this is not a christmas movie okay people?!
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Die Hard
lukejbarnett — 2 years ago(December 26, 2023 04:00 AM)
- plenty of movies take place on christmas that are not christmas movies 1. lethal weapon 2. batman returns both take place on christmas but no one has ever said they are christmas movies bc christmas is in the background of those movies as it is in die hard. 2. die hard doesn't feel like a christmas movie it doesn't have the feeling of a christmas movie like say home alone does.
- the fact that it always has a debate everytime anyone says it's a christmas movie means it's not a christmas movie. if you have to debate if it's a christmas movie then that means it's not a christmas movie. it should be clear to anyone and everyone that a movie is a christmas movie when it is.
the first 15 years of die hard so from 1988-2003 i never heard anyone say it's a christmas movie not until about 2003 did anyone dare say it's a christmas movie which has always been met with argument of it's not over the last 20 years so it's not a christmas movie. it was stupid in 2003 to say it, the first time someone said it, and it's stupid now so stop saying this people!
lukejbarnett
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cryptoflovecraft — 2 years ago(December 27, 2023 04:23 PM)
Good points. There are films that take place around Christmas and New Year that I always enjoy watching around this time of year e.g., Trading Places, Night Shift, Gremlins, P2, ATM, and Chicago Cab, to name some, but they're not exactly Christmas films and don't mention Christmas in their titles.
Would you consider Gremlins to be a Christmas film? I saw it in the theater when it first came out (June 1984). The school year was over and summer vacation was just beginning so it felt nothing like Christmas outside. I still enjoyed the film. Maybe they should've released the film in November instead of June of that year if they were trying to pass it off as a Christmas film. I love Gremlins for its story, characters and spectacular special effects. It's a great horror-comedy from Joe Dante but falls short of being a Christmas film. It's about Gremlins not killer elves or a psycho Santa. The story could've taken place any time of the year but it just happened to be set at Christmastime. -
cryptoflovecraft — 2 years ago(December 27, 2023 09:51 PM)
But it's about snow…so close enough.
It's a Wonderful Life is often regarded as a Christmas flick and I love that film but I can see an argument being made for it being a non-Christmas film. The first two thirds of the film is about George Bailey's life and establishing what a great guy he is. It's not until the final third of the film that it's Christmas Eve and bad things start happening to George and he meets his guardian angel. (I still regard it as a Christmas film.) -
lukejbarnett — 2 years ago(December 28, 2023 01:09 AM)
it's not the focus of the plot though. because right after they setup the plot with the christmas party and him getting home in time for christmas they don't go back to it ever, and no character ever has a christmas i have to be a better person moment which is essential and makes a christmas movie a cm.
also a viewer doesn't get any more benefit out of it as far as a christmas feeling from watching it on christmas. also all of the events of it could have taken place on any other day of the year.
and they never show a santa and there aren't enough items, objects of christmas shown. also every single parody that has ever been done about die hard be it in tv shows or movies or whatever has never shown or mentioned christmas it's about been an action movie parody which proves it's not a christmas movie bc parody has to be specific about what genre it is parodying like in a weird al yankovic song for instance. parody is very specifc about all of what it is parodying. unlike a satire that doesn't have to do this.
also for it first 25 years of existence never was it uttered it's a cm. it only the tough over masculine guys whom watch it ever year on christmas whom have said it's a cm. so i'll take 25 years over just 10 years every time. also it was never marketed as a christmas movie bc all of the video box covers for it they don't have any christmas trees or lights or anything christmas related which would indicate clearly that it is a cm. every cm has this on it's box cover.
it's just a movie that happens to take place on christmas so the holiday is in the background. just like it is in lethal weapon, batman returns, and rambo: first blood.
trading places is also not a christmas movie it is just a movie that takes place on chrirtmas or around christmas. you have to leave room for, have this genre of film otherwise any movie no matter now background and inconsequential plot wise that the christmas parts are would have to be called a cm which is not fair or right.
you can watch tp on christmas, fine but you can't call it a christmas movie bc it's not. the characters don't do christmas things in it that are essential to the plot i mean it's not a movie about christmas it's a movie about trading places with someone else.
they mentioned this in a you tube video about how die hard was released on june 15, 1988 so about as far away from christmas as you can get. but while at first that seemed to be a this has to not bc cm point other factors can make a movie release in summer when it is a movie they are trying to bill as a like cm. like trying to make a lot of money for an action film in the summer which is when most action movies come out and also maybe they were not able to get the studio to release a movie in december or around then.
gremlins is not a christmas film. what i'd like to know is is it a children's movie? or a dark comedy for adults? i think it's too scary for children 12 and under. maybe they couldn't release it around christmas bc it would be a hard sell for a children's cm that is as scary as it is.
maybe the same problem happened with the nightmare before christmas which is a very scary movie for kids to watch so marketing it and getting enough people to watch it in theaters might have been hard bc what demographic could be into it? it's too scary for kids 12 and under and too childish for adults.
lukejbarnett
