 Among the greatest titles of all time, let alone greatest Christmas titles of all time, 'It's a Wonderful Life' has gone down in history as a sort of bar-setter for "feel-good" movies. It acts as a friendly reminder to all of us that despite the problems we may be going through, our lives are important, not just to ourselves, but to those around us, who love and care about us. It's just about the perfect movie to put on any time of the year one may be feeling a bit low - it doesn't have to be a "Christmas only" film, considering the subject matter.
As a matter of fact, even though this is regarded very much as a Christmas movie, Christmastime isn't even really a part of it until the end. Still, however, the themes within fit the mood for the holiday, complete with healthy doses of comedy, drama, and magic, making this still, to this day, one of the more imaginative and original Christmas movies out there. I mean, honestly, what more could be said about it? It's damn near perfect, and its a classic that still holds up incredibly well. As things kick off here, it's Christmas Eve, 1945, in Bedford Falls, New York, where one George Bailey (James Stuart) is on the edge of the unthinkable. Prayers from his loved ones reach Heaven, where a wingless angel named Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) is assigned from his "boss," Joseph (Joseph Granby) to head down to Earth to try to talk George out of it. If he does so, Clarence will earn his long-awaited wings, but first, there's a lot of detail about George's life to be covered. So, Clarence is shown a series of flashbacks about George's life. To make a whole lot of exposition short, the gist of it is that George is a sweet, kind, loving and caring man who will put his friends first. This is most often illustrated with his desire to leave town and travel, and varying factors in Bedford Falls that make him stay put. One may guess he's a bit of a pushover with this, but he's all about keeping things good for the people of town, especially from the greedy Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), who seeks to dissolve George's father's Building & Loan company. The flashbacks further cover other important aspects of George's life, including his love life with Mary Hatch (Donna Reed), and various other things that keep the poor guy grounded. Eventually, things do take a turn for the worse when it comes to Potter and his reach within the town, which eventually leads us to the film's opening, and where the movie really gets good. Once George meets Clarence, he wishes he was "never born at all," and is given the opportunity to see what things would be like in Bedford Falls is he had never existed. Not to get into spoiler territory, but the rest of the film plays out rather darkly, as George never truly realized just how important his existence is to the people around him. With that whole concept in mind, it's no wonder this has become such a classic. If I'm perfectly honest, I would love the opportunity to see what things would be like had I never existed - not in a negative way, mind you, just in a curious way. The film plays it as a pretty scary scenario, but I think that's what draws people in. It's a fascinating concept. So, while this is regarded mainly as a movie to watch around the holidays, I would argue that it's something appropriate for any time of year one might be feeling a bit harsh on one's self. The whole thing is a friendly reminder that we are important to those around us, and is topped with the famous quote "no man is a failure who has friends." I feel like that's something that goes a long way in reminding us how others see us. With our loved ones, be they family or friends, as long as we have them in our corner, life is wonderful. 5/5
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 Remember that cult horror classic for the holidays that has been re-made, time and time again, called 'Black Christmas?' Remember how unnerving that whole film was? Remember thinking that someone hiding out in your house could be a very real scenario? Well, after that extra special holiday classic (which still stands out as a great, classic horror flick), director Bob Clark made another Christmas movie, this time, changing gears completely. The man now has two holiday classics under his belt, in two very different genres.
