We seek out the Christmas movies that happily struggle to invoke the traditional feeling of the season.
Good, youve come to the right place.
If you dreadChristmasand youre not a wuss, this is the list for you.
Weve got senseless violence, weve got explosions, weve got monsters taking over a town.
These are hard-edged and subversive movies that are set over the Christmas period.
A film that makes good use of a Christmas setting tends to explore duality.
For this reasonChristmas moviesare often stories of two halves.
Family celebration and acts of generosity are the Christmas that gets depicted on a Christmas card.
It can also be a time of loneliness and sky-high stress levels.
Rocky IV
Why it qualifies:The fight scenes are brutal.
Ad content continues below
He could have stopped the fight…
He could have saved his best friends life… And yet, he finds the soft-life unsatisfying.
So, rather than being about an average Joe with a dream, this time its rich mans blues.
That doesnt go well, and this gives Rocky the motivation to fight Drago on Christmas Day.
Adding to the Christmas theme, Drago is, at all times, greased up like a turkey.
The series always plays the card of populism, and this time, its Rocky vs. the Russians.
But aRockyfilm runs on heart, and Lundgren is emotionally cold and trained by machines.
So it becomes the battle between a cold heart and a hot one.
A Rocky film wouldnt be the same without training sequences.
The film has a mixed reputation, largely because its a retread of the others in series.
So its main sin is to be another one.
The best Christmas bit:Nonsensical training sequences in Russia.
When we first meet Samantha, she is living life as a meek suburban schoolteacher with a family.
All she knows is that she cant remember anything about her earlier life.
Gradually, some of her old memories start to come back.
This is backed up with palpable chemistry that she shares with Jackson.
The one-liners and jibes flow back and forth with aplomb.
The film was a financial flop, which is a shame.
Perhaps it simply came out at the wrong time?
Perhaps the audiences of 1996 werent ready for a quirky premise?
Trust us, if you like action thriller comedies, this is a good one.
The best Christmas bit:The snowy action sequences.
Watch The Long Kiss Goodnight on Amazon
Brazil
Why it qualifies:Do they know its Christmas?
This film cementedTerry Gilliams reputation as a master.
Its a pastiche of the one man against the system derived from Orwell and Kafka.
The banal evil of stifling bureaucracy crushes the individual in the name of efficiency.
Ding dong merrily on high.
Not even dreams… muses Sam Lowry, played to perfection by Jonathan Pryce.
And yet, the audience knows that he is a dreamer.
It is because he is a dreamer, that he must be eliminated by the system.
Back in real life, there is an underground, but can Sam reach it?
The set design is marvellous and replete with retro-future-tech.
Dont suspect a friend, report him!
advises a government poster.
Its a story with humor, and all of it is pitch black.
The best Christmas bit:Sam being tortured by Santa sums things up.
Batman Returns
Why it qualifies:ItsBatman.
In 1989,Tim BurtonsBatmankicked off the dark superhero trend in films.
Nolan tried to bring Batman into the real world, whereas Burton kept him fantastic.
They both featured Selena Kyle/Catwoman, for example, and theyre both very good portrayals.
Gotham itself is very different in the eyes of the two directors.
In the Nolan films, its a modern, hi-tech metropolis.
To Burton, its a gothic world of shadows.
Making it Christmas in Gotham is the icing on the cake for Burton.
The best Christmas bit:Max Shrecks (Christopher Walken) sanctimonious Christmas speech.
The story starts with a familiar Christmas trope: a return home that leads to some awkward confrontations.
Clays former best friend is in trouble and so is his ex-girlfriend.
This is going to be an ice-cold LA Christmas for the rich kids.
However, this time around, we also have drug addiction and betrayal along with disenchantment with post-college life.
If youre a fan of 80s teen movies, its a particularly interesting perspective.
Its the antidote to the saccharine taste of something likeSt.
Elmos Fire, and its one of Robert Downey Jr.s best performances.
Deserves to be better known than it is.
