I had been debating getting into Discworld forever and someone here recommended checking out the Hogfather movie as it was up on Youtube anyway, so I checked it out. Without having any context, I still really enjoyed it and the style of humor. Felt like a fun take on Nightmare Before Christmas, but perhaps even weirder.
A few months later I read Guards, Guards and loved that. Had to do some longer road trips this fall so I listened to audiobooks of Mort and Equal Rites and loved those, so at that point I decided I mat as well start from the beginning and just today started Witches Abroad. I've been hooked!
I didn't know there was a hogfather movie . Thank you - I'm so excited to watch it now. I'm even going to wait for my daughter who's visiting over Xmas as she and I read a lot of the TP books together.
Bear in mind this is late 2000s British satellite TV movie, but Pterry was involved and satisfied enough to let them do two more adaptations, and it has a strong cast.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: Shane Black in high form writing Christmas comedy/action/noir. Pre-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer absolutely crushing it. All around great movie.
Santa Claus: The Movie: Santa gets the Superman: The Movie treatment. Possibly made inside of a bag of cocaine. John Lithgow devouring large sections of scenery.
The Lion in Winter: Set during Christmas. Basically a Shakespearean drama/comedy, but written in modern English. Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Timothy Dalton, and Anthony Hopkins in his first film role, just an incredibly talented cast working with an amazing script. Bunch of royals all plotting and scheming each others' downfall during a big Christmas get-together. Strong contender for my favorite movie of all time.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an underappreciated gem. It's minimally christmassy, but its a perfect distillation of Shane Black's style of buddy cop story telling and humor. Almost a reflection on how everyone else directed his screenplays.
It may seem like I’m playing two sides here, but I’m of the opinion that Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie, but Die Hard 2 is just a movie that takes place at Christmas.
The OG gives Christmas vibes, has lots of musical cues and small choices that play into that. I’m just not feeling it with the sequel.
Christmas is a central and recurring theme throughout Die Hard 1. From events happening at a Christmas party, to minimal staffing due to the holidays, to McClane's presence in the city at all, to "Now I have a machine gun Ho-ho-ho"
Anna and the Apocalypse has become one of my family's traditions. Coming-of-age teen comedy set in the days before Christmas break, but also a zombie horror movie, and also a musical.
Kind of low-budget and some of the cast is shaky, but it's incredibly ambitious and very fun.
Brazil
Blast of Silence
Batman Returns
(all B's, weird)
Brazil you wouldn't think is a christmas movie but it is and it's easily my favourite Terry Gilliam movies.
Blast of Silence is an old movie but it's a unique one about a lonely hitman whose returned to New York City for christmas and how the city itself as kinda left him behind.
Batman Returns IS a christmas movie and easily my favourite Batman flick. watch it every year.
Batman Returns isn't just a Christmas movie, it's a Batman spin on A Christmas Carol. Penguin represents Bruce's past, Catwoman his present, and Schreck his future.
Holiday Mismatch came out on Hallmark last year and was pretty good for a Hallmark movie. Reuniting the actresses from Sabrina the Teenage witch was the main draw for me.
Not sure on everyone’s definition of big, but lesser known and not obviously Christmas themed would include:
These are relatively popular but a bit untypical: The Holdovers, The Snowman, The Family Stone, The Shop Around the Corner, Prancer, Eyes Wide Shut (nsfw), The Green Knight, Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, The End of the Tour.
This may be too big: Arthur Christmas. It was made by Aardman (Wallace and Gromit, Shawn the Sheep) but using CG instead of claymation. I honestly don't like the animation as much as their claymation, but they did a good job with it.
It's the best representation of the "Christmas spirit" in my opinion. The story is great and the character arcs bring a tear to my eye.
Went to a Christmas movie when I was a kid in the late 60's or early 70's. It was some low key film about a father living alone with his son. I don't remember hardly anything else about it but his son died at the end. I was bummed out and though that was a stupid Christmas movie. What did my parents send me to?
I thought you meant the ice storm and I was thinking it's not the kind of movie to put you in the Christmas mood! Very heavy but a good movie nonetheless. I think it's set after Thanksgiving rather than before Christmas but there are stereotypical festive parties in it.