In recent years, certain things about this movie have been pointed out as "offensive" to some; namely the Chinese restaurant scene (which I'll get to later). But so help me, I won't budge on how awesome this movie is, and how much of a classic it has become over the years, not only to my family, but so many others. It's arguably the Christmas classic comedy about family without a 'National Lampoon' credit. But above all else, its the realistic relatability that make this such a gem in peoples' eyes. It's Christmas, in 1940, and all Ralphie (Peter Billingsly) wants for Christmas is a "Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time." In short, the movie is very much about Ralphie trying whatever it takes to get one under his family's tree in time for Christmas Day. He tries everything from bribing his teacher for good grades, to brown-nosing to his parents a bit, and of course, asking Santa. But generally, their response is the same; "you'll shoot your eye out." While the central plot unfolds, the rest of the story reflects this time of year in a kid's eyes. Not only does it cover Christmas, but also how the school yard treats him and his friends, Schwartz (RD Robb) and Flick (Scott Schwartz). This includes your average bullies, Skut Farcis (Zack Ward) and Grover Dill (Yano Anaya), and certain school yard no-nos, like licking a pole to see if your tongue sticks. But perhaps most importantly, it covers the rest of Ralphie's family, and their own holiday stresses. Ralphie's Dad (Darren McGavin) is a strict war veteran, who becomes obsessed with an obscene lamp. His brother, Randy (Ian Petrella) is the typical little, entitled, whiny brat who he still has to try to be a good and patient big brother to. But perhaps worst is his Mom (Melinda Dillon), who actually sees eye-to-eye with Ralphie the most, but is still the one most opposed to him getting that gun for Christmas. With her, matters fro Ralphie's big Christmas wish come off as hopeless. Going back to the Chinese Restaurant scene, the offence comes from some of the waiters singing rather stereotypically. But while that part of the scene is fact, one should bear in mind two things. One, the head waiter, also Chinese, is speaking plainly, and trying to teach the rest how the song goes properly. Second, I've honestly always seen this scene as just an act on their part - done very purposely for a laugh from the family. I'm not here to step on any toes, but I'd urge people to try to treat that scene as such. In the end, this is still a Christmas classic I hold close to my heart. It offers a hell of a lot of genuine laughs, but also offers a hell of a lot of genuine heart. While a lot of it is about family dysfunction, a lot of it is about how the family comes together on Christmas Day, and the magic that takes place that glorious morning, especially in the eyes of a kid. If you haven't seen this one yet, and you're looking to see a true holiday classic for the first time, in my humble opinion, this one's one of the best! 5/5  We all have our own set of go-to's when it comes to Christmas movies, and they tend to hit us the same every year, becoming something of a tradition. I have my own set of "every-year" watches (or, almost every year), some typical, some not so typical, and I like them all for different reasons. But sometimes, one wants a bit of change, along with something relatively original. And if I'm to come to Netflix's defence on any matter, it might be that they have been doing the best job of giving us quality Christmas movies for the past few years.
It's only my humble opinion, but Netlix seems to have been doing the best job over the years when you think about it. They've given us two, fun 'Christmas Chronicles' movies, catchy musicals like 'Jingle-Jangle,' Oscar-worthy animation like 'Klaus,' and a wide selection of other not-as-memorable titles, but at least there are some options there for the viewer. 'A Boy Called Christmas' is definitely one of the better, and more memorable new titles on the streaming service, however, and shouldn't be overlooked. One Christmas Eve, a family, who has recently lost their mother, is left with their Aunt Ruth (the late, great Maggie Smith) while their Dad (Joel Fry) has to leave urgently for work. The kids, Andrea (Isabella O'Sullivan), Moppet (Ayomide Garrick) and Patrick (Eden Lawrence), sort of revile their Aunt, and believe things are gonna get pretty boring pretty quickly. However, in order to keep them entertained, Ruth begins to tell them a story about how Christmas really got started - similar to 'Klaus,' but a completely different story. The story centres on Nikolas (Henry Lawfull), a 13-year-old boy who lives a hard life in the middle of the woods of Finland with his woodcutter father, Joel (Michiel Huisman). His mother died from a bear attack, and he has since lived, holding onto her memory by remembering stories of a magical place to the North called "Elfhelm." He also keeps a doll his Mom made for him from a turnip, and eventually rescues and befriends a mouse he calls Miika, whom he wishes to teach to talk. Spoiler alert: voiced by Stephen Merchant. One day, the King (Jim Broadbent) calls together his townspeople, as things have gotten a bit too bleak in his kingdom. He then offers a handsome reward to anyone who can find some sort of object that will bring them all hope. With that, Joel decides to set out with a team in order to try to find the land of Elfhelm, if it even exists. But if proof of its existence can be given, hope will