Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

[Murph]

Yes.  Nothing else needs to be said.  

 

[R011]

So is Die Hard 2.  The others, not so much.

[Steven P Allen]

No. 

A Christmas movie must involve the nativity of Christ in some manner.

Very few movies commonly called Christmas movies actually make the cut.  Almost everything Santa-focused fails immediately.  Just because the action takes place at that time of year doesn't qualify.

Varieties of A Christmas Carol hang on the very edge of the envelope, however faithful to the novellas they are.

Some of the Rankin-Bass pieces are right out, but others hit the bullseye.

My own metric, of course:  Christmas has become a consumerism orgy as well as reviving its bacchanalian/saturnalian step-antecedents.  Santa is the poster child of anti-Christian theology, and Black Friday highlights the economic hijacking of the holiday by retail/wholesale/commodities networks.

[Murph]

Good point Steven.  I still think it is a Christmas movie though.

[Skywalkre]

It's not just a Christmas movie, it's the Christmas movie.  😝

[Skywalkre]

1 hour ago, Steven P Allen said:

My own metric, of course:  Christmas has become a consumerism orgy as well as reviving its bacchanalian/saturnalian step-antecedents.  Santa is the poster child of anti-Christian theology, and Black Friday highlights the economic hijacking of the holiday by retail/wholesale/commodities networks.

That's every day in America... should we only care when it mars a major religious holiday for those of us who observe it?

[rmgill]

You don't have a Hans Gruber Advent calendar?

[Stargrunt6]

This is the most important topic ever posted in This Grate Site's (tm) 20-something year history.

[TrustMe]

lol

[bd1]

last weekend i was looking for a movie to see with kid, this came up,  some scenes seem like some homage  to DH1 and 2.   

in the end we did not see it, so can´t comment, but drove bumper cars. 

[Wobbly Head]

3 hours ago, Steven P Allen said:

No. 

A Christmas movie must involve the nativity of Christ in some manner.

Very few movies commonly called Christmas movies actually make the cut.  Almost everything Santa-focused fails immediately.  Just because the action takes place at that time of year doesn't qualify.

Varieties of A Christmas Carol hang on the very edge of the envelope, however faithful to the novellas they are.

Some of the Rankin-Bass pieces are right out, but others hit the bullseye.

My own metric, of course:  Christmas has become a consumerism orgy as well as reviving its bacchanalian/saturnalian step-antecedents.  Santa is the poster child of anti-Christian theology, and Black Friday highlights the economic hijacking of the holiday by retail/wholesale/commodities networks.

 To be fair to the early Christian Churches it's hard to get converts if your taking away their favorite holidays. So it would help them by slipping Christ's birthday a few months, Shepards would not be in the hills in the middle of winter but in the Spring or Fall as stated in the Bible. So making his birthday coincide with the mid winter holidays they could slowly bring in the converts.

 As for places off worship becoming dens of iniquity. It was Jesus's take on the merchants in the temples that made him a enemy of the Pharisees because it cut into their take.

[Steven P Allen]

3 hours ago, Skywalkre said:

That's every day in America... should we only care when it mars a major religious holiday for those of us who observe it?

No, I care all the time, but it came up now as part of my answer.

[Rick]

7 hours ago, Steven P Allen said:

No. 

A Christmas movie must involve the nativity of Christ in some manner.

Very few movies commonly called Christmas movies actually make the cut.  Almost everything Santa-focused fails immediately.  Just because the action takes place at that time of year doesn't qualify.

Varieties of A Christmas Carol hang on the very edge of the envelope, however faithful to the novellas they are.

Some of the Rankin-Bass pieces are right out, but others hit the bullseye.

My own metric, of course:  Christmas has become a consumerism orgy as well as reviving its bacchanalian/saturnalian step-antecedents.  Santa is the poster child of anti-Christian theology, and Black Friday highlights the economic hijacking of the holiday by retail/wholesale/commodities networks.

+1. Well said, better than what I can think of.

[Josh]

10 hours ago, rmgill said:

You don't have a Hans Gruber Advent calendar?

I do!

Also I submit that Lethal Weapon is a Christmas movie as well. It opens to Jingle Bell Rock and ends with Riggs having Christmas dinner with Murtaugh.

[Josh]

9 hours ago, bd1 said:

last weekend i was looking for a movie to see with kid, this came up,  some scenes seem like some homage  to DH1 and 2.   

in the end we did not see it, so can´t comment, but drove bumper cars. 

 

I think I saw the original trailer for that movie decades ago:
 

 

 

[BansheeOne]

Well "Die Hard" is referenced towards the end of the official music video to Brenda Lee's "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree", so it must be a Christmas movie. 😁

Quite a number of action movies are set at Christmas time actually, like "The Long Kiss Goodnight". I guess it serves to contrast the violence breaking into what should be days of peace spent with the family.

[DB]

Is "A Christmas Carol" a Christmas movie? What about "It's a Wonderful Life"?

I don't think either of them has much in the way of a nativity, except perhaps as a bit of stage decoration, but I could be wrong.

[Stuart Galbraith]

2 hours ago, BansheeOne said:

Well "Die Hard" is referenced towards the end of the official music video to Brenda Lee's "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree", so it must be a Christmas movie. 😁

Quite a number of action movies are set at Christmas time actually, like "The Long Kiss Goodnight". I guess it serves to contrast the violence breaking into what should be days of peace spent with the family.

A number of music videos as well...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t039p6xqutU

[Steven P Allen]

5 hours ago, DB said:

Is "A Christmas Carol" a Christmas movie? What about "It's a Wonderful Life"?

I don't think either of them has much in the way of a nativity, except perhaps as a bit of stage decoration, but I could be wrong.

As I noted above, A Christmas Carol hangs on the edge.  Few of the movie adaptations include the several references to the Nativity that the text contains.   At least Patrick Stewart goes to church on Christmas morning (which Scrooge did do).

It's a Wonderful Life is outside the envelope, I think, for shying away from the Nativity except for a few carols sung and,as you say, props, but more so for its wretchedly bad theology.  People who die do not become angels [HEB. mal'ak = messenger] no matter how much the bells ring. 

[Murph]

Steven: Also the problem is too many mainline churches have gone all hippy-dippy left wing worship Gaea, etc, etc.  Too many forget the reason they exist.  So are you too surprised?  Heck I am surprised that some mainline churches do not offer abortion for free behind the altar.  

[Ivanhoe]

12 hours ago, Josh said:

I do!

Also I submit that Lethal Weapon is a Christmas movie as well. It opens to Jingle Bell Rock and ends with Riggs having Christmas dinner with Murtaugh.

Correct. #2 on the Xmas movie list.

[TonyE]

Yes🔨

[DB]

What kind of nutcase thinks that religion has anything to do with Christmas?

 

[Ivanhoe]

[DougRichards]

This discussion is taking place in other universes......