Xmas films: controversial opinions (please help to distract me)

[Thack]

I need distracting. My mum died a few days ago. I'm expecting her first grandbaby and am heartbroken beyond words. I've got a great support network but right now I'm fed up with the sound of my own thoughts. I don't need sympathy & I'm not looking to talk about it here, but I do need help to rest my brain for a bit.

So, as a release, I ask:what are your controversial Xmas film thoughts?

Is die hard an Xmas film? I think yes.
I also love Hook and Groundhog day around Xmas.

I don't like Elf. Will Ferrel- hmmmm, not a fan.
I didn't see Gremlins until I was a teen, so have never thought of it as a Christmas film. I've only seen it a few times so maybe I've forgotten that it has Christmassy bits??

Sorry for your loss.

My controversial opinion - Polar express is awful! The animation is really odd, it just feels soulless to me. I know loads of people love it and I like the idea of it but it just leaves me completely cold.

Keira knightly has a smug mouth and ruins everything she’s in. Including Love Actually.

Really sorry to hear about your Mum @Thack

For films - I love Elf! I think Polar Express CGI looks terrifying so have never seen it.

I’m not sure if it’s controversial but I loathe Love Actually.

Muppets Christmas Carol is a brilliant telling of the story.

Arthur Christmas is brilliant but not enough people seem to have seen it.

We watch Gremlins and Die Hard every Christmas. DP and I debate whether Gremlins is really a kids film or not (it has a 15 rating apparently!)

I like love actually, but it reminds me of first dating my husband. I'm not sure if I'd like it otherwise.

Haven't seen Arthur Christmas or Polar express, I imagine it's off putting that it is Tom Hanks /Woody 's voice.

I've warned hubby that Elf might be a thing in our house once little one is here. A part of parenthood that we're not looking forwards to!

So sorry for your loss @Thack I love The Polar Express. I've made it a family tradition to watch it every year. This year we managed to see it at the iMax, thanks to Covid and no new film releases.

We love Arthur Christmas

I’m sorry for your loss, @Thack

I agree with others, polar express is terrifying! My DP loves muppet Christmas Carol and my favourite is Santa Claus (with Tim Allen). I’ve actually managed to go this year without watching it so will watch it tomorrow ☺️

Die Hard is not only a Christmas movie, it is the best Christmas movie and essential viewing in our house.

Home Alone, Nativity, Muppets Christmas Carol and Arthur Christmas are all excellent too.

I don’t get the hype around Elf at all.

So sorry for your loss. What a tough time for you.

Die Hard - definitely a Christmas film. Bruce Willis is trying to get home to see his exwife for Christmas and the action takes place at a work Christmas party.

Gremlins partly takes place at Christmas and there's a scene where the girl tells the boy why she hates Christmas so much.

My controversial opinions:Elf is massively overated (I might think that because I only saw it for the first time a couple of years ago); The Sound of Music and The Great Escape are Christmas films even though they have nothing to do with Christmas.

Polar Express-dark and unnerving
Elf-annoying and boring
Gremlins and Die Hard-not Christmas films
Love Actually and The Holiday-too syrupy

Straight to TV generic Christmas films which all follow the same story lines-LOVE THEM ALL

Jingle all the way is one of my faves. The Secret Barrister did a live tweet of it this year (last year was Love Actually and they did Home Alone 2 the year before) - worth a look if you have a mild interest in law and a bit of a pedant.

Essential Xmas to us: we always watch the South Park critter Christmas episode.

What's the take on Nightmare before Christmas? Is it a Halloween film?

We are watching polar express right now. It’s not my favourite and the animation is odd but it is the first ever movie to be made entirely from digital capture so it is revolutionary in a way. The kids like it.

Elf is a take it or leave it.

Die Hard is definitely a Christmas film and we will watch it after kids get to bed.

My controversial Christmas opinion is that Christmas in Australia is shit and there is no spirit or christmassy vibe mostly because it is hot and horrible. I wish I could go back to the uk for a Christmas.

@Thack

I like love actually, but it reminds me of first dating my husband. I'm not sure if I'd like it otherwise.

Haven't seen Arthur Christmas or Polar express, I imagine it's off putting that it is Tom Hanks /Woody 's voice.

I've warned hubby that Elf might be a thing in our house once little one is here. A part of parenthood that we're not looking forwards to!

It is entirely possible to avoid Elf, I am happy to report! Most holiday movies are dreadful I'm afraid. I quite like Nativity and Nativity 3 though (#2 and Nativity Rocks less so - I have nobly watched all 4 so you don't have to).

Nightmare before Christmas can be watched throughout November. Just saying.

@Atalune

Keira knightly has a smug mouth and ruins everything she’s in. Including Love Actually.

@Atalune Yes yes yes. Perfectly put.

I've never understood the die hard isn't a Christmas film lot. It starts abs ends with Christmas songs. It's referenced repeatedly. It happens at a Christmas party. If films that aren't about Christmas but just happen at Christmas time are rules out then home alone (the story isn't stuck to Christmas they could holiday any time really) love actually (supposedly about love, none of the stories are Christmas specific as such) and the classic white Christmas (which is only Christmassy for the last 15mins!) plus many many other Christmas films are ruled out. OF course they are Christmas films. Just like die hard.

My controversial one is that new Movies should become classics a bit sooner - Arthur Christmas, Christmas chronicles and Netflix Klaus are all brilliant and should be recognised in the general Christmas canon by now.

Die Hard - watched that last week. It’s a film set at Christmas, perhaps rather than a Christmas film. It’s worth watching though - spot Bruce Willis’s changing colour vest!

Miracle on 34 street - lovely film.

Polar Express - don’t know why, not keen on this. Something I don’t like about it, although it’s a lovely film.

Plan to watch another film tonight.

Either Gremlins, Nightmare .., Muppets. Give teens a choice (ie. forcing them all to watch a film together. Wish me luck!)

Olive the other reindeer is the best Christmas film as voted by my two small children and me.

The Gremlins and The Long Kiss Goodnight are my fave Christmas films quite controversial there. Die Hard is NOT a Christmas film!!

Sending love OP. X

The Sound of Music and The Great Escape are Christmas films even though they have nothing to do with Christmas.

Ah, now I agree with The Sound of Music but The Great Escape is definitely a New Year film to me.
Love Die Hard, we watched it last night, definitely a Christmas film. I also love Nativity but DH is strangely resistant to trying it, not sure why!
The Railway Children is my not very Christmassy Christmas film.

Yes to Klaus and Arthur Christmas, both great!

Not a film but the Vicar of Dibley Christmas special with all the dinners is a must-watch for me.

The Muppets Christmas Carol is by far the best adaptation of the book, out of all the different film versions.

Sorry for your loss, OP.

We’ve been watching a lot of Christmas films with our eight year old.

Arthur Christmas is absolutely charming and features a vain, preening Santa Claus-in-waiting with a silver Christmas tree-shaped goatee who appears to be partly based on Paul Hollywood.

Elf freaks me out — Will Ferrell in tight yellow tights — but has one unspeakably good scene with Peter Dinklage as an angry children’s books ghostwriter.

Netflix’s Christmas Chronicles (the first one) was unexpectedly funny and sharp, and has an excellent bit where Santa does a musical number while in a holding cell with Steven Van Zandt’s entire band.

Noelle (Anna Kendrick as a reluctant new Santa’s sister trying to get him back from teaching yoga in Phoenix) is quite fun.

DS likes The Santa Clause, but not so much the sequels. I liked Deck the Halls.

I only saw Scrooged for the first time last week.

Yes to Polar Express being creepy as hell.

I've never understood the love for the Nightmare before Christmas. It's shit.

My oldest is 6 and we haven't seen Elf. Watched Arthur Christmas this week, it was lovely.

Nightmare Before Christmas gets watched at both Halloween and Christmas in our house.

Four Christmases, office Christmas party, die hard, National lampoons Christmas vacation.