be restored throughout the land, as Elfhelm is a land of peace, magic, hope, and all that other positive stuff. While Joel is gone, Nikolas is left in the care of his horrid Aunt Carlotta (Kristen Wiig), whose abuse leads Nikolas to set out on his own to find his Father, and hopefully Elfhelm with him. Throughout his adventure, the magic eventually sets in, and we get introduced to some Christmas characters, both familiar, like Blitzen the reindeer, and new, like the mischievous Truth Pixie (Zoe Colletti). And while Nikolas learns a thing or two about the outisde world, he also teaches a thing or two about what terms like "love," "respect," and "hope" mean. So, if you're looking for a new Christmas watch to add to your list that's a little more on the family-freindly side of things, 'A Boy Called Christmas' is a pretty great place to look. I can't promise it will be for everyone who loves a good Christmas movie, but I have to admit that for me, personally, it's refreshing to see something that doesn't coddle the children watching it. This plays out a bit more like a 'Matilda' in some of its more sinister ways. But if you can get past that, this really is a nice, warm Christmas story that reminds us what it's all about. 4/5  Among the most beloved classic holiday stories out there, perhaps the most famous is Charles Dickens' 'Christmas Carol.' We all know the basic story - Greedy, old miser has to learn about the true meaning of Christmas through the overnight visitation of three spirits. Over the years, there have been countless versions of the story done on the big screen, small screen and stage, often parodied, and still, my favourite version remains the 1951 Alastair Sim version, largely because no one has ever done the "morning after" scene better, as far as I'm concerned.
Having said that, however, a very close second is 'The Muppet Christmas Carol.' Aside from the fact that I freakin' LOVE the Muppets (a staple of my childhood), its a very warm, pure Christmas movie for the whole family, full of wonderful, original holiday music, and it just delivers pure joy every time I watch it. It provides a lot of nostalgia, and watching this for me is akin to someone reading a good book by the fireside. It's a comfy, cozy movie that will leave you with the warm-fuzzies and a smile on your face by the end. One thing that makes this one stand out is the idea of having Charles Dickens, or as we know him best, Gonzo (Dave Goelz) narrate the story, along with his sidekick, and highly successful comedy relief, Rizzo the Rat (Steve Whitmire). As the story unfolds, "Dickens" narrates while Rizzo follows his lead, listening to the story, and often suffering in the process. These two are what are gonna really make you laugh throughout this Muppet adventure, the way they play off each other. And luckily, they show up fairly often! The story's "main course," however, is centred on Ebeneezer Scrooge (Michael Caine); the aforementioned "greedy, old miser." The man seems to hate Christmas and everything surrounding it, claiming it to be a "poor excuse to pick a man's pocket every 25th of December." Meanwhile, like a normal human being, his employee, "Bob Cratchet", a.k.a., Kermit the Frog (also Whitmore) wishes for Christmas Day off to spend time with his family. It's reluctantly granted, and Scrooge heads home. The real fun begins when the ghosts of his old business partners, Jacob and Robert Marley, a.k.a., Stadtler (Jerry Nelson) and Woldorf (also Goelz) visit him at his home, and foretell of the visiting of three spirits that night; the ghosts of Christmas Past (Jessica Fox), Present (also Nelson) and Yet to Come (no voice), all of whom are actually original creations for this film, instead of reusing Muppets we all know and love, surprisingly to the film's advantage. Their originality makes them stand out that much more. Anyway, we all basically know how it all unfolds. The "morning after" scene is pretty solid here as well, and topped off with a nice song called 'The Love We Found,' giving it, again, some originality. The songs here are actually quite strong, and I can't help but add a few to my personal playlist of Christmas Music, like 'One More Sleep 'Til Christmas,' 'It Feels Like Christmas,' and, on the sillier side of things, 'Scrooge,' which is literally a song that's just smack-talking Ebeneezer Scrooge. On a bit more of a serious note, to top this off with the true meaning of giving, the film is also a beautiful love letter to Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, and Richard Hunt, a more prominent puppeteer. Jim's brother. Brian, takes the helm here, and made something awesome - some may argue the last really good Muppet movie, although I'd argue 'Treasure Island' and the 2011 film have their place. But there really is something magical about 'The Muppet Christmas Carol.' It will forever have a place in my heart, and it almost doesn't quite feel like Christmas without it. 5/5  Truth be told, I'll probably always prefer the first 'Bad Santa,' but I must admit that for a distant sequel (thirteen years between films in this case), this isn't bad for what it is. I would usually accuse something like this of digging into our past to try to resurrect some nostalgia, and probably failing in the process. With something like a raunchy Christmas-themed comedy, though, that bar is already set kinda low. You'll get a lot of cursing, dirty-talk, drinking, smoking, and stupidity. But there are other things about this movie I think they did really well.
