Yet even with all their dysfunction, they band together to fight Krampus’s band of monsters. Contributing Writer. Photo credits: joshua herrera on Unsplash. Everyone has probably heard from a friend, family member, or film buff on the Internet about how Die Hard is a Christmas movie-or even how it’s “the greatest Christmas movie of all time.” But there’s another action film that gets overlooked, and not only does it take place on Christmas but it also happens to be an action classic. It totally is, even if instead of Santa coming down a chimney, it has Bruce Willis shimmying through the ventilation of a Los Angeles high rise in order to save his estranged wife and her coworkers from the team of terrorists who are holding their office party hostage. Scrooged. Check out this list so you can get some good alternative Christmas viewing ideas to rent or buy. Much like Lethal Weapon, Gremlins is a film that combines the talents of two different filmmakers. 1. In Bruges . Luckily for you, there are plenty alternatives to the family-friendly fare you're likely sick of. Tim Burton's second Batman film is much wilder than his first, thanks to the two foes the caped crusader must face off against: Michelle Pfeiffer's seductive Catwoman and Danny DeVito's disgusting Penguin. You won't even see one of my favorites, 1983's A Christmas Story, only because it has become so much of a classic that it has taken over George Bailey's story as the most overplayed movie of the season. Frank must go through his redemption with … Born and raised in Texas, Collier “CJ” Jennings was introduced to geekdom at an early age by his father, who showed him Ultraman and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In fact, most of those movies … Right before Christmas, Suzanne's world is turned upside-down when her husband Jeff dies unexpectedly. Hidden presents: 10 Christmas movies you might not have seen From violent heist films to lo-fi indies, there’s no need to rely on It’s A Wonderful Life to get you in the festive mood . Both films were rated PG, but due to the level of violence and imagery parents raised a fuss. Esquire participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Gremlins, the 1984 comedy-horror executive produced by Steven Spielberg, may have all the hallmarks of a conventional Christmas movie … Billy Bob Thornton stars as petty thief Willie T. Soke, who celebrates the holiday season each year by posing as a department store Santa and robbing malls after closing time. It's a movie that takes place during the Christmas season, but doesn't necessarily cater to the THEMES of Christmas. On his thirteenth birthday, he received a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 and dove head first into the realm of pop culture, never looking back. They truly become a family at that moment, and it makes my eyes well up with tears every time I see that transformation. They may not be all warm and cuddly movies, but they are all fun, some in very weird, … manages to filter that through a superheroic prism. Contributing Writer. But all of the crazy shenanigans in this film takes place at Christmastime, which gives the whole thing an even more surreal vibe. RELATED: 10 Most Magical Christmas Fantasy Movies… So without further ado, here are the best Christmas movies you probably don’t associate with it. Krampus arrives to terrorize a local neighborhood when Max Engel (Emjay Anthony) loses his holiday spirit after his extended family comes to visit. Our stance? There are plenty of other movies that put a spin on the Christmas season, including Batman Returns and Bad Santa, but these are just a few of my favorites. Lethal Weapon is the definitive example of the “buddy cop” genre, as the chemistry between Glover and Gibson was a high point of the film. Tyler Coates is the Senior Culture Editor at Esquire.com. (Plus, he's an alcoholic sex-addict.) After a bizarre Christmas incident in his childhood, Harry becomes obsessed with the holiday. Max’s Uncle Howard (David Koechner) is a gun-loving, Hummer-driving man with rather conservative values who clashes with Max’s well-to-do father Tom (Adam Scott) and perfectionist mother Sarah (Toni Collette). With that in mind, here are five unorthodox Christmas movies that you can add to your watch list to spice up your holiday movie marathons. You guys started this, I’m here to finish it. 9. Everyone except Ray (Colin Farrell), who deems it a “shithole” on arrival. All Is Bright: Another appealingly bleak Christmas buddy movie joins the canon this year, with Paul Giamatti starring as a recent parolee who travels from Quebec to Manhattan to sell Christmas trees with best friend Paul Rudd, who’s engaged to Giamatti’s ex. Or an animated TV special (Rudolph or The Grinch). 