• Wed. May 15th, 2024

Christmas cinema: No. 9

A brief argument over the hilarity of “Christmas Vacation” got me to thinking: what are the best Christmas movies of my generation?

I decided to put a top ten list together and post one movie per day until Thursday, Dec. 24. The only guideline for the list is the film must be released no earlier than 1980.

9. Die Hard (1988)

Sure, it’s not your typical happy or comedic Christmas movie. But it’s centered around the December holiday more than most remember.

John McClain (Bruce Willis) is the great American hero in this wildly entertaining and explosive action flick. McClain, a New York City cop, travels to Los Angeles to visit his wife and kids for Christmas. He then gets in the middle of large terrorist sabotage.

Not only does this film feature the under-rated Christmas tune “Hollis in Christmas” by Run-DMC, but one of the most memorable moments include McClain sending a message to the terrorists by saying, “Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho.”