For a little background, you can check out my review of 'Bad Santa.' Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) manages to snag him what could be a "happily-ever-after" ending, despite his lush, rude, crude behaviour and everything he's done. But, as time passed, things just didn't pan out, and he's back to drowning his sorrows with alcohol and meaningless sex. The only real friend he has left is Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly), perhaps better known as "The Kid" from the first film, all grown up, and still irritatingly poking his head into Willie's life. One fateful day, as Willie attempts the unthinkable, Thurman drops by to deliver a package that happens to be full of cash, sent oddly enough by Marcus (Tony Cox), Willie's former partner in crime, who (spoiler alert) ended up double-crossing Willie in the first film, and is sent to prison. Having just gotten out, Marcus is ready to jump right in for another big score, but needs Willie's help to crack a safe (which was his expertise in the first film). Willie reluctantly agrees, and is soon headed to Chicago, where the score will take place. Upon arriving in Chicago, Willie soon learns two things he hates about the operation; they're gonna be stealing from charity, and Marcus' contact is Willie's estranged Mother, Sunny (Kathy Bates). However, he also meet his next "interest," Diane (Christina Hendricks) who provides his "light side" here. But upon reluctantly deciding to go through with the operation, he finds another thing to hate about it - he's gonna have to put a Santa suit back on and deal with a bunch of kids who have no idea what's what. In the meantime, that little hanger-on, despite being 21 now, Thurman heads to Chicago to try to find Willie. Going back to what I mentioned before about them doing things really well here, Thurman is one such case. he still maintains his overall innocence, still talks a lot of nonsense, he's still easily excitable, and he still wants to make people his signature sandwiches. He even gets his first job at a Hoagie shop called Hungry Hoagies. He's exactly what you'd think a grown up Thurman would turn into. On the other side of things, I have to give major credit to Kathy Bates for this role. Although we're not talking her typically Oscar-worthy performances, what I credit her with is going all out to make herself look as trailer trashy as she can. It's roles like this that make her one of my all-time favourite actresses, she has a massive amount of range and talent, and aside from this, I'm not sure how raunchy she's ever gotten. Nude scene in 'About Schmidt,' but that was done a bit more artistically than something like... sitting on a toilet with a beer. The thing this movie suffers from is how insanely and painfully obvious the ending is. You see it coming almost from the very beginning. In the meantime, it's probably a bit raunchier and crude overall than the first, but being a sequel, I can see why. It's a matter of outdoing the previous film, and in that, I'd say they succeed. But at this point, I find the first 'Bad Santa' to be almost a modern classic, and I'm not sure I see this aging quite as well. It sounds super weird to say, but there isn't as much "heart" here. Still though, good for a laugh! 3/5  Harold & Kumar are a couple of stoner characters who my generation may have considered the best stoner duo since Cheech & Chong (who will never be outdone, by the way). Their first film goes down as one of the best stoner movies of all time, bringing actors John Cho and Kal Penn into the spotlight, and essentially being single-handedly responsible for the resurrection of Neil Patrick Harris. And while 'White Castle' is a classic, they also made a couple of less successful sequels - 'Quantanamo Bay' and this, originally entitled with a "3D" in front of "Christmas."
