tense as all get-out. Die Hard is about American hero John McClane, a New York cop. On Christmas Eve, he suddenly finds himself up against German terrorists led by Hans Gruber at the Nakatomi corporation, the place where his wife works. Argyle the limo driver said it best: "If this is your idea of Christmas, I gotta be here for New Year's!" This could be any old action movie, but it was spruced up in the best ways with some great one-liners and fantastic music choices. The Christmassy 9th Symphony playing when the terrorists find the money and the jazzy rendition of "Let it Snow" following the epic climax are a few examples of Die Hard using stylistic choices to break away from genre norms. If you want an edgy, rough-around-the-edges Christmas movie to watch this year, definitely check out Die Hard.
Gremlins (1984)
"This is Christmas, not Halloween!" exclaims Rockin' Ricky, everyone's favorite radio DJ, on the night hundreds of evil green monsters take over Kingston Falls. With writer Chris Columbus and executive producer Steven Spielberg comes a 1980's classic that we often forget is a Christmas movie. Billy Peltzer receives the most interesting Christmas present on the block: Mogwai, a strange creature with Chinese origins, who is nicknamed "Gizmo" by the family. There are only three rules to follow: don't shine bright lights or sunlight on it, don't get water on it, and don't feed it after midnight. Of course all these things happen and so Gizmo multiplies and creates hundreds of demonic gremlins that take over the town. Gremlins is a great example of black comedy, especially set against a Christmas backdrop. In fact, Spielberg was worried that the film might be too dark at times (remember Kate's speech on why she hates Christmas?) Director Joe Dante stuck to his vision and was able to create a holiday film that's both sinister and fun. Almost a decade before Nightmare Before Christmas was terrorizing Christmas with shrunken heads and present-eating pythons, gremlins were turning the snowy Christmas wonderland of Kingston Falls into a seedy and decrepit ghost town. And speaking of gremlins, they looked amazing. Puppets, mechanical figures, and even marionettes were used to create the Mogwai. And they still hold up today; I even thought how much worse the film would have looked if they had made the gremlins all CGI. So if you're in the mood for a dark and twisted holiday movie, don't bypass this mischievous Christmas classic.
Batman Returns (1992)
Tim Burton's Batman arguably changed the way we think of superhero movies. And although he generally tends to stay away from sequels, he directed Batman Returns, which was almost as financially and critically successful as the first. This Batman film tells the story of two villains in the Batman rogues gallery: Penguin and Catwoman. Penguin teams up with business mogul Max Shrek to take over Gotham while Catwoman tries to kill Shreck out of vengeance. Batman must put a stop to it, all during Christmastime. This film has some interesting aspects. When you've got Christopher Walken and Danny DeVito playing villains, you can't go wrong. And when you've got Paul Reubens showing up as a cameo playing the Penguin's father, you know you've really got something special. Again, Tim Burton can mix Christmas with some diabolical plot points and dark set pieces to really make something unique. You've got evil clowns attacking the lighting ceremony of the Gotham City Christmas tree. There's a penguin army that shoots rockets off their backs, destroying the most Burton-looking zoo you've ever seen. What I found really intriguing with this film is that while in some parts it is darker, more adult, and more serious than previous superhero movies, it still maintains some camp (did anyone else cringe at the line, "Eat floor. High fiber."?) Don't spend this Christmas pining for the new Wonder Woman or Guardians of the Galaxy. There is a superhero Christmas movie you can watch this year while waiting for your faves to return.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
Seeing Lucy walk through the wardrobe to discover the wintry landscape of Narnia is one of the most magical moments in cinema. The 2005 adaptation of the C.S. Lewis classic was a great film, telling the story of the four Pevensie siblings discovering the fantastical world of Narnia through an ordinary wardrobe. In Narnia, the White Witch has made it permanently winter, and it is never Christmas. The Pevensies must find Aslan the lion and round up an army to stop the White Witch. One of the greatest parts of the movie is when Father Christmas arrives in Narnia and gives presents to three of the Pevensie children: a sword and shield for Peter, a bow, arrows, and horn for Susan, and a dagger and healing potion for Lucy. Because of Father Christmas, the Pevensies realize that Narnia is starting to change for the better because Christmas has finally come. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is not only a great fantasy movie, but it's a wonderful film to watch during Christmas. The beautiful snowy scenes will get you in the festive mood. And because this film is a Christian allegory, you can watch it reminding yourself of the true meaning of Christmas, even with talking beavers and centaurs.
Little Women (1994)
The 1994 retelling of the Louisa May Alcott novel is a wonderful film about sisterhood and growing up. It is about the March family during and after the Civil War. Four sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy - all very different and yet very close, must learn to face some of life's greatest challenges: war, illness, death, love. It's one of my favorite films and one of my favorite performances by Winona Ryder. Much of the beginning of the film takes place during the winter in Concord, Massachusetts. This house is beautiful, especially surrounded by snow. In one of the most touching parts of the film, Beth, recovering from scarlet fever, is well enough to get out of bed and play the piano for everyone on Christmas. Even through all the winter scenes, the Christmas part of the film is fairly short. But it's so moving and joyful that it lingers with you throughout the rest of the film. If you want something a little different to watch this season, definitely give Little Women a chance. You will fall in love with the characters and get to experience a Concord Christmas.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Having just read the book, I saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in theaters when I was eight years old. Was there a more magical time for any millennial at that age? This was our Star Wars, our E.T., our Wizard of Oz. This film introduced one of the most successful franchises of all time and it did an excellent job of doing so. During Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts, we not only get to see Halloween, but we get to see Christmas. After the tense troll sequence during Halloween, it was nice to see Harry have a relatively calm Christmas holiday. And really, is there anything better than a Hogwarts Christmas? Hagrid drags a gigantic pine tree into the castle. The Great Hall is lined with huge Christmas trees, decorated by magic from Professor Flitwick. Ron and Harry wake up to presents under a tree in the Gryffindor Common Room. This is also the part where Harry gets his invisibility cloak, which as we all know, is an integral part of the plot. And nothing beats the heart-wrenching John Williams score played over Harry and Hedwig exploring the snowy grounds of Hogwarts. The scene where Harry first goes downstairs on Christmas morning and is surprised to see he actually has presents is so touching. It's so reminiscent of what it's like to be a kid on Christmas. And when you watch this movie again fifteen years later, it really makes you feel like a kid. So do yourself a favor, watch The Sorcerer's Stone and enjoy a Hogwarts Christmas this year.
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