9 Un-Orthodox Christmas Movies To Liven Up Your Holiday. The movie ends with Riggs spending Christmas with Murtaugh and his family, and in perhaps one of the most strangely heartwarming moments in film history, Riggs gifts Murtaugh with a bullet that he intended to commit suicide with. Merry Christmas! Christmas movies span every genre, from horror comedy to romantic comedy, and we’ve made a list that reflects that genre diversity. All of them are great classic movies with stories that are either centered around christmas or just have the true spirit of christmas. Jessica Grose, the editor of the email … Gremlins is also a significant footnote in film history because it, along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, led to the PG-13 rating. Plus a bunch of amazing guests!We’re joined by New York Times reporter Marc Tracy, who tells us about the tradition of Jews eating Chinese food on Christmas, and the Jewish songwriters behind some of the most well-known Christmas songs. And much like Krampus, it is a horror-tinged Christmas film with a rather dark streak of humor, as the Mogwai torment and outright murder people after spawning. Black would later apply his signature style to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he co-wrote and directed Iron Man 3. Unorthodox (littéralement « non orthodoxe ») est une mini-série dramatique allemande en quatre épisodes de 55 minutes créée par Anna Winger (en) et Alexa Karolinski (en) et diffusée le 26 mars 2020 sur Netflix.Il s’agit de l'adaptation de l'autobiographie Unorthodox : Comment j'ai fait scandale en rejetant mes origines hassidiques de Deborah Feldman (2012). Also fitting in with the Christmas theme is the final battle; not only does it take place at a Christmas festival, but Billy “gifts” his foster siblings with the powers of Shazam. Stoner Christmas Movies The Night Before ⭐ Summary: On Christmas Eve, three lifelong friends spend the night in New York City looking for the Holy Grail of Christmas parties. Krampus is unique in that it shines a light on the dysfunction that often happens when families get together for the holidays. Unorthodox Christmas Movies. Sure, there's the masked orgy. Here are 15 unconventional Christmas movies that are seasonably appropriate but deliciously askew. But Iron Man 3 is decidedly a Christmas movie, which features an old Scrooge named Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) with some shrapnel in his heart. Designed by Weta Workshop (who also did visual effects for the Lord of the Rings trilogy), many of the creatures, including Krampus himself, are demonic and twisted versions of holiday iconography. Iron Man 3 may have been divisive among longtime Marvel fans, but it still is a solid addition to this list of unorthodox Christmas movies. Stark’s obsession with creating better versions of the Iron Man armor also serves as a parallel to Jacob Marley and the “chain he forged in life” as it puts a strain on his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). For his sophomore effort, he took a rather twisted approach to the Christmas movie by introducing “the shadow of Saint Nicholas,” Krampus. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Plenty of Christmas films have delivered the message that family can be the greatest gift of all, and Shazam! But it also shares a few similarities with another Christmas tale: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Loungewear Is the Undisputed Winner of 2020, The 20 Best Books For These Long Winter Nights, The Coolest Tech and Gadgets of 2021 (So Far), A Cable Knit Sweater Is Your Winter Style Staple, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Here's another slasher film, but with a twist: You actually know the killer's identity from the beginning, and you get to follow along as he makes his murderous spree while dressed up as Santa Claus. Speaking of office Christmas parties, all hell breaks lose at this one, mostly because a company run by a brother-sister duo of T.J. Miller and Jennifer Aniston (what a pair!) We've rounded up 25 unconventional, alternative Christmas movies. He currently resides in Seattle. Mike Dougherty made his directorial debut with the wickedly clever and entertaining Trick ‘R Treat. Lewis Jackson Christmas Evil is one of the most underrated and beloved Christmas horror films of all time. But he doesn't expect that the high tension of the holidays—and this bitter husband and wife pair—will result in a grating and hostile hostage situation. 16. Watching Christmas movies, whether consciously or just out of the traditional habit of the season, is inevitable during the most wonderful time of the year. The pope of trash himself, filmmaker John Waters, describes it as “the greatest Christmas movie ever made”. Todd Haynes's adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt sees a searing attraction between Cate Blanchett's alluring title character and the lonely shopgirl Therese (Rooney Mara) when the duo meet while the former shops for Christmas gifts. This leads me to the high point of Krampus: the various creatures that the Engel family does battle with. This week we’re celebrating Christmas the only way we know how: Chinese food and a movie. So you want to watch a Christmas movie. Feeling more naughty than nice this Christmas season? is not only one of the best DC Films (in this writer’s humble opinion), but it also happens to be an amazing Christmas film as well. Previous. Perhaps the most demented scene in the film features a