As one might very well expect, this was a much better time at the theatre, as it utilized 3D technology to its advantage which just doesn't pop quite as well on the small screen. The thing is, I know a lot of friends who will insist this movie sucks because the use of 3D is too obvious, like in scenes involving Beer Pong in the accompanying pic. But if I'm honest, I actually like this one more than the second, which was largely repeat jokes and gags from the first with a different spin. This feels like a legit Christmas Special for the stoner duo. Taking place seven years after their escape from Guantanamo Bay, Harold (Cho) is now married to his originally sought after love interest, Maria (Paula Garcés). He's also a successful businessman on Wall Street, and has since quit smoking weed in order to live his "happily ever after," so to speak. But when Maria's family comes for Christmas, Harold has to put up with an incredibly unfair and tough father-in-law played by the one and only Danny Trejo, and a rather intimidating Latino family who are there to make sure Maria gets the Christmas from the partner she deserves. Meanwhile, Kumar (Penn) is still the same old Kumar. He still lives in their old apartment and still smokes whenever possible, eventually causing his originally sought after love interest, Vanessa (Danneel Ackles) to leave him. One day, however, she comes along with the news that she's pregnant. Now Kumar may have to look into cleaning up his act in order to be with her again, and father a child. If that's not enough, a package addressed to Harold is delivered to the apartment, causing Kumar to head to his estranged best friend's new, fancy home. As tradition would have it with Harold & Kumar, disaster strikes almost immediately when, upon delivering the package, and without spoiling too much about what's in said package, one thing leads to another and Harold's Christmas tree gets torched. From this, the stoner journey begins, as film then turns into a once 3D adventure (that they really should bring back to theatres every now and then, just for the 3D) where the goal is to find a new tree before Harold's father in law, who loves Christmas with all his heart, tears 'Roldy a new one. Going back to my opinion that this is a bit better than 'Guantanamo Bay,' for starters, it goes back to the basic mission idea that shoudln't have so many obstacles. In 'White Castle,' they just wanna go eat at White Castle, and here, they just need to find a Christmas tree. 'Guantanamo Bay' is more about a real journey home after being wrongfully accused of terrorism and sent to Guantanamo Bay - it's just a bit much. They also think outside the box here a bit more, like having a "claymated" scene, illustrating a bad trip. So, while this may not be quite as good as the original, and its missing the 3D aspect, I would still encourage viewers to give it a chance and not assume that it suffers from the "Trilogy Curse" (where the third one is always the worst/weakest). If you're looking for an honest giggle this Christmas, and you've got yourself some nice MJ by your side, this is still a fun watch that doesn't take itself seriously. It's your classic "throw-your-brain-out-the-window" type of movie, and could make for a cozy stoned night in. 3/5  While this doesn't exactly land as the best, or most riveting holiday slasher out there, it's still not bad, and gives us another holiday horror title to chose from (if we're ever in that kind of mood). I can also say that it's not what I'd call typical of a slasher flick, and it has some originality behind it, if it's just a little predictable in the end. All in all, it reminded me a lot of 'Happy Death Day,' in as much that its a slasher movie that brings in fantastical elements, like time travel and, in this case, what I'd probably call interdimensional travel.
