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Die Hard 1988 ★★★★★
Let's get this out of the way first: yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Of course. What else would it be?
It's also one of the last in a legendary series of action blockbusters. When John McClane was the believable everyman blue collar hero before he turned into an Expandables-ish caraicature of himself. When action movies focused on followable entertainment, before The Matrix introduced the era of cookie cutter CGI where your brain automatically tunes out after five minutes.
Filled from start to finish with witty and funny dialogue. From the pizza-line to welcome to welcome the party. And of course the infamous yippikayay-line. Uttered by Bruce Willis as a joke, thinking it would never make it to the final cut. It ended up being the signature phrase of the franchise and milked to death in the sequels. How about that?
And last but not least: the villain. The late great Alan Rickman delivers his first career making performance as the suave and ruthless gentleman robber Hans Gruber. Filling every moment on screen with equal parts charisma and menace. – Hans! Boopee! – *Bang*
Did I mention five star classic?
A Garfield Christmas Special 1987 ★★★★
What better day to watch this one.
It's a lot of fun when you know what to expect. Cheesy? Sometimes, sure. But it's the type of wholesome family that perfectly goes with the occasion.
Black Christmas 1974 ★★★★★
What better way to start than the ultimate Christmas horror. With one of the strongest feats being contrasts between the intense and the innocent. Providing some much needed relief in the process.
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