The best Christmas bit:The 80s parties.
The first part ofGremlinsis devoted to establishing the setting and the characters.
The setting is the Small Town, USA of Frank Capra, and its a snowy Christmas at that.
Bank worker Billys dad is a travelling salesman, away attempting to sell his crazy inventions.
Billys mother holds the fort at home.
Its a well populated world, and all of the supporting roles are top-notch.
Judge Reinhold is a slimebag co-worker with designs on Billys girl.
Mrs Deagal is the town scrooge.
Its a movie that is very much invested in the world of movies.
As with most of the films on this list, contrasts abound.
The little gremlins are, by turns, cute and terrifying.
The cozy town that weve started to love is turned into a war zone.
This world-building and character establishment is all-important.
Were grinning when the mean old woman says: Christmas carolers?
I hate Christmas carolers!
because we know that shes about to get her comeuppance.
Is this a childrens movie?
Some of violence may go over the line.
A 13-year-old will think its great.
A parent will wince.
Its a well-made film and the animatronic Gremlins are characterful, full of malice but also humor.
The best Christmas bit:Kates explanation for why her family doesnt celebrate Christmas.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Why it qualifies:Its Christmas in New York.
With masked cult orgy meetings.
Theres a special link between New York City and the Christmas season in cinema.
No doubt thats why it was chosen as the setting.
So we have traditional values running up against a secret underworld.
Family life comes into it too.
The main part that most people remember are the masked secret ceremonies with the cult.
There is Tom and Nicole arguing a bit.
This wasStanley Kubricks final film, and it received mixed reviews.
The best Christmas bit:Cruise walking the Christmas streets of New York, wondering what just happened.
Just like we were.
Deck the Halls (or deck the henchman, in this case).
Its easy to forget that even in 1969, those fans were clamoring for a back to basics Bond.
Connerys final film in his original run had beenYou Only Live Twice.
It featured Bonds sidewinder-equipped mini helicopter that he was using to hunt for Blofelds hollowed-out volcano base.
Lazenbys performance is the most controversial part of any assessment of this film.
However, its a good story and Lazenby actually shines somewhat in the excellent action scenes.
Average it all out, and its a good Bond movie.
The main Christmas song used in the movie, Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?
A return to realism, as well as humanizing Bond is what they were after.
He falls in love, he gets married, and his Christmas is just as fraught as everyone elses.
Its Bond on a man-dash.
Weve all been there.
In fact, based on a H.G.
Perhaps it also represents the old traditions that are about to be swept away.
Its fascinating and thought provoking stuff.
One can only wonder what the audience of 1936 made of it.
The best Christmas bit:The final Christmas for mankind.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Why it qualifies:Its Christmas.
Tim Burton and Henry Selick style.
The iconography of Christmas is fascinating to an artist like Tim Burton.
As cultural reference points go, you cant get one more familiar than Christmas.
Basically, its Tim Burtons brain in stop-motion animation form, a world of grotesque monsters and freakish outcasts.
Before long, the leader of Halloween Town hatches a plan to take control of Christmas.
The whole thing is accompanied by catchy songs.
The best Christmas bit:KidnappingSanta Clausso that they can take over Christmas.
The firstVacation…is a comedy classic.
Thats a shame because its a great comedy movie in its own right.
Films like this always work best if there is a good ensemble backing everything up.
The best Christmas bit:The Joy To World Christmas lights on the roof.
Bad Santa
Why it qualifies:Theres a Santa in it.
Need we go on?
No one is saved.
Scrooged
Why it qualifies:Bill Murray.
His deadpan sensibility is badass in any context.
What we have here is a Richard Donner helmed homage toA Christmas Carol.
Oh, Bill Murray, could anyone be more lovable as a deadpan cynic than you?
This is genius casting.
Arguably,he plays another Scrooge-inspired character, later on, inGroundhog Day.
The overall structure of the film relies on the aforementioned Dickens story.
It is a comedy, but it tugs at the heartstrings all along the way.