To be exact, as if the title didn't give things away, this is a horror take on the concept of 'It's a Wonderful Life,' much like 'Happy Death Day' was a horror take on 'Groundhog Day.' While I love this concept, especially as a horror comedy, however, it does end up lacking a lot on the comedy side of it, and it's not something I'd say (as I do with many things) is necessarily fun. In fact, it sort of makes me think they were trying a bit to copy 'Scream,' at least stylistically. The killer is only human, dresses in white instead of black, complete with creepy mask, and constantly uses a knife. I have to say, however, that the execution of story was something I didn't quite expect, and in a good way. It all starts when David Carruthers (Joel McHale) is asked by his business partner and CEO of their company, Henry Waters (Justin Long) to visit longtime local Roger Evans (William B. Davis) to try to convince him to sell his house in order to make way for a mall. But Roger's plan is to one day hand the house over to his granddaughter, Cara (Hana Huggins); best friends with David's daughter, Winnie (Jane Widdop). One night, as Winnie, Cara and Winnie's brother, Jimmy (Aiden Howard) attend a high school Christmas party, the masked murderer here known as "The Angel" attacks and kills a handful of people, nearly getting Jimmy in the process. He's eventually stopped by Winnie, killed in his tracks, and unmasked to reveal a relatively obvious culprit. BUT that's okay, because the movie is only just getting started, as it's after a full 15 minutes of these events, the title card pops up - much like the 'Friday the 13th' remake. After a year passes, Winnie still grieves for her friends she lost at that party, but her family and friends seem to have totally moved on as if none of it mattered. With this, she feels unseen, save perhaps from her Aunt (Katharine Isabelle) and her Aunt's partner (Cassandra Naud). In her angst, Winnie takes a walk, and mentions the classic George Bailey concept to the Heavens about the world being better off if she never existed. She suddenly finds herself in a world where she doesn't exist, and wasn't able to save everyone at that party. As she wanders this mysterious Winnie-less world, she tries to figure out what's what by approaching everyone she knows who no longer know who she is. Her only help for getting out of this mess is a reclusive girl named Bernie (Jess McLeod) who seems to be able to go where all the popular people are, but is still picked on and called "Weirdo," constantly. One can't help but wonder how all that works. Does she go to events uninvited just to be a punching bag? But I digress. She, of course, ends up being a very likeable character. While this is done in slasher horror fashion, has some predictability to it, and its memorable moments are sort of few and far between, it has a lot of good going for it, too. It's progressive without being "woke," the concept is pretty cool, and above all else, it still somehow carries the same classic message that 'It's a Wonderful Life' does, portraying an individual's importance in others' lives. So, I enjoyed it fine for what it was, but there are better Christmas horror titles out there. Check it out if you feel like combining something that's 'Scream'/'Wonderful Life,' if you can imagine that. 3/5  Here we have another title that seemingly went over my head when it's abundantly clear that stylistically, it's right up my alley. I love a good anthology movie, especially when it comes to horror stories, and adding Christmas into the mix just gives things an extra boost of fun. Christmas and horror don't seem like they should go together, but sometimes it can be done really well. I was hoping that I'd leave this with another title to add to the Christmas horror list of rarities I could potentially watch every year. The thing is, I dunno if this quite makes it.
Things launch with an overall familiarity in which a radio DJ (William Shatner) is here to be a sort of host, which is also seen in 'Tales of Halloween,' released the same year, and movies like '8 Legged Freaks,' released much earlier. At the very least, in this case, it's good ol' Bill Shatner, which adds some star quality to things, and might be enough to hold your attention. As he hosts a radio show on Christmas Eve, he maintains incoming reports of a disturbance at the local mall, and that locals should stay away. Meanwhile, four stories are brought into play, all involving some sort of horror fantasy scenario First, a ghost story involving a few kids, Dylan (Shannon Kook), Ben (Alex Ozerov-Meyer) and Molly (Zoé De Grand Maison) who break into their school to document a previous murder case that took place the year before. This is by far the most disturbing of the stories, in my opinion. Although it takes on a few cliches of ghostly horror, the whole thing gets wrapped up with some disturbing imagery along with a disturbing scenario. The second story delves into a bit of European folklore. Scott Peters (Adrian Holmes), a cop traumatized by the aforementioned school murders of the previous year, his wife, Kim (Olunike Adeliyi) and son, Will (Orion John) head out into private property to chop down a good tree for Christmas. Will goes missing for a short time, but is eventually found, if only after a short panic. Upon their return, however, Will starts acting strangely, and almost animalistic, and if you know your European folklore, you'll pick up on what probably happened. The third story involves dysfunctional family of four, Taylor (Jeff Clarke), Diane (Michelle Nolden), and their kids, Duncan (Percy Hynes White) and Caprice (Amy Forsyth), travelling to visit