theater full of Mogwai watching Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and singing along to “Hi Ho, Hi Ho.” That scene, along with the malevolent Stripe, haunted my nightmares for years. From classics such as Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas and It’s A Wonderful Life to more modern fare including Elf and Last Christmas, everyone has a favorite Christmas movie they put on around this time of year. From killer gingerbread men to Der Klown—the serpentine jack-in-the-box with a seemingly bottomless stomach—these monsters will make you look twice at your Christmas tree. So how does one define "unorthodox Christmas?" "The Unorthodox Shepherd" is the Christmas episode of Joe 90 that debuted on ATV on December 22, 1968. The film deals with Billy Batson (Asher Angel) as he struggles to fit in with his new foster family, especially when the wizard Shazam (Djimon Honsou) grants him magical powers. Maybe Love Actually or A Christmas Story, for the one-millionth time? These monsters are a clear example of Dougherty never losing sight of his horror roots. Or you could do something completely different, like pick a movie that's set at Christmas but doesn't boast all of the holiday cheer, the fun, the perky and saccharine sentiment. Facebook; Twitter; Google Plus ; Pinterest; LinkedIn; Gremlins by Luke Hinton. The Top 100 Christmas movies of all-time by Eric-Scissorhands | created - 12 Mar 2011 | updated - 1 month ago | Public Every Year around the holidays, i dust off my VHS Tapes & DVDs and watch some of these flicks to help get into the "Spirit of the Holiday Season." Deliciously demented, wonderfully mean-spirited, and perfectly depressing, Silent Night, Deadly Night is the perfect Christmas movie for those who dread the feelings dredged up by the most wonderful time of the year. Be careful of your bitter Christmas spirit—or else you'll be terrorized by the physical embodiment of the bitter Christmas spirit in Krampus, the mythical horned creature of folklore who, in this comic-tinged thriller, pays a visit to a dysfunctional family over the holidays with the intention of killing them all one by one. This particular duo being Joe Dante (Small Soldiers) and Chris Columbus (Home Alone). However, this year I wanted to take a look at some of the more unorthodox Christmas movies out there. That scene is a clear example of how far their relationship has come, and proof that a large part of Christmas is spending time with the people you love—even if they aren’t related to you. He tells us how he went from being a music journalist to the second full-time employee at Def Jam in the 1980s; how "Christmas in Hollis," ended up on the soundtrack of films like Die Hard, and how his distaste … by Devin Meenan. These movies will fit your spirit. 3 weeks ago. All of that's set against a Christmas backdrop, which brings a yuletide moodiness to Gotham. Whit Stilman's debut film is an ensemble comedy of manners, which follows a group of wealthy (and neurotic) Upper East Siders who meet up, party, and debate each other during debutante season around the holidays. Anna (Ella Hunt) sings and fights zombies at Christmastime in Anna and the Apocalypse. Everyone wants to be in Bruges at Christmas. Yeah, we didn’t list The Star Wars Holiday Special in this list of most left-field Christmas movies. Luckily for you, there are plenty alternatives to the family-friendly fare you're likely sick of. In fact, Christmas wouldn't feel like Christmas without watching movies like Miracle On 34th Street, It's A Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Story. From slasher films to action flicks, here are the top 5 unorthodox Christmas movies. And real-life couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in their final pairing (in Stanley Kubrick's final film!). 2. 19. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas. I'm gonna go through a whole lot of crappy made for tv xmas flicks as well to bring you the ones actually worth … The Christmas season is upon us, and even though the COVID-19 pandemic has changed a great many traditions, one that hasn’t changed is the Christmas movies and specials everyone tends to watch. This dark comedy stars Denis Leary as a thief who takes a bickering couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) hostage after a bungled burglary. But watching the same reruns of Rudolph, Frosty, Scrooge, and Charlie Brown can get tedious and boring after a decade or two. couldn't possibly fall into absolute chaos. Here are 15 unconventional Christmas movies that are seasonably appropriate but deliciously askew. Written Content is Copyright © 2020 But Why Tho? And the intricately detailed West Village set built on a London studio lot. No Comments. His hobbies include: writing screenplays and essays, watching movies and television, card games/RPG’s, and cooking. But he learns the hard way what happens when you break the rules of the mogwai—don't get it wet, don't feed it after midnight—when it reproduces and creates a community of gremlins that wreak havoc on their sleepy little town. 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