Chance's Corner: Alternative Christmas Movies

Are you tired of watching films where exceptionally attractive people fall in love during Christmas? Tired of seeing romances set at Christmas cottages, ski resorts, or obnoxiously quaint small towns where someone may or may not be Santa? Or how about... okay, you get the picture! Well, if you answered yes to any of those questions, then I've got the best Christmas list for you - a list of alternative Christmas movies! Alternative Christmas movies? Yes, that's right! This is a list of movies that may not care about spreading the Christmas spirit, but they do take place during the Christmas season. They might just bring a little Christmas cheer, too, depending on how you look at it.

Gremlins - A lot of strange things came out of the '80s, and Gremlins was certainly one of them. It was so strange, in fact, that it (along with Temple of Doom) instigated the creation of the PG-13 rating. Now, I'm not the one to push what is appropriate and inappropriate for children, but I can imagine the sheer horror Gremlins brought to unsuspecting families upon its initial release - the ultimate horror being Phoebe Cates' Santa story. WOW, way to ruin Christmas. Sounds like I'm taking Gremlins to task, and I am a little bit, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun despite its mean-spirited nature. What I especially love about Gremlins is all the little callbacks to past films it has in it - Back to the Future, E.T., The Time Machine, Forbidden Planet, Indiana Jones, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alien, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It's a Wonderful Life, and so much more.

Black Christmas - While John Carpenter’s Halloween gets most of the credit for developing the formula for the modern slasher film, Black Christmas pre-dates it by four years and sets the classic standards that have been repeated ever since. Black Christmas is definitely more of a slow burn, wrapped in mystery and a thick, claustrophobic atmosphere, but the wrapping comes off in the end and leaves you squealing like the kid who got what they wished for on Christmas morning. Funnily enough, the director of this film, Bob Clark, would go on to make another Christmas classic - A Christmas Story.

Die Hard - Die Hard is a Christmas story for the ages, where NYPD cop, John McClane (Bruce Willis), flies to California for the holidays to reconnect with his wife, and ends up eliminating a dozen or so terrorists - oops, I mean "robbers" - at his wife's company Christmas party. Whether Die Hard really is a Christmas film or not is up for debate, but it is a truly iconic action film. Bruce Willis delivers a career-defining performance as McClane - a performance that shadows him to this day. Poor Bruce has always been criticized for having no range, but he manages to keep pace and match wits (and expletives) with the formidable Alan Rickman, who is deliciously villainous as Hans Gruber. Thespian by nature, Die Hard virtually put Rickman on the map overnight. As I always say, a movie is only as good as its villain, and, as such, Die Hard is phenomenal.

Lethal Weapon - Here we have another iconic action film that just so happens to take place around Christmastime. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover make an excellent partnership, even if they don't believe it, and Richard Donner's direction and Shane Black's script bring a real gritty edge to the holiday season. Oh, and Gary Busey brings the insanity, as usual. Overall, if the sounds of "Jingle Bell Rock" and excessive gunfire doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will!

Scrooged - Bill Murray expertly lends his dry wit and cynicism to this modern (it's 1988) and darkly comedic twist on Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. There's honestly a bajillion versions of this classic tale to choose from, but this one is my absolute favorite. The ending monologue may schmaltzy, but it brings me to tears every… single… time!

Batman Returns - While Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands could easily make its way on this list, Batman Returns is the Burton Christmas classic I turn to. The Christmas iconography at play here is truly through the roof, and as a young kid, this film taught me that mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it... and a kiss can even be deadlier if you mean it. Ooo la la! Christmas aside, Batman Returns is the greatest comic book film of all time, and you can quote me on that! After Burton proved that a "serious" Batman film was bankable (it was one of the highest grossing films of the '80s), Warner Brothers loosened his leash, which lead to this grandiose, absurd, dark and operatic sequel.

The Nightmare Before Christmas - You thought I had forgotten about this one, didn't you? While Tim Burton might have written the poem this film is based on, The Nightmare Before Christmas is actually directed by Henry Selick. While it grossed me out as a kid, this grotesque stop-motion animated opera has certainly grown on me, and has left its mark both on Halloween, with the song "This is Halloween", and Christmas, with the demented "Making Christmas" and the even catchier tune "What's This?"

If none of those are your style, then that's okay! I have a list of traditional Christmas movies, too, that offers a variety of viewing options. I'd like to know, what's your go-to Christmas movie? It can be traditional or non-traditional.