their elderly Aunt Edda (Corinne Conley). Before long, bad behaviour on Duncan's part by dropping and breaking a statuette of Krampus seems to curse the family as they eventually realize that Krampus is very real, and after all of them. This one probably had the coolest ending to it, providing us with a cool twist that's fun, but dark in all the right ways. Last, but most definitely not least, we need to take a look at Santa (George Buza). Let's just make this simple. Santa fighting zombie elves so he can make his Christmas Eve run, and it's hands down the most fun of the four stories. So I have to say that I appreciate the variety shown here - each story had a "best" to is in some way; in order, scariest and most disturbing, best original take on folklore, coolest ending, and most fun story over all. Santa's story is basically a horror comedy. All in all, I enjoyed this, and I could see coming back to it now and then. But as an annual or bi-annual Christmas horror watch, I'm not sure there's enough here. It has its similarities to 'Trick r' Treat,' but there's a certain twist to the end of this that takes me out of things a little too much. It's not a movie that necessarily stays with you when its done. That said, it certainly has the potential to grow on me over time as something a little more original when it comes to holiday horror. Just bear in mind its a horror movie first, a Christmas movie second. 4/5  It always strikes me as kinda funny that this movie happens to be right in my wheelhouse as far as comedy goes, yet it flew right over my head back when it was released in 2005. Part of it may have been that it didn't do well at the box office, part of it may have been that I was too busy watching The Rock take on demons on Mars in 'Doom' (released the same day), but I totally missed out... especially with how bad 'Doom' was. But upon first viewing it a couple of years ago, it became an instant favourite.
This is another film that is very much within the category of "Christmas movie, or not a Christmas movie?" In this case, no matter what your argument is for something like 'Die Hard,' this is much less of a Christmas movie. Really, Christmas is just the backdrop here, and unlike 'Die Hard' there's not much else to do with the holiday (no music, or shirts with "ho-ho-ho" messages). That said, I would argue that it's a super fun movie all the same, and the fun of it adds to the Christmassy backdrop in a kind of twisted way. We open with Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) beginning a recap of how he got to a Hollywood party. After an unsuccessful robbery, and a police chase, Harry finds himself hiding in an audition. Having lost his friend during the robbery, he has a break-down which is mistaken as method acting, and this gets him into said party. Here, an openly gay private investigator, "Gay" Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer) makes the suggestion for him to participate in a real investigation in order to develop the character part he accidentally got. Meanwhile, Harry meets aspiring actress Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), finding out that she's actually a childhood crush all grown up. Believing that Harry is a real private investigator, she tells him about her sister, which, long story short, eventually leads to Harry finding himself entangled in an intricate murder case, along with Harmony and his unlikely partner (and actual private investigator), Perry. The rest plays out like a bumbling buddy cop movie, but without them being cops. The contrasting characters of Harry and Perry are what make this such a great watch. While Harry plays a bit of an "every-man" character, leaning towards someone who really doesn't know what he's doing, Perry is the asshole character who treats Harry like he's a moron, but often does his share of moronic things, himself. To really flesh out the relationship between these two, there's no better scene than this one, which also contains one of my all-time favourite movie insults; probably Top 5. Despite this making it onto a Christmas list of movies, it's really an action comedy you could watch pretty much any time of year. The writer/director of this one is Shane Black, who we either remember very fondly for penning 'Lethal Weapon', or not so fondly for executing 'Iron Man 3' (which still isn't horrible, but definitely a weak chapter of the MCU). I'd have to say, after scrolling through his IMDb resume, this is one of the better titles he has under his belt, and it comes highly recommended by yours truly, even though it floats a little under the radar. 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' is definitely a lot of fun, at times intense, at times laugh out loud funny, and it'll even leave you a bit squeamish without going incredibly overboard. There IS a rough torture scene here, but it's balanced out with humour and doesn't really show anything. Also, bear in mind that I kinda hate torture porn. Aside from a few moments like that though, this is a good one, and it truly makes me wonder why it isn't more of a hit - even as a non-Christmas movie. 4/5  Just as it was with the first 'Die Hard,' the argument of whether or not 'Die Hard 2' is also a Christmas movie remains strong. Again, I am on "Team Christmas Movie," but it's all a matter of personal perspective, and open to interpretation. I'm not gonna sit here and "correct" anyone on their opinion (and that's coming from a film reviewer). Regardless of all of that, however, I haven't watched this since I was a kid, maybe not even double-digits yet, so this was almost like a first time for me, and I gotta say, it totally holds up.