Not sure if it counts as a movie, but I've loved Rich Little's Christmas Carol for decades. Rich Little was/is a master impersonator and he plays all the major roles in A Christmas Carol with characters that would have been well known back in the 1970s. W. C. Fields as Scrooge. Richard Nixon as Marley. Johnny Carson as Freddie. You get the idea. It was my favorite version of that story until The Muppets, and still ranks as my second favorite.
In the UK The Great Escape (1963) has become synonymous with Christmas through a mixture of nostalgia, seasonal hope and just plain repetition in the broadcast schedules:
77 Comments
Zedd00@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 35 pts · 228d
Terry Pratchett's Hogfather is my favorite Xmas movie. It's technically 2 90 minute episodes.
Red One was stupid and fun.
DreamWorks' the Grinch is actually a fun watch.
anon6789@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 227d
I had been debating getting into Discworld forever and someone here recommended checking out the Hogfather movie as it was up on Youtube anyway, so I checked it out. Without having any context, I still really enjoyed it and the style of humor. Felt like a fun take on Nightmare Before Christmas, but perhaps even weirder.
A few months later I read Guards, Guards and loved that. Had to do some longer road trips this fall so I listened to audiobooks of Mort and Equal Rites and loved those, so at that point I decided I mat as well start from the beginning and just today started Witches Abroad. I've been hooked!
CannonFodder@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 228d
I didn't know there was a hogfather movie . Thank you - I'm so excited to watch it now. I'm even going to wait for my daughter who's visiting over Xmas as she and I read a lot of the TP books together.
Pencilnoob@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 228d
As a huge fan of the books, they translate very oddly to film, so keep that in mind. Low expectations is a good thing, and you'll have a good time
ohulancutash@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 227d
Bear in mind this is late 2000s British satellite TV movie, but Pterry was involved and satisfied enough to let them do two more adaptations, and it has a strong cast.
Zedd00@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 227d
He did cameos in color of magic and Hogfather. Probably going postal too, but I can't think of where he is.
ohulancutash@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 227d
He’s the postman who delivers a message to Vetinari. Or Reacher Gilt.
renegadespork@lemmy.jelliefrontier.net · 28 pts · 227d
Maybe this isn’t that obscure, but Klaus (2019) is an excellent Christmas movie. It’s become a yearly staple since the first time we watched it.
njm1314@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 227d
Lovely film.
Zedd00@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 227d
Forgot this on my list. Absolutely fantastic.
joelfromaus@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 227d
Great movie. I watched as just something to do with zero knowledge (not seeing a trailer etc) and was blown away at how good it was.
Jackhammer_Joe@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 226d
That's one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies!
skvlp@lemmy.wtf · 22 pts · 228d
Rare Exports
StreetKid@reddthat.com · 5 pts · 228d
Nice one!
Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 227d
I was scrolling to see if anyone put this up. Great movie, I haven't seen it in some years so it is time to watch it again.
HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 19 pts · 228d
Ernest Saves Christmas
dmention7@midwest.social · 5 pts · 228d
Dang I had forgotten about the Ernest movies. I used to love them as a kid. Nice pull!
ecvanalog@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 226d
Love Ernest! There is a new comic coming out soon that’s a kinda-sorta sequel to Ernest Scared Stupid
DagwoodIII@piefed.social · 16 pts · 228d
The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Peak form Geena Davis as an amnesiac housewife who slowly remembers that she's actually a government assassin. Samuel Jackson is the comic releif.
GraniteM@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 227d
"I am on the PTA!"
"Then quit!"
DagwoodIII@piefed.social · 5 pts · 227d
So many great scenes.
klu9@piefed.social · 4 pts · 227d
Shane Black & Renny Harlin bringing the business!
It's the #FridayThrillerClub watch party movie on Mastodon tonight, starting at US Eastern 19.30.
https://eggplant.place/collection/0GucpByyRr4oSccNXROVYr
IronBird@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 227d
bad santa
superduperpirate@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 227d
Bad Santa is my favorite Christmas movie. Bad Santa 2, however, was kinda meh.
IronBird@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 227d
definitely gratuitous sequels
Steve@communick.news · 16 pts · 228d
The Holdovers (2023) is very good
GraniteM@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 227d
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: Shane Black in high form writing Christmas comedy/action/noir. Pre-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer absolutely crushing it. All around great movie.
