Recommend Some Slightly Obscure Christmas Movies

gerardk55 · 20-11-2014 1:15am #1

Hi All,

Long story short, doing a massive amount of air travel lately and have the big trip home (~24hrs) coming up in December. Through a mixture of already seeing most of the inflight movies and trying to save some new material for later in December I've started watching my own stuff.

With the season that's nearly upon us I'd like to get into the festive spirit but not too much, so I'm looking for some decent films to watch with some obscure connection to Christmas. Or stuff that's based at Christmas but not the central theme of the movie.

On my last flight I watched LA Confidential, initial scenes start at Christmas so I always think of it as a Christmas film. I'm thinking either Lethal Weapon or Die Hard for the next trip.

Any other suggestions?

Bipolar Joe · 20-11-2014 1:59am

Expendables. Statham's character is called Christmas :pac: :pac: .

Screwed, starring Norm McDonald, is also set around Christmas. I want to say Funny Games was set during Christmas? The Ref, with Kevin Spacey.

Almost forgot Stallone's Cobra!

gerardk55 · 20-11-2014 2:20am

Cheers Bipolar Joe, not sure I could handle the Expendables a second time around though!

Nerdkiller1991 · 20-11-2014 6:20am

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

Expendables. Statham's character is called Christmas :pac: :pac: .

Screwed, starring Norm McDonald, is also set around Christmas. I want to say Funny Games was set during Christmas? The Ref, with Kevin Spacey.

Almost forgot Stallone's Cobra!

Might I also recommend The World is Not Enough? That also has a character named Christmas in it.

Firewalkwithme · 20-11-2014 7:02am

Not really obscure but I think it could forgotten that Trading Places was set in and around Christmas time.

And you get to see Jamie Lee Curtis's tits!

20-11-2014 7:20am

Black Christmas...the 74 original. Not much ho ho ho in it! A classic horror that works any time of year. Just better on Christmas Night.

Gremlins.

whomitconcerns · 20-11-2014 7:32am

Die hard, all the way

gerardk55 · 20-11-2014 7:59am

Trading Places, classic! "They're a musical people."

Looks like I have The Ref, Trading Places and Die Hard for the next few flights.

Ghostbusters might make the cut too.

Cheers all.

unjedilike · 20-11-2014 8:12am

Home Alone

unjedilike · 20-11-2014 8:15am

Rocky IV
In Bruges
Santa Claus : The Movie

the whole year inn · 20-11-2014 9:03am

unjedilike wrote: »

Rocky IV
In Bruges
Santa Claus : The Movie

Dumb and dumber (Lloyd Christmas)
Elf
Grinch (jim Carrey version)
Scrooged (bill Murray)
Bad Santa

whomitconcerns · 20-11-2014 9:23am

Dozen Wicked Words · 20-11-2014 9:25am

Trapped in Paradise is very Christmasy. Nicholas Cage et al. It would actually be family friendly save for a few swear words. Not the greatest film by any means but festive and feel good.

Might be too on the nose Christmasy got what you're after though.

PirateShampoo · 20-11-2014 9:26am

Gremlins.

darkdubh · 20-11-2014 9:38am

Great show this.

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

Mizu_Ger · 20-11-2014 9:45am

The French Connection has Gene Hackman in a Santa suit!

Rare Exports is a great film too.

gerardk55 · 20-11-2014 10:09am

In Bruges makes the cut. Great suggestion. Gremlins, if I can find it.

Sorry but The Grinch, Home Alone The Santa Claus are full blown Christmas movies IMO. Maybe for the flight home on the 18th of Dec, but not between here and then.

Thanks for all the suggestions, have the next 4 flights sorted!

unjedilike · 20-11-2014 10:44am

shazzerman · 20-11-2014 11:54am

Eyes Wide Shut
Psycho (the events happen in the lead up to Christmas, although I don't think there is any indication of this - except for the opening "December 11" caption - so it may not count).

20-11-2014 12:32pm

Alf xmas special not to be missed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeGxL0auiP8

thegreatiam · 20-11-2014 12:40pm

lol, rare exports and trapped in paradise are my go to Christmas movies. (after star wars and Indiana jones)

glad to see I'm not the only one who watches them.

2ndcoming · 20-11-2014 2:05pm

A Christmas Story is considered an out-and-out Christmas classic in the States but for some reason has always gone under the radar here. It's well worth a watch if you've never seen it. It's old fashioned, festive and pretty funny.

Gremlins, Die Hard and Home Alone have to be the three least obscure Christmas movies ever made!! All great of course though.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation has its moments.

Nerdkiller1991 · 20-11-2014 5:23pm

Santa's Slay, with Bill Goldberg as Santa.

Oh. And since someone else mentioned Santa Claus vs. The Devil, perhaps I should show you Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. The movie's public domain, so it's okay for you to watch the whole movie on YouTube.

But I think you'd be better off if you saw this version.

