Almost the moment I hit “publish” on my post last week – “4 Movies to Get you in the Christmas Spirit” – I remembered a number of films I’d missed. Not to mention all the people that responded to this and told me other films I should have included. So I thought I’d do another post with some of the others that I missed:
Die Hard 2 (1990)
It might be a random choice to get you in the Christmas “spirit”, but Die Harder (as I believe it was subtitled) stands out against other action movies for it’s brilliant Christmas-time setting – what’s better than Bruce Willis in his wife-beater fighting baddies? Him doing it at Christmas in an airport, that’s what!
Stars: Bruce Willis, Dennis Franz, Bonnie Bedelia and a bunch of people I haven’t heard of since…
Fun Fact: The Russian title for “Die Hard” in all of the four movies is, “A Hard Nut to Crack”.
Favourite Quote: Maclane (Willis) “Oh man, I can’t fucking believe this. Another basement, another elevator. How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?”
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Obviously this isn’t entirely a Christmas movie alone, since it’s set over the course of an entire year – but that obviously means it’s bookended with some great Christmas action. This is another movie that’ll probably see me being accused of having rubbish taste in films, but what the hell – I’m a big feel-good fan, and this (and the sequel) has that in spades.
Stars: Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Sally Philips, Celia Imrie
Fun Fact: Both leading actors’ names, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, are mentioned in the book. The first on “Tuesday 24 October” and the second on “Wednesday 16 August”.
Favourite Quote: Bridget (Zellweger) “You once said you liked me just as I am and I just wanted to say likewise. I mean there are stupid things your mum buys you, tonight’s another… classic. You’re haughty, and you always say the wrong thing in every situation and I seriously believe that you should rethink the length of your sideburns. But, you’re a nice man and I like you. If you wanted to pop by some time that might be nice… more than nice.”
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Not only one of my favourite movies to watch in what the Americans call “the Holiday season”, this is also a great film to watch when you want your fill of New York landscapes. As somebody who got married in New York, I can never get enough of a bit of Empire State on celluloid, making up slightly for the fact that I don’t live there. The Christmas scenes in the film, and not to mention the wonderful New Year’s Eve set-piece, really get me in the mood for cold nights surrounded by loved-ones, not forgetting copious amounts of alcohol and food :)
Stars: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher
Fun Fact: The orgasm scene was filmed at Katz’s Deli, an actual restaurant on New York’s E. Houston Street. The table at which the scene was filmed now has a plaque on it that reads, “Congratulations! You’re sitting where Harry met Sally.”
Favourite Quote: Harry (Crystal) “I love that you get cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”