DECEMBER 29TH, 2018
By JOHN LILIES & LANA CARBON
[John] This year for our "12 Movies for the 12 Days of Christmas" experience, we decided to go with movies that people consider Christmas movies but aren't truly Christmas movies.
After reaching out to our readers for some ideas, we came up with quite a number of movies to choose from (some of the suggestions were already on our list from what we'd decided prior to reaching out) and settled in for some Christmas-but-not-really-Christmas-movie-watching.
As most of you know by now, we don't actually watch these over the real 12 Days of Christmas, so we did all of these over the few weeks from December First to Christmas Day (and I have to say - 12 movies over a few weeks is so much more manageable than 31!).
Without further delay, our 2018 list…
1. Die Hard, 1988
[John] I hadn't watched this in so long I'd pretty much forgotten everything about it. Other than people calling it a Christmas movie, that is. I can't say it's my favourite movie but I do enjoy me a good action flick and this one is definitely enjoyable, as so many of you know.
[Lana] We had to start off with the quintessential non-Christmas Christmas movie (mostly to get the expected out of the way early). I know that John McClane is one incredibly tough sonovagun but I still wince every time he walks barefoot across that glass. Yippee-ki-yay!
2. Gremlins, 1984
[John] I never really considered this one a Christmas movie though I always remembered it taking place over Christmas. Gosh, I hadn't watched this in so long it was a lot of fun to see it again. It made me remember when it came out and how all the marketing had Gizmo everywhere and on everything. Well, Gizmo and Stripe, to be fair. I think it might have been Cracker Jack popcorn (or Pink Elephant?) that had Gizmo on the box for a while when the movie was released. Actually, I think there was a Gizmo box and a Stripe box. Everything at that time was all about the Gremlins. There are not many marketing strategies that burned themselves into my brain the way Gremlins did.
[Lana] This brought back so many fond memories of my youth. To this day, cheesy special effects aside, this is still one of my favourite fantasy/sci-fi movies of all time… right up there with Ghostbusters. Just make sure you always keep the three rules in mind while watching.
3. Trading Places, 1983
[John] Way too Christmassy to be on this list!! (Kidding) This was my first time ever seeing Trading Places. I must admit I was surprised and saddened by seeing Dan Akroyd in blackface (I know, different times and different storytelling) but otherwise this was a decent movie (though I wanted to un-see certain things). I don't know that I need to watch it again.
[Lana] There is nothing quite like seeing a disgruntled, down-on-his-luck Dan Akroyd proudly bite into a whole fish which he had hidden in his Santa suit, through his dirty, stringy beard. The movie does certainly showcase how times have changed since the 1980's.
4. Lethal Weapon, 1987
[John] I'm not sure that I ever actually saw this movie before, but I certainly would never have related it to Christmas. I'm not a huge Mel Gibson fan but I did enjoy this one.
[Lana] The first and best of the Lethal Weapon films, this was back when Mel was cool. This was one of my favourite buddy cop movies for a long time. Christmas was pretty inconsequential in this one.
5. The Ref, 1994
[John] I didn't know what to expect but it was actually kind of funny. Denis Leary & Kevin Spacey together... who knew? I do have to say that it was a little weird watching Kevin Spacey since all that has recently happened with him. Not sure I'd watch this one again but it wasn't bad.
[Lana] This was one of the more Christmas-oriented of our holiday adjacent movies, since a little more of the actual festivities were on display. The bickering parents even reminded me of some of the Christmas Eves of my childhood… to an exaggerated level of course. Ahh… good times.
6. You've Got Mail, 1998
[John] I'd never watched this - I think I maybe saw some scenes here and there over the years but definitely not the whole movie - and it turns out that it's quite a sweet movie. Christmas shows up for a moment... so... holiday adjacent it is! Not a bad movie for when you need a cozy moment under the blankets with a cup of hot chocolate or some really good tea.
[Lana] If you liked Sleepless in Seattle, you will probably enjoy this. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have wonderful chemistry and make a great couple in romantic comedies.
