MUScoop
MUScoop => The Superbar => Topic started by: tower912 on December 24, 2022, 07:51:48 PM
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We all agree that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
How about Die Hard 2? And how is it my wife, daughter, and her fiance have no recollection of the second one?
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Your family was swapped with one from a parallel universe. Run!
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We all agree that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
How about Die Hard 2? And how is it my wife, daughter, and her fiance have no recollection of the second one?
I run from sequels. Loved the original - never watched Die Hard 2.
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Watched the original on Friday.
What a classic.
Alan Rickman is great in it.
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For modern Christmas movies, I think there are a few things that need to be met to qualify:
Christmas Music
Soundtrack is obviously a big part. Nothing gets you in the Christmas mood like Christmas music. The first Die Hard has Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, Let It Snow, and most obviously Christmas in Hollis. Die Harder does include Let It Snow again and Carol of the Bells, which is awesome. It meets that qualification, but it's not as strong a connection.
Plotline Centered on Christmas
The first Die Hard didn't just take place at Christmas time, but Christmas was integral to the storyline. The holiday is what brought John to Los Angeles. The holiday is the reason that both Nakatomi Plaza is mostly empty (making it easier for the terrorists) but does still have some personnel because of the Christmas Party, which allowed for Hans to try to get the codes from Takagi. When John tapes the gun to his back, he uses tape for wrapping Christmas presents. Finally, Al Powell was only off his desk job because of the holiday. Any other time, he wouldn't have been in a squad car, wouldn't have been dispatched to Nakatomi Plaza, and wouldn't have been there to shoot Karl. This is a story that could only take place at Christmas.
The second Die Hard did take place at Christmas, but Christmas feels less integral to the storyline. The mercenaries weren't there because of Christmas, but because of the Esperanza transfer, which could've happened at any time. Dulles being a busy airport isn't Christmas exclusive. The snow and inclement weather that led to the plane crash wasn't Christmas specific, it was storm specific (which happens throughout the year). Really the only part that was really Christmas specific was when Carmine ripped up the ticket, saying "Ah what the hell, it's Christmas" but considering John just saved his airport, that feels more like a coincidental use of the holiday. In this regard, I don't think the second meets the qualification.
A Christmas Message
The first Die Hard reinforces a number of Christmas messages. John travels to Los Angeles to be with his family, and the entire film centers on him saving Holly and reuniting his family. Hans Gruber references the magic of the season as well, saying "It's Christmas, Theo, it's the time for miracles." And it deals with sacrifice, whether the sacrifice of John walking over broken glass in bare feet or Al putting aside his desire to not pull out his gun in order to save John and Holly (and her name...total Christmas nod). Finally, because of the first Die Hard, we now have the now-classic saying "It's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off Nakatomi Plaza" which is why I now have the advent calendar at the bottom of this post on my mantle.
The second starts with the "Merry Christmas, pal" when John gets the parking ticket and has some poinsettias and Santa in the background, but it doesn't have the same message. He's not bringing his family together, things are good between him and Holly throughout and it's just the two of them. It's more an action movie in the snow than a movie that truly has the importance of Christmas.
The first Die Hard is unquestionably a Christmas movie, the second is just a movie that takes place at Christmas.
(https://i.etsystatic.com/21969116/r/il/55bec0/4235052170/il_794xN.4235052170_dz7s.jpg)
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We have the same Advent calendar.
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Die Hard is a great anti-capitalism movie
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https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/bruce-willis-die-hard-christmas-movie/
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https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/bruce-willis-die-hard-christmas-movie/
Fock that guy, that does he know.