Madison K. Thames
patreon
Film Friday #100
🕑 Added 2023-12-10 04:26:36 +0000 UTCSo, I've got some good news, some bad news, and some more sorta good news?? Let's get the bad out of the way first, shall we?
I've come down with a nasty case of the flu, so it's unlikely that Film Friday #100 will drop on December 15th as planned. Awful timing right? BUT my hope is to be on the mend later this week and (if possible) film my next two reactions (#100 and #101) and get them both uploaded to YT the week of the 22nd. That's the sorta good news - two movies in one week!
The REALLY good news is I think a lot of folks are gonna be excited about movie #100!! An extremely popular film that I've never seen. What is that movie, you ask?
**Drum rolllllll**
I'm watching DIE HARD for the first time!! Is it a Christmas movie? Is it not? I'm ready to judge that for myself.
Stay safe out there, y'all! There's a lot of colds going around right now. And I'll see you SOON for the biggest milestone yet - Film Friday #100!!
- Madison
Comments
Tom Frankiewicz
Yes. Die Hard is a Christmas movie. And more importantly get well soon.
WastedPo
Long post and potential SPOILERS ahead (Madison, do NOT read if you haven't watched Die Hard yet): After a lot of thought, I'm firmly on the side that Die Hard *is* a Christmas movie. For one, it has consistent, strong Christmas theming throughout. (Theming alone is enough to qualify other movies as Christmas movies.) "Ode to Joy" is intertwined throughout the music score, and the plot is filled with references to Santa, Christmas decorations, etc. I mean. As a point of contrast, only a small portion of "It's a Wonderful Life" actually takes place around Christmastime, and no one ever argues about that one. I've also heard the argument that it being Christmas is purely incidental to the plot, but that's not true. The terrorists specifically chose that day to pull their heist because they knew that the building would be largely empty save for the Christmas Party. (I also think that John was visiting Holly because it was Christmas.) Besides if one wants to still argue that the plot could've conceivably taken place at other times of the year--then you'd also have to discount "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Home Alone," as those could've also been rewritten to remove the Christmas element. Lastly, there are downright Hallmark Channel themes in Die Hard. When you get past the terrorists, it's about a couple rekindling their marriage and getting their family back together. And the B-plot of Al Powell is a sort of heartwarming redemption story. (Sort of.) And that's my Ted Talk. (And if it bolsters my Die Hard argument, I do not believe that "Lethal Weapon" is a Christmas movie. That's a movie where the holiday really is irrelevant to the movie.)