Mesrine65 · 20-11-2014 5:47pm

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

e_e · 21-11-2014 1:06am

Tokyo Godfathers

wp_rathead · 21-11-2014 1:28am

Most been mentioned:
Nightmare Before Xmas
Muppet Christmas Carol
Die Hard
Gremlins
Home Alone I & II

NIMAN · 21-11-2014 1:35am

The Shining (set over a winter)

and

Stairway to Heaven with David Niven

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 21-11-2014 3:05am

Just Friends is pretty funny and set at Christmas time but not about Christmas.

Bipolar Joe · 21-11-2014 4:07am

Lads, it shouldn't have to be said, but if it has "Christmas" in the title, it's not a particularly tenuous link to the holiday, which is the idea of the thread.

Good call on "Go" though.

Nerdkiller1991 · 21-11-2014 4:13am

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

Lads, it shouldn't have to be said, but if it has "Christmas" in the title, it's not a particularly tenuous link to the holiday, which is the idea of the thread.

Good call on "Go" though.

I read that as Obscure Christmas movies and wondered why the hell are people posting popular ones. But whatever. We all have to diverge as a species.

gerardk55 · 21-11-2014 4:16am

Thanks for getting us back on track Bipolar Joe.

Just did some research on Go and can't remember seeing it ever, so that's just shot to the top of the list.

wp_rathead · 21-11-2014 1:07pm

Polar Express is fun

JohnFalstaff · 21-11-2014 2:15pm

There is a relatively recent movie called All is Bright which fits the bill. It flew under the radar but I enjoyed it and it definitely has a Christmassy feel to it.
It stars Paul Rudd and the always watchable Paul Giamatti as a pair of ex-con Christmas tree salesmen.

Tipsy McSwagger · 21-11-2014 2:35pm

wprathead wrote: »

Polar Express is fun

and not in the slightest bit an obscure Christmas movie.

podgemonster · 21-11-2014 3:33pm

Black Christmas (The Original)

DvB · 21-11-2014 6:02pm

The family man, with Nicholas Cage & Teá Leoni starts out at Christmas, not a life changing film by any means but I like it for some reason.

Squeedily Spooch · 22-11-2014 3:09am

Wouldn't call it obscure but Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is set at Christmas and even though it's fantastic most people I know have never seen it. Watch it immediately it's hilarious.

Shane Black does have a thing for setting his films at Christmas though, Iron Man 3, Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight...

jh79 · 22-11-2014 9:50am

Silent Night Deadly Night & Don't Open till Christmas for some festive horror.

unjedilike · 22-11-2014 9:56am

The Empire Strikes Back was set around Christmas time.

unjedilike · 22-11-2014 9:59am

Actually all Star Wars and Superman films should be included as they were always only ever on tv around Christmas.

EireMaverick · 22-11-2014 10:18am

Check out these...

The Ice Harvest (2005) and Mixed Nuts (1994) very unheard of and underated xmassy movies

mick121 · 22-11-2014 10:40am

bad santa gets my vote

Fysh · 22-11-2014 4:16pm

Brazil is both a fantastic film that should be watched at any opportunity and set around Christmas without being in any way Christmassy. It sits alongside In Bruges, Die Hard and Gremlins as part of my Daycent Christmas Films Lineup.

Alfred Borden · 22-11-2014 5:19pm

Batman Returns

quickbeam · 22-11-2014 8:14pm

While You Were Sleeping is set around Christmas and is one of the few actually romantic and funny romantic comedies of the past few decades.

Joyeux Noel is a WW1 film set around the first Christmas truce between Britain (actually Scotland), France and Germany. Very moving film.

OldeCinemaSoz · 29-11-2014 12:52am

Nothing obscure about my picks lads. Just to say that not a year goes by
in the past few ones that SOME LIKES IT HOT is not viewed by POUR MOI.

Whit always gets a JAWS viewing and Christmas always gets a SOME LIKE IT HOT
viewing. Just my TUPPENCE WORTH.

Nerdlingr · 01-12-2014 3:47pm

About a boy
Crash
Just Friends
The Lady and the Tramp

NyOmnishambles · 01-12-2014 5:02pm

NIMAN wrote: »

Stairway to Heaven with David Niven

That is a great movie but I have always know it as A Matter of Life and Death and that is what the dvd I have of it is called, in case the OP is looking for it and can't find it
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038733/?ref_=nm_knf_i4

As for something different at Christmas, I randomly saw this in the cinema several years in december and it is based on a family trip at Christmas
Dead End isn't a bad little movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308152/?ref_=nv_sr_1

01-12-2014 10:47pm

Weirdsville is one that fits the bill, I revisit it every year around Christmas and adore everything about it. It's one of the more out there and fun tales of heroin addicts, Satan worshipers and sheer utter madness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmqcIppOlw8

cherryghost · 22-12-2014 4:38pm

Joyeux Noel

SuperGrover · 22-12-2014 5:41pm

The Hudsucker Proxy

I was nearly going to not post that because I'm not sure it qualifies as 'Christmas', even though to me it is.

Then I googled 'is the hudsucker proxy a christmas film?'

And this came up...

http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2011/12/04/hudsucker-proxy-chri/#.VJhI7cneA

So, yeah, The Hudsucker Proxy

Recommend Some Slightly Obscure Christmas Movies

Comments

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" - Charles Dickens