I show myself as a hard-hearted (though more modern and handsome than average) Scrooge: a denier of the holiday spirit. Due to a combination of unresolved fear and a dislike of other people’s joy – I no longer see this as a personality defect but as God’s plan – the holidays are my most hated time of the year. Still, I wouldn’t miss a cuddly Christmas show You have mail if the situation was bad enough.
Don’t hate the holiday movie, hate the holiday, as the saying goes. Still, I have my limits. I wouldn’t mind never seeing it Eleven again (although part of me always wants to know what tasted like chocolate syrup spaghetti), and while I recognize sentimental classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas
To get myself in the mood, I prefer to occupy myself with something more subtle and emotionally complex than a stamp cardlike Batman: Arkham Origins. It may be unconventional, but it’s also my fondness for holiday movies. Though many people are drawn to old sugary favorites (or recently Die Hard), there are many unusual ones holiday movies too Love. Here are five I would recommend to gamers, or really anyone tired of their holiday routine.
JackFrost (1998)
Just to be clear, the fact that I recommend a film doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “good”. At least not in the traditional sense.
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A typical example is JackFrost, a film in which Michael Keaton turns into a snowman. This isn’t a “good” movie, but it will test your grasp on reality, especially if you decide to get under the influence of eggnog this holiday. The plot is simple enough: Keaton transforms into a snowman, learns to finally bond with his son despite now being made of snow, and must face the reality of melting. Its core values would mark it as a more typical upbeat holiday movie if its plot hadn’t resulted in Michael Keaton turning into a button-eyed snowdrift, making it a fun group watch instead. It can even be heartfelt when used Fleetwood Mac’s song “Landslide” it really hits you in the end after eating all that eggnog.
When I read this movie to remember the plot before writing about it, I was surprised to find that it’s not a horror movie as it scared me to death as a kid. But I’m happy to report about it There actually is a slasher movie with the same name and a very similar (snowman) premise from 1997, if that’s more your speed. I don’t know if it uses “Landslide” though.
For fans of: Stuttering itch.io games, out of body experiences, high in life, Untitled goose game, Goat Simulator
More if you like: gremlins (1984), The Gingerbread Man (2005), Krampus (2015)
You better watch out (2016)
You better watch out, however, is a holiday horror through and through. Much like my life, it features a protagonist named Ashley. Unlike my life You better watch out‘s Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) is tasked with babysitting Luke (Levi Miller), a 12-year-old who turns out to be evil in more than the usual middle school.
But the baby’s deadly antics are punctuated by heaps of Christmassy absurdity — people tied up in fairy lights, Christmas sweaters warming the film’s spoiled children, garlands on stairways that make the sparkling, quiet suburbia look grotesque amidst Luke’s bad behavior . It’s a little Home alone and a bit Screamrefreshing and fun.
For fans of: survival horror, horror comedy games, Blair witch, Lollipop Chainsaw
More if you like: Black Christmas (1974), Silent night, dead night (1984)
invasion of the USA (1985)
invasion of the USA does the 80’s action movie thing, that predator, Blue Thunder, First blood thing and makes its three crucial elements a) the US government is great and tough, b) American men are great and tough, c) explosions.
Unfortunately different Predator Blue Thunder, and First blood, invasion of the USA doesn’t try to draw you into the plot at all. The story is stereotypical, Chuck Norris must single-handedly stop the Soviets and the terrorists, a school bus explodes, etc. It was panned when it came out – Roger Ebert amusingly called it a “brain-damaged, idiotic thriller”. his 1985 review. But ever since, either to find solace in careless, simple politics, or the undeniable glamor of a good explosion, there are many of them in this movie invasion of the USA has morphed into a cult classic, surely accompanied through the story by Chuck Norris with a big gun. Yes, it’s brain dead. But, as we discussed, you have eggnog.
For fans of: shooters, entertaining military propaganda, call of Duty, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
More if you like: Die Hard (1988) (duh), The long goodnight kiss (1996), Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
When Harry met Sally (1989)
Despite all my talk of being cold and indifferent to the holidays, When Harry met Sally is my absolute favorite holiday movie. The heart of the Grinch is beating tooYou know.
And who am I to deny a film as perfect, chaotic and human as this? It takes Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) a decade, from college in Chicago to adulthood in New York City, to discover the truth about whether men and women can be “just friends.” Maybe not in their case, but they certainly can love hard and long, in bookstores and on the Upper West Side and under the white lights at a New Year’s Eve party. This one is for stubborn, sensitive people.
For fans of: visual novelspiece of life, dating sims, harvest moon, Florence
More if you like: Meet me in St Louis (1944), The holidays (2006), brothers (2022)
The Green Knight (2021)
In a rare turn of events for a medieval film, The Green Knight is very faithful to its source material, the anonymous Arthurian legend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Because of this, it can prove to be an abstruse watch if you’re unfamiliar with history, and while I can barely add and subtract, for the first time in my life I was grateful that I learned to read Middle English in college.
But while familiarity helps, it doesn’t take a formal education to see Dev Patel breathe new life into the centuries-old epic as Sir Gawain, a Knight of the Round Table whose hubris threatens to contaminate what he wants more than anything – Honor.
From Christmas to Christmas, Gawain wanders the green fairy world where spirits, a fox and temptations lure and confuse him on his way to becoming the Green Knight, an enchanted man who will fulfill his destiny, or possibly just his death. It’s a cerebral dark fantasy, a reason to think about Christmas. long and bloody history and how you fit in.
For fans of: role-playing games, medieval games, Elder Ring, Dragon Age: Inquisition
More if you like: The lion in winter (1968), dragon slayer (1981) (does not occur over the holidays, but at least affects virgins)
Whatever and however you celebrate, I hope these recommendations will serve you well. Make yourself comfortable, get some gingerbread and let these holiday movies take you to a new place this year.
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