7. Edward Scissorhands, 1990
[John] This is only the second movie so far in the list that is not really new to me. This is a beloved one, though it is the first time I've looked at it with a Christmas lens. I think it certainly fits as holiday adjacent and it was really nice to watch this again.
[Lana] I must admit, I am a bit of a sucker for anything by Tim Burton. I love how the story about the snow ties the Christmas aspect into this wonderful film.
8. Pottersville, 2017
[John] We have loved this movie since the first time we watched it (earlier this year?). I think this one might be slightly more Christmassy than a true holiday adjacent movie but perhaps still not Christmassy enough to be an actual Christmas movie.
[Lana] With a name like Pottersville, that was to be expected I suppose, but we had to push the envelope somewhere. Michael Shannon stands out as a lovable store owner who would do anything for his fellow townsfolk. Seeing Ron Perlman as a “furry”, on its own makes this movie worth watching.
9. Just Friends, 2005
[John] So, this is where I remind people that I have no sense of humour (Lana disagrees but really, there isn't much comedy that I actually find funny). This had some fun elements but it lost my attention fairly early in. I can, however, see the holiday adjacent aspect. No need for me to see this one ever again.
[Lana] Allow me to clarify something. Immature humour (farts, gross-out, some slapstick, and unnecessary vulgarity) is the type of humour John doesn’t find funny. She certainly understands and laughs at more conventional comedy. This movie, however, appeals to the teenage boy inside us all.
[John] Ah, that’s it! I don’t have a teenage boy aspect to me! All good now… I can begin looking for funny things again.
10. The Long Kiss Goodnight, 1996
[John] This was my first time seeing this and I loved it. It wasn't super Christmassy but I get the holiday adjacent aspect. I loved the mess-ups they didn't edit out and the obvious green screen moments. Fantastic.
[Lana] It was almost as much fun to watch John enjoying this movie as it was to watch the film itself. Luckily, I had seen it before and remembered it quite well. That meant I was able to enjoy John's edge-of-her-seat, nail-biting reactions. For that reason alone, I may cherish this experience more than any of the other 12 movies this year.
[John] Yeah, I didn’t realize I was so into it until I shifted my position and realized I was literally on the edge of the seat, leaning towards the screen. Ha! I guess it held my attention.
11. Rent, 2005
[John] Neither of us had watched this before and we are so happy we finally got to it. It was not really Christmassy but I do see why it would be considered holiday adjacent. I had wanted to see this for so many years and it lived up to its reputation. I also loved seeing Jesse L. Martin in this role. I was familiar with his TV work from his Law & Order days, though I don't think Lana had seen him back in those days. I had completely forgotten he was in Rent.
[Lana] I didn’t really watch Law & Order but I do watch the current run of The Flash. I knew Jesse L. Martin could sing a little, from that show, but I was super impressed with him in Rent. I loved the fact we were able to add a musical to our list this year.
12. Batman Returns, 1992
[John] This is another one that I think I saw parts of before but never saw the whole thing. I liked it and enjoyed the ending reference to Christmas. I love pretty much anything with Michael Keaton. This was a nice one to finish off our 12 , for yet one more year.
[Lana] Another Tim Burton entry made even better by the fact that it is also a Batman movie. Nothing says Christmas like a penguin carrying a rocket launcher on its back.
[John] So true. That really was the most loving moment in this tale… heh.
[John] Have you watched any of these movies? Do you plan to? If you have or when you do, please let us know your thoughts - we would love to hear from you. Any chance you will sit down and do all 12?
Thanks for riding along with us again on this one. We hope you have all been enjoying the holiday season, regardless of what you do or don't celebrate. And if it's been a tough time of year for you, that's okay and we hope you find your peace and calm in the quiet moments. It’s okay to not be okay, even if everyone around you is singing and having a good time. You do what you need to do for you.
Hugs to all and may the new year bring you some happy.