The early romance with with Clare, played by Karen Allen, is particularly moving.
Murray has a knack for playing good-hearted glee that always implies a sarcastic wink at the audience.
The Christmas Chronicles 2: Who or What is the Belsnickel?
However, any retelling of this story depends on how effective and the individual sections are.
One of the most important components for us?
An 80s-style sleazebag, played by the excellent John Glover.
Best Christmas bit:Frank sending his brother a towel for Christmas.
Home Alone
Why it qualifies:Its a bit cheerful, and it has a happy ending.
But people get smacked in the head and set on fire, so well allow it.
Its one of the biggest movie hits of all time, as well as being a perennial family favorite.
Thinking about it, the premise behind the story is a bit disturbing.
Young Kevin is left behind while his family go on holiday, forgetting him.
Two desperate criminals then target the house and attempt a home invasion to make it carry out a robbery.
Thankfully, Kevin is able to fight them off through a series of acts of extreme violence.
Hang on, couldAmerican Psychobe that film?
Is Home Alone The Best Christmas movie of All Time?
The 1951 version starring Alastair Sim is probably the best known version.
Everyone knows the story: Ebenezer Scrooge, a heartless businessman is the antithesis of Christmas spirit.
A good adaptation of this story depends on each of the sections being good.
His heart is further hardened when he loses his true love.
In the older incarnation, he argues that he is to old to be saved.
Best Christmas bit:Why, its Christmas Day, sir.
For a British comedy fan, this is perhaps the most quotable movie of all time.
As well being a comedy masterpiece, it is a film that has been dogged by controversy.
Some people turn a little illogical when when religious mania takes hold andthatis what the Pythons were riffing on.
Thats being too hard on it, but this one does hold up better in that regard.
In terms of observations about religion, society, and politics, its spot on.
Trading Places
Why it qualifies:Its funny and it exhibits a sneering attitude to Christmas.
Thats why we say that the period that this was produced is crucial.
The fact that both actors were desperate to prove themselves on film probably counts for a lot.
Four years after that, renting one of their films was a gamble.
Christmas can can be a mixed experience, or it can be rock bottom.
The latter is where we find Winthorpe by the middle of the film.
Disgruntled, he attempts to carry out a crazy plan while dressed as Santa.
Best Christmas bit:Winthorpe as Santa.
Lethal Weapon
Why it qualifies:Christmas can be tough, particularly when youre Martin Riggs.
Hard-bitten buddy cop movies dont come much better thanLethal Weapon.
The film balances serious themes with exciting action and humorous moments.
Christmas is rock-bottom for an embittered, bereaved Vietnam vet like Riggs.
For his reluctant partner, Murtaugh, Christmas is the culmination of another year of close-knit family life.
By the end, Murtaugh has decided that hes still got what it takes to kick some ass.
Riggs has killed all the bad guys and has a family to spend Christmas with.
Well, mainly because it is.
But hey, its Christmas!
Its badass because it reverses the moral ofA Christmas Carol.
The results are hilarious.
It holds up as an excellentBlackadderepisode and a cheeky poke at Christmas values.
Best Christmas bit:Blackadders present for Baldrick.
Its a fairly standard Christmas for most of us.
Now, that would have been weird.
Given a chance, Willis delivered one of the most iconic action hero performances in cinema history.
A lot of the featured supporting roles are played with a light touch as well.
Alan Rickman is on extremely fine form as a baddie.
line inRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves?
So, how does Christmas come into play in this one?
Reunions complete with family confrontations are, after all, a typical part of Christmas.
As well as being set at Christmas, its a surprisingly Christmas themed movie given the subject matter.
A lot of the characters are introduced during the Christmas party at the beginning.
Even Christmas wrapping tape comes in handy towards the end of the film.
At all times, were left in no doubt that its Christmas.
Lets just hope that McClane never has another Christmas like that one though, eh?
Best Christmas bit:Now I have a machine gun.
