By Vantage Staff
Once the turkey is digested and the leftovers are packed away, it’s okay to start watching Christmas movies.
This week, members of The Vantage staff are sharing which movies are the ones they return to every December.
“Die Hard,” 1988
Matthew Fowler, Vantage Co-Editor-In-Chief
It is a Christmas movie. End. Of. Story!
And, it is a phenomenal one.
Bruce Willis stars as a bad-butt off-duty police officer stuck in the middle of a hostage takeover on the 30th floor of a skyscraper. He’s fighting to protect his wife, played by Bonnie Bedelia, from 12 armed gunmen — on Christmas Eve. It is funny, thrilling and heartfelt from the beginning to the very end.
The casting is perfect, the acting is phenomenal, and the plot is outstanding. The banter between characters is, at times, hilarious, yet always deeply authentic. The movie is also amazingly, and dangerously, quotable: I have to be extremely careful not to blurt out an expletive-containing quote when someone says “Yippie-Ki-Yay” or “Do you wish to proceed?” in the week after I watch it.
I highly recommend watching “Die Hard” this Christmas Eve, although you may not want to watch it with grandma or the grandchildren, as it is rated R.
“White Christmas,” 1954
Anna Corbett-Neal, Vantage Co-Editor-in-Chief
Traditions come and go, but one always stays the same. My family watches “White Christmas” together while sipping hot chocolate, and my dad and I dance the choreography to a song featured in the movie called “Sisters.”
White Christmas is a movie musical centered around two friends, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, who were buddies during WWII. They’re on a journey to become a famous song-and-dance duo and meet the Haynes sisters, who also have an act. The two duos decide to take their shows on the road together. The story follows the group through romantic struggles that occur during their time touring together.
This movie holds a special place in my heart as well as in my family’s. This has been a tradition we have not been willing to give up because of the movie’s ability to shine a light during dark times.
“The Santa Clause” 1994
Dannicka McGrath, Vantage Photo Editor
Disney’s “The Santa Clause” series is my favorite Christmas watch every year. The series, starring Tim Allen, includes not only the original movie but also “The Santa Clause 2” and “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.”
I don’t know if it’s because of the nostalgia, the magic, or the twists, but I love these movies. If I had to pick just one, it would probably be the third movie. Something about Jack Frost fighting Santa for his position makes it a truly invigorating watch. I also love all the franticness of the elves trying to make the North Pole not look like the North Pole since Santa’s in-laws are coming for Christmas.
Also, the special effects are magical. I was truly dazzled during my first viewing, and a simpler feeling washes over me every time I watch it. I want my own secret snow globe collection room.
“Rise of the Guardians,” 2012
Aime Rutayisire, Vantage Sports Editor
Although it’s not technically considered a Christmas movie by some misguided people, my favorite holiday movie is “Rise of the Guardians.” Yes, it also stars the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, but its snow scenes and plot involving Santa and Jack Frost always put me in a Christmas mood.
I first saw the movie a few years ago with my dad in Los Angeles. It was warm outside, and I remember how good it felt to be warm at Christmas. “Rise of the Guardians” is funny, festive, and spoiler alert, there’s a happy ending.
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” 1943
Denise Neil, Vantage adviser and adjunct professor
Though I’m not a huge fan of black-and-white movies, I absolutely love “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Before you assume that I, an adjunct professor born in the early 1970s, love this movie because I’m older than you, I’d like to share that I was probably 12 or 13 when I first saw it. I must have been bored on a weekend and flipping through channels.
The story follows George Bailey, a good-hearted man runs into some trouble and wishes one snowy night that he’d never been born. For much of the movie, George is guided by an angel named Clarence, on a journey to see what life would look like for others if he’d never been born. Spoiler alert: It’s bleak.
The thesis statement of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” shared in its closing moments, is one that’s good to remember any time of year: “No man is a failure who has friends.”
PHOTO: Courtesy
