One of the best ways to spend the holidays is to watch some of the better Christmas movies and specials.
The wide range of what defines a "holiday movie" is another reason to sit down and spend some quality time with the family.'Die Hard 2'
It’s become nearly cliché to name the original “Die Hard” as a Christmas classic. Bruce Willis’ John McClane is the everyman action hero, and “Die Hard 2” cleverly continues the tradition of mixing holiday themes with claustrophobic action.
John McClane is waiting to pick up his wife from the
airport on Christmas Eve. For McClane, like many Americans in the holiday
season, the airport is a place of hustle and confusion — and that's before a
group mercenaries capture the airport. McClane, of course, comes to the rescue,
attempting to save the day. The tension and claustrophobia ramp up when we
learn McClane's wife is on a plane that could crash at any
moment. “Die Hard 2” safely layers common h
'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'
The road movie is a classic staple of American cinema, and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” may be the funniest and best-realized entry in its “get home for the holidays” subgenre.
The film follows Steve Martin and
John Candy, a mismatched pair of happenstance traveling companions, on a
roundabout trip from
Scattered throughout the goofball comedy, however, are several poignant moments where the true character of each man is revealed. The film delicately balances comedy and sincerity; we learn more about Candy’s character, and Martin comes to realize that despite their differences, the two men are more alike than they realize, and true friendship means accepting someone as you find them, not how you wish they were.
'Eyes Wide Shut'
“Eyes Wide Shut” director Stanley Kubrick’s final work may not be what you think of first when you hear "holiday movie." Christmas, however is a tumultuous time laden with emotion for many people, and Kubrick uses the season as a backdrop for maybe his most obtuse, yet saliently poetic work.
The film is about the turbulent marriage of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman; but it really revolves around Cruise's surreal journey into the orgy-filled mansion of a possibly murderous Illuminati-esque secret society. Kubrick uses a complex series of metaphors, including critiques of consumerism holidays, to explore ideas about human sexuality, compulsion, need and the fabric that holds society together.
“Eyes Wide Shut” is a dark and strange film; yet it's riveting all the way through the final piece of dialogue, which, in true Kubrick fashion, sums up the movie in a simple, yet haunting way.
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Aside from carols, Christmas specials may be the most defining media evocation of the holiday season. Everyone has their favorite: The Rankin Bass-produced version of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” with its quaintly charming use of stop-motion animation, stands out as a classic; but the somber, yet hopeful tone of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” still resonates, as does the playful weirdness of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”
A newer Christmas special that may or may not become a classic is “The BoJack Horseman Christmas Special.” Though not a traditional Christmas special itself, the episode is a darkly funny satirization of the concept of the Christmas special. The episode, which revolves around an aging sitcom star viewing his own show's Christmas special, gets meta pretty quickly as the show satirizes Christmas while simultaneously acting one out. It's a clever twist on the concept, and is, of course, executed in BoJack Horseman’s dryly bizarre style of comedy.
'It’s a Wonderful Life'
Jimmy Stewart's nuanced, excellent performance is central to the power of Frank Capra’s Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life." The film features one of performances that established Stewart's role as the quintessential all-American family man, and is not only a feel-good reminder of holiday spirit, but a subtle, often bleak portrait of a man who must come to terms with his life.
Stewart plays a small-town man with great aspirations that, for some reason or another, but usually due to his impeccable sense of responsibility and kindness, never pan out. The film gives poignant details of Stewart's life as he grows into a different person, one that he never envisioned being as a younger man. He always, however, retains a sense of failure and regret for a life of adventure unlived — that is, until the unforgettable twist, when he learns a man is more than the sum of his experiences. "It's a Wonderful Life" is a poignant examination of life and what makes it worth living.
Nathan Reynolds is a culture reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com.
