I opened my Die Hard review with an apology to Bruce Willis for my unwavering belief that the film itself is a Christmas movie. That time comes once again. If Bruce didn’t think Die Hard was a holiday flick, then I can’t imagine he’d think any differently about 1990’s Die Hard 2. However, just like the original, we find our setting taking place during the holiday season, complete with decorations, music, and a snow storm. The movie even wraps up just as the first did, with “Let It Snow” playing over the credits. I’m sorry, Bruce, but this is another holiday action-thriller, and that’s all there is to it.
Author Archives: Graylan Davis
Die Hard (1988)
All apologies to Bruce Willis for what I’m about to write. Despite his firm stance on the matter, I can’t help but classify Die Hard as a Christmas movie. It takes place at a company holiday party, features festive music, and has Bruce Willis himself whistling “Jingle Bells” in the opening act. The end credits roll to “Let it Snow”, bookending the film in festive music. That checks all the boxes I need to justify putting on this classic action-thriller during the season.
A Christmas Story (1983)
It’s the holiday break in the 90’s. Your family turns on the TV in the evening, and change the channel to TNT. There’s now a 50 / 50 chance you’re watching A Christmas Story. On the off chance it isn’t on, a commercial is. This was tradition at the time. It became a part of the cacophony of festive background sounds. The movie was just as much a part of the holiday as a decorated tree, or vibrant colored lights being strewn across the house.
Black Christmas (1974)
If you were tuned into TNT on television during the holiday seasons of the 1990’s, there was a significant chance that A Christmas Story was playing. Bob Clark’s holiday classic showcased the exploits of a young boy, his comedic family, a passionate pursuit for a “Red Ryder” air rifle, and an iconic leg lamp that was sure to put a smile on any father’s face. If Bob Clark was good at anything, it was catching the spirit of the season. And if there was anything else he was good at, it was turning it upside down to make it feel cold, isolating, and foreboding. Nearly a full decade before Bob Clark would showcase a charming winter vacation, he would terrorize a sorority of young women in his holiday horror hit, Black Christmas.