Home Alone (1990) - I was a huge fan of this movie when it came out as well as its first sequel. A huge family gets ready to leave on a holiday vacation and forgets to bring the youngest member. Now, home alone, he must fight to protect his home from idiotic burglars. The Dennis-The-Menace style antics in this movie are epic in scale and flawless in execution. This movie is on the list because no holiday is complete without at least one child during the holidays running around and doing bad things worthy of getting a sackful of coal from Santa.
Lethal Weapon (1987) - A movie with one crazy cop saving the day during Christmas time made it on this list so of course THE movie with two equally rich characters saving lives and enforcing justice had to be included. The Christmas scenery takes a back seat to law breaking intrigue but the undertone of the movie is summed up in this statement: "the police do their duty ... even when others are relaxed ... because evil never rests".
The following is my top five picks for the best Christmas movies that have nothing to do with Christmas and are in no particular order. These movies are "not your grandfather's movies" while still a good blend of action and comedy. If you're looking for some movies to keep the Christmas atmosphere while cleansing the palette from the usual Christmas movie fare then look no further:
Die Hard (1988) - Hard-boiled police detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) plus Terrorist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) equals a well portrayed and pure good versus evil tale. If you have never seen this movie then stop reading right now and watch it. If I made a list of some of the best movies ever made this would be on the list! John is a detective from New York who flies into Los Angeles to meet with his estranged wife for the holidays. While in her office building the terrorists take over and set about their diabolical scheming. John fits well into the role of an anti-hero but at the same time has a knight-in-shining-armor vibe. Watch it.
Trading Places (1983) - Eddie Murphy plays a broke criminal and blue-collar con-man while Dan Aykroyd plays a pompous rich white-chollar stock broker. The owners of the brokerage firm make a bet and put the criminal in their firm while ruining the rich man's career. Eddie Murphy's character learns that the old men plan to leave both of their toys in ruins. With the help of a butler and a prostitute the victims go to great lengths to get revenge and make a lot of money in the process. A great movie about trust and teamwork, plus it has Eddie Murphy.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) - A housewife who can't remember her past, Samantha Caine (played by Geena Davis), has lost all but the last eight years. Finding no trace of her identity in that time she has resorted to hiring the cheapest of all private detectives, Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson). Events unfold that reveal Samantha to be a spy who was left for dead. Will she regain her memory in time to save herself? Will Mitch continue to wisecrack? You can probably guess. This action movie features prominently the theme of a mother fighting for the safety of her daughter. If "homemaker assassin" were a movie genre this would be a textbook case. I loved it.