If you liked all the balls-to-the-wall action of the first 'Die Hard,' complete with one-liners, explosions, suspense and thrills, 'Die Hard 2' is essentially a coin-flip as far as quality goes. Much like its predecessor, it reflects everything that an action movie should be. Part of that includes practically hitting the ground running - and things jump off even faster here, so there's no need to hit fast-forward if you're only here for the action. It reflects a time when we weren't looking for flaws so hard, just enjoying the ride - a 'Fast & Furious' of its time. Once again, it's Christmas Eve, taking place exactly two years after the Nakatomi Plaza incident. And once again, now lieutenant with the LAPD, John McClane (Bruce Willis) will accidentally find himself caught in the middle of a terrorist attack while meeting up with his wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), this time at Washington Dulles International Airport while waiting for Holly to arrive from LA for family Christmas. Meanwhile, a group of ex-military sympathizers, led by former Colonel William Stuart (William Sadler) anxiously await the arrival of foreign military leader, General Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero). Just for exposition-sake, Esperanza's incoming flight is meant to transport him to Dulles, under extradition for using American funds to purchase drugs. The ex-military sympathizers support him, and take over the airport in every way possible to ensure Esperanza's flight lands without any outside interference. If not, the planes Stuart has left in the air, circling the airport with dangerously low fuel, get crashed. Now it's up to McClane to put a stop to the terrorists, and with any luck, rescue Holly, and bring her down safely. As mentioned earlier, this is just as good as the first film, and it doesn't stop at the action. You still get a lot of the hilarious impatience of John McClane, that never fails to make me laugh. Lines like "No f*cking sh*t, lady, does it sound like I'm ordering a pizza!?," from the first film, are met here with great, if nonsensical lines like "What sets off the metal detectors first? The lead in your ass or the shit in your brains?" Bruce Willis remains the exact same character we remember from the first film. Some may see this as a sort of 'Home Alone 2,' in as much as it does admittedly do a lot of repeat stuff from the first film, and often acknowledges it. John has to crawl through tight places again, Holly is essentially being held hostage, the authorities don't listen to what John has to say, but he'll find someone who can help; here, it's a janitor named Marvin (Tom Bower), although Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) does make a cameo appearance here as well. However, to the film's credit, it's still enough of its own thing. The fun thing about an action flick that takes place at an airport as opposed to a tower is that the potential for the explosions we all craved at the time (before Michael Bay overdid explosions) was practically ten-fold. And there are some real winners here, including, of course, the "ejection seat" scene that is perhaps the film's most famous clip. Between everything else the film has to offer, it provides the roller-coaster ride that we all want to see unfold in an action movie from back in the day - a time of action I honestly kinda miss. The first two 'Die Hard' films give the viewer that nostalgic vibe of "they don't make them like this anymore." We have plenty of mindless action movies nowadays, and for as fun as they are, there's something more fun about these classics. The practical effects and one-liners are a big part of it, but there's also just the non-stop pacing, and never being bored by talking, making the talking part of the action. And for all of you (like me) who consider 'Die Hard' a Christmas movie, don't forget to add this to the list too, because it's just as heavy of a blast as its predecessor. 5/5 |
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