Santa Claus: The Movie: Santa gets the Superman: The Movie treatment. Possibly made inside of a bag of cocaine. John Lithgow devouring large sections of scenery.
The Lion in Winter: Set during Christmas. Basically a Shakespearean drama/comedy, but written in modern English. Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Timothy Dalton, and Anthony Hopkins in his first film role, just an incredibly talented cast working with an amazing script. Bunch of royals all plotting and scheming each others' downfall during a big Christmas get-together. Strong contender for my favorite movie of all time.
obsoleteacct@lemmy.zip · 9 pts · 227d
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an underappreciated gem. It's minimally christmassy, but its a perfect distillation of Shane Black's style of buddy cop story telling and humor. Almost a reflection on how everyone else directed his screenplays.
I'm adding The Lion in Winter to my list. Thanks.
tuff_wizard@aussie.zone · 12 pts · 228d
Die hard 2
usernamefactory@lemmy.ca · 14 pts · 228d
It may seem like I’m playing two sides here, but I’m of the opinion that Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie, but Die Hard 2 is just a movie that takes place at Christmas.
The OG gives Christmas vibes, has lots of musical cues and small choices that play into that. I’m just not feeling it with the sequel.
Nollij@sopuli.xyz · 7 pts · 227d
Fully agreed.
Christmas is a central and recurring theme throughout Die Hard 1. From events happening at a Christmas party, to minimal staffing due to the holidays, to McClane's presence in the city at all, to "Now I have a machine gun Ho-ho-ho"
PoscoBumbleroot@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 228d
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
obsoleteacct@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 227d
Hands down the best Christmas movie that no one talks about. I love this movie.
essell@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 227d
There's a ton of versions of "a Christmas Carol" but Scrooged is absolutely worth a watch despite the age.
The ghosts are all fantastic and you can't go wrong with Bill Murray
tmyakal@infosec.pub · 7 pts · 227d
Anna and the Apocalypse has become one of my family's traditions. Coming-of-age teen comedy set in the days before Christmas break, but also a zombie horror movie, and also a musical.
Kind of low-budget and some of the cast is shaky, but it's incredibly ambitious and very fun.
WandowsVista@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 227d
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Tigeroovy@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 227d
Oh shit, I just grabbed that one from the thrift store since I haven’t seen it before, perfect timing to check it out then!
rozodru@pie.andmc.ca · 6 pts · 228d
three of my favourite go to Christmas movies:
Brazil
Blast of Silence
Batman Returns (all B's, weird)
Brazil you wouldn't think is a christmas movie but it is and it's easily my favourite Terry Gilliam movies.
Blast of Silence is an old movie but it's a unique one about a lonely hitman whose returned to New York City for christmas and how the city itself as kinda left him behind.
Batman Returns IS a christmas movie and easily my favourite Batman flick. watch it every year.
usernamefactory@lemmy.ca · 10 pts · 227d
Batman Returns isn't just a Christmas movie, it's a Batman spin on A Christmas Carol. Penguin represents Bruce's past, Catwoman his present, and Schreck his future.
immobile7801@piefed.social · 4 pts · 227d
interesting take. I haven't watched this movie in probably decades..but this will make me rewatch it. Thanks!
webkitten@piefed.social · 6 pts · 227d
itsathursday@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 228d
Holiday Mismatch came out on Hallmark last year and was pretty good for a Hallmark movie. Reuniting the actresses from Sabrina the Teenage witch was the main draw for me.
Not sure on everyone’s definition of big, but lesser known and not obviously Christmas themed would include:
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe · 5 pts · 227d
Trading Places! I'd forgotten it's a Christmas movie!
Quexotic@infosec.pub · 6 pts · 228d
Being set during Christmas, eyes wide shut is technically a Christmas movie.
Not the best for the kids.
khannie@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 227d
The Holdovers is fantastic.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849194/
SynAcker@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 226d
8bit Christmas was great for a child of the 80s like me. Violent Night is a guilty pleasure.
happydoors@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 227d
These are relatively popular but a bit untypical: The Holdovers, The Snowman, The Family Stone, The Shop Around the Corner, Prancer, Eyes Wide Shut (nsfw), The Green Knight, Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, The End of the Tour.
adhocfungus@midwest.social · 5 pts · 227d
This may be too big: Arthur Christmas. It was made by Aardman (Wallace and Gromit, Shawn the Sheep) but using CG instead of claymation. I honestly don't like the animation as much as their claymation, but they did a good job with it.
It's the best representation of the "Christmas spirit" in my opinion. The story is great and the character arcs bring a tear to my eye.
nutcase2690@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 223d
Wanted to thank you for this rec, it now sits right next to Klaus on my Christmas watchlist!
1hitsong@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 228d
Pulptastic@midwest.social · 2 pts · 228d
I love Go and totally forgot it was a Christmas movie.
Xiang kai shek. I can see your thoughts.
bufalo1973@piefed.social · 2 pts · 227d
Dial Code Santa Claus (3615 code Père Noël) is the movie Home Alone ripped off.
bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 227d
Jack Frost.
No, not that one...
LemmyFeed@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 226d
Jack Frost horror film > Keaton Jack Frost fo sho.
melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 228d
Went to a Christmas movie when I was a kid in the late 60's or early 70's. It was some low key film about a father living alone with his son. I don't remember hardly anything else about it but his son died at the end. I was bummed out and though that was a stupid Christmas movie. What did my parents send me to?
stray@pawb.social · 3 pts · 227d
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Christmas_Tree_(1969_film) ?
SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 228d
The Ice Harvest
hitmyspot@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 228d
I thought you meant the ice storm and I was thinking it's not the kind of movie to put you in the Christmas mood! Very heavy but a good movie nonetheless. I think it's set after Thanksgiving rather than before Christmas but there are stereotypical festive parties in it.
The Ice Storm (1997) — The Movie Database (TMDB) https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/68924-the-ice-storm
JakenVeina@midwest.social · 4 pts · 227d
2018's Christmas Chronicles was an instant staple for us.
SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 227d
Ebbie
Just for its sheer badosity, a 1950s movie made in Mexico, just called Santa Claus. Santa vs. the devil, I shit you not.
ClanOfTheOcho@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 227d
Not sure if it counts as a movie, but I've loved Rich Little's Christmas Carol for decades. Rich Little was/is a master impersonator and he plays all the major roles in A Christmas Carol with characters that would have been well known back in the 1970s. W. C. Fields as Scrooge. Richard Nixon as Marley. Johnny Carson as Freddie. You get the idea. It was my favorite version of that story until The Muppets, and still ranks as my second favorite.
Edit: you can find it on YouTube
AhoyBokChoy@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 226d
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
ToffeeIsForClosers@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 227d
I mentioned this in another thread recently:
Cooper’s Christmas (aka Cooper’s Camera)
Jason Jones, Samantha Bee, Dave Foley and the very excellent Mike Beaver.
It’s my favourite Canadian Christmas comedy B-movie, a very specific genre to be sure.
dditty@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 227d
A Clüsterfünke Christmas (2021) is a decent satire on Hallmark Christmas movies
KingGordon@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 228d
A Biltmore Christmas.
adhocfungus@midwest.social · 2 pts · 227d
Especially good if you like Star Trek cameos!
okwithmydecay@leminal.space · 2 pts · 228d
Click & Collect starring Asim Chaudhry and Stephen Merchant.
pelley@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 228d
Holly Star
melodious_thunk@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 228d
Unaccompanied Minors
IanTwenty@piefed.social · 2 pts · 228d
Christmas, Again
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas%2C_Again
I have not seen it but it gets good reviews. Love to hear from someone who has.
Lemvi@lemmy.sdf.org · 2 pts · 228d
"Die Weihnachtsgans Auguste" by Günter Rätz. I guess one can understand most of it without speaking German.
Jackhammer_Joe@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 226d
nocturne@piefed.social · 2 pts · 227d
The Ref (1994) and A Wish For Wings That Work (1991)
mannycalavera@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 228d
Fantastic Fables
bklyn@piefed.social · 2 pts · 228d
Tangerine
Taleya@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 228d
Bernard and the genie
IanTwenty@piefed.social · 1 pts · 217d
In the UK The Great Escape (1963) has become synonymous with Christmas through a mixture of nostalgia, seasonal hope and just plain repetition in the broadcast schedules:
https://www.eckleburg.org/the-big-x-why-the-great-escape-still-captures-a-particularly-british-christmas/
Win012@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 226d
National Lampoon Christmas Vacation 2 Cousin Eddie’s Island Vacation