2008 Woodie Awards
Change traditions with low key films
By: Phil Hornshaw
Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: Lifeline
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Senior Reporter Phil Hornshaw gives his preferred alternatives to the classic holiday films that appear on TV each holiday season.
You might be tempted to go straight to your holiday DVD vault in the coming month, grabbing waiting copies of "A Christmas Story," "A Miracle on 34th Street" and the good version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
But you'd be doing yourself a disservice.
We're all constantly subjected to the same holiday icons each year: Rudolph, Santa, trees, lights, Frosty and malls saturated in the same-old Christmas songs.
Why subject yourself to the same movies over and over again, when the holidays are such fertile fare for great under-the-radar films?
The holidays have so much more to offer than the same-old-same-old. There's a hearty mix of hilarity, fantasy and butt-kicking that can be enjoyed with cookies and eggnog. Here's five holiday movies that might not be on your 'must watch once a year' list.
"Die Hard (2)"
Nothing like Bruce Willis leaping from tall buildings or running bloodied through Nakatomi tower. Or, for that matter, through Washington, D.C. Dulles International Airport.
While many say "Die Hard 2" isn't as good as the original, Christmas Eve in a terrorist-controlled airport is a recipe for awesome that's hard to mess up.
And the original "Die Hard" also is Christmas Eve in terrorist country, with even more John McClane coolness to go around with top-notch movie villain Alan Rickman.
"Ghostbusters 2"
The world ends at midnight on New Year's Eve. It's tough to go wrong with a premise like that.
Bringing back a hilarious cast of comedic veterans in Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray, "Ghostbusters" often has great comedic moments and a mildly scary villain plus more pink slime than anyone previously believed existed in the world.
It's not super-holiday oriented, but then again, it's "Ghostbusters" and concessions can be made.
You might be tempted to go straight to your holiday DVD vault in the coming month, grabbing waiting copies of "A Christmas Story," "A Miracle on 34th Street" and the good version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
But you'd be doing yourself a disservice.
We're all constantly subjected to the same holiday icons each year: Rudolph, Santa, trees, lights, Frosty and malls saturated in the same-old Christmas songs.
Why subject yourself to the same movies over and over again, when the holidays are such fertile fare for great under-the-radar films?
The holidays have so much more to offer than the same-old-same-old. There's a hearty mix of hilarity, fantasy and butt-kicking that can be enjoyed with cookies and eggnog. Here's five holiday movies that might not be on your 'must watch once a year' list.
"Die Hard (2)"
Nothing like Bruce Willis leaping from tall buildings or running bloodied through Nakatomi tower. Or, for that matter, through Washington, D.C. Dulles International Airport.
While many say "Die Hard 2" isn't as good as the original, Christmas Eve in a terrorist-controlled airport is a recipe for awesome that's hard to mess up.
And the original "Die Hard" also is Christmas Eve in terrorist country, with even more John McClane coolness to go around with top-notch movie villain Alan Rickman.
"Ghostbusters 2"
The world ends at midnight on New Year's Eve. It's tough to go wrong with a premise like that.
Bringing back a hilarious cast of comedic veterans in Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray, "Ghostbusters" often has great comedic moments and a mildly scary villain plus more pink slime than anyone previously believed existed in the world.
It's not super-holiday oriented, but then again, it's "Ghostbusters" and